Page 14 of The Last Strike

“I sent Reed in there for nothing now. He’s a captive and God only knows what Khalil will do to him. Luang, we should’ve discussed this first,” Asher said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“There was no choice, Asher,” Luang bit out. “My hand was forced and I made the call. I agreed to ally with you, but when my people start dying in the streets, I have to protect them. There was always a chance Khalil would survive the poisoning, and then what? Your man might talk, and then our kingdoms would experience a new kind of terror at Khalil’s hand. I couldn’t allow that to happen, Asher. I’m sorry, I truly am. My allegiance is to you, not to Khalil, but this is a dangerous game we’re playing. I couldn’t take a risk, not right now. We’ll make another move when the time is right.”

Asher squeezed his eyes shut, tipping his head back. It wasn’t the call he would’ve made. He understood why Luang had made the decision he had, but Asher didn’t agree with it. He would need to ask Thomas Security to increase monitoring Luang’s communications because, although he said he was an ally of Santina, his actions said something very different.

“I can’t say I agree with you, Luang,” Asher said, fighting to keep his tone neutral. “But I understand why you made the call you did. It’s not what I would’ve done—I wish you’d called me first.”

“We’ll get another chance,” Luang said, and it sounded like a promise. “This will hold off more attacks for a little while—it’ll buy my kingdom some time.”

Asher nodded, but his disappointment tasted like a sour lemon.

“I’ll talk to you soon, Asher,” Luang said. “Again, I’m sorry, but I had no choice.”

“Goodbye, Luang,” Asher said, fighting to keep his voice neutral before ending the call. He tipped his head back and cursed. He felt physically ill.

Asher didn’t know if he was cut out for this—he was either going to swim and make a historic victory or he was going to sink and drown, forever remembered as a failure.

He wasn’t surprised when his phone rang and it was Samuel.

“What are your thoughts on that call?” Samuel asked.

Asher sighed, shaking his head. “Disappointment, frustration, irritation. Should I be worried about trusting him now?” Asher asked, more to himself than Samuel.

“My suggestion is to increase the monitoring we have on him. If Khalil applies enough pressure, Luang may be persuaded to turn against you—especially if the war isn’t going well for us. We’ll monitor all of his communications, but of course he can use a burner phone like the one Alistair had. I’ll also monitor bank accounts, emails ...whatever I can. Without a bug in his office it will be difficult to monitor him to the level I would like. Obviously there are logistical issues with getting a bug in there, and if Luang were ever to find out, he would have a serious reason to distrust and question you. At this stage I think we monitor the situation and also watch what Khalil is doing. If he, for example, pulls troops from the Valencia border or it doesn’t look like he’s hitting Valencia as hard as the other kingdoms, that might be an indication. And if Luang starts asking more specific questions on anything in particular, that would also raise a red flag. For now, though, Luang’s reputation is stellar and he seems to be a man of his word. I think very careful monitoring is suitable for this risk, with the plan to get a bug inside his office if we really need it.”

Asher nodded. If Valencia and Adani were to turn on Santina, there would be no stopping them. “Thank you, Samuel,” he said before ending the call.

His eyes swept over Mrs. Bennett’s gardens—the place he’d found himself coming to when he needed a minute to think and breathe in the fresh Santinian air. But now, as he stood, he felt restless. In addition to the uncertainty of the war, he had no safe home nor permanent base. He felt like a king without robes and hoped it wasn’t an omen for things to come.

“Hey,” Abi said from behind him and he turned to her, his hand reaching for hers.

“Hey,” he said, immediately recognizing how tired he sounded.

“Do you want to be alone?” Abi asked.

“No, I just needed a minute,” Asher said.

Abi smiled gently. “It’s okay to need a minute, Asher. You have the weight of Santina on your shoulders. No part of this is going to be easy.”

“Let’s sit,” he said, leading her to the garden bench.

She sat beside him, angling her body toward him. Her eyes shone in the sunlight. Khalil had tried to take everything from him—and he’d succeeded in taking Noah and his father. But not Abi—not his brave, warrior queen.

“What do you think of James’s plan to rescue Reed?” Asher asked, genuinely wanting to know her thoughts. She’d never operated a security team, but her time on the field with her hostage work gave her experience and insight Asher didn’t have.

She looked thoughtful for a moment. “It’s a good plan, but like all good plans, things can go awry.” Her eyes met his reassuringly. “This is what they do, Asher. Let them do their thing, and you do yours.” She ran a finger along his jaw. “And relax or you’re going to have a blistering headache.”

“I already have a headache.”Headaches.Everything felt like a headache. “Luang told Khalil that his water supply has been poisoned,” he said heavily.

Abi’s jaw dropped open and her eyes widened. “What? Why?”

“Khalil attacked Valencia with sarin a few hours ago. It’ll be on Santina’s media soon. He’s trying to fool Khalil into believing he’s on his side.” Asher looked over the cluster of buildings that made up the city. It really was a spectacular view from the Bennett’s home that perched on the hill like a castle. “Let’s pray he’s not trying to fool me. Samuel is going to keep a watch on him, but even he says that without tapping his phone or installing a bug in his office, it’s going to be difficult.”

Abi leaned in, kissing his temple. “Luang was a good friend of your father. Surely that counts for something.”

Asher shrugged, chewing his cheek. “Sure, but I don’t know if it’s enough when innocent civilians are being attacked with sarin and dying on the streets. As angry, frustrated, and disappointed as I am, I can’t entirely blame him.” He shook his head. “I felt like he had my back, that he was a partner in this. And maybe he still will be, but ...” His uncertainty was as clear in his mind as in his words.

“Let Samuel monitor him and see what’s really going on before you decide he’s playing you. Regardless, you’re not alone, Asher. We—and all of Santina—are ready to stand beside you. Whatever happens next, know we love you and believe in you.”

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