A Wise Prince

by S. E. Rose

  I groan. “Because you need to be like five steps ahead of everyone. What if the crown isn’t there, but one of these guys already has it? You need to know them so you can ask questions, gauge their responses.”

  “I…” He trails off and I know he’s thinking about the fact that he doesn’t know how far he’s willing to go on this mission.

  I turn to him. “Is this a wham-bam, thank you, ma’am?”

  He chuckles. “A what?”

  “You know…a one-time deal?”

  He looks at me in confusion.

  “Are we seeing this thing through or are you just going to go to this one auction and see if they have it or not?”

  He looks at the screen and then does something I don’t expect. He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a pocket watch. He opens it and pushes back the inside cover to reveal a photograph of his mother, wearing the crown.

  “I don’t think that I’ll stop looking if I’m being honest with myself, I’ll never stop looking.”

  “OK, then, trust me, you need to know this stuff.” I give him a pointed look.

  “Fine, proceed,” he says and urges me on with a motion of his hand. I giggle.

  “What?”

  “Proceed?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s very…royal of you. Well, as I was saying, Your Highness,” I start but he leans down and kisses me, interrupting my train of thought. When he finally pulls back, I stare up at him.

  “I like those words coming from these lips,” he says as he traces my lower lip with his finger.

  “What words?”

  “Your Highness.”

  I laugh. “I’m sure you do, jackass.”

  “But I’m your jackass, now,” he says pointedly as he kisses me quickly and then points back to the screen.

  We spend the better part of the morning looking over the information that Anna has provided him, plus information I’m able to dig up on the web. While the auction is secret, the people are not. It’s easy to find information about most of them, other than a few recluse billionaires who appear to spend all their time on superyachts.

  By the time Franny appears with lunch, we are almost done.

  Auggie looks longingly out at the pool. “Care for a swim?”

  “I don’t have a suit,” I state as I take a bite of a wrap.

  Auggie grins, and I roll my eyes. “No way.”

  Auggie waggles his eyebrows. “Oh, come on, live a little.”

  “But…” I trail off as Jackie walks in and looks at us.

  “Your parents’ new house is secured. Will you be joining them this afternoon?” Jackie asks me.

  I look toward Auggie. “What time is your…reservation?” I ask, trying to be cryptic and feeling like I’m failing horribly.

  “Six. You should go. Have dinner with your parents. I’ll call you later tonight. Maybe I can join your family tomorrow.”

  “Fine,” I grumble, looking longingly at the pool. I’d rather stay here with Auggie, but if I do, then I can’t follow through with my plan.

  I stand up and lean over Auggie so that we are face to face. “Be careful. Remember, no one there is your friend,” I remind him as I give him a quick kiss. He wraps a hand around my head and holds it there so he can deepen the kiss. When I pull away, I’m breathless.

  “I’ll see you later,” he says to me as I walk toward the door. I pause because I want to tell him my plan, but I force myself to continue walking. He can’t know or he will refuse to go tonight.

  I turn just before I walk through the door. “Don’t forget to wear your earpiece,” I say to him. Anna has provided him with a state-of-the-art earpiece that looks more like a small sticker. It fits inside his ear and is both a microphone and a speaker. As long as he has his phone on him, it’ll work.

  He nods as I leave. It’s going to be a long afternoon.

  Chapter Seventeen

  August

  * * *

  Anna mapped out the perfect escape for me. I have to ditch Nico. There’s no other way. Two blocks from the art gallery in Nice is the flat of a friend of mine, Luc. Anna may have talked him into having a massive house party. Unbeknownst to him, I’m going to sneak in his room and change into a suit Anna had hidden a few days ago. Then, I’ll use a back balcony to leave undetected.

  Yep, that’s right. Call me August, August Alexander.

  I’m not sure why I’m doing this. The entire thing is crazy. But if Anna can chase a killer halfway around the world to rescue a prince, then I should be able to hold my own at one illegal auction. Shit, I’ve done worse things…well…maybe.

  All is going as planned. I arrive at Luc’s. He’s already fucked up beyond belief as is half the people at the party. I mingle and Nico parks himself in a corner as he usually does when I attend such parties. Luc has his own security, but Anna has hacked his surveillance cameras.

  About thirty minutes into the party, I excuse myself from a conversation with two models to use the bathroom. Luc’s flat is big enough that I can easily be gone for an hour or so without anyone noticing. I walk by Nico and lean into him.

  “I’m gonna use the bathroom and then make a call in Luc’s room,” I say to him. I give him the thumbs sideways which means I want privacy and he nods. He scoots closer to the back hall but doesn’t follow me into Luc’s room. I close the door.

  I’m alone, and it’s showtime. I find the suit and change. Once I have my earpiece in, which is only for backup if needed, I check it. I’m expecting Anna’s voice, but it’s not.

  “Testing…one, two,” I say to myself as I look in the mirror in Luc’s bathroom.

  “Hey there,” Kate’s voice says.

  “Kate?” I say my jaw dropping open.

  She giggles. “Surprise!”

  “How? I mean, why? I mean…” I trail off.

  “Let’s just say, I spoke to Anna. She has a video pin on your lapel, and she can also talk to you.”

  “Auggie, get your ass moving,” my sister chimes in.

  “Anna?”

  I can practically hear her roll her eyes.

  I shake my head. Of course, my girl got herself involved against my wishes. Kate is stubborn, I’ll give her that.

  “Just do as we say,” Anna’s voice commands through my earpiece.

  I roll my eyes at my little sister’s direction.

  “I saw that.” Fucking camera.

  I glance toward the balcony.

  “I have the hallway bugged. You should be good for two hours. The auctions don’t typically last longer than that. These people like to get in, get their shit, and get the fuck out,” Anna says.

  I head toward the balcony. There’s a trellis with vines in it.

  “Just climb down,” my sister says.

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me. You want me to scale a damn wall? You do know that I’m not James Bond, right?”

  “Just do it!” both Anna and Kate yell into my ear.

  I curse under my breath as I reach out and check the trellis. It’s secure to the wall, so I climb out on it after looking around to check for security.

  “Don’t worry about security. They are trying to fix the surveillance video,” my sister instructs as she snickers. Fucking Anna. She loves hacking into things.

  I make it down to the garden and quietly sneak out the back entrance. Once in the street, I walk toward the gallery.

  I pause at the door. It looks like a normal gallery. A meta sign hangs above the glass windows filled with glass-blown bubbles. Art du Ciel.

  I take a breath and open the door. It looks like a thousand other art galleries. I find a woman in a black cocktail dress at what looks like a desk.

  “Puis-je vous aider?” she asks in French.

  “Oui. Je suis ici pour l'exposition principale,” I answer, using the code phrase that Anna gave me.

  She raises an eyebrow, but nods.

  “Follow me,” she says as she leads me through the maze of walls with paintings and sculptu
res.

  I can feel my heart thumping in my chest. The last time I felt like this…

  My mind wanders to that day, the one that changed my life.

  “Have you been good, today?” my mother asks. She’s called to say goodnight after attending a gala.

  “Mom,” I whine. I’m twelve and invincible. I also don’t want to be babied. I want to be like Chris.

  “I love you, darling. Go get some sleep.”

  I mumble a goodnight, not knowing it’s the last thing I’ll ever say to her.

  The next time I see her, she’ll be in a casket, lying in state in the palace. I remember my heart thumping as I opened the doors. My father gave us each a few moments alone with her body, except for Anna who he took in after his time with Mom.

  I want to see her, but I don’t. I want to remember her how she was, but Dad says I should say goodbye and I so desperately want his love and admiration that I agree. I want him to treat me like he treats Chris. I want to have that same bond. Anna has Mom and Chris has Dad and I have...no one.

  My heartbeat increases as the door opens. And there she is, lying in a gold casket in the middle of the room. She looks like a princess in a cartoon, like she’s just asleep. As I take slow steps toward her, the thought that this will be the last time I see her hits me, and I freeze. I can’t do it. I can’t say goodbye. I turn and run out of the room, past my dad, my siblings, my aunt, everyone. I run to her room and grab her scarves, bringing them to my nose, I inhale her scent.

  “Mom,” I cry out into the vastness of her closet as I fall to my knees and weep.

  I straighten my shoulders as the woman opens the door, bringing me back to the present. The room is dimly lit, except for a stage where a light shines on an empty podium. I can smell expensive cigar smoke on the clothes of the mostly men in the room. The woman motions to an empty chair, and I take a seat.

  There’s a man at the podium. I recognize him, but I can’t place him. I look around the room. It’s hard to see people because of the lighting which I’m sure is on purpose.

  I jump when a hand touches my shoulder.

  “Is this seat taken?” The voice is low, and the question is whispered. I spin my head toward the sound to make sure I’m not hallucinating.

  Kate.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” I growl under my breath as I move over to let her have a seat.

  She shrugs. She doesn’t exactly look like herself. Her hair is blonde, her eyes look darker, and she’s wearing a trendy cocktail dress that is not her normal fashion.

  “Backup,” she answers, her voice caressing my ear as she leans into me.

  My cock notices her proximity even though sirens are now going off in my brain. All I can think is that I need to get her the fuck out of here.

  “You need to leave, now,” I whisper back in a voice I hope tells her that I’m not fucking messing around.

  But before I can say anything, the door opens, and a figure is shown to a chair in front of us on the opposite side of the room.

  Kate grips my hand, and I squint. Motherfucker. Her ex, Jared, just strolled in like he owns the place. The fact that he nods toward several other attendees tells me this isn’t his first auction.

  I turn to Kate to tell her to leave but the man at the podium hits his gavel and begins. Fuck.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Kate

  * * *

  What I thought was a brilliant idea thirty minutes ago, now feels like an epic mistake. Auggie keeps my hand in his as the bidding starts. I can’t believe Jared is here. I almost lost my shit. This type of shady stuff is right up his alley. I should have known better. I can’t believe both Anna and I didn’t have a clue that he’d be here. She didn’t have him listed as a previous attendee, but he clearly knows some of the sketchy people in this room.

  There are no brochures, no list of items. They simply dive into each. There is also no discussion of how the auction items arrived here. I recognize a few paintings as stolen from various galleries and museums. There’s a mask from a private collection, also probably stolen at some point in time.

  I keep my eyes fixed on Jared. He is oblivious to me, thankfully. And we are behind him, so I can only hope that I can leave undetected.

  I recognize a few bad boy celebrities, a sheik, and a sketchy oil tycoon, but I either don’t know the others or can’t make them out in the dark room.

  The auction continues for about an hour. I don’t see a single crown. I’m losing hope that this escapade was even worth the risk when the auctioneer’s voice draws my attention.

  “We have one final last-minute addition this evening. A rare pink diamond. Teardrop cut. Internally flawless. Seven carats. This diamond has a complex history but records date it back to the Crown Jewels of Louis XIII. Bidding will start at two million U.S. dollars”

  I look up and then back at Auggie. His jaw clenches. And that’s all it takes for me to know that this is connected to his mother’s crown.

  August

  I skim my finger over the solitary pink diamond that sits in the center of the tiara. I know the history; my mom has told us the tale over and over. It’s more of a fairy tale now than history. Let’s just say the diamond ended up in the tiara through acts of war and love, so epic, children learn about them in history class even today.

  “Auggie, be careful, my love,” my mother says as she fixes her hair in the mirror.

  “Why is this your favorite?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.

  She stops and smiles warmly at me in the mirror. My mother is so beautiful. She always looks like a princess from a movie.

  “Pink’s my favorite color,” she states.

  “Mom,” I groan.

  She laughs, and it’s like sunshine lighting up the room. “I’m sorry, love. I don’t have time for the story right now.”

  I frown. She turns and leans in to kiss my forehead.

  I look at the diamond which is magnified in a live feed on a screen. Fuck me! There is zero doubt in my mind that this is from my mother’s tiara. There was a small scratch on the exterior that my mother always claimed was from when it was originally stolen hundreds of years ago. That magnified live feed shows it. The odds of another pink diamond identical to my mother’s is...well, not possible.

  I find my hand holding the card that was on my seat going up to bid.

  “I have two, do I hear two point five?”

  Another card goes up, and another, I keep bidding. I hear Anna in my ear as she gasps, clearly taking in the diamond. She might even say my name, but I’m too focused. Everything else in the room disappears as I keep bidding. I’ve lost track of who else bids. My card keeps going up as the price creeps up.

  “I have four point nine, do I have five?”

  My card stays up but there’s no movement in the group.

  “I have four point nine, going...going…gone. Sold to five-three-nine.”

  “Holy shit,” Kate murmurs under her breath.

  A woman walks over to me as everyone gets up.

  “Follow me, Mister Alexander,” she says.

  Mister Alexander. Well, that’s a fucking first. I follow her, pushing Kate in front of me so she is shielded from the others. The woman opens a small door and inside is a table with a computer. Another woman takes my card and punches in some numbers. I remember Anna had already linked me to a Swiss bank account with fifty million dollars in it. I asked no questions about where the fifty million came from because I had a sneaking suspicion that I didn’t want to know.

  “We need you to confirm the wire transfer,” the woman at the desk says. I nod and place my thumb on the screen. The money transfers and the woman nods.

  Another door opens and a man comes in carrying one of those armored briefcases. He sets it on the table and presses his thumb to the code screen. It pops open to reveal the diamond.

  I nod.

  “Please confirm your thumbprint,” he says as he closes the lid. I press my thumb to the sc
reen, and it resets.

  “It can be delivered, or you can take it now,” he adds.

  “I’ll take it now,” I say as I reach for the case.

  He places his hand on it. “Remember the rules,” he reminds me. I vaguely remember Anna going over some rules. My brain scans through memories.

  “Nullum malum,” I say, which means “see no evil” in Latin.

  The man nods and releases the case so that I can pick it up. I take Kate by the arm as the woman at the desk shows us out to a side door. A moment later, we are in an alley. I look both ways and decide not to go to the street where I came from.

  “Is that?” I hear Anna’s voice in my ear.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. I’m turning you off now. I’ll bring this home,” I say to her before I pull out the video camera and the earpiece and shove them into my pocket.

  We weave down alleys in silence until I feel we’ve gone a safe distance. We stand in a narrow alley behind a trash dumpster. My hands shake from my adrenaline.

  I drop the case next to us and cage Kate against the brick wall of an old building.

  “What the fuck were you thinking?” I growl.

  “Is that…it looks like…” She trails off as she stares down at the case. Her body trembles and I know she’s as jacked up on adrenaline as I am. I don’t wait for her to finish before I crush my lips to hers. I need a release, and this will have to do.

  She responds immediately, wrapping her arms around my neck. I tilt her head and plunge my tongue between her lips. She tastes of mint. Our tongues glide against each other, and she moans into my mouth as I cup her breast.

  I reach down between us and pull up the hem of her dress. I can feel her wetness before I even push her thong to the side.

  “Jesus, sweetheart, you’re dripping,” I groan against her throat.

  “I need—”

  “I know what you need,” I grunt as I push two fingers into her hot channel. She wraps her legs around my waist as I plunge them in and out of her. I unzip my pants and pull my cock out before I remove my fingers from her soaked pussy. I paint her lips with her wetness before sucking it off. She whimpers and rubs against my cock. I can’t wait for another second; I impale her on me, and she cries out as I pull back and plunge into her again.