Page 62 of Royal Guard

I jumped up onto a parked car and from there onto a parked truck. That let me climb up onto a hotel balcony and then, finally, I could look down from above. Still nothing. I glanced around, frantic: was there a better vantage point?

And then I froze.

Silvas Lukin was on the balcony two along from mine, a radio raised to his mouth. We stared at each other in shock for a full second. Then the rage hit meand I started sprinting along the balcony towards him.My dad! Kristina! All those children you killed!I was going to rip hisgoddamn head off!

I was just jumping across to the next balcony when I saw him snap an order into the radio and point to a spot in the crowd. I followed his finger.

Kristina!My throat closed up. She was lying on her side, unmoving. Her white and gold dress was stained red with blood.

Then I saw the men moving through the crowd towards her. Lukin’s men, dressed in black and armed with rifles. That’s what he was doing up on the balcony: he’d been directing them as they searched for her. And now he’d found her.

I took another step along the balcony. He was six feet away. I could reach him: I could end all this.

But not before his men killed her.

With a howl of fury, I vaulted over the side of the balcony and landed hard on the street. Legs screaming, I put my head down and charged through the crowd to where Kristina lay. I dropped to a crouch as I reached her and touched her shoulder….

She didn’t move.

My stomach lurched. I didn’t have time to check if she was alive: Lukin’s men would be on us in seconds. I picked her up and tossed her over my shoulder, praying nothing was broken. Then I looked for somewhere to run.

The first gunman burst out of the crowd and pointed his rifle right at Kristina. I roared in anger, grabbed the barrel of his gun and heaved, hurling him aside.

I battered my way onto one of the side streets. It was quieter, there, easier to move, but almostimmediately another gunman burst out of a cross-street ahead of us. I had to hold Kristina to my shoulder with one hand while I pulled my gun and shot him with the other. Then I looked around, panting.Shit!They were surrounding us. I was outnumbered and it would be a while before the rest of the royal guards found us. Where could we go?Think!

Then I looked down.

I set Kristina gently down on the street and then heaved up the heavy manhole cover. Someone was watching out for us because Kristina chose that moment to stir. My heart lifted.She’s alive!

We didn’t have time for the ladder. I took her hands and lowered her down. She was groggy but she had just enough awareness to stand when her feet touched bottom. Then I scrambled in myself, pulled the cover over my head and dropped down to join her.

For long seconds we stood there in darkness. Had one of Lukin’s men seen us? I pointed my gun up at the cover, waiting for it to lift….

Nothing. I finally let out a long sigh and then wrapped Kristina into my arms. “Are you okay?” I whispered. “Are you hurt?”

She mumbled something, still groggy. I pulled out the new phone Emerik had given me and used its screen as a light. Her delicate face was smudged with dirt and there was a red mark where she’d taken at least one kick in the cheek. Her dress was covered in footprints and when I gently ran my hands over her she winced at the bruises. But I couldn’t feel anything broken and the blood on her dress was on the outside. Someone else’s.

I took her hand and we hurried through the ankle-deep water, the noise of the crowd fading behind us. When she couldn’t run anymore, I carried her. I eventually stumbled to a stop at a grating. Beyond the bars, I could see the sun sparkling off the river. We were at least half a mile from the assassins.

We were safe.

I called Emerik and told him where we were. Then I took Kristina in my arms and we clutched each other harder than we ever had before. I’d come so close to losing her. As long as I was holding her, she was safe.

But after just a few minutes, I heard sirens approaching. Then doors slamming and running boots. Kristina’s mouth was by my ear. Even so, I could barely hear her voice, it was so weak. “You have to let me go,” she said.

I savagely shook my head and tightened my arms around her even more.

“You have to,” she rasped. “They can’t find us like this. You have to let me go, Garrett.”

I closed my eyes. And let her go.

45

GARRETT

When the doorsof the palace opened, Aleksander was there to meet us. He gave a huge sigh of relief when he saw Kristina. “ThankGod,”he said, embracing her. Then, over her shoulder, “Thank you, Mr. Buchanan.”

When he released her, he shook his head. “From now on, Your Majesty, I must insist you don’t leave the palace. This is the only place we can guarantee your safety. I’ve also asked General Novak to put soldiers in the palace, to supplement your royal guard.”

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