The Golden Chalice Read online

  “We’ll continue your lesson tomorrow!” she yelled out after him. Michelle used the thin sheet of paper to fan the heat. She felt her pores open and sweat rain moisture to cool her. Nothing worked. She looked around her classroom. A wooden hut in a row of about six, this one had the benefit of electricity. The village was fewer than three hundred people. School was a luxury most of the farming families couldn’t afford for their children. However, when the village learned an English teacher had come, they packed up their children and sent them in. Pedro’s family lived near her and had welcomed her shortly after she’d arrived. She and his mother had become friends.

  “You leaving, Arlene? I can give you a ride.”

  Michelle smiled to the sound of her new name. It took some getting used to; it wasn’t one she would have chosen. But when you are buying an identity, you work with what you can get. “Yes, I’m leaving.” She pushed in her small desk chair and grabbed the edge of the desk to balance her weight. Her hand went to her belly. The headmistress, named Maria, was a sweet petite woman in her early fifties. She had golden brown hair and large, round, kind eyes that made Michelle feel at ease whenever she was around. “I don’t need a ride. I have my truck. Javier fixed it this morning.”

  “How far along are you?”

  Michelle sighed. She looked down at her belly. “Eight months.”

  She had driven her rickety yellow pickup truck into Lisbon and met with her doctor just last week. He told her the baby was healthy but she would need to make plans to come into the city for the remainder of her pregnancy. Michelle was nervous about delivery. Tomorrow would be her last day at work. She’d go on bed rest in the city to be sure. Though the village had an excellent midwife, she felt less nervous if she was near a hospital.

  Maria walked in. Her satchel was crossed over her shoulder and resting on her hip. “Do you know what you’re having?”

  “No. He tried to tell me again, but I want to wait, be surprised.” Michelle smiled.

  “Arlene, I have to ask. We don’t mind, we need a teacher like you. We are grateful that you came. The kids have responded really well. More parents are sending their children in to take your class and learn English. But it’s a small village. We weren’t aware that you were pregnant when you arrived. Is there, um, well…is there a husband?”

  Michelle’s smile faded. She expected the question at first, and hoped it would never come up. The village was quiet, obscure. This tropical paradise had become her solitude. For now it was the safest place to be. “No. He left me. I’m alone. My baby isn’t alone because she has me. If it’s a she. I understand your position, so if my pregnancy is a problem….”

  Maria waved her hand. “Don’t you worry about it. Let the tongues wag. You’re welcome here. Now go home. Put your feet up. And if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me. Remember.”

  Michelle released a relaxed breath. She watched her boss leave. Alone, she went to the window and stared out at the green hills and fields. She just needed time for things to cool off. She could rejoin the world after her baby was older. Right now, her obscurity was her only protection.

  Three months ago, she’d tuned into the American news and learned of a big arrest. Men who’d evaded the law for decades were now being brought up on international trafficking and larceny charges. Escobar and other members of The Order were hauled away to courts, facing stiff charges. Michelle waited with bated breath to learn of Lee’s fate. His name was never mentioned, nor was her sister’s. The not knowing nearly drove her crazy. She comforted herself by believing in Lee’s skills. He, too, was an escape artist, the best in the business, and maybe he and Sasha had found a way to beat them all.

  A few weeks later, she watched another news broadcast on the BBC that gave her hope. An anchor reported an historic discovery in Tel Aviv. The Golden Chalice had been delivered anonymously to the Prime Minster of Israel. The greatest archeological find in Judaism since the Dead Sea Scrolls had been turned over without even a request for a reward. Scientists were still analyzing its origins but its value was deemed priceless. Michelle sat by her small TV in her room and wept. Lee had done something she never thought him capable of. And he was out there somewhere. Alive.

  A breeze lifted from the trees and blew over her. “Thank God,” she said once it cooled her skin. She inhaled the sunshine, the leafy cypress, soil, and clean air.

  Michelle had arrived in Lisbon first. Her intent had been to make her way to Brazil. But she took ill. Thinking it was something she’d eaten, she went to the local health facility. And that’s when her life and all her plans changed forever. She and Lee had been blessed again. Her pregnancy was an omen. She believed this time her second chance at a life with love and hope had truly been granted.

  For several days, Michelle walked around in a fugue state as she faced the possibility of bringing a baby into the world while on the run. Not sure what to do, but so grateful for another chance since the loss of her child, she decided to put down roots. Once, she’d believed her calling in life was to be a doctor. Now she understood her life was her own, and as long as she was free to live it as she chose, she and her child would be happy. After several weeks, she stumbled upon a teaching position funded by the government. It came with room and board and a modest wage. Michelle took a chance with her papers and applied. Now she’d found home.

  She didn’t know what had become of her sister. The arrests of Escobar and Don Gio didn’t reveal much about anyone else. She hoped Sasha was out there, and happy.

  When she touched her belly, the baby kicked. She lived for those kicks. “Time to go home, little one. We still have some packing to do. Don’t we?”

  Michelle collected the paper and pencils left by the children and put them away. She drove off in her rickety truck, vowing to get new tires soon. Though she had a stash of money, she’d been careful to spend it sparingly. She never knew when she’d have to flee again. The Order might be in jail, but her reputation and past crimes made her a realist. Someday, someone could come calling to look for the goose that laid diamond eggs, and she’d have to fight or flee. It was a consequence of being one of Pops’ girls.

  When Michelle turned off the dirt road and cruised through the tall cypress to her hut, she eased down on the brake at the sight of the Jeep parked on her land. She stared at it for a minute with her heart racing. She heard barking. A black Doberman with a diamond collar ran out from the side of the house. Michelle blinked in disbelief. She pressed her lips together and stared at Evita, who stopped to stare back. Lupe came from around the side of the house and looked at her as well.

  “Lee?”

  She could throw the car in reverse and run. But at eight months pregnant it was a risk she wouldn’t take. Lee walked from around the house with his head down. He stopped on instinct and looked up. He’d changed. The beard was new. He wore a linen shirt and loose-fitted slacks. His dark shades covered his eyes but she knew he saw her. She didn’t see a weapon in his hand. He just stood there, staring. Her nearest neighbors were a mile up the road. The isolation of the dense foliage around her home had been a good cover. Now she felt trapped by it.

  Lee didn’t move. Neither did his dogs. Michelle summoned the courage to open the door and eased out of the truck carefully. It wasn’t until she stood on her feet that he could see her girth and fully comprehend her state. Whatever his thoughts were, he didn’t verbalize them. He stood perfectly still.

  “You found me,” she said, closing the door.

  Lupe and Evita raced over to her, jumping up on her legs. She laughed, trying to keep them from knocking her down. She looked up at Lee and his frozen mask of disapproval seemed to melt. She noticed the slight bow of his head and his focus on her belly. He removed his sunglasses.

  “You deserve an explanation. But do I really need to explain, Lee?”

  He swung his gaze up to her face and narrowed it on her. “My baby?”

  “Yes. This is your baby.”

  Michelle walked toward hi
m. “Come inside. We can talk.”

  When she passed him, he grabbed her by the arm. His touch was neither firm nor soft. She dared to meet his steady stare.

  “Are you and the baby okay?” he asked, his voice hoarse with restraint.

  Michelle gave a wan smile and nodded. “We can talk.”

  She pulled away. Lee followed her. His gaze swept her small bungalow and its modest furnishings. Michelle went to the fridge and got the pitcher of lemonade and two glasses. She brought it to the table, waddling a bit when she walked. She poured them each a glass. “I didn’t know I was pregnant when I decided on my plan. I didn’t find out until later, much later. After I did what was done between us.”

  “I believe you.” Lee lowered himself to a chair.

  Michelle frowned. She expected his fury. Was prepared to deal with it. She even kept three guns stashed around her bungalow if Lee the Devil appeared. The man before her appeared weary. The fight had left him.

  “How did you find me?”

  Lee stared at the glass of lemonade and didn’t answer.

  Michelle drew out a chair and sat. “I know about the arrests. The Order is gone. How did you escape the indictments?”

  “Do you hate me?” Lee asked her.

  “What?”

  “Do you hate me?”

  “No, Lee. This was never about me hating you.”

  In his curious gaze, she could see his need to understand. She resisted the urge to touch him. Seeing him evoked so much emotion, Michelle felt the baby do flips in her belly. “This was about me loving me. Do you understand? I can’t be her. She’s dead. Chocolat is gone and who I am could never survive the life we had.”

  “I’m glad you left. I’m glad you saved yourself.” He rose. Michelle frowned as he paced away from the small dinette table. “I won’t stay long. I came to give you something. It’s in the truck.”

  “Lee, wait. How did you find me? Where have you been?”

  He walked out and slammed the door. Michelle forced herself to her feet. He returned soon after with a briefcase and set it down on the table. “You need to be careful. There are still men seeking revenge. They don’t know where you are, but if I found you, they might. I want my child….” His voice trailed off. “I want my child to have a chance. The best chance he can have is without me.”

  “What are you doing?” Michelle asked.

  “Something you wouldn’t let me do. I’m saying goodbye, sweetheart.”

  He lifted his head and locked eyes with her once more. She put a hand to her belly and struggled to capture a breath, the panic hit her so strong. “Don’t. Not yet. I—”

  Lee opened the briefcase, turned it around, and showed her more cash than she’d ever seen. “You were never paid for the Jesus Stones. Ten million was the agreed-upon price.”

  Michelle shook her head sadly. The distance between them kept her from his arms for comfort. She couldn’t even bring herself to tell him the truth. She loved him still. She would always love him.

  When she finally tore her gaze away from the money, he was gone. “Lee!”

  She hurried to the door to see him standing at the Jeep, helping the dogs inside. “I can’t do it. I can’t!” She hurried toward him. She staggered a bit, and he was at her side in a flash to steady her on her feet. She seized the moment and threw her arms around him. Lee brought her up into his arms and buried his face in her neck. She held to him. The tears flooded from her and she struggled for breath. With strength she didn’t realize he had, he lifted her into his arms and carried her inside. He placed her on the sofa and fetched her a glass of water. Michelle shook her head crying. “Please don’t go. I can’t do this again. Please.”

  “The only promise I could make to Cosmo was that I would let you go. And I don’t care what happens to me, Michelle. I only want you happy. And our child. I understand what Pops wanted for us both.”

  Michelle grabbed his hand and forced it to her belly. Lee tensed. She made his hand remain and the baby kicked. Lee’s eyes went wide. “Your child needs you. He needs us both. Lee, I need you.”

  He lifted his gaze to hers. “The Feds let me go. I had to give them things, Michelle, information on all of us. We can never go back.”

  Michelle nodded. “I don’t ever want to go back.”

  Lee leaned in and kissed her. The kiss of her lifetime. She remembered everything, the pain, the disappointment, and the lies. She also remembered being sixteen and first laying eyes on him. She’d run upstairs to her hotel room and written his name with hers in a notebook, over and over until her hand hurt. She remembered loving him.

  The kiss ended. Lee pressed his forehead to hers. “I’ve missed you so much.” His voice broke with emotion and his eyes teared. “I love you, Michelle.”

  “I love you, too, Lee. If people are out there, no amount of money will keep the baby and me safe. We need you. With us.”

  Lee closed his eyes.

  “God gave us a second chance, Lee. Don’t question it. This is the only chance we have.”

  She captured his lips and kissed him again. “We need you. Always.”

  ~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

  Sienna Mynx is your naughty writer of Paranormal, Contemporary, and Historical Interracial Romance. Her tales are for readers that love the bad boys but desire to be the women that tame them. A current resident of southern Georgia, Sienna Mynx has just emerged into the e-publishing scene. Her novellas reflect her thirst for romance told from a dark, sensual perspective with the diversity women of all colors crave in Erotic Romance. Look for more to come.

  You can visit Sienna at

  http://thedivaspen.com

  The Heist

  Her name is Michelle Dixon, but amongst the notorious smugglers of priceless artifacts, gems and artwork, in the world she is often to referred to as Chocolat. She is the oldest daughter of Pops’ Dixon, a notorious jewel thief with a vice for drinking and gambling. Thanks to her father’s unorthodox method of parenting, she’s learned the cruel double standards that being the best in thievery brings and longs for the day when she can leave the family business behind. After an unexpected tragedy freedom does come. The sudden death of Pops Dixon releases Michelle and her sister from his illegal legacy and she is determined to make a life change. Her desire for a straight life is within her grasp as she works at a small diner and waits for news on her acceptance into medical school. Then the bottom falls out of Michelle’s world.

  Pictures arrive of her sister bound and gagged. Kidnapped by a mobster known as Leith ‘Lee’ Sullivan. The man she's loved and loathed since she was sixteen. To keep her sister alive and pay off the debt of her now deceased father left behind, Michelle must once again enter the world she vowed to never return to.

  Lee is hell bent on drawing the Dixon sisters into his organization and fill the void Pops Dixon's death left in the business. Once he has Michelle under his control, he decides on yet another goal: to have her in his bed as well. Though a tide of lies, deceit, and uncharted passion what starts as revenge becomes an obsession that binds him to the elusive dark beauty. The more she resists the life he wants to offer her, the more determined he is to have her. Imperfect and unapologetic, Lee struggles with actions of the past that could drive her from him permanently.

  As the battle of love and hate between them wages on Michelle and Lee both learn more of her Pops Dixon motivations and why their fates were always destined. The Heist is the first installment in a trilogy packed with danger, adrenaline laced adventure, and heated passionate exploits that are certain to make your toes curl.

  For the Love of Chocolat

  Michelle Dixon is caught in a web of deceit, spun by the only people she should be able to trust: her sister, whose treachery has thrown her in the viper pit of mobster and jewel thieves, and Leith Sullivan, a notorious jewel thief and ruthless businessman.

  Lee believes their dark past is the justification for their uncertain future. Michelle knows differently. Her father had taught her well. In
order to survive the chase of a madman hell-bent on revenge and a lover her body craves but her heart fears, she has only one option. She must find the Golden Chalice and end the war her father started in the black market.

  Her plan to break into one of the world’s most secure banks is not without risks. But for Michelle, this heist is the only key to freedom.