The guard exited, fixing them with a hard glare. “He’ll see you, but be warned, if you’re lying, you will live to regret it.” His laugh was sudden, a raucous cackle.
Rosie’s grip on Nathan’s hand tightened.
The guard prodded Nathan’s shoulder with the butt of his rifle. “I’ll be watching, so no funny business.”
They stepped into the grand salon. With its soaring ceilings decorated with gilded angels and heavenly deities, Nathan could have believed he’d already died and gone to rest with the angels, though he knew this place was the furthest thing from heaven.
Prince Randolph stood with his back to the arched mullioned window, the now setting sun haloing him. “You have something for me, I believe.”
Rosie released Nathan’s hand and walked forward. “I do, and you, I believe, have my father. I want him back.”
The prince offered a thin-lipped sneer.
“And I want the diamond, but I’ll need proof.”
Rosie slipped her right hand into her jacket pocket and withdrew the pouch. The prince uttered a soft strangulated gasp.
With care, she unwrapped the stone and held it out in the palm of her hand. The royal’s eyes glittered with lust.
We have him.
“I could force you to hand it over.”
Rose didn’t blink an eye. “You could, but as you know, I have already met your sister-in-law, Princess Mary. She and my father have a history. Being old friends, they were set to meet this week.” Rose prayed her slight lie would work. “If he does not turn up and she finds he has disappeared, then that could cause a slight problem for you. Can you risk it?”
For a moment, it appeared that the prince considered Rose’s comments; then his autocratic demeanor returned. “Are you trying to tell me what to do? I have your father’s life in my hands.”
“And I have your future in mine. You want the diamond. I want my father—alive.”
“You’re very devious, Miss Valetta.”
Her fingers curled over the diamond. “Thank you for the compliment.”
“How do I know it’s the real diamond? Your father and, I believe, you, are both excellent paste makers.”
Rose’s brows lifted. “Another compliment. You’re outdoing yourself.”
The royal snorted. “Do not test me, missy, for I am not a patient man.”
“And your scheme to become the ruler of Zarrenburg proves that quite adequately.”
“That’s none of your business.”
“It became mine the moment you threatened my father.”
“The diamond,” the prince prompted, hand out to take it. “Give it to me.”
Time to step in. Nathan slipped the knife he’d stolen at the princess’s from his shirtsleeve. Though the guard had searched him, he’d not noticed the blade sewn into a secret pocket of Nathan’s voluminous shirtsleeve. “Your guard is outside, but he will not hear my knife enter your chest. Take the diamond, but you will not keep it, not until we have what we have come for.”
“Ah, Mr. Hawk, I wondered when you would speak. Why are you here?”
“Because of Rosie and Alex. We’re old friends. She’s asked for my help.”
“And this is not because of your lock? An excellent system, by the way. Unbreakable.”
Nathan did not hold back his gasp. “You’ve tried?”
“Of course! I will always do what I need to get what I want.”
“As will I to protect those…” His words faltered. He nodded toward the diamond. “Look at it to validate its authenticity, but then it is handed back. Otherwise…” Nathan waved the blade toward the prince. “You understand.”
“Oh, quite clearly.” The prince took the diamond from Rose’s hand, offering almost a purr as he turned and held it up to the fading light. “The clarity is perfect.”
“And the marks scratched into it by the original cutter are quite clear. No fake would have those cuts,” Rose informed the royal.
Turning again to face them, the prince hesitated a moment before he passed it back to Rose. “You made a sensible decision to bring it. Your father has been rather stubborn.”
“A Valetta trait, I believe,” Nathan quipped.
Rose shot him a glare.
He shrugged. “Well, you are pretty determined.”
“I want to see my father.”
“I would expect no less.” The prince reached for a small brass bell from the desk to his left and rang it. The double doors opened, and the same guard entered. Nathan slipped his knife to his side.
“Your Highness.”
“Bring in Valetta.”
The guard offered a curt nod, and then the prince added something in their native language. Nathan shot Rose a querying look, hoping she understood, but she returned a tiny shake of her head.
Damn. Nathan didn’t like not knowing what was being said around him.
Sending a threatening glare in their direction, the guard left. Nathan turned to the prince. “I’m surprised you’ve left yourself alone with us.”
“I’m not frightened of you. You want Valetta. I want the diamond. A simple trade. Besides, if you were to even think of harming me, your lives and that of Valetta would be extinguished before you left here.”
“You surround yourself with a multitude of guards.”
“There are those who would not want me to succeed.”
“Most of Zarrenburg, I expect.”
A knowing smile crossed the man’s gaunt face, stretching the already alabaster skin to the appearance of wafer-thin parchment. His blue veins visibly pulsed.
“They do not know what is good for them. Too much education for the general populace is dangerous.”
“And here I was thinking reading and writing were skills everyone deserved,” Nathan countered with disdain in his voice.
It seemed to take forever, but finally the guard arrived with Alex in tow.
Rose rushed into his arms. “Oh, Papa, Papa.”
Alex hugged his daughter, but Nathan could see the pain etched into the man’s face. Even now, despite the rigors of the last few days, the kindness Nathan had witnessed all those years ago had not dissipated. He went up to his old friend.
“It’s good to see you again, Alex.”
“Nathan, Nathan, my boy. Is it really you?” Alex drew away from his daughter and clasped Nathan’s outstretched hand in both of his.
“It is. I’m back.”
“Oh, you are a wonderful sight for an old man’s eyes.” Alex’s teary gaze shifted to his daughter. “Isn’t it, Rose? Just wonderful.”
“Enough of the family reunion,” Prince Randolph barked. “I want the diamond. You have your father. Now give it to me.”
Rose held the diamond to her chest. “You promised safe passage out of here.”
The prince stared down his aristocratic nose at them, his ice-blue eyes cold and distant. “Of course.” He held out a bejeweled hand.
“Looks like you’ve got enough jewels for a lifetime, but your jewels don’t impress me,” Rose sniffed. “As a jeweler, like my father, I’ve seen the best there is.”
Ignoring the snub, the prince admired his bejeweled fingers. “Enough does not exist when you think of diamonds and gems.” He jabbed his hand forward. “The diamond, I believe, is mine.”
Leaving her father’s side, uncertainty marring her beautiful face, she held out her hand to the prince.
The prince snatched the diamond from her palm, his disjointed laughter circling the room. “Power is a wonderful thing. And this beauty…” He unwrapped the diamond and held it up between finger and thumb, “is exactly what I need.”
Rose cast a gaze around the overly ostentatious room. “Greed is insidious. Don’t you have enough already?”
The prince glanced up from his adulation of the glittering j
ewel. “You’re wrong. Greed equals power, and that is exactly what I have with this diamond.”
“What about Princess Mary?” Alex’s sudden comment usurped the debauched royal’s concentration.
“Ah, Valetta. You are a fool, blinded by loyalty. You should have done as I asked.”
“Demanded,” countered Alex, suddenly standing taller. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be. I would have killed you if it was not for your daughter seeing reason.”
Something wasn’t right. Nathan distanced himself from the conversation. He heard footsteps. Lots of them.
Shit!
He readied his blade. Too late! A legion of guards charged into the room, circling Rose, Alex and himself.
Bloody hell!
“Ah, just in time. Guards, take them away.”
“What? You promised my father in exchange for the diamond.”
“You have your father.”
“But we are to leave. You promised freedom. We had a deal.”
“And you believed me?” He shook his head, laughing again. “Such foolish hope. Do you not understand what we have just been talking about, Miss Valetta? You said I am greedy. I am indeed, and power hungry.”
“I gave you the diamond in exchange for my father.”
“True, but you cannot leave. Not yet. I cannot afford any word of this to get out until I get back to Zarrenburg. The holder of the diamond is the ultimate ruler, and that is me. I have waited years for this moment. I will not let people like you stop me. It is mine.” The man’s eyes glazed over, almost as if he were in a trance. “Remove them.”
“You can’t do this.”
The prince’s eyes widened. “Really? I thought I already was.”
Rose lunged at the prince, but two guards grabbed her and hauled her back. She struggled to get free.
“Leave her alone, you bastards.” Nathan shot out a fist and caught one guard on the chin. The second he managed to lunge at with his blade, slicing the man’s arm.
A howl of pain echoed, and the guard fell back. Others grabbed at him, at Rose, while a third stood with a rifle pointed directly at Alex’s head.
The guard cocked the rifle, and the room fell silent as all struggle ceased.
“You bastard, I hope you rot in hell,” Rose spat at the royal.
The man didn’t blink but offered a thin-lipped half smile. “Most likely. However, I am not interested in the afterlife but the riches and rewards of the here and now.” He nodded to the head guard, who had Rose in a viselike grip. “Take them away.” Then he added something Nathan couldn’t understand. He looked at Rose, who offered a slight shake of her head. Alex’s expression blanched. It seemed he understood quite clearly what was being said.
The guard held out his hand. “Hand over your weapon.”
Nathan hesitated. Without it, they hadn’t a hope in hell against these goons.
A second rifle was cocked and aimed toward Rosie.
Shit!
Nathan handed over his blade.
The guard stood back, waiting for them to walk in front of him. “Get moving.”
Rose took the lead, her father at her side while Nathan made sure he kept close behind them.
They wandered through a maze of corridors and down some stairs. At the bottom, they headed along a narrow corridor, cell doors on either side. At the last one, the guard reached for the lit torch.
Nathan took his chance to whisper in Rosie’s ear, “Tell me you understood what the prince said.”
“Sorry, they spoke too fast for me.”
“Damn.”
“Alex?”
The guard prodded him with his rifle. “Stop talking.”
“I’m frightened. It’s dark. He’s…comforting me.”
The guard guffawed, the sound echoing off the dank walls of what Nathan presumed now were part of the underground dungeon. They stood outside a securely locked door.
“I can offer comfort. Lots of women like it.”
“Really?” Rose stepped toward the guard. “It really is cold and scary down here.”
“I could warm you up.”
A growl sounded low in Nathan’s chest. Bloody hell, what was she doing?
Her gaze dropped slightly. He followed it, spying the blade at the man’s side. Nathan forced himself not to react and tempered his expression, lowering his gaze so the guard would not witness the revulsion Nathan knew to be mirrored there.
Smiling up at the guard, Rosie leaned toward him and trailed her fingers down his uniformed chest. “You are rather a unique specimen. All those muscles.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
Nathan’s chest tightened. He wanted to pound his fist into the man’s cheesy smile.
“Trouble is, I got my orders.” The soldier lifted the keys to the lock.
“How about a kiss first?” Rose reached up and caressed the man’s cheek.
Bile charged up Nathan’s throat. No more.
The distracted guard offered Nathan the moment he needed. His fist punched into the man’s gut, and then, with whipcord speed he followed it with a king hit. The guard crumpled to the ground.
Rosie stumbled backward. “What took you so long?”
“Me? You were the one lining up to kiss him.”
“Over my dead body. It was a way of distracting him, that’s all.”
“Looked pretty realistic to me.”
“Oh, shut up, Nathan. Just shut up. I wouldn’t…” Her horrified gaze lifted to his. “I wouldn’t have kissed him. I saw his blade and thought I could distract him. If you hadn’t been so bloody slow, I wouldn’t have had to get so damned close.” She swiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “Oh God, I feel sick.” She wrapped her arms across her middle and squeezed her eyes shut.
Nathan’s heart ached. He stepped up to her. “It’s okay, Rosie. You did the right thing. Thank you.”
Her eyes opened, tears glistening on the tips of her lashes.
Oh hell.
Rosie reached for her father, who’d slumped against the wall. “We’re nearly there, Papa.”
He raised tired eyes to her, and she kissed his cheek, hauling him up from the wall to lean against her.
She turned to Nathan. Tears glistened in her eyes, shining like diamonds. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. We’re a team, remember? Besides, this was your plan.”
“My Rosie planned all this?”
“Most definitely.”
“The prince wanted the diamond. He has it.”
“Come on, Papa, let me help you.” Holding him to her, she helped him straighten.
“Are you up to running for your life, old friend?”
“As fast as my feet will let me. ’Tis good to see you. I often wondered where you had gotten to.”
“A long story, but one we have no time to chew over right now.”
“The diamond?” Alex looked to his daughter.
“You taught me well, Papa. The diamond is perfect, right down to the finer markings.”
Despite his injuries, Alex smiled. “You are a true craftsman, daughter.”
“Well instructed.”
* * * * *
Their progress proved slow, as they had to stop every few yards for her father to catch his breath. From the sound of his wheezing, it seemed certain he’d suffered a broken rib, or at the very least, several were cracked.
“Go without me. It does not matter anymore.”
“You’re wrong, Alex. You matter more than you will ever know. Now, grab hold of my shoulders.” Nathan reached out for his old mentor’s hands.
Alex hesitated.
“Please, Papa, we need to keep moving.”
With jerky movements and his face contorted with pain, he grabbed hold of Nathan.
But it was too late. They rounded a corner and came face-to-face with a guard. The man’s surprise gave them a second, but it wasn’t enough, and hope died in Rose’s chest. She should not have given the diamond to the prince, and then perhaps she would have had further bargaining power.
He nodded toward an archway to his left and beckoned. “Come with me.”
The sound of footsteps echoed from the right.
“Don’t dawdle, unless you want the guards to find you.”
“But you are—”
“Sent here to help you.”
Nathan let Alex slide down his back and then stepped forward. “By whom?”
“The Raven.”
“What? How does he know we’re here?”
The man smiled fleetingly. “He always makes it his business to know what’s going on. Now, are you coming, or do you fancy being fodder for that royal bugger upstairs?”
Rose shot Nathan a questioning glance. He shrugged in return. “We have no choice but to trust him.” Nathan levered her father up on his back once more. He gave the guard a curt nod. “Lead on.”
The Raven’s emissary led them through several long dark tunnels. Rose kept close to Nathan, her heart breaking every time she heard her father’s pain-filled groans. “Not long now, Papa.”
But not long in the dark seemed interminable. Unable to see a thing in front of her, she guided her way by sound, listening for Nathan’s footsteps.
Ankle-deep icy water lapped against their feet, the stench assaulting her nostrils. Repeatedly, she gagged. “Where are we?”
“The sewer runs from the castle and down to the river’s edge. It’s the only way you’ll get out without being detected.”
The sound of scurrying feet scratched against the brickwork.
Rats! Lots of them.
“I don’t think I can go any farther.”
Nathan reached out for her, his hand a reassuring caress in this hellhole. “Yes you can. You’ve come this far. You fooled Prince Randolph; you’ve found your father. Now you can get out. Come on, squirt.”
Hearing Nathan use her nickname enveloped her in a warm reassurance. He was right. She could do this. Stiffening her spine, she reached out to the brick walls on either side of her. The space was barely three feet wide and at times narrowed even more. How Nathan with his broad shoulders and height of more than six feet managed, she wasn’t sure, but if he could, so could she.
To Love a Thief (Steel Hawk) Page 17