I did it reluctantly, mourning the loss. The designer pumps had cost me almost a week’s pay.
“That red dress…” he said, looking me up and down. “It has to go too.”
“What?”
“They’re looking for it,” he hissed, peering out through a slit in the doorway. “What’s under it? Can you slip it off?”
“No, I can’t just slip it off!”
He looked around, frustrated. “Then… shit.”
The flagstones seemed to be growing colder beneath my stockinged feet. The hall was busy, a rush of activity. I backed up a little, and in the darkness bumped into something thick and soft… and familiar.
“Coats!”
“What?”
“It’s a coat closet,” I cried joyously.
I moved quickly, throwing on the first one I found that came down to my ankles. It was heavy and warm. Made from real animals, not faux fur. Even in the chaos, I wrinkled my nose at the thought.
“Okay, ready?”
My savior was poised at the door, prepared to throw it open again. He slipped one calloused hand back into mine.
“But the hall’s not clear,” I protested.
“Exactly. We go out with the crowd.”
He shifted forward, and I squeezed his hand to stop him.
“Hang on a second. Somehow you know who I am… and what I was trying to do.”
I examined him closely and he nodded.
“So then… why are you here?”
My savior pulled on the thick iron handle, flooding the closet with light. Halfway through, he paused to glance back at me.
“Same reason you are.”
Five
HOLDEN
The Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights was re-built in the 14th century, on the isle of Rhodes. It was an amazingly well-preserved castle ruin. A spectacular place to have a lavish, exclusive, high-level party.
In terms of security however, it had a thousand holes.
I took full advantage of that fact now, rushing through the underhalls of the sprawling, Gothic palace. The fancy sconces and iron candelabras were more for ambiance now, than function. They cast a warm but flickering light, leaving lots of places to hide in the shadows.
“Why are we going down?”
I’d taken the next staircase without even thinking. Though it was my first time here, I’d studied enough floor plans, old and new, that I could navigate the place in my sleep.
“Trust me.”
The blonde at the other end of my arm was gorgeous, her cheeks flushed pink with the exertion of running. She was keeping up though, especially without those godforsaken heels on. And she was doing it well.