Royal Heist

What could she tell him? I’m sorry. The words burned in her throat, unspoken.

“Are you going to report this incident to headquarters?” Elias asked.

“Right away,” Galen assured the older guard. “I was just hoping to have an image to send along with my report.”

“I should head back to my apartment and get out of your way.” Ruby took a step toward the door.

“Wait.” Galen stood. He raised one hand as though to reach for her, then returned his arm quickly to his side. “Do you want someone to walk you home?”

Ruby felt her heart swell with a mixture of regret and appreciation. Even though she was within the protective walls of the palace grounds, beyond the reach of the man who’d attacked her and run away, she still hadn’t been keen on stepping out into the darkness alone. How thoughtful of Galen to consider her feelings.

Before she could muster up words, Elias stepped forward. “I can walk her home. You’ve got a call to put in and a gatehouse to keep secure. I’m off duty.”

“That’s right.” Galen looked the tiniest bit disappointed as he accepted Elias’s offer. “Thank you.”

And though Ruby felt grateful for the older guard’s willingness to see that she arrived back at her apartment safely, she couldn’t help feeling the slightest bit disappointed, too. She told herself it was simply because she’d hoped for another opportunity to thank Galen, but her heart wouldn’t believe it.

She wanted him to walk her home, though she dreaded discussing the way they’d left things, and she’d told herself a thousand times to keep her distance. It was precisely the reminder she needed. Galen was a distraction she couldn’t afford, not with all the long hours of hard work that lay ahead of her, both in Lydia and back in the US. Perhaps it was best to leave things at that.

“Thank you,” she whispered, the words inadequate after the blows he’d taken on her behalf.

“Just doing my job.” He kept his face to the screen, but she glanced back to find him looking after her, too far away now for her to read his expression. She might have thought she saw a glimmer of longing, but it was surely just a trick of the light.

* * *

“You abandoned your post.” Jason Selini, the captain of the Lydian Royal Guard, glared at Galen.

“That guy was going to carry off Princess Anastasia’s assistant. Besides, Elias had the gatehouse covered.” Galen wished the royal guard had enough men to have two guards posted at the gatehouse at all hours, but following the attack on the royal family at the beginning of the summer, they’d had to let go any guard with ties to the insurgents. Rebuilding the force would take time.

“Elias was off duty. You should have called for backup.”

“And waited while that man—”

“Guards could have arrived in under a minute. If that attack had been a ruse to draw you away from your post, you fell for it. You left the whole palace vulnerable.” Captain Selini flopped a file open on his desk.

Galen recognized the pages with a sinking heart.

“Last month,” the captain continued, “you let Duchess Julia through the gate without a guard. You have breached protocol twice in less than a month. That alone is grounds for suspension.”

Galen felt as though a cold hand had clenched him in its grasp. He wanted to protest, but the captain clearly wasn’t going to listen to his defense.

“In light of the events of last evening, Princess Anastasia has requested an evening escort for her assistant. She specifically requested you.” Selini raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Do you have any idea why?”

“Because I fought Ruby’s attacker?”

“Because you and Ruby have a history together, according to the princess. I looked into this history.” Selini flipped back several pages in his file.

Galen’s heart sank. He knew what those pages held. During the tenure of the former head of the royal guard, Galen’s infractions hadn’t been considered much of a concern. But the former captain had been engaged in the treasonous conspiracies that had led to an ambush on the royal family, and had nearly toppled the monarchy. Jason Selini had taken the traitor’s place and seemed determined to restore the royal guard to its former glory by wiping away every trace of misbehavior.

“It seems two years ago,” the captain summarized from the report, “you made an unauthorized journey to the archipelago in a royal guard motorboat with the princess and her friend at night.”

Galen recalled the event distinctly. Princess Stasi had wanted to watch a meteor shower far away from the lights of Sardis. Galen’s plan to borrow the boat would have worked perfectly if only the engine hadn’t refused to start when they’d tried to head home. After attempting to row back to the marina with little success, he’d ended up tying a rope from his waist to the prow and swimming back to shore, tugging the disabled craft behind him. They’d arrived at the dock shortly after daybreak, an hour after the boat was reported stolen.

The former head of the guard had laughed heartily when Galen had explained the story.

His new boss didn’t laugh. “Compounded with your recent infractions, these reports provide sound basis for your immediate dismissal.”

Galen couldn’t speak. Would he really lose his job? Jason Selini, appointed in the wake of the ambush in June, had terminated any and every guard who’d been linked to those who’d conspired against the Royal House of Lydia, determined to defend the royal family even from those hired to protect them.

Captain Selini obviously had no qualms about firing guards. And while Galen had wholeheartedly supported his boss’s decisions—supported every move that would restore the royal guard to its former glory—he hadn’t expected the captain’s zealous housecleaning to threaten his job.

Selini ran his hands through his thick hair, revealing a few gray roots that had sprung up in recent months. His face, too, had lost its former easygoing expression, replaced with a stern grimness impressed by the weight of his newfound responsibilities. “I’ve got six new recruits scheduled to start in two weeks, as soon as they can be officially transferred over from the Lydian army. I can’t afford to let you go just yet. You have two weeks left.”

With a pounding heart, Galen listened to his supervisor’s words, waiting for the final verdict. The treason among the ranks of the guard had dealt a horrific blow to their prestige. Galen’s own brothers ribbed him mercilessly for wearing the same uniform as those who’d tried to overthrow the monarchy. Galen had vowed to help reclaim the royal guard’s reputation.

He couldn’t do that if the captain fired him.

How could he ever face his older brothers if he lost his job? His family had served in the Lydian military for generations. His brothers were all men of rank. After serving four years in the Lydian Army, Galen had become a guard—in part to escape his brothers’ constant scrutiny and the reminder that he could never measure up.

If he was fired from the guard, he’d never be able to show his face at a family gathering again. Worse yet, he wouldn’t be a part of the guard he wanted to help restore.

The captain glared at Galen as he continued. “For the next two weeks, I’ll be keeping close tabs on everything you do and every choice you make. If, at the end of that time, I determine that these protocol lapses are typical of your judgment, then you will be terminated. However, if you can prove to me that you have what it takes to be a royal guard, then you can keep your job. Agreed?”

Galen nearly sagged with relief, and panted to catch the breath he’d been holding the entire time Selini had spoken. “Agreed. Thank you. You won’t be sorry.”

“I hope not.” The captain closed the file and rapped the pages against the desk like the blade of a guillotine slamming down. “Now, Princess Anastasia wants a royal guard escort for her assistant every evening on her way home from work. She’s specifically requested you for the job. I’m not thrilled with her selection given your record, but since we don’t have a decent picture of her attacker, and since you’re the only guard who’s actually seen the man, you’re the obvious choice.”

Still feeling exhilarated by the news that he hadn’t yet been terminated, Galen smiled giddily at the thought of spending more time with Ruby. “Yes, thank you.”

If anything, his boss appeared concerned by Galen’s response. He leaned across his desk, and his eyes, already glaring, narrowed to dark slits. “Are you certain you can handle that?”

Galen sobered immediately. “Yes.”

“Quite certain?” Selini didn’t look convinced.

“Quite certain,” Galen assured his superior officer.

It wasn’t until he’d been dismissed and made it halfway down the hall that he realized maybe he wasn’t after all. Could he handle walking Ruby home for the next two weeks, with Jason Selini scrutinizing his every move, ready to dismiss him for the slightest infraction?

He wasn’t sure which was more worrisome—the man who’d attacked Ruby, or the thought of trying to maintain protocol while in her very distracting presence. He’d felt their old connection from the moment he’d looked into her eyes the previous evening. If it hadn’t been for her cold request the summer before, Galen might have acted on those feelings.

As he’d promised Captain Selini, could he handle walking Ruby home? From a professional standpoint, it shouldn’t be difficult. He was a trained royal guard. He knew what he was doing. But what about the woman who could make him lose his head with a single look? Suddenly he wasn’t so certain at all.

* * *

The evening after the attack, Ruby was alone at the studio after everyone else had left for. She looked up from the table where she sat sorting gemstones into precise piles by color and size and she startled.

A broad-shouldered figure loomed in the doorway across the room. Shoving the magnifying goggles high onto her forehead, she blinked at the figure.

“Galen!” She gasped in relief when she recognized him. “I didn’t realize anyone else was here.”

“Kirk and the princess let me in as they left. I thought they’d told you I’d be stopping by to escort you home,” Galen explained. Kirk Covington, Princess Stasi’s fiancé, had been a sentinel with the royal guard for years before saving Stasi’s life and being assigned as her primary guard.

“Stasi mentioned that she’d requested a guard, but she didn’t say who it would be.” Ruby peeled off the goggles and placed them on the table.

“I’m the only one who saw the man who attacked you.” Galen shrugged, his words an excuse for his presence.

Ruby still felt the urge to argue against it. “I caught a glimpse of him, too.” She stretched her arms above her head, releasing the kink that had built up in her neck over the course of the many hours she’d spent hunched over her work. “But that doesn’t mean I’d recognize him unless he came at me with panty hose over his face again.”

“I hope that doesn’t happen, but if he shows up again, at least you won’t be alone this time.” Galen glanced around the studio. “Are you ready to head home?”

“Not just yet, if you don’t mind. If I don’t seal these stones into separate containers, someone could bump the table and my entire evening’s work could be lost.” She picked up the first container. “It won’t take me more than ten minutes.”

“Take your time. I’m going to walk the perimeter.”

“Great idea. Kirk does the same thing several times a day.” Ruby returned her attention to the task before her, making precise notations on each container to identify the contents.

Absorbed by her task, Ruby had almost managed to stop thinking about Galen’s presence when he called out to her from across the room, “Ruby? I need you to come over here, but stay down, out of sight from the windows.”

THREE

Ruby felt awkward as she crawled on her hands and knees across the varnished wooden floorboards toward the second story window. Ahead of her, Galen crouched to the side of the expansive glass panes, hidden from outside view by the wide limestone window casing.

“What is it? Do you see someone?” Ruby asked as she drew slowly nearer.

“There’s a man at the corner smoking a cigarette. He’s leaning against the building across the street. It could be completely innocent, or he could be waiting for you.”

She was almost to the window. “The man who attacked me last night had that lingering scent that smokers have.”

“And Lydia has one of the lowest smoking rates on the planet. That doesn’t mean he’s our man, but it’s certainly an implicating factor.”

Ruby reached the window. Instead of the cigarette odor they’d been discussing, she caught a whiff of Galen’s cologne, a faint but exotic scent that immediately reminded her of the time she’d danced with Galen, two summers before. Her heart began to beat faster as the treasured memory welled up. She tried to put it from her mind and focus on the situation.

“Keep your head just above the windowsill,” Galen instructed her. “We’re on the second floor and he’s at ground level, so he shouldn’t be able to see you as long as you stay low.”

Ruby slowly lifted her head just high enough to allow her to see out, while Galen crouched down beside her, until they were both peeking out in the same direction. The sun had nearly set, and though electric lights illuminated most of the cobbled streets, the place where the man had chosen to stand was cast almost entirely in shadows.

The only thing Ruby could see clearly was the orange glow of a cigarette. “He’s certainly built like the man who came after me last night.” Ruby was able to make out enough of the large silhouette to determine that much. “I wish he’d step into the light so we could see his face.”

“If he’s the same man, I doubt he’ll do that. But I’ll keep watching. You can finish what you were doing. I just wanted you to get a look before he disappeared.”

“Thank you.” Ruby met Galen’s eyes, aware of how close their hands were, clinging to the windowsill, and how near his face was to hers. An indigo bruise branched out from his nose, deepening to a ruddy purple under his eye. Ruby sucked in a sharp breath. “Your face looks awful.”

Galen grinned the lopsided grin she’d missed so much. After an awkward silence in which she tried to think of what to say to clarify what she’d meant, Galen responded, “Yours looks quite the opposite.”

Mortified, Ruby dropped to the floor and crawled back toward where she’d been working. Had Galen meant his words to sound flirtatious? She didn’t want to know the answer.

Over the course of her many summer visits to Lydia, she’d worked hard to maintain a purely professional relationship with the gorgeous guard. The first summer she’d had a boyfriend back in the US, so she’d made it a point never to act on the attraction she had felt toward Galen. And by the time she’d had a school year away to contemplate the feelings that wouldn’t go away, she’d realized that a relationship with Galen would never work.

He was committed to life in Lydia. She had long ago promised her parents she’d help with their chain of jewelry stores once she finished her studies—and that required her to live in the United States. And she’d never been the type to have a casual fling with a man just because he was cute, even if he had sad-teddy-bear eyes. If she couldn’t foresee a future together, she didn’t see the point of wasting her time and emotional investment in a relationship.

Galen was a great guy; definitely marriage material for some lucky Lydian girl. But Ruby belonged on the other side of the globe. Galen was a friend—a great friend, who’d only ever been a gentleman in the past, in spite of the adventures they’d shared that had given him plenty of opportunity to make a move on her if he’d wanted to. Most likely the amiable sentinel was just trying to be kind.

There was nothing more for her to read into his words. There would never be anything more between them than friendship—their awkward parting the previous summer had surely guaranteed that. She’d hate to mess up what camaraderie they now shared by drawing attention to words he couldn’t possibly have meant to sound flirtatious. Even if he felt for her something like what she felt for him, nothing could come from it.

It would be difficult enough for her to leave Lydia when her service to Princess Stasi ended. She didn’t think she could leave Galen behind again, not if he felt for her what she felt for him. It was best not to think about those feelings, certainly not to discuss them.

Ruby had solidified her convictions by the time she labeled the last of the tiny containers. “Is he still there?” she asked Galen, who remained crouched at the windowsill where she’d left him.

“I believe so. He stepped back, but I’ve seen that shadow move, so I think he’s just around the corner. Do you feel comfortable walking home or do you want me to call for a car? I’d have driven myself but—”

“The streets in this part of the old city are too narrow for parking and driving.” Ruby understood completely. “The nearest decent parking is in the royal garage. And we don’t have very far to go.” She pondered the choices before them.

Was the man on the corner the same person who’d come after her the night before? She had no way of knowing, not unless he tried to come after her again. And until they caught whoever had attacked her, she would never know when he might be lurking behind her. Perhaps it would be best to give him a chance to show himself. Maybe then her life would return to normal.

“I don’t suppose you can ask your fellow guards to sneak up behind this guy and nab him, can you?”

“Sorry.” Galen stayed low, out of sight of the window as he shuffled toward her, standing when he reached the table where she’d been working. “He’s not breaking any laws right now. We don’t have any way to prove it’s your attacker. The only way to legally apprehend him is to catch him in the act.”

Ruby shuddered as she imagined what that act might be. Grabbing her? Fighting Galen again? What had the man been trying to accomplish, anyway? “Have you got a quick way to call in more men if this guy tries to jump us again?”

“Yes. The head of the guard assigned extra men to this shift in response to last night’s attack. There are two men on duty in the guardhouse, and they can call more reinforcements if they need to. I’ll call them now and tell them we’ll be leaving, so they know to watch for us.”

As Ruby listened to Galen’s half of the conversation, the guard used his radio earpiece to contact the other men and fill them in on the situation, including the fact that they’d spotted a man across the street. “We haven’t gotten a good look at him. Might be our guy. Might not. We should have a better idea in a few minutes.”

Galen offered Ruby a focused smile as he ended the conversation. “They’ll be watching for us.”

Reassured, Ruby did her best to sound confident. “We’ll be fine. You fought him off last night. Why would he be crazy enough to show up again? He has to know I won’t be walking home alone after what happened. That’s probably some innocent man taking a long smoke break.” Ruby made up her mind. “Your men are expecting us. Let’s just go.” She grabbed her pile of notes from that day’s work and stuffed them into her purse, strapping it across her chest as usual.

Galen walked with her to the stairwell. “I’ll step outside first. Then I’ll stand behind you as you close the door. I want you to walk just ahead of me, a little to my right, closest to the buildings. That puts me in between you and anyone who might come from behind.”

“Okay. What do we do if he shows up?”

“Let’s try to stay together. If I tell you to run, head for your apartment door or the gatehouse like last night. The guards will have one man watching through the window, and one watching the security footage of your door. I’ll call for reinforcements if this guy makes any move toward us. If I can, I’d like to bring him in—but not if it means putting you in danger.” Galen’s gaze settled on hers with a protective expression that bordered on...

No, that couldn’t be it. Not affection. Galen knew better. She’d made herself perfectly clear the year before. Even if he felt things for her, she wouldn’t believe it.

Couldn’t return it.

Mindful of her decision not to let on to him about her feelings, she turned her face to the door. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

* * *

The night air felt cool on his face as Galen stepped outside. As promised, he took his position just behind Ruby as she bolted the door and slipped the key into her purse. In those brief moments, he turned to get a clear view of where the man had been standing.

The spot was empty. If it hadn’t been for the lingering scent of tobacco in the air, Galen might have wondered if he hadn’t imagined seeing the shadowy figure. There was no sign of the man anymore.

Ruby turned resolutely toward the palace.

Galen listened carefully as he kept pace half a step behind her. He heard no footsteps, saw no evidence of life.

He exhaled with his mouth half open, not wanting even the sound of his own breath to disguise any sign that Ruby’s attacker might be near. Tuning out the distant noises of traffic from several blocks away, Galen listened closely for the faintest footstep.

Nothing.

Good. Though he wanted to catch the man, he didn’t want to put Ruby in danger. If he’d thought the guy was crazy enough to show up two nights in a row, he’d have requested more guards with him. But no mere mugger would bother to show up two nights in a row or try to attack a woman surrounded by royal guards. If Galen made such a request only to walk home undisturbed, he’d look foolish. Jason Selini would question his judgment.

No, it was better this way. No extra guards, and no sign of Ruby’s attacker.

They turned the corner at the end of the block. The palace lay up ahead, in clear sight. Ruby looked at him over her shoulder and offered him half a smile, hope sparkling in her eyes. She felt it too, then—relief that the man had decided to leave them alone. Maybe Galen’s presence had been enough to keep the thug away.

But a few steps later he heard a crunch like gravel under the sole of a boot.

Ruby must have heard it, too. She stiffened and slowed her pace slightly, as if stalling her steps to hear as much as possible between each footfall.

Galen held his breath, praying silently that Ruby’s attacker would stay away.

A few more steps crunched softly behind them.

He turned his head, quickly scouring the street behind them, but saw no one. The sound continued. It seemed to be coming from around the corner, though the echoing effect of the tall stone buildings made it difficult to tell for sure. The man could be anywhere.

Ruby glanced up at him, her green eyes wide.

“Walk faster,” he whispered.

She didn’t need any encouragement. Galen took three long strides after her before the clear sound of footsteps rounded the corner. One glance over his shoulder told him their disguised attacker had returned.

“Run!” Galen swept one arm around Ruby’s waist as he hurried her forward. At the same instant, he clamped down on his push-to-talk button to call the guards to their aid. But as he opened his mouth to speak, his ears were assaulted with a static-filled squeal.

What was wrong with his radio? Galen didn’t have time for troubleshooting. Their pursuer was a mere half block behind them, maybe less.

They crossed a bisecting street. Ruby’s apartment lay one long block ahead of them. Galen dared to look over his shoulder as they darted across the intersection, hoping to see that they were far enough ahead of the man to safely reach Ruby’s apartment. A shadow passed under a streetlight at the corner behind them, disappearing in the other direction.

“Where is he?” Ruby gasped between breaths.

“He’s gone.”

“What?”

Ruby’s steps slowed. Galen, likewise, stopped running to listen. Silence. Had the man given up?

“I think I saw him dart around that corner away from us.” Galen shook his head, still listening closely. He heard a distant sound, which might have been footsteps, but it was difficult to tell as he and Ruby both sucked in deep breaths after their panicked run.