Page 47 of A True King

Shit, I shouldn’t be here. I pat my pocket but realize in my haste to leave, I left my phone sitting on my desk.

Anna always keeps a burner phone in the small cottage in the woods. It’s our secret place. The three of us used it as a safe haven in our teens, but right now, I feel it might be my safe haven for real.

I sprint along the edge of the woods until I’m forced to run across the field. Zigzagging and keeping my head low, I make it to the forest trail. My chest burns with each breath as I push myself to run faster, harder. It’s not far, but it feels miles away. I turn off the trail and sprint through the forest, jumping over fallen trees and dodging boulders that erupt out of the earth. My sole focus is to get that burner phone. I need to call my family, to warn them. The cottage comes into view. I slow my pace as I approach, trying to make soft steps on the forest floor. I make it to the side of the cottage and stop. Listening, I only hear the sounds of birds chirping, frogs croaking, water flowing in a nearby stream, and the breeze rustling the leaves of the trees. I find the key in the small stone pot under the windowsill. Placing the key in the lock, I turn it. The sound seems to echo as it clicks. Looking around once more, I open the door with trepidation. It squeaks and I freeze once more, pulling up on the handle to minimize the volume of the old metal brackets as I push the door to the side.

It’s dark inside with the shutters pulled closed, but even in the darkness, I can sense that I am not alone. I stop breathing, stop moving and wait, reaching for the shotgun that Auggie keeps in the cupboard by the front door.

“It’s not there,” a voice states from the dark corner of the room. A very familiar voice. Pete.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Mia

“But Christian isn’t involved in any of this?” I state, trying to buy time while I figure out how I’m going to get to him.

“And he won’t be. In fact”—King Ivan pauses and looks down at a pocket watch—“I do believe he will be removed from the scenario in a matter of minutes.”

My breath slows. My body stills. All my senses are on high alert.

“What do you mean?” I manage to say as I try to find my breath.

“The long game, my dear. I’ve been playing the long game. You know Helga, Clause, Pete, and Lucas, don’t you?”

I suddenly feel sick. There’s no way. They love the royal family. Helga and Clause have been staff at the Royal Palace for years. Helga’s like an extra mother figure to them. Their sons, Pete and Lucas, have been friends with Christian since they were kids. Pete’s the head of security after all. And Lucas is Anna’s security guard. He’s been her guard since she was a teenager.

“I can see they did a good job all of these years. Do you know what Clause and Helga did before they worked at the Royal Palace?”

I frown because I have no idea. They would have been quite young when they started working there.

“They worked for me. They are members of a secret sleeper cell of The 44. They were to do nothing, to take zero action until I called upon them. They don’t even know what part their mission plays. They only know what I choose to tell them.”

I feel the blood drain from my face at the realization. The entire royal family is about to be wiped out, and so is my family. Everyone gone. No survivors. He’s assuring that his backup plan of falsified paperwork doesn’t need to be used, because there won’t be any royal family members left.

“I put my plan into action a few weeks ago. And now is the time to finish it. I don’t have long now, and it all needs to be finalized. These last few steps are the only ones that require me to take action. After that, everything will come together as I planned it.”

“No,” I whisper. “No, no, no.”

I stand and step away from him. He doesn’t look remotely concerned that I could try to run away, which means…we aren’t alone.

I look around me, turning in a circle but I don’t see anyone.

“There is nowhere to go, my dear. We are on an island.”

I swallow as I try to rationalize his statement. And then it dawns on me, the river. Only a river cuts off the property from the surrounding hillside. The far side of the property abuts a rocky cliff that follows the turbulent waters which surround the remainder of the property. He’s right, there is no way out for me. I could try to swim. My gaze travels to the small view of the sea between the gardens and the house. The waves are high today and the water is icy cold.

“How will you kill me?” I ask, raising my chin and crossing my arms.

He cocks his head to one side as though contemplating it. “I hadn’t quite figured that out yet. There are so many options. Poison. Drowning. An unfortunate fall from the cliff. Suicide. Fire.”

He pauses as he muses over his many choices. Each one is worse than the last. “Do you have a preference? I mean, it’s the least I could do.”

I glare at him. He’s pure evil this man. How can I be descended from someone so purely malevolent?

“Well, we don’t have much time, so don’t wait too long to tell me your choice.”

“What about Montelandia? Lucas can’t possibly take them all down,” I state, trying to distract him again while I consider my options for escape.

His laugh is purely wicked. “Lucas is not my only contact at the palace in Montelandia. I was informed this morning that the entire royal family is there, even King Michael’s sister, Lara. A shame she couldn’t join us at her estate here, but Pete let me in after he gave her staff time off and hired new staff. It’s a nice property. I wish I had more time to enjoy it.”

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