Page 36 of The Last Strike

Abi looked over the credit card transactions Samuel had sent her, highlighting various spends. She didn’t know what she was looking for, but she couldn’t stop. Her gut instinct told her this was worth doing.

She paid particular attention to the times around Noah’s death and King Martin’s death. She listed the stores Grace purchased from that might’ve supplied weapons of some kind, then she searched through the transactions for additional purchases from those stores.

One in particular stood out:CH2. It was a medical and healthcare supply company where a large purchase had been made one month before Noah’s death and another one month before Queen Alila’s death.

Abi sat back, crossed her arms, and let her brain process it all.

Where did the morphine that killed Noah come from? Tristan had said he’d done it, but how did he get the morphine?

Abi wanted to call Samuel, but she didn’t want to distract him tonight while troops were attacking the borders. She’d talk to him tomorrow.

She continued to mull over it. What motive did Grace have to kill Queen Alila? If she was romantically involved with King Khalil, Abi supposed that was a motive, but the king could simply divorce Alila. He didn’t have to kill her—unless she knew too much.

Abi sighed. Maybe she was going around in circles searching for something that might not exist.

She sat back in the chair, rubbing her tired eyes.

“Don’t do that,” Asher said from behind her, taking her hands and threading her fingers through his.

“Hey,” Abi said as she tilted her head back, looking up at him. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I’m working on moving like James Thomas. You never know when I might need to sneak up on someone,” Asher said.

The sparkle in his eyes indicated he was joking, but his voice said he was deathly serious. Abi chuckled.

“Who are you?” she asked.

Asher gave a strained laugh. “I don’t even know anymore, and I’m not sure if that’s something I should be concerned about or not.” He shook his head.

“I think not,” Abi said with a smile. “You have to be a little dangerous to beat the bad guys.”

Asher winked.

“How is it going? Or should I not ask?” Abi added quickly.

Asher shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know. In a few hours we’ll see how things look, but right now it’s a little too early to know.” He dropped her hands and sat on the edge of her desk. “Today is the first time I think I fully comprehend what it means to go to war. I have to make their sacrifices worth it, Abi. I won’t be able to live with myself otherwise.”

Her heart broke for him. She took his hands, squeezing them. “This war is not in vain—it’s not a power play or some kind of ego trip. This war is to prevail against evil, to save our region. If King Khalil continues like he is, he will destroy everything and everyone in his path. You have the support of the other kingdoms, Asher, and you’re powerful together. You’re not alone.”

He nodded, but she wasn’t sure if he actually agreed with her. Adani was powerful, so even with the other kingdoms supporting Asher, Adani could win if they played their cards right. Nothing was guaranteed in war.

“I need to do something while Khalil is distracted,” Asher said, his eyes narrowing. “I want to surprise him—to do something he’ll never see coming.”

It was like a switch flicked in Asher’s mind and Abi saw it in his eyes. Asher may have doubts, even moments of despair, but he always rebounded. He stood up and fought when he needed to. He may not be on the field, but hewasa soldier.

“What are you going to do?” Abi asked.

Asher rubbed his jaw. “I don’t know yet, but I want him to fear me like he never has before.”

Abi could see the wheels turning in his mind. “You need to turn his people against him. They don’t love him; they support him because he provides power and wealth,” she said, thinking aloud. “But all they need to see is that you can give them that without the horrors that accompany King Khalil. The poor are oppressed and all but abandoned in the villages, and there are not only hundreds of thousands of impoverished Adani citizens as the King reports, Asher—there are millions! I’ve seen them with my own eyes. They may not have much, but they still have a voice, and there is power in numbers. They will be the easiest to turn against Khalil because he has cast them aside.”

Asher nodded and she could see the wheels turning. “I’m going to attack him mentally, like he tried to do to me,” he said, resolved. “And I’m going to turn his people against him so when our soldiers enter Adani, their citizens won’t fight against us. Our soldiers have to pass through the villages and if the villagers are on our side, they won’t alert Khalil’s guard. That’s what I need to do. Come,” he said, holding out his hand.

Abi took it and followed his lead.

They wove through the hallways back to the command center.

“Samuel, I want to send the Adani people a message.Messages,” Asher clarified. “I want to give them information that will destroy the reputation of and their respect for Khalil. Have you seen that movie where the man in the Guy Fawkes mask takes control of the news station? Can you do that?”

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