A front, a cover-up. Of course. He’d already told her Verretti Jewels was an excuse for their connections in the jewelry world, a way to launder their illegal activities without arousing suspicions. With twice the stores, they could launder twice as much, spread out, relax and not worry about anyone following a trail straight to them.
“What do you say, Ruby? Merge with me?” He leaned close, the sooty fumes of his breath sticking to her instead of passing by.
Her instinct said to push him away, but with her wrists still bound behind her, that wasn’t an option. “Why? What’s in it for me?”
“Life.”
She shook her head, exhaling through her nostrils, trying to blow his grimy scent away. She didn’t believe him. Given what she knew of his illegal activities, he’d be foolish to let her live once the crown jewel heist was complete. Vincent had many faults, but a lack of intelligence wasn’t one of them.
Surely the bandit had no intention of letting her live, no matter what he promised. Still, if she had any chance of escaping, of saving Galen or the crown jewels, she needed to stay on Vincent’s good side. She’d promised Galen she’d follow his lead, and up until he’d pinned Vince to the seat back, Galen had been playing along.
“What are your terms?”
Vince pulled out a contract, the specifics of the business transaction spelled out clearly. He flipped through the pages so she could see.
“And?” She didn’t believe that was all. The terms were too generous, and she doubted Vincent would simply let her go, not when she could run straight to the authorities.
“And you marry me.”
Ruby closed her eyes.
Vincent kept talking, his face too close to hers, the tar in his breath thick enough to smother her. “You become one of us. Our crimes become yours, so that if you ever try to bring us down...” He stood, pulled her by the arm along the curve of the bench until she stood on shaky legs free of the table. “You’ll bring yourself and your parents down, too.”
She wanted to scream, to slap him, to stomp and kick, but she had to play along, wait for an opening. “And if I don’t agree?”
“I kill you and your parents.”
Ruby opened her eyes, met his, saw no sign of hesitation or mercy there.
Vince continued. “And that guard in the engine room, if he’s not dead already.”
* * *
Galen wasn’t dead. Ruby was relieved to see he’d come to, though they’d bound him more securely this time, in a seated position, a chain wrapped around his waist to some massive engine part behind him, besides the cords that bound his wrists and ankles.
Vincent tossed her into the room and slammed the door shut. Keys rattled in the lock, and finally even the sliver of light around the door disappeared along with his retreating footsteps.
“Are you going to be okay?” Ruby stumbled forward and slumped to her knees next to Galen. From what she’d seen before the lights went out, he was beat up pretty bad, fresh blood oozing down the side of his face from his latest injury.
“For now, but they haven’t given us anything to eat or drink.”
“I don’t think they intend for us to live long enough for that to be a problem.” Given the approaching sunrise, the bandits had decided to put off the heist until the next night. Ruby hoped they’d get something to drink before then, but based on their treatment so far, she wouldn’t expect anything.
With her hands still bound behind her, Ruby had a difficult time assessing Galen’s bonds.
“What are you trying to do?” he asked as she slumped against his shoulder. The ship rocked on the waves, pushing her against him. She grabbed at the chain around him to hold herself steady.
“I’m—ouch—trying—” The boat rolled again. Only her grip on his chains kept her from tipping over. “Trying to find a way out of here. Maybe if we incapacitate the engines? Then they’d have to come down here and fix them.”
Galen didn’t respond.
Ruby feared he’d slipped out of consciousness again. His injuries looked so ugly; they’d hit him so many times. Even she felt worried, hungry, thirsty and exhausted. “Galen?”
“Try it. Try whatever you can. I’d help but...”
“They’re more afraid of you than they are of me. They know you’d find a way to get us out of here if one existed.”
“I’d do anything.” His voice cut out.
The rocking ship sent her closer to him, her face buried in his shoulder. Without use of her arms, it was difficult to move. That, and she didn’t really want to be away from him. Exhaustion and fear pulled at her and she sagged down to a seated position next to where he had slumped on the floor. “Remember two summers ago, when you brought our boat back to shore, swimming the entire way?”
“I remember.”
“You were amazing.”
“I was desperate. And arguably, stupid.”
“I’ve been the stupid one.” Ruby felt a tear course down her cheek. Oh, how she wished she could go back in time and change what had happened. But how far back would she go? She’d never have dated Vincent or let him anywhere near her father’s office. But what if she’d never met Galen?
Her heart nearly stopped beating at the thought. Galen had saved her life. But her life wouldn’t have needed saving if she hadn’t crossed paths with the Verrettis. Galen had talked to her about God’s love.
It was a memory she didn’t want to undo. “Tell me about the stars again,” she whispered.
“You can’t see them from down here.”
“But they’re still out there.”
“You’re right.” Galen pulled in a breath. “It was from Isaiah 40:26. God brings out the starry host one by one and calls them each by name.”
“He knows their names.” Ruby pinched her eyes shut and remembered the stars, so many more stars in those island skies, without any city lights to dim them. Galaxies, billions of stars.
“And God knows.” Galen finished the verse. “Not one of them is missing.”
God saw all the stars, knew their names, kept track of them. God saw her, too, crouched in the darkness in the yacht’s engine room, dirty and afraid. God saw her, and God knew. The thought warmed her like a tiny spark inside, the glimmer smaller than that of the most distant star. And yet, it was enough to give her hope.
EIGHTEEN
“Don’t try anything.” Carlton flashed his gun, reminding them, as he had countless times already, that he was prepared to maim or kill them at the slightest provocation.
Galen fought the churning in his gut, the dried out pizza crusts and flat soda the Verrettis had fed them earlier sloshing like the boat beneath his feet. At least he had something to sustain him. They’d even let him use the restroom, his hands free just long enough to splash water on his face and wipe off the worst of the bloodstains.
Dried blood still covered his shirt, sticking to his skin and the sweat from his body armor. Bruises and cuts festered untended on his arms and face. Obviously the Verrettis didn’t expect him to be seen.
Night had fallen once again. In spite of their cramped positions chained in the engine room, he and Ruby had slept. His heart warmed at the memory of the way she’d leaned on him, shared her favorite memories with him, even brushed a kiss across his cheek. He’d see she got out of this alive, or die trying.
The Verrettis had docked their yacht on a private pier south of the city. Galen recognized the property and knew the owner traveled extensively on his own boat. Seeing it missing, Galen prayed the man wouldn’t get back in time to cross paths with the Verrettis and their guns.
Better that no one crossed paths with them.
Vincent had been missing from the deck, but as they stumbled across the dock toward the waiting SUV, Galen saw the elder brother step out from the driver’s side. T
hey’d ditched the van, then—probably figured it had been seen when they’d kidnapped him and Ruby. Where they got this other vehicle, Galen didn’t know, but they had nearly unlimited resources at their disposal and clearly had no qualms about stealing, so the new vehicle didn’t surprise him at all.
The men tossed him in the back like a piece of luggage. He couldn’t see what they did with Ruby, but figuring two bucket seats in front and a bench in the middle, there were just enough places for the four Verrettis plus Ruby to sit. Most likely they planned to put their loot in the spacious back storage compartment where he now lay, which meant there wouldn’t be room for him after the heist.
Yet another reminder that they didn’t intend for him to survive that long.
The SUV rumbled down a rough road, then turned and glided smoothly along the highway. Galen followed the route in his head, planning how to tell the rest of the guards where to find the Verrettis’ yacht, if he got the chance. Soon Galen felt the familiar reverberations of tires on cobblestones, and after some twisting and turning, the vehicle stopped.
Carlton pulled him out, along with a couple bags of gear. Milton set the time on his watch, synchronized to the timer his wife had secured to the dashboard. Roxanne drove away silently; the plan, as Galen understood it, was for her to circle back in fifteen minutes unless they called her sooner, to drive through the park on a wide path to pick them up near the tower. For now, they were to hike in to avoid drawing any attention.
They shuffled down the long path, the trees casting shadows that transformed the peaceful park into a dangerous shadowland. Galen prayed that the men who’d volunteered to stand guard over the tower would all be stationed within the old city. The Verrettis walked with their guns drawn, ready to shoot anyone who might look at them funny. Fortunately the park was empty of visitors at this hour, the guards all safely stationed on the far side, where any sane person would have expected the threat to originate.
High above, The Last Stronghold towered above them, its limestone walls pitted with age, one side gleaming silver in the moonlight, the other side in shadow. The Verrettis tugged them toward the shadowed side.
They worked silently, swiftly. Carlton pulled a wooden platform from its hiding place among the trees. With a heave, he set it in position straddling the rocky creek, giving them a stable place to stand.
Vincent pulled out a grappling hook launcher and aimed it carefully at the windows above. Propelled by compressed air, the hook shot upward in near silence. Galen and the others stayed well back in case the hook failed to catch. After Vincent tugged on the line several times, he seemed satisfied that the tines had achieved a sufficient hold.
As planned, Vince strapped himself into the harness, scooped up an armful of gear, then triggered the device’s retractable mechanism. With his gun still trained on the figures below, he glided swiftly and silently upward into the dark night.
Galen stood below and prayed, ready, in spite of Milton’s grasp on his arm and Carlton’s gun at his back, to dart away with Ruby if he sensed an opening. But true to their plan, the bandits kept them covered as Vincent climbed through the window and disappeared.
They sent Ruby up next. Galen didn’t like having her out of his sight, especially in those long moments when she was alone at the top of the tower with Vincent. Milton followed, leaving the youngest and burliest Verretti to make sure Galen didn’t try anything—not that Galen would attempt to escape without Ruby.
By the time Galen rode to the top of the tower, Vincent had already torn open the panel on the floor. By climbing through the tower, they’d avoided many of the defense systems meant to protect the jewels. Galen glanced out the windows on the side facing the old city. The guards patrolled faithfully below, unaware that anything unusual was taking place above them.
Quickly, quietly, they hurried down the stairs and followed the short hallway to the blank stone wall, which Vince pulled open. He made eye contact with each of them in turn. They all knew they’d only have ten seconds to get inside. Vince had made it clear that, if either he or Ruby tried to separate themselves from the rest of the group, they’d be shot, no questions asked.
Not that he or Ruby had that chance. The Verrettis kept a tight grip on them every moment, guns drawn and ready.
Vince nodded to Ruby.
She stepped forward and placed her hand flat against the panel and entered the code.
The door slid open and green numbers counted down.
Galen had played through the next steps dozens of times in his mind, imagining how he’d thrust their captors aside, pull Ruby through to the safety of the vault and activate the quick lock that would close the doors behind them and raise the alarm at headquarters.
But the reality was nothing like his imagination. The Verrettis hardly gave them room to breathe, inserting their thick bodies between him and Ruby, their guns ready to fire reflexively if he or Ruby so much as twitched in the wrong direction.
They stepped through, and the Bulldog Bandits’ eyes widened. The hardened jewel thieves, who had stolen more jewelry than he could even begin to imagine, looked impressed—even overwhelmed—by the jewels in the vault.
Ruby had tried the night before to explain to them that they wouldn’t be able to take it all. They’d insisted otherwise, but now, as the vault doors slid shut automatically behind them, they hesitated.
“We can’t take it all.” Vincent spoke for the first time since they’d arrived.
The other two didn’t argue.
“Let’s get the best.” Milton pointed to a Renaissance-era case, its opulent contents even more lavish than some of the others. The older Verretti looked at Galen expectantly.
Now it was his turn to betray the crown. Galen fought the urge to bolt. If he ran, they’d kill Ruby. If he cooperated, they’d steal the crown jewels.
In his heart of hearts, he’d hoped to have made his escape by now, to have Ruby safely tucked away where the Verrettis could never reach her. Even as he’d agreed to the Verrettis’ plans the night before, he hadn’t really believed it would come to this.
His fingers hesitated over the keypad.
A gun nudged hard under his ribs, and Ruby yelped.
Betray the crown? Or let them kill Ruby? They’d already come this far. Even if he resisted now, the Verrettis might try to smash and grab, or override the security devices themselves. He had to play along, but he didn’t want to move too quickly.
From the moment Ruby had pressed her hand to the pad to open the door, the computer back at the royal guard headquarters had logged their entry. In light of the threat to the crown jewels, Selini had asked to have an alert message appear any time the computer logged entry at the vault.
Which meant the royal guards knew they were there, were probably contacting the guards patrolling outside at that very moment, asking them to find out what was up. But none of those guards had clearance to enter the passage to the vault. No, the plan was to assemble in SWAT gear, to wait at the other end of the line and catch the thieves on their way out.
But the thieves wouldn’t be going out past the guards. Galen’s best hope was to stall, to make the bandits run late, in hopes that the swarming guards would encircle the tower completely, or Roxanne would arrive in time to attract attention. With all the guards on the old city side of the wall, they’d need time to reach the streets that passed through the old gates, a few blocks away on either side of where they were stationed.
Time. Galen would give them as much time as he could, but the only way to do that was to help the thieves. It would cost him his job. He had no doubt about that. But no matter how valuable the jewels inside the cases, they were just jewels. Ruby’s life was worth more than that.
He pressed his thumb to the pad, entered the year of King Theodoric the Fourth’s coronation, and watched as the hydraulic arms lifted the glass case silently away fr
om the jewels.
Vincent grinned greedily as he let go of Ruby’s arm and unfurled a collapsible padded bag, its interior a spider web of velvet compartments, and started transferring the priceless jewels inside.
Carlton motioned Galen over to the next case.
His stomach lurched no less as he cleared the thief to access that case. But even as he betrayed the crown he’d taken an oath to protect, he studied the bandits and the room around him, his thoughts spinning with possibilities.
The glass cases were bulletproof. If he and Ruby ducked behind one just as the door closed, the thieves would be stuck on the other side, unable to get back in. He’d have to trust the guards on the other side to capture the thieves. They’d risk letting the bandits get away with millions of dollars in jewels, but he might save Ruby.
But how would he get Ruby away from them? He’d been considering that angle for the past thirty hours and had yet to find an opening.
Milton gestured to a case. Galen obediently opened it, thinking quickly.
The thieves would have their hands full with their bags. That would make them slower with their weapons, less able to keep a tight hold on him or on Ruby.
Galen’s heart hammered inside him as he prayed for God to see them through, to show him an opening, to help him use it. He already knew the bandits were greedy. If he could use that greed against them, convince them to take more than they could easily carry, it would slow them down. It would give him a slight advantage.
He could see the readout on the large digital watch Milton wore, set to the fifteen-minute rendezvous agreement they’d made with Roxanne. They’d already been inside the vault for two minutes, with just over six minutes to go until they were to meet Roxanne on the ground.
Vincent selected his next case carefully. Already his sack bulged. Galen noticed the man hadn’t asked either him or Ruby to carry a bag of jewels, though it would have greatly increased the amount they’d be able to steal. Why not? Did the bandits have no intention of letting them reach the SUV alive?
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