She turned at the bottom of the stairs. In front of her was an open area leading to several rooms. All the rooms had thick wood doors and massive locks. The good news was she’d found the treasure of the City of Thieves. The bad news was she’d never learned to pick a lock.
“Visiting or stealing?”
The voice came from behind her so unexpectedly that Sabrina screamed. She turned and saw a tall, blond man in a dark uniform standing on the bottom stair. He loomed nearly as well as Kardal. Despite being as fair as a California surfer, there was something spooky in his midnight-blue eyes.
She touched her fingers to her chest and tried to catch her breath. “I’m visiting. I’d hoped to see some of the treasures of the city. I have a great interest in the city’s past. Who are you?”
The man stepped down on the stone floor. “Rafe Stryker. I’m in charge of security here in the City of Thieves.”
“You’re American,” she said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
“Prince Kardal hires the best.”
“And that’s you?”
Rafe nodded.
He was good-looking but in an icy way that made her think twice about making this man angry. Kardal could be dangerous but there was fire in his blood and she understood heat far more than cold.
His steady gaze never left her face. “I understand that you’re the princess Kardal found wandering in the desert.”
She couldn’t help smiling. “That’s one interpretation of the events.” She glanced at the gun holstered at his waist. “Are you here to escort me back to my room?”
“Not at all.” Rafe moved toward the first of the heavy doors and drew a key from his trouser pocket. “My instructions are to show you your heart’s desire.”
She thought about telling him that seeing the treasure inside wasn’t her heart’s desire so much as fulfilling an intellectual curiosity. However, when the door swung open and she saw inside, she couldn’t speak.
Her body trembled the way it had when Kardal had kissed her, but this time for a different reason. At least a dozen cases stood in a darkened room. Electrical light illuminated the insides of the glass containers. There were no labels, no explanation, but she recognized many of the pieces and stones.
Exquisite Fabergé eggs sat in satin nests in one case. She gasped over the perfection of the workmanship, while itching to hold at least one of them in her hand. But before she could ask, a glitter of diamonds caught her attention. A dozen tiaras filled the next display.
There were gems and set jewels, treasures from El Bahar, Bahania, France, England, Russia and the Far East. A ruby the size of a small melon glittered in a case of its own.
There was too much to take in and this was only one of the locked rooms.
“This can’t be possible,” she breathed, facing Rafe who continued to watch her with his cold eyes. “Kardal must return these at once.”
Rafe shrugged. “You’ll have to take that up with the boss. My job is to make sure no one takes any of it without his permission.”
“I see. We mustn’t steal from the thieves, is that it?”
“On this one, I agree with Kardal.” He flicked his wrist in dismissal. As he did so the sleeve of his dark jacket rose far enough for Sabrina to see a small mark on his right wrist.
Involuntarily she gasped. Without thinking she reached for his wrist, capturing it in her hands. Rafe didn’t stop her, nor did he offer an explanation.
“The mark of the prince,” she breathed.
A small tattoo of the City of Thieves coat of arms stood out against his tanned skin. She touched the desert lion, the castle, all perfectly rendered in their miniature form. While she understood the significance, she’d never seen such a thing outside of history books.
She stared into fathomless blue eyes. “You speak for the prince,” she said, not asking a question. “You bear on your body a scar—proof of a death blow meant for Kardal. You are trusted above all and have been made a sheik.”
Rafe tugged his wrist free. “You know your history.”
“Yes.”
An American speaking for the prince? Who had ever heard of such a thing? “You have land?”
He shrugged. “Some. A few goats and camels. I was offered a couple of wives, but I declined.”
“Who are you?” she asked.
“Someone who does his job.”
He was obviously much more than that. A shiver rippled through her. Without saying anything more, she walked out of the vault, still reeling from all she had seen and learned. Something had to be done, she told herself as she headed back to her room. The next time she saw Kardal, she would insist that he see sense in the matter. She would also ask him several pointed questions about his second-in-command.