Hidden Truths: The Shadow Watchers Romantic Suspense Collection

Prague's Echo

The chipped porcelain felt cold beneath Ava’s fingertips. She traced the delicate curve of a Meissen figurine, a shepherdess holding a lamb, its paint faded with age. The gallery was hushed, the only sound the soft click of her boots against the polished wood floors. Prague in November held a specific kind of gray, a weight that settled on everything, and the private collection of Oldřich Veselý did little to dispel it.

Veselý, a renowned historian and collector, was expecting her. He’d reached out through channels Ava hadn’t used in years, a request veiled in polite academic inquiry that didn’t quite mask the urgency beneath. He needed a discreet assessment of his security, a ‘second opinion,’ he’d phrased it. Ava, after a decade of running point for a black ops team dismantled by bureaucracy and bad decisions, was good at assessing security. And even better at finding the holes.

“Ms. Rostova,” a voice, reedy and accented, broke the silence. Veselý was a small man, barely reaching her shoulder, with a shock of white hair and eyes that darted around the room like trapped birds. “You find something to your liking?”

“Beautiful pieces,” Ava said, keeping her gaze on the figurine. She wasn’t admiring the art. She was scanning for pressure plates, infrared beams, anything that didn't belong. “You’ve amassed quite a collection.”

“A lifetime of work,” Veselý said with a sigh. He gestured towards a massive Baroque cabinet filled with porcelain. “Each piece tells a story. A history. I fear that history is…fragile.”

“Fragile how?” Ava finally turned, her eyes meeting his. She didn’t bother with charm. It was wasted on people who lied, or were about to.

“I received a…warning,” he admitted, wringing his hands. “An anonymous message. Someone knows the value of my collection. Someone intends to take it.”

Ava’s gaze swept the room again, lingering on the heavy velvet curtains, the ornate chandeliers, the single guard stationed near the entrance. “And you contacted me instead of the police?”

“The police…they wouldn’t understand. These aren’t just objects, Ms. Rostova. Some of these pieces are irreplaceable. They are linked to…sensitive matters. Matters best kept private.”

Ava suspected the “sensitive matters” weren’t about porcelain. She’d learned to read between the lines during her years in the field. “Let’s start with the layout. Alarm systems. Surveillance.”

Veselý launched into a detailed explanation, rattling off technical specifications and security protocols. Ava listened, but she was already cataloging the weaknesses. The cameras were outdated. The alarm system relied on a single, easily bypassed server. The guard looked bored and underpaid.

Two hours later, Ava had completed her preliminary assessment. It was bad. Amateurish, even. Veselý had the money for a state-of-the-art system, but he’d clearly prioritized aesthetics over actual security.

“You’re lucky nothing has happened yet,” she said, standing in his study, a small room crammed with books and antique maps. “This place is a sieve.”

Veselý paced nervously. “I knew it. I felt it. I just didn’t know how…exposed I was.”

“The north window,” Ava pointed to a large casement overlooking a narrow alley. “The lock is corroded. Easily picked. And there’s no sensor on the glass.”

Veselý rushed to the window, examining the lock with trembling hands. “I’ll have it fixed immediately.”

“Do that. And upgrade the server. Encrypt your network. I’ll need access to the security footage from the last week.”

“Of course, of course.”

As Veselý hurried to comply, Ava continued her inspection, her fingers tracing the spines of ancient books. She paused at a volume bound in worn leather, its title etched in faded gold: Alchemica Pragensis. An alchemical text. Unusual for a historian focused on porcelain.

“What’s this?” she asked, pulling the book from the shelf.

Veselý glanced over his shoulder. “An old curiosity. A gift from a colleague years ago. I haven’t had the time to examine it properly.”

Ava flipped through the ...