Rachelle McCalla - Royal Heist

“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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