Royal Heist

Ruby’s heart gave a crazy leap, but her feet froze in place. Too late, she stepped away so he could reach the door. His hand brushed her arm, and she felt an embarrassed flush rise through her. “Oh!” She ought to protest further, but words failed her. She had to focus all her suddenly depleted brainpower on stepping out of the way of the door as he opened it for her.

She ducked around his arms, met his eyes briefly and blushed deeper. “Warm day today.” She fanned herself as she stepped outside, hoping he’d attribute her sudden color to the heat of the mid-September weather.

“A beautiful day,” Galen observed once he’d pulled the door securely closed behind them. When making their plans the previous evening, they’d debated whether to walk or take a car. Given the lack of parking, taking a car created more difficulties than it solved, taking them far out of range of the palace and the helpful presence of the nearby royal guard—and also introduced the possibility that Ruby’s attacker might lie in wait behind the car, if he decided to show up at all. Since the man had only appeared at dusk before, they could assume Ruby would be safest on foot in the bright light of day.

As they started down the cobbled street toward Stasi’s studio, Ruby tried frantically to think of something to say to Galen to break the awkward silence. They’d had no trouble chatting over supper last night, but Kirk and Stasi had been with them then. Kirk had told stories about Galen, of the time he’d helped him change a flat tire, and how Galen had been sent by the old, corrupt head of the guard to intercept Kirk and Stasi as they’d tried to escape from the insurgents following the coup against the monarchy earlier that summer.

Rather than stop them, Galen had told Kirk to give him a black eye. Galen had used the injury as an excuse, claiming Kirk had overpowered him.

Galen had turned red at the story and insisted his actions hardly made him a hero, though Kirk and Stasi both insisted that he’d saved their lives and quite possibly the crown. As far as Ruby was concerned, Galen was a hero.

Given the time they would be spending together, she felt she ought to clarify her statements from the summer before, and apologize for the harsh way her words had come out. But the mere thought of that encounter sent embarrassment through her all the way to her toes. She couldn’t bring herself to raise the subject.

To her relief, Galen picked a different topic to discuss.

“I don’t know a whole lot about jewelry,” he confessed as they walked along the street at a leisurely pace. “The princess’s designs must be something special though if these guys are after them.”

“Oh, they are.” Ruby felt a rush of relief. She could talk about jewelry all day. “Stasi’s always been a talented designer. Her pieces were selling extremely well, even before she let her name be attached to them. Now that people know they’re designed by a princess, they’re even more popular.”

“But I don’t understand when she says she’s designing the royal jewels. I thought all the crown jewels already existed.”

“The ancient crown jewels are hidden in a secret vault,” Ruby related. “Stasi uses them as inspiration for her own pieces, and since I’m her assistant, I have access to the vault. The way I understand it, every member of the royal family has their own jewels. The reigning king is crowned with the same crown worn by his ancestors, but other members of the royal family have jewels designed for them personally, and each king throughout history has had his own personal jewelry, including a unique signet ring.”

“So Princess Stasi’s designs don’t replace the ones in the secret vault?”

“No, but most of them will probably end up in the vault. It’s loaded with jewelry from the Lydian royalty of the past twenty centuries.”

Galen let out a low whistle. “Would I love to see that. I’ve studied the history of the monarchy—royal guards are required to memorize the list of kings and queens, along with the dates of their coronations.”

“That must be quite a list. Lydia has a long history.”

“It is a long list, but I’m glad we’re required to learn it. I think it gives us a better appreciation of what we’re guarding. Not just a building. Not just people, but a long legacy of faithful leaders who’ve given their lives to the glory of God and the welfare of the Lydian people.”

Ruby’s heart swelled as Galen spoke. She heard the note of awe, the trial-tested devotion he felt toward the land that he loved. It left her at a loss for words. He’d always had that love for his country—a love that reminded her why she and Galen could never be together.

He loved the kingdom of Lydia. She loved the tiny kingdom, too, and found it increasingly difficult to leave at the end of each summer visit, but she didn’t belong in Lydia. Her place was back in the United States, running Tate Jewelry at her parents’ side. It was her duty. Until she repaid her parents for her betrayal years before, she’d always be bound by her responsibility to the family business.

Ruby tried to focus on that goal. She looked ahead of them toward the corner they’d turn to reach Stasi’s studio.

A burly figure hurried across the street, glancing briefly their way before disappearing in the direction of Stasi’s studio.

With a gasp, Ruby grabbed Galen’s arm.

“What is it?”

“Did you see that guy?”

“The bald man?”

“With the tattoo of the eagle on his arm?”

“Was it an eagle?” Galen increased his pace to match Ruby’s as she hurried toward the corner. “I couldn’t see the whole thing. His sleeve covered part of it.”

“I’ve seen the whole thing before.”

“Wait.” Galen pulled her to a stop, standing in front of her and looking into her eyes. “You know that guy? He looked tough.”

Ruby nodded as the memories caught up to her. “His name is Luciano...something. He was a security guard at our school.” She tried to step past Galen, eager to catch up to Luciano and make sure she’d correctly identified him.

Galen blocked her path, looking unhappy at the idea that Ruby might get any closer to the man ahead of them. “Your school?”

“Back in the US—where Stasi and I studied gemology together. We were roommates, you know.” Ruby stepped in the other direction, still focused on catching up to the man. What was he doing in Lydia, so close to Stasi’s studio?

“He’s from the US?” Galen’s voice rose with consternation. “And he’s familiar to you?”

Ruby caught the emphasis Galen placed on the word familiar, and recognized it from when she’d used it the evening before. She stopped trying to sidestep Galen and looked into his dark brown eyes, which snapped with zealous concern. She understood now why he’d barred her way.

“What’s he doing in Lydia?” Galen glanced warily behind him in the direction the man had disappeared.

Ruby’s mouth had gone dry. “The studio is that way. Do you think we should follow him?”

“Not alone.” Galen pulled out his phone, then made a face at the screen.

“What?” Ruby had noticed that, in keeping with his off-duty ensemble, Galen wasn’t wearing his earpiece.

“I don’t know. Captain Selini...” Galen’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the phone, clearly wrestling with a decision.

“Your boss?”

Galen nodded. “He gets upset when things go wrong. If that Luciano guy is the man who attacked you, we should catch him. But if he’s not, I could get in big trouble for calling guards away from their posts as we are shorthanded.”

“Stasi told me all about that.” Ruby understood, and she realized why Galen was hesitant to call. “I can’t say for certain that the man crossing the street was Luciano. He could be anyone. Don’t call.”

“You’re sure?”

Ruby took Galen’s arm and steered him toward the studio again. “Not until we get a better look at this guy. I don’t want you to get in trouble with your boss.”

Galen hurried along beside her, but he slowed as they neared the corner. “We’re not going after this guy by ourselves.”

“Right. We’re just trying to get a better look at him—and to make sure he’s not headed toward Stasi’s studio.” Ruby glanced around the corner but hung back since Galen grabbed her arm, and seemed prepared to pull her away if she went too far.

There were no people or cars on the street, just limestone cobbles, pots of fragrant bougainvillea and geraniums, and storefront signs for various offices. Accountants, lawyers, dentists...nothing that was open on a Saturday. So where was the man headed? Even if he wasn’t Luciano, the man didn’t look like any dentist or accountant she’d ever seen. So what was he doing in this neighborhood, and where had he disappeared to?

“Ruby.” Galen’s voice sounded low and close to her ear. “I don’t have a good feeling about this. That guy is around here somewhere. If he has partners, we could be walking into trouble.”

Ruby knew Galen was brave. The black eye he’d earned defending her, along with the one Kirk had given him three months before, proved that the royal guard wasn’t afraid to take a hit. Which made the apprehension in his voice that much more unsettling.

She turned to find he had moved closer to her as they both bent around the corner of the building, looking down the street toward Stasi’s studio. He rested one hand on her shoulder, the warmth of his fingers spreading through her cotton blouse.

“If it’s just some innocent guy, and you call in extra guards for nothing, you’ll get in trouble,” she reminded him.

“And if it’s the same man who attacked you before, and we get too close and something happens to you, I’ll never forgive myself.” Galen’s eyes locked on hers.

Ruby couldn’t look away. She wanted to apologize for her harsh words the summer before, to clarify, maybe even try to explain. But the danger around them took precedence, no matter how powerful her feelings.

“I should take you back to the safety of the palace,” Galen concluded. “Then I can return alone.”

“No.” Ruby shook her head hard enough to break eye contact. She peeked down the street. “If he was headed toward Stasi’s studio, he’s already had enough of a head start. We can’t walk away, not when we’ve gotten this close to him.”

“Then I need to call in reinforcements.”

“But what if it’s nothing? Won’t your boss be unhappy?” Ruby caught his eye again and immediately wished she hadn’t. He was too close, and his determination to protect her only made her unwanted feelings toward him that much stronger.

“I’ll take that risk. I’m not putting you in danger.”

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