“You shouldn’t cover such a pretty color. Your eyes are gorgeous. Especially with your dark hair.”
A flush rises on her cheeks. “And you should keep your eyes on the road,” she retorts, dismissing my compliment.
I can tell it made her uncomfortable, but she shouldn’t be so modest. The woman is beyond beautiful. Is it possible she doesn’t realize it? I let it go, not wanting to embarrass her, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop complimenting her. No way. In fact, I intend to start doing it a whole lot more, until she realizes how amazing I think she is.
“There it is.” She points out the windshield at the large, imposing castle in the distance. It’s huge, made of gray stone with several strong, circular towers.
“Wow. I can see why no enemy ever breached it.”
“We’ll be the first.” She tosses me a saucy smile, and a deep warmth spreads through my chest.
No time to analyze it. Right now, we’re on a mission—and that means discovering everything we possibly can on our tour.
Once we’re parked, we pull out our phones and throw on our backpacks, thoroughly embracing a tourist facade. I have a feeling people might think we’re newlyweds on our honeymoon. There’s no denying we look damn good together. I’ve never thought that before with anyone. But last night, I caught a glimpse of us in a shop window and, yeah, total eye candy. Of course, she’s way better looking than me, but I’m not too shabby when I polish up and get my spiff on.
The castle has two gate buildings, each with its own drawbridge. As we cross the moat, I stop and look over the side. Just as I’d hoped, the water’s visibility isn’t awful. Not crystal clear, but not murky and muddy. It’ll work for what I’m planning.
We step into a mighty square keep where employees greet us and check our reservation. I’m constantly sweeping the area for cams and making mental notations on their positions. All with the utmost discretion, of course. I also type in some notes on my phone as I take pictures.
An employee puts us with a small group of tourists and introduces us all to our guide. Then we’re off, being led through the courtyard.
“From 1348 until 1641, the castle was owned by the powerful Puchheim family,” our guide begins. I’m not here for the history lesson, so I tune him out and continuemy recon. Bella and I need to observe every single detail, from entrance and exit points to the security in place.
The guide leads us through several rooms in the castle, avoiding a few spots that are cordoned off with rope or stanchions. I add more notes on each of the places that are closed to the public. Eventually, he takes us down to the dungeon, supposedly the lowest level. But if Bella’s map is accurate, there’s one more subterranean level beneath us.
“There’s a river below us that keeps the moat full,” the guide states.
Bingo!Exactly what I wanted to hear.
I spot a wooden door, practically hidden in the corner, and grab her arm. Squeezing lightly, I nod toward it. She subtly tilts her chin in response. “I think that leads down to the moat… and your tunnels,” I whisper. Because, yeah, my plan involves swimming in. With the right equipment—and I always have the best—we should have no problem sneaking in that way.
We hurry to catch up with our group. “From 1684 until 1947, the castle was owned by the family of Prince Pálffy,” our guide is telling us, and Bella sends me an excited look. “During World War II, there was no reigning royalty in Austria, as the monarchy was abolished in 1918. The former imperial family, the House of Habsburg, was in exile, with Archduke Otto von Habsburg acting as the head of the house and strongly opposing the Nazi occupation of Austria.”
For the next forty-five minutes, the guide takes us room to room in the castle, pointing out furnishings and details from multiple periods of history. We end the tour back in the courtyard. A few people ask questions, but I have all the answers and intel I need. Wrapping an arm around Bella’s shoulders, I steer her toward the exit, leaning close as I mischievously whisper, “Was it as good for you as it was for me?”
“Sooo good,” she drawls, leaning closer. To anyone watching, we look like a couple rather than a pair of fleeing thieves.
The moment we’re back in the car, Bella bursts, full of excitement. “Did you see that closed-off stairwell? I know there are tunnels under that place. I can feel it!”
I chuckle. “It’s definitely possible,” I agree, “but we won’t know until we get down there. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“We go in through the moat.” She sends me a dazzling smile, and its brightness tilts my world in the best possible way.
“Exactly.” I pull my attention off her and tap my index finger against the steering wheel. “The underground river feeds into the moat. We just need to find out where and follow it inside.”
“Tonight?” she asks, hands tightening on her purse.
“We don’t want to rush anything,” I warn her. “Let’s go over everything we learned today and plan to go in tomorrow night after dark.”
She lets out a small, disappointed sigh, but then nods. “That makes sense. I’m just anxious. Especially if someone else found out about those tunnels.”
“You mean whoever broke into your safehouse.”
“Yeah. It’s too much of a coincidence.” She wrings her hands, knee bouncing.
“Hey.” I reach over the console and place a hand on her knee to stop its movement, feeling her entire body tense at my touch. “We’ve got this.” Then I pull my hand back, not wanting to freak her out.
“There’s no other alternative,” she says firmly.
