Royal Heist. Rachelle McCalla

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.

      “I hear—” Ruby began in a whisper.

      But Galen heard it, too, and pulled out his earpiece so he could hear more clearly. The sound of approaching footsteps had returned, but now they seemed to be coming from the side street opposite the corner around which the man had seemed to disappear.

      How had the man gotten across the street? Was it some sort of trick, or another person entirely?

      Galen formed a plan quickly. He wanted to ID the perp, if possible—but he couldn’t let Ruby stay out in the open. A deep alcove beckoned from the doorway of the nearest building.

      “In here.” Galen nearly lifted Ruby off her feet as he swept her behind the protecting stone enclosure, positioning himself in front of her, ears attuned, one eye peering just past the rim of the stonework.

      As he’d suspected, a massive man darted out from around the opposite corner, his face distorted by a semitransparent, tight-fitting elastic garment. The man glanced about as he ran, then skidded to a stop fewer than twenty yards from them.

      Galen ducked his head back.

      Ruby clung to the light blue shirt of his royal guard uniform, looking up at him from very close range, her expression trusting in spite of the fear that haunted her eyes. This close, he could feel her warmth and smell the light perfume she wore. He turned his attention from her to the street, refusing to think about how it felt to have her practically in his arms.

      Ordinarily he’d have backed away, honoring her wishes to keep a formal distance between them. He didn’t have that option, not with their pursuer moving toward them as the big man searched out his lost prey.

      The doorway where they hid was set back one yard or more from the stonework facade, the decorative archway providing a narrow nook for them to hide, out of sight from anyone looking directly at the building, provided they pressed flat against the adjoining wall.

      “He’s looking for us,” Galen explained, his voice barely a breath as he tried to compress himself as flat as possible against the wall without crushing Ruby. She too shrank back as they listened to the man approach, but Galen could still feel her heartbeat slamming into his.

      A gruff voice rumbled from the street. “Where’d they go?” A pause. “Not anymore.” A stream of curses was followed by, “Not tonight.”

      The sound of footsteps faded into the night.

      Galen waited a few more tense heartbeats, then peeled himself away from the wall. He needed to distance himself from Ruby, especially since he wanted to pull her into his arms to hold her close and keep her safe. Instead, he looked out into the night. The orange glow of streetlights illumined all that was left of the evening.

      “What happened to your guards?” Ruby asked in a tiny whisper. “I thought you were going to call them?”

      As she spoke, Galen heard footsteps—this time coming from the direction of the palace wall. He recognized the familiar dark slacks and pale blue shirt of the Lydian guard uniform.

      “Linus!” he called out.

      The guard turned, relief on his face as Galen stepped from the doorway, pulling Ruby out after him.

      “What happened? I was listening for you, but when I checked the radio, all I got was static.”

      “He must have jammed the system.” Galen was still trying to sort out what had happened. “He may have been wearing an earpiece, as well. Even though he appeared to be alone, he was talking to someone.”

      “An accomplice?” Ruby’s voice, sounding small and vulnerable, pulled Galen’s attention from his fellow guard to the woman he’d promised to protect.

      Galen stared at Ruby as the full impact of her words hit him. It was worse than he’d feared. Not only was someone targeting her specifically, but they weren’t working alone.

      Cold dread filled Galen as he looked at Ruby’s innocent face and wondered what she was up against. He needed to figure it out—quickly, before the men did anything to hurt Ruby.

      And he needed to convince his boss that he knew what he was talking about when he requested more men for the next evening,