Royal Heist. Rachelle McCalla

Kirk—at her side. The new imposition wouldn’t change much.

      “I’m going to look into alternate earpiece communication kits,” Simon offered.

      “And I want physical stats on this guy,” Linus cut in. “If he got close enough to the palace to deduce our radio frequency, he’s probably been lurking around. We shouldn’t have to wait for him to come after Ruby again—if we know what he looks like, we can nab him the next time he sticks his head up.”

      To her frustration, Ruby didn’t have anything helpful to offer in the way of a physical description. While Galen estimated the man’s height and weight, Ruby pinched her eyes shut and visualized the menacing face she’d seen under the elastic mask the night before. She couldn’t imagine why she’d thought the man seemed familiar. Where would she have seen him before? Lurking around, as Linus had suggested? Had he been watching her, sticking to the shadows as he had that evening at the studio, his cigarette glowing like a lone orange eye?

      The thought made her shudder.

      “Are you okay?” Galen asked.

      Ruby opened her eyes to see Galen’s teddy-bear brows bent upward with concern. He reached for her hand where it rested at the edge of the table, still gripping her notes on Stasi’s designs.

      She recoiled at the thought that he might hold her hand. She could still feel the embrace of his strong arms around her as they’d hidden from her attacker. Her heart lurched, torn between reaching for him, and the fear of letting herself share any more connection with a man she wouldn’t see after her job in Lydia ended.

      Galen pulled his hand back, no doubt recalling her request from the year before. Or perhaps he’d never meant to take her hand at all. “You’ve had a rough couple days.”

      Ruby shook her head. “I’m okay. I was trying to figure out why the man who attacked me seemed so—” she struggled to speak through the complicated feelings that clogged her thoughts “—familiar.” It wasn’t quite the right word, but it was the closest thing she could think of.

      “Familiar?” The princess repeated the word with alarm. “Do you think you know this guy?”

      “I don’t know.” Ruby wished she could take the word back, even if she didn’t know what else to replace it with. “I couldn’t really see his face. Maybe I imagined it.”

      “Familiar how?” Galen quizzed her. “What does he remind you of?”

      Though she hated revisiting the fear-filled memory, Ruby closed her eyes again and tried to link the man’s image with whatever it was that she felt she recognized. “I don’t know,” she concluded again, frustrated with the whole business. “I don’t know why these guys are after me, or what’s so important to them. I’m not sure if I recognize something about that masked man or if I’m just imagining things.”

      “It’s okay.” Galen reached out to her with his words, even as he kept his hands at his sides. “You don’t have to know. It’s our job as the royal guard is to keep you safe.”

      Stasi jumped in. “As Kirk is always reminding me, safety means more than just freedom from injury. It means freedom from indirect harm, as well. Stressing about your own safety is bad for your health. Speaking of, have you had anything for dinner yet?”

      “No.”

      “Neither have we,” Kirk reminded Stasi.

      “Let’s head over to the palace,” Stasi suggested. “They’ve always got something prepared over there.” She pulled Ruby to her feet.

      * * *

      “Galen!” Princess Stasi called back from the doorway. “Come on.”

      Surprised by the invitation, Galen declined. “I’m on duty tonight.”

      “Which is why you’re coming to supper with us. You’re in charge of guarding Ruby from now on. You’ll need to coordinate your schedule with hers.”

      “I’m a sentinel, not a bodyguard.” Galen hated to argue with a member of the royal family, but guarding Ruby around the clock would mean a whole lot more than just walking her home. He’d promised her at the end of the previous summer that he’d keep his distance. How was he supposed to do that if he was at her side all day, every day? He’d been tempted enough to pull her into his arms on the street outside the palace walls earlier, lasting less than an hour before temptation had struck.

      Besides, the assignment didn’t fit his job description. The royal guard had three distinct positions for non-officers: detectives, bodyguards and sentinels. Galen’s job description was all about guarding buildings, vehicles, and by extension, all the people inside them. He wasn’t authorized to protect just one person.

      “Kirk was a sentinel before he became my bodyguard.” Stasi clearly didn’t see why the difference would be an issue. “He can explain the differences for you.”

      “But Captain Selini has to authorize all changes.” Galen felt the futility of his defense as he spoke the words. The captain had already assigned Galen to walk Ruby home. Whatever his cautions about protocol, Selini would most likely agree to Princess Anastasia’s expanded request.

      “He’ll authorize it,” Stasi assured him, already headed down the hallway, clearly trusting him to follow. “I’m the one who appointed him Captain of the Guard,” she added with a laugh.

      Galen followed, but he didn’t laugh. He couldn’t guard Ruby. That would mean spending time with her, watching her smile, hearing her laugh, fighting the urge to beg her not to leave Lydia again. It would mean resisting, every moment of every day, the urge to pull her into his arms, to be close to her as he’d always longed to be. He’d promised Ruby he’d keep his distance. He intended to keep that promise.

      But what other options did he have? Stasi wanted him to guard her friend. The captain had to go along with the royal request. Galen couldn’t challenge it—he was already under threat of losing his job. What if he accepted the assignment only to offend Ruby by his closeness? If she complained, Galen would receive the third strike against his record and be kicked off the royal guard.

      But if he wasn’t there to guard her, who would keep Ruby safe?

      Ruby met his eyes as they entered the kitchen, passing through the doorway at almost the same moment, her sudden closeness a reminder of those brief moments when they’d huddled together, out of sight of her attacker. She gave him an uncertain look, half fear, half questioning. Galen felt his heart twist, his mind made up. He’d keep Ruby safe, whatever the cost.

      Even if it cost his job.

      FIVE

      While the captain took a phone call, Galen stepped into the hall and quickly dialed Ruby’s number. She answered after the second ring.

      “You’re late.” In spite of the accusing nature of Ruby’s words, her tone sounded lighthearted over the phone.

      “I’m sorry,” he explained quickly, ready to respond the moment Jason Selini finished with his phone call in the office. “My boss called me in to talk about what happened last night. I didn’t think it would take this long.”

      “Do I need to be there?”

      Ruby’s question surprised him.

      “No, it’s fine. It’s mostly about guard issues.” Like the fact that he might lose his job—something he didn’t want Ruby to find out, if he could help it. Knowing Ruby’s insatiable curiosity, she’d want to know what he’d done to endanger his position. She’d feel terribly guilty if she learned that he was in trouble for rescuing her two nights before, and for going out in the boat two years ago.

      Galen quickly adjusted the plans they’d made for that afternoon. “Can you wait at your apartment until I’m done here? It shouldn’t be much longer.”

      “No problem. I have other