Trouble and Treasure (#1, Trouble and Treasure Series) (8 page)

It would be stupendously violent. I was sure
that pajama-wearing Amanda wasn't going to be up to the task.

“
Elizabeth.” For the first time Amanda took
a step away from the door.

I fought the urge to rise, sure that she was
about to make a run for the corridor. The last thing I needed was
for her to run onto a public road and right into the arms of
Maratova.

“
Can I trust him?” Amanda finished. She
didn’t look at me once.

Elizabeth nodded. “He is a damn fine
lawyer.”

Amanda gave a laugh, and damn it if it was
cute as it rumpled her small bump of a nose. “I think this is going
to take more than a lawyer—”

“
For once, you’re right.” I looked up at
her, toning down my anger. I knew full well I was misdirecting my
ill will; while Amanda wasn’t taking this as easily as I wanted,
what was pissing me off was how much I’d stuffed up last night and
how damn hard I’d have to try to stay out of Maratova's way. Amanda
wasn't the problem; I was.

“
Okay,” Amanda let out an enormous breath
that puffed out her appreciable chest, and she covered her face
with her hands. “Okay. I can't believe I'm doing this, but okay,
I'll trust you.” She dropped her hands. “For now,” she
clarified.

I rose from my stool. I reached out a hand
to her.

She looked at it, confused.

“
You shake it,” I chuckled.

“
Okay.” With an uncomfortable look on her
face she reached out her hand and tentatively took my
own.

I did all the shaking, but hopefully the
point was clear that she’d agreed to a deal. As a lawyer, and more
so as a treasure hunter, I had no intention of letting her break
this one.

“
Am I going to go to prison?” she asked
quietly.

I wanted to laugh at her, not just because
the question was stupid, but because of the frightened, doe-eyed
look she shot me.

“
No one’s heading to prison yet.” I nodded
low.

“
I suppose you’re going to need your gun
back.” Elizabeth rose from her stool and pulled up her
sleeves.

“
And my bloody keys; I had to walk into
town and get a taxi last night,” I pointed out as I gritted my
teeth softly and glared at Amanda.

She stared back, lips parted and pouty.
“Are you serious? I had to run through the forest in the dark with
no shoes on to get away from some Special Forces team, while my
house was being trashed by bad guys.”

I shrugged; she had me on that one.

Elizabeth led us from the kitchen. I was
sure to stand behind Amanda, lest she take the opportunity to peel
off into one of the side rooms, crank open a window, dive out, and
run away from me for the millionth time. Despite the fact I found
her pathetic, I had to admit she was resourceful when it came to
running away.

Elizabeth led us into a large laundry next
to the kitchen. There were old tiles on the floor and they must
have been cold, as the second Amanda walked onto them she began
curling her toes and dancing around. That drew my attention to her
feet. They had patchy blue and purple bruises over them and deep
cuts scattered from her toes to her ankles.

I clenched my jaw. Fucking Maratova; this
was all his fault.

Elizabeth led us over to her old washing
machine. On top stacked in a neat pile were Amanda's torn and muddy
pajamas, with my gun and keys placed on top. I hoped like hell
Elizabeth hadn't washed them.

I grabbed them, pocketing the keys and
holding the gun, as I didn’t have a holster on under my suit. I
nodded at Elizabeth. “Thanks.”

She crossed her arms and stared at the
both of us for a while. “Well, I suppose the two of you are about
to go off and have some fun then.”

Amanda snorted.

I nodded and shrugged. “It's vitally
important that you don't tell anybody what happened here. Don't let
anyone know that Amanda came here, and sure as hell do not mention
anything about those globes.” I looked as serious as I could. I
didn’t want the old dame to be drawn into this. Despite her
eccentricities, I doubted she had what it took to deal with some of
the world's worst criminals.

She shrugged and inclined a hand at me.
“Oh, don't worry about me. I believe you are going to have your
hands full dealing with Amanda.”

Amanda went pink at the suggestion, and I
couldn't help but give a half smile in reply. “Something like
that,” I muttered.

While I wanted to know where those other
four globes were, we'd already discussed enough in front of
Elizabeth.

“
We need to get going.” I swung my keys
around my fingers as I motioned with my head towards the front
door. “You let me know where those globes are in the car, then
we’ll get them,” I flexed my shoulders again, “and we’ll see what
happens next.”

“
Um, I need to change out of my pajamas
first,” Amanda pointed out as she gestured at her overly large and
overly floral PJs.

“
Oh, I thought that’s what you always
wore.” I smiled as she snarled at me.

“
Don't you worry, dear,” Elizabeth walked
over to one of the tall cupboards on the other side of the room, “I
have clothes that will fit you.” She rummaged around for a while,
several odd garments falling on the floor by her feet. They were
all colorful and all equally as hideous. Elizabeth was the kind of
woman who liked her clothes to match her personality, right down to
the rhinestones and electric blue thunderbolts.

Today, however, she pulled out an ordinary
cream skirt and a white linen blouse. With more digging she added a
pair of gray stockings to the pile and a dark cream jacket. It
looked like the female equivalent of a safari suit. All Amanda
would need now was a neat bun, a dainty hat, and a small pair of
spectacles at the end of her nose. She’d be the perfect picture of
a ye-olde female adventurer. Were it not for the fact she had jelly
for legs and a tested ability to run away from the adventure, not
towards it.

Elizabeth picked the clothes up off the
floor and handed them to Amanda. “These are good clothes, dear, and
they will keep you in good stead.” Elizabeth got a faraway look in
her eyes. “I can just imagine the adventures you're going to get up
to.”

I tried not to snort. Seriously, lady, I
wanted to point out, we weren't going to have adventures. All we
were going to do was run for our lives as we tried, or at least I
tried, to find some of the greatest treasure out there. Sure as
hell Amanda wouldn’t be coming along for that bit. I would keep her
safe, because I’d shaken hands on that. But as soon as I deposited
her in a place I knew Maratova couldn't find, I would begin the
real adventure, alone.

I stood there, wondering how long this was
all going to take and how much gold waited for me at the end of it
all.

Elizabeth cleared her throat. “Sebastian,
this is the point when you walk out of the room and allow the lady
to change.”

“
Lady?” I questioned.

“
Shut up and get out of the room.” Amanda
brushed past me, grabbed the clothes in Elizabeth's arms, and
pointed at the door.

I got the picture, and I didn't need to be
pushed from the room; Amanda Stanton was a galaxy away from my
type. I liked my women like I liked my cars: fast and with a hell
of a lot more grunt.

Amanda Stanton

Elizabeth followed Sebastian out of the
room, allowing me to change in peace.

I looked at the clothes as I bit my lip.
This was all so surreal.

I dressed in a hurry, flinging my pajamas in
a pile by the washing machine. Sebastian might have been a lot of
things, but I doubted he was lying about how much trouble I was in.
Just as I doubted he was lying about how dangerous this was for
Elizabeth.

Once I pulled on the tights and shrugged
into the jacket, I sashayed over to the mirror at the other side of
the room and had a good look at my reflection. Despite the fact my
hair was an amazing mess, I looked pretty good.

I leaned down and picked up the sweet shoes
Elizabeth had left for me. They were pale brown with large brass
buckles and a small heel. They matched the outfit perfectly. All I
would need was a nice flowing white silk scarf and some ladylike
leather gloves and I would belong in an adventure novel from the
turn of last century.

For the first time since I’d trundled down
my stairs last night to find criminals in my house, I gave a
genuine smile and a small laugh. I would have to enjoy it while it
lasted, as I would soon be thrust into the company of one
monumentally irritating Sebastian Shaw.

When I was satisfied with my reflection,
brushing a hand down the nicely fitted jacket, I walked out of the
laundry.

When Sebastian saw me, it was clear he found
my outfit amusing as he half turned away trying to hide the smile
that spread across his lips.

What an insufferable git. I ignored him as I
walked past, both hands tugging down firmly on my jacket.

When Elizabeth saw me she clapped her
hands together, a warm smile pressing up her cheeks. “Oh, Amanda,
you look fabulous.”

“
Something like that,” Sebastian mumbled,
“But we need to go.”

“
Oh,” Elizabeth was visibly disappointed,
“Isn't there time for me to make you some snacks for the
road?”

“
No time.” Sebastian put his hand flat on
my shoulder and pushed me forward.

If the man weren’t carrying a gun and
weren’t such a large brute, I would have pushed him off and kicked
him in the shins.

We walked to the door, and the closer we
came the more the situation began to feel real again. A cold tight
pressure spread across my chest, and that familiar taste of raw
fear infected my mouth.

Elizabeth gave me a hug before she opened
the door. “You will be alright, dear,” she assured me, “Sebastian
is an excellent lawyer.”

I didn't have the heart to tell her that
Sebastian's legal skills aside, it sounded as if I would need an
entire army on my side if I wanted to win this.

“
Do you have a hat, Elizabeth?” Sebastian
couldn't keep his eyes off my unkempt hair. Perhaps he was a neat
freak, or perhaps he liked his women to be of the excessively clean
and primped variety. “Something with a big brim?”

Elizabeth clicked her fingers together. “I
have just the thing.” She darted off down the corridor,
disappearing for a while. In those few moments Sebastian took the
time to look at me, his eyes traveling down and up my figure. I
wanted to slap him.

Perhaps I would be better off with
Maratova.

Elizabeth rushed back, a hat clutched in her
old hands. It was white with a large wide brim and had a wide silk
ribbon tied around the middle. It was exceptionally pretty.

“
That will do.” Sebastian hardly gave the
hat a glance as Elizabeth handed it to me.

Once I secured all of my hair under the hat,
I waved goodbye to Elizabeth.

I turned to follow Sebastian.

Sebastian Shaw

She looked the part, I had to admit. The hat
Elizabeth had dredged up suited Amanda.

Now all I had to do was get her to my car,
drive into town, and keep her out of sight. The hat would be a
start, but the rest would be up to me.

I didn't bother to open the door for Amanda,
and I found it highly amusing when she paused, waiting for me to do
it. I could tell she was a well-heeled girl, and I’d also done some
checking on her last night, which helped. She had a trust fund and
was related to Imelda Stanton, one of the richest women in England.
Amanda had gone to uni and walked away with the most useless
degree: an arts degree specializing in history and fine art. She
had gone on from there to do various stints in volunteer
organizations, especially ones that had anything to do with animals
or the environment, and had pretty much vacillated for the rest of
her life, as children born into rich families often do when they do
not have to work for their crust. She didn’t have a police record,
she'd only ever had a handful of parking fines, and she wasn't on
any lists. Well she would be now, but before the auction, Amanda
had led an outstandingly boring life.

Amanda Stanton looked like the most
ordinary of girls. I was gobsmacked it was her of all people who’d
found my globes. Though technically, it wasn’t her at all, it was
her Great-Uncle Arthur Stanton, adventurer extraordinaire. He'd
done all the hard work and found the globes, she’d just put them up
for auction in the most stupid manner possible.

She got in the car, the giant brim of her
hat tilting and covering most of her face save for a thin line of
her bottom lip and chin. Move over Serena, in that moment Amanda
looked more than attractive. But that moment passed when she opened
her mouth.

“
Where are you going to take me?” she asked
in that highly irritating pitch of hers. “Should I call my
great-aunt? I mean, what if people start to realize I'm missing?
What if people go to my house and... well, notice all the guns on
the ground?”

I shook my head as I walked around the front
of the car to sit with a thump behind the wheel. I ignored her as I
started up the engine, scratched my neck, waved at Elizabeth, and
moved into reverse.

“
Won’t the police be looking for me? What
about this Maratova man? Last night while you were in my drawing
room, you mentioned something about a man named Romeo, won't he be
after me too?” Her voice was picking up speed, the words blurring
together.