Page 49 of A True King

He sets a gun on the table. “We were good friends, weren’t we?” he asks, his voice numb, emotionless.

“We are good friends, Pete.”

He spins his gun in a circle. “It’s all lies, Chris. Everything is a lie.”

Confusion clouds my mind as I step toward him. He holds up a hand, stopping me. “You need to understand that this isn’t personal. It’s not what I would have chosen, but it’s how it has to be.”

“Pete?” my voice echoes again in the cozy cabin, although nothing at the moment feels particularly cozy.

“I’m sorry,” Pete says as he picks up his gun and points it at me.

“Why? At least tell me why?” I ask as my confusion gives way to panic.

Pete sighs as he runs a hand over his face. “My whole family is part of it; we always have been. Lucas, my parents, we’re a sleeper cell. And we’ve been activated. I’ve been training to do this my entire life.”

“What? No.” The words leave my mouth but I’m still processing what he’s said.

“Trust me. It’s better this way. Everyone will be gone by tonight.”

“Everyone?”

“Your whole family, Mia’s family, the royal family of Montelandia. It’s all part of the master plan.”

“What plan?”

“The one that King Ivan started seventy years ago,” he states as though I should know it.

“Pete, what the fuck are you talking about?” I ask as I stare in shock at the man who’s been my friend for nearly my entire life.

“Sit,” Pete commands, pointing to the chair across from him. I hesitantly take the seat and push it against the wall, putting as much distance as I can between us.

“My parents work for King Ivan. They always have. He doctored their resumes and got them hired by your grandparents, just before your father was crowned king. King Ivan is part of The 44. A secret part of it. One that’s been quiet and waiting for decades. King Ivan activated us recently. It’s time to end the monarchy.”

Fuck. It’s the only word that comes to mind. How can this be? How could Anna and Jack not see this, not find evidence of this?

“How?” I ask.

“The man who was blackmailing Mia works for King Ivan. We work for King Ivan. There are a few others at the palace in Montelandia. King Ivan is finishing what was started with his grandfather. We know nothing but our one task. And mine…is you.”

He waves the gun in his hand. I’ve never felt more mortally wounded by another human. To find out your friend was never your friend.

“But how did you and Lucas get involved?”

“Our parents were already involved. They primed us from birth but didn’t inform us of our duties until we were of age. We each met privately with King Ivan when they deemed us ready. It’s a great honor to be chosen by the secret society of The 44. You should feel privileged that I have been sent to kill you, Christian. Your death is clearly important to the cause.”

It’s with that last sentence that I realize just how insane Pete is. Flashbacks of my life play like a movie reel in my mind. What had I missed? When had he become like this, a monster?

My thoughts catch up with me and I realize that I’m not the only one in danger. I have to warn my family…and Mia. My mind blanks on the thought of Mia, the entire reason that I’m here. Has he already killed her? Is she safe?

“Where’s Mia?” I ask.

“Probably dead by now,” he offers.

The words have barely left his mouth when something visceral takes over my body. I lunge over the table, grabbing the gun. His chair starts to tilt back as I pull back my arm to punch him. We struggle as we fall to the floor, the gun sliding across the floor. Pete and I are roughly the same size and we both work out regularly, making him a worthy opponent. I’m not sure if I can subdue him, but I’ll die trying.

Neither of us speaks as we punch and kick the other. Each blow radiates pain, but I don’t stop. We roll and battle, trying to get the upper hand as we inch toward the gun that lies on the floor a good fifteen feet away. I manage to get on top of him, pressing my hands to his neck. He attempts to get his arms between mine and push me away, but I close the gap between my forearms, applying pressure with my hands. Pete’s been trained by our best defensive teams. He manages to kick me hard enough to throw me off-balance. I release my grip to steady myself and he rolls us over. But I’m one step ahead of him. The defense classes he took as an adult, were taught to me starting at age ten. My parents knew the dangers facing us and made all three of us start martial arts training as children. Even Anna excels at it. She could take down a person twice her size.

I use the momentum of our roll to keep rolling, putting my body weight into the floor. Pete attempts to stop us, but there’s too much centripetal force and we don’t stop rolling until I’m back on top again. Pete stretches his arms out, looking for the gun or anything to use as a weapon.

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