Page 62 of The Last Strike

Asher nodded. He’d backed out of the plan for the Lithe Ruins. Even though Asher liked the strategy of it, he didn’t think murdering in a holy site was a decision he’d be able to sleep with. So, they’d looked at other options and come up with an alternative Asher liked a lot.

“Ideally, we’d like to eliminate Khalil before he even gets inside the building, but that will be difficult,” Reed said. “He’ll be incredibly well protected on the journey—his security team is excellent at managing his cover at public events or traveling. We think our best chance is to kill him once we create some chaos inside the building,” Reed said.

“It will also help with your public image in Adani if this doesn’t look like a blatant execution,” James said. “If you lure and ambush Khalil, anyone who still supports him in Adani will be less likely to support you when you take control. It would be better to allow him to get inside the building, and even get close to you, before we kill him.”

“Agreed, but what exactly do you mean by chaos?” Asher asked. “And how close are you going to let him get?”

“We’ll let him get inside the building, then once you’re inside, we’re going to put men in the hallways and in the vents and force him to take a certain route. His team will be with him; we’ll kill them off one by one, whenever we get the opportunity. If we hit too fast, they’ll respond with heavy ammunition and my guys will get killed. Because the hallways are long and narrow with little shelter, it’s better to treat this as a stealth mission. That also significantly reduces the chances of you or anyone else accidentally getting caught in crossfire. The aim of this strategy is for Khalil to think he is in control, but we will be the ones in control the entire time.”

Asher inhaled deeply, thinking this through. “Is there a building better suited to this?”

James shook his head. “Other than the narrow hallways, we really like this building. The fact that it is surrounded by private gardens is a big positive, because it means there will be no civilian casualties. Too, it’s a place Khalil would believe such a meeting to take place—it’s a better lure than the ruins for that reason, even though the ruins would’ve worked strategically better in our favor. But if we can’t lure Khalil there, strategy doesn’t matter.”

“Queen Victoria has confirmed she will attend. She will keep her security hidden at the perimeter to avoid attention,” Reed said.

“And Luang?” Asher asked, looking between the two men who, seemingly, trusted no one.

“He has confirmed. I spoke to him this morning and provided the details,” Reed said.

Asher nodded.

The only thing left to do was convince Khalil to attend.

Khalil

Khalil refilled his glass as he continued to stare at the chess board, plotting his next move.

The door opened and Raoul walked in, nodding to Nicholas and then Khalil. Khalil returned his attention to the game.

“Your Majesty, I’ve received a report from our contacts in the villages east of the Santina border,” he said.

Khalil looked up. “What do you mean, a report?”

“News ... that Santinian soldiers have been seen passing through villages,” he said warily.

Khalil frowned, straightening. “Passing through? Why weren’t they stopped?”

“News of the poisoning and your liaison with women traffickers reached the villages. They are angry and it appears they have sided with Santina—for now,” he quickly added. “The villagers allowed the soldiers to pass through without a fight.”

Khalil’s eyes bulged. “What?” his voice boomed.

“That’s what the planes were doing—dropping flyers with the information, signed by Princess Theodora. Asher must’ve organized it before her death. The planes were so close to the border that we didn’t shoot them down, but news travels fast in the villages, Your Majesty.”

“Who didn’t order them to be shot down?” Khalil asked viciously.

“Ultimately, I didn’t,” Raoul said, seeming to brace himself.

But there was nothing he could’ve done to see Khalil’s next move coming.

Khalil stood, walked to his desk, and picked up his weapon he’d been cleaning earlier. He raised it and fired one shot into Raoul’s head and the other into his chest.

Raoul fell to the floor with a look of pure shock.

“Father!” Nicholas said.

“You dare to question me?” he asked, pointing the weapon at his son, who was quick to hold his hands up in surrender.

“No, of course not. Put the weapon down, please,” Nicholas said, his eyes darting between his father and Raoul. “I was merely going to suggest we should’ve asked Raoul a few more questions, but it’s too late now.”

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