“that many of the Eggs went missing during the revolution.”
I nodded. There were fifty known Imperial Eggs originally. When the palaces were looted during the revolution, several Eggs disappeared. Some were found, but eight were still missing.
“It’s been my family’s quest ever since to right that wrong, to track down the lost Eggs and recover them for the family. One of them, in particular, is called the Aurora Egg. Its existence has been seldom documented. Even so, we’ve traced its path over the years, and we’ve finally located it here.”
“In Seattle?” A thrill traced up my back. The only things better than priceless jewels are long-lost priceless jewels that have just turned up in your own backyard. And a Fabergé Egg, at that. It’s like the holy grail for a jewel thief.
“Believe it or not, yes. And this is where you come in. We want to hire you to steal it back for us.”
I said nothing for a moment. I sipped my coffee to partially hide the expression on my face. This sort of job would be a thief’s dream.
Sandor looked at me uncertainly. “Maybe this wouldn’t mean anything to you, but it would be a chance for you to right a very old wrong.”
I froze, midsip. My heart soared at the very idea. Could this be the job I’d been waiting for? Reflexively, I touched my old ring and twisted it back and forth.
But there was a problem: I couldn’t take work outside the Agency. It was a major no-no. It was the sort of thing that could terminate my contract with the Agency—and end my career. He was going to have to go through AB&T. But that might mean the assignment would go to someone else. I squeezed my hand into a fist beneath the table, weighing the sides. I really didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t jeopardize my future.
I exhaled. With a great deal of effort I said, “It’s an intriguing proposition, Sandor. But what you need to do is contact my Agency—”
“No,” he said abruptly, his nostrils flaring. “No agencies. Listen, Miss Montgomery, our family is extremely uptight about the possibility of betrayal. We’ve been deceived in the past; history is familiar with the disasters that befell our family. The fewer people involved, the better. There’s no way we’re going to be betrayed again.”
“Oh,” I said. “I see. That’s nonnegotiable?”
“Totally.” The set of his jaw was firm.
This was a problem. Taking extracurricular work was strictly verboten. Besides, it was risky. There would be no backup, no support team should something go wrong, that sort of thing. And the timing was terrible. I was just at the point of climbing the ladder at AB&T. If I were caught doing a freelance assignment, I’d be out. Likely blackballed, to boot—it would be near impossible to find another agency willing to take me on. I gazed around the diner and quelled the urge to fiddle with the sugar packets.
“So,” he said, sitting back and taking a calming breath. “Will you help us?”
I was torn in pieces. The idea of it had me salivating, but the realities of my situation were not good.
“Well, I don’t know. I mean, I don’t usually work this way. My assignments always come to me through my Agency” I toyed with my coffee spoon. I contemplated the other thieves who might clamor for this job—other, more seasoned thieves. “Why me, anyway?”
“My family believes that you’ve got the exact skills needed to make this happen. We know all about your recent jobs. The Camelot Diamond heist, for example.”
I smiled, reflecting. Yes, I was quite proud of that one. The Camelot was a famous diamond on traveling exhibit from the Louvre. It had been on display last year at the Seattle Museum of Natural History and I . . . wait a minute. “You know I was caught during that job, though?” I said. Not before handing off the jewel, I remembered with some pride.
“We know,” he said, nodding once and smiling. “We also know that in spite of that, you managed to escape not only
I nodded. There were fifty known Imperial Eggs originally. When the palaces were looted during the revolution, several Eggs disappeared. Some were found, but eight were still missing.
“It’s been my family’s quest ever since to right that wrong, to track down the lost Eggs and recover them for the family. One of them, in particular, is called the Aurora Egg. Its existence has been seldom documented. Even so, we’ve traced its path over the years, and we’ve finally located it here.”
“In Seattle?” A thrill traced up my back. The only things better than priceless jewels are long-lost priceless jewels that have just turned up in your own backyard. And a Fabergé Egg, at that. It’s like the holy grail for a jewel thief.
“Believe it or not, yes. And this is where you come in. We want to hire you to steal it back for us.”
I said nothing for a moment. I sipped my coffee to partially hide the expression on my face. This sort of job would be a thief’s dream.
Sandor looked at me uncertainly. “Maybe this wouldn’t mean anything to you, but it would be a chance for you to right a very old wrong.”
I froze, midsip. My heart soared at the very idea. Could this be the job I’d been waiting for? Reflexively, I touched my old ring and twisted it back and forth.
But there was a problem: I couldn’t take work outside the Agency. It was a major no-no. It was the sort of thing that could terminate my contract with the Agency—and end my career. He was going to have to go through AB&T. But that might mean the assignment would go to someone else. I squeezed my hand into a fist beneath the table, weighing the sides. I really didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t jeopardize my future.
I exhaled. With a great deal of effort I said, “It’s an intriguing proposition, Sandor. But what you need to do is contact my Agency—”
“No,” he said abruptly, his nostrils flaring. “No agencies. Listen, Miss Montgomery, our family is extremely uptight about the possibility of betrayal. We’ve been deceived in the past; history is familiar with the disasters that befell our family. The fewer people involved, the better. There’s no way we’re going to be betrayed again.”
“Oh,” I said. “I see. That’s nonnegotiable?”
“Totally.” The set of his jaw was firm.
This was a problem. Taking extracurricular work was strictly verboten. Besides, it was risky. There would be no backup, no support team should something go wrong, that sort of thing. And the timing was terrible. I was just at the point of climbing the ladder at AB&T. If I were caught doing a freelance assignment, I’d be out. Likely blackballed, to boot—it would be near impossible to find another agency willing to take me on. I gazed around the diner and quelled the urge to fiddle with the sugar packets.
“So,” he said, sitting back and taking a calming breath. “Will you help us?”
I was torn in pieces. The idea of it had me salivating, but the realities of my situation were not good.
“Well, I don’t know. I mean, I don’t usually work this way. My assignments always come to me through my Agency” I toyed with my coffee spoon. I contemplated the other thieves who might clamor for this job—other, more seasoned thieves. “Why me, anyway?”
“My family believes that you’ve got the exact skills needed to make this happen. We know all about your recent jobs. The Camelot Diamond heist, for example.”
I smiled, reflecting. Yes, I was quite proud of that one. The Camelot was a famous diamond on traveling exhibit from the Louvre. It had been on display last year at the Seattle Museum of Natural History and I . . . wait a minute. “You know I was caught during that job, though?” I said. Not before handing off the jewel, I remembered with some pride.
“We know,” he said, nodding once and smiling. “We also know that in spite of that, you managed to escape not only
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