by B. B. Hamel
I let out a sob once he was gone. That bastard cut my leg open, and I was betting he was going to do worse. I shouldn’t have pushed him like that.
I needed to survive this. Trip was going to come, and he was going to save me. So what if I said some lies on camera? Trip would get here before they had a chance to even use the footage.
But what if he didn’t? I couldn’t see how what I said would really matter. I was nobody, absolutely nobody in all of this, and yet suddenly I’d been shoved into the center of the conflict.
I took deep breaths, trying to steady myself. The cut on my leg wasn’t deep, but it was very, very painful. I could only imagine what it would feel like if he turned those horrible knives against the rest of me. I’d be torn to pieces, and I’d be left a screaming wreck on the floor.
I couldn’t last. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t let a man cut me to pieces.
And then I realized something. I had said out loud that I was in love with Trip. I’d never said that before, or even admitted it to myself.
It was true, though. I found that feeling deep inside me, glowing in my chest, giving me the strength to fight, the strength to spit in the face of pain and terror. It was love for Trip, love for a man I couldn’t stand, love for a man who made me feel things physically and more that I never could have imagined.
I was in love. I began to half laugh, half cry as the realization shook my entire core. I was in love with Trip. I was in love with the king of Starkland.
Suddenly, my laughter was cut short as a deep tremor tore through the floor. My chair shook so violently that I was flung to the side.
My shoulder and head smashed onto the floor, and I screamed.
34
TRIP
I paced across the situation room, anger and frustration rolling through me.
“Update me,” I ordered Max.
“They will arrive here within the hour,” he said simply.
It had been too long since Bryce had disappeared. The army had been recalled and they were on their way back to the estate. There were reports that the rebel army nearby was moving away, back toward the south, probably trying to link up with their main forces. If that was true, pulling my men back was the right call, kidnapping or not. It could have been a more serious trap.
I sighed. “Get them here faster.”
“I will do what I can,” Max said, and he disappeared.
As far as we could tell, Nicolai Corvin was actually Freddy Adub, a native of the real Corvin’s village. We didn’t know much about Adub, aside from the fact that he grew up poor and was likely working for Corvin when Corvin actually died.
Bryce was in the hands of some politically motivated madman and we barely knew anything about him. That was one downside of Starkland: We weren’t that great at keeping records, and the records we did keep were very general. I didn’t know what motivated Corvin besides the rebellion or what had made him turn to the rebels to begin with. My men were hunting down leads in his home village, but that could take days to bear fruit, and I didn’t have days.
I had hours at best. Otherwise, something bad could happen to Bryce, and soon.
There was a knock at the door. “Come,” I called.
Al stepped inside. “Sir,” he said, “I have good news.”
“That’s very welcome right now,” I said, sighing.
He sat down and connected a storage device to the computer system. He used the touch pad and pulled up a video. “One of the drones caught this.” It was grainy and dark, but it was clearly a black van driving down one of the back service roads.
“What is that?” I asked.
“I think it’s Corvin,” he said. “This isn’t authorized. It’s one of our vans, but it was supposed to have left hours ago, according to the logs at least.”
“Where does it go?”
“The drone didn’t follow it beyond the property,” he said. “They’re not programmed to do that.”
“So we lost them?”
“Not exactly.” He did some more typing and then another screen pulled up. It was another grainy, top-down view of a road with forest on either side. Al got up and pointed. “Here,” he said. “This is the van.”
“Satellite?”
“Yes,” Al said. “We managed to find their exhaust signature and linked them up with their tire tracks.”
“Good.” I nodded. “Very good. Now I see why my father invested so heavily in technology.”
“It’s very useful,” Al agreed. He scanned through a series of imagines that all followed the van as it moved down a heavily wooded road.
“What is all this?” I asked.
“It’s your land, technically,” he said. “You own most of the forest land around here, or at least the crown does. It’s kept pristine as a park. Locals hike there.”
“Where did they go?”
“Here,” he said, and he flipped to one more image.
It was a series of connected buildings. It was hard to tell what exactly it was from the grainy image, but I got the sense that it was large and industrial. There was a central building with a few structures connected to it, forming spokes coming from a hub.
“What am I looking at?” I asked him.
“I did some research. Apparently this is an old warehouse.”
“They’re in there,” I said simply.
“Yes, they are.”
“How far away is it?”
Al paused. “Not far, sir,” he said.
“How far?”
“That structure is maybe a half hour drive from here.”
“What?” I asked him, outraged. “They’re a half hour from here?”
“Yes,” he admitted. “They could have driven all night, but instead they went there.”
“They’re trying to hide right under my nose,” I said, getting angrier and angrier. “They’re trying to embarrass us, Al.”
“It seems that way to me, too, Your Highness.”
I clenched my hands into fists and had to take a deep breath to keep from destroying something. I wanted to lash out, but I knew I had to keep myself under control. My people looked to me to be a leader in times like this, and I needed to show them that I was capable of stepping up.
“Gather our men,” I said to Al.
“The army hasn’t arrived yet,” he said.
“Everyone left is coming.”
He nodded. “That will leave the estate unguarded.”
“Leave a few token men behind to watch over the place, but yes, we’re taking the bulk of anyone left.”
“Very well, sir.” He stood up.
“And, Al? Prepare my bio suit. I’m coming.”
He simply nodded, bowed, and then left.
I paced about the room, anger warring with the need to get out and get moving immediately. I knew we couldn’t strike this second, since we had to get everyone together and prepared. It was probably wisest to wait for the return of the army, but they were hours out and Corvin was so close.
I couldn’t risk him moving Bryce. I had to strike now, even if it was a trap.
Truthfully, the rebels were getting more and more arrogant with every passing day. They thought they could defeat my men in the field, and so they took greater and greater risks in order to embarrass the crown.
But that stopped here. They weren’t winning another battle, and they definitely weren’t keeping my woman.
Those fucking bastards were going to pay with their lives.
Not long later, Al returned with the bio suit. It was essentially protective armor plus some strength-augmenting features. It made me fast, strong, and resistant to bullets. Best of all, it was lightweight and easy to wear and use.
Behind Al, though, was Maximillian. “Your Highness,” he said.
“Save it, Max,” I answered. “Corvin is a half hour away, hiding out right under our fucking noses. I’m going. We need every man we can get.”
He nodded and smiled. “Very good, Your Highness.”
&nb
sp; “You’re not trying to talk me out of it?”
“Not at all,” he said. “I came to ask if I could join you.”
I laughed and gestured at Al. “Get him a suit. We’re going to go lay waste to these fucking bastards.”
Al nodded, and for the first time since Bryce had been taken, I felt good.
I was making a choice. I was risking my own life for her, and possibly my reputation as the king. But that didn’t matter to me.
Bryce’s safety was the most important thing to me, and I was going to act on that feeling.
35
BRYCE
More explosions rocked the building.
I was stuck on my side. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t get out of my restraints. I heard another explosion and then the sound of what I assumed were gunshots. There was indistinct yelling, more gunshots, and another explosion.
I tried to roll onto my other side to see if that would help, but I couldn’t even manage it. The floor was smooth and cool against my face as gunfire continued.
Hope flooded my body. Trip was coming for me. Nobody else would attack the rebels like this. Trip was making his move already.
Still, this attack was intense. It felt like the whole building was going to fall down around me in pieces. I was both terrified and elated that I wasn’t going to get shredded by Corvin’s daggers.
Though that hope slowly drained from me as the door flew open behind me.
“You fucking bitch.”
Corvin grabbed me and pulled me up. He was bleeding from a wound on his head and his eyes were wild.
“You fucking did this,” he said. “You led him here.”
“How?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he raged, out of his mind. “You fucking whore. You tricked me.”
“Trip is coming, Corvin. Give yourself up. Maybe he can be merciful.”
“Merciful?” His laugh ripped from his body like a bandage torn from a wound. “I’ve never known mercy from the lords and the ladies. Do you know what they do to us?” He pulled out his daggers. “They bleed us dry every day. They sit in their expensive houses with their money and their servants and they play their little political games while the rest of the country bleeds and toils for them.”
“That’s not true,” I said. “I’ve seen the good things the king does for you.”
“Lies,” he said. “All lies. We have no voice in this country, no say in what happens to us. We’re a pathetic, backward people, and your fucking king is holding us back.” He stepped toward me.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said, shaking. “You really don’t. I can make Trip show you mercy. I know I can.”
“There’s no mercy, not for me, not for you.” He moved his horrible blades toward me. “At least I can destroy something he loves before he kills me. This way he can feel what I’ve felt.”
“What happened to you?”
“My family worked the Corvin lands for generations and never went anywhere. We were practically fucking slaves, and I got sick of it.”
I had to keep him talking. The gunshots were getting louder, and the explosions had stopped. They were inside the building; I could just feel it. Trip was getting so close. I just needed this madman to keep ranting for a few minutes longer.
“That’s horrible,” I said. “What happened to your parents?”
“Cancer took them,” he said. “They couldn’t be saved, not after their bodies had been ravaged by working so hard their whole lives. Corvin bled them dry like the king bleeds everyone else.”
“My mother died of cancer,” I said.
“You can’t understand me,” he shrieked. “How could you, you foreign whore? You know absolutely nothing.”
“I want to learn, Freddy. Tell me. Make me understand so that I can make the king understand.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “No, no, no. It’s over. Only democracy can save us, and I’ll give my life for my dream.”
I could see the blades coming. I could see my end coming.
I had failed. I couldn’t survive. I had tried so hard to survive for him, but I just couldn’t pull it off. I did my best, but I just wasn’t equipped for any of this.
“Stop.”
Corvin’s head jerked. His face was shocked. “You?”
“Drop the knives.” I knew that voice.
It was Trip.
“Trip!” I called out.
“Drop the knives, Corvin. Don’t make me kill you.”
“You fucking bastard,” he screamed. “Die here and now!”
Corvin whipped his knives, flinging them behind me. I screamed as gunshots went off, peppering Corvin’s body with jets of red blood. He stumbled back and then fell to the ground, bleeding, clearly dead.
“No! Trip!” I screamed. “Please!”
He appeared in front of me, crouching down and grinning. He pulled a knife from his shoulder, but the wound didn’t look deep.
“Who the fuck throws knives?” he asked me.
“Oh god, Trip. You’re okay.”
He quickly untied me, and then I threw my arms around him, pulling him close. He was wearing some kind of strange body suit that was both soft and hard at once, but I didn’t care.
“You came for me,” I whispered.
“Of course I did,” he said. “I couldn’t leave you here. I could never leave you, Bryce.”
“I thought—I don’t know. I thought I was just getting in the way.”
“No,” he said softly. “You are everything to me.”
I leaned back, looking him in the eyes. “What are you saying?”
“I love you, Bryce. God, I’m fucking madly in love with you. I’d burn this country to the ground for you.”
“I love you too,” I said simply. “Please don’t burn anything for me.”
He laughed and then kissed me hard. Intense relief and joy flooded through me, a complex mix of emotions I couldn’t even begin to explain.
“How about I just burn this place and all these bastards?” he said.
“Okay. I can handle that.”
He pulled me close and held me. I could feel my heart beating fast in my chest, but it felt right. I felt like I was finally where I was meant to be, in Trip’s arms. We understood each other now, and I knew what he wanted.
He loved me. The king loved me. I didn’t know what it meant for our future, but I didn’t care about that. He had come for me, and that was more than enough.
“Sir.” We both looked up, and Al was standing in the doorway. “We’ve taken the main building. We’re going to finish with the others, but it’s over. They’re either dead or running.”
“Catch them,” Trip said. “Every one of them. Kill them all.”
“Very well.” He bowed and then left.
“Come on,” Trip said, standing.
He helped me to my feet. The wound on my leg still hurt, but not as badly. He wrapped my arm around his shoulders and helped me walk back out.
We left the warehouse together. His men saluted and he nodded back, giving out orders as we went. I could see the respect in their eyes, and I realized the huge risk he had taken for me. Trip hadn’t just sent his own men; he had come himself for me. The men must have seen that and must have really respected him for it.
As we got back to the trucks, I finally knew it was all over. Trip was going to win. I could see it on everyone’s face. No matter what happened, Trip was going to win.
He couldn’t lose. I knew he couldn’t. My heart was full and deep, and I was happy.
36
TRIP
The attack had gone as planned. We breached the main wall of the warehouse and used secondary explosives to mask our entry point. From there, we engaged in a short firefight, but the rebels were outclassed by far.
We were surprised by how many there were in there, though. We assumed it was a small group, less than fifty, but we were wrong. There were at least a hundred men in there with a serious stockpile of weapons.
I guessed they were preparing to assault the estate as soon as they did whatever they were going to do with Bryce.
But we fought well. I killed who I had to, including Corvin. The wound in my shoulder from his knife still hurt, but my bio suit had absorbed most of the blow.
Once the main army finally returned from the field, they were dispatched to begin cleanup operations. The rebel army they were originally sent to chase after had disappeared into the south, which was pretty clearly just a ploy to get my men into a losing situation.
Instead, they began to search out the surrounding area. Arrests of suspects were happening hourly, and I had to eventually tell Max to stop updating me until the next day.
Besides, I had more important matters to attend to.
“Ouch,” Bryce said.
I frowned. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Just stings.”
“You’re lucky this isn’t deep. I don’t think you need stitches.”
“Good,” she said. “Based on the way you’re cleaning it, I doubt you’d be good at stitching.”
“You’d be surprised,” I murmured, putting away the sterilizing alcohol and grabbing a clean bandage. I began to apply it to her wound carefully.
She cringed but didn’t complain. “So what now?” she asked me.
“Now we wait,” I answered. “My men will round up any survivors, we’ll find out what they know, and then we’ll take the fight to them.”
“In the south?”
I nodded. “That’s right.”
“You’re not going, are you?”
I laughed, shaking my head. “No, I’m not going.”
She looked relieved. “Good.”
“Worried about me?”
“Possibly.”
We were sitting on my bed in my chambers back at the estate. She was wearing only panties, since we’d stripped off her jeans to get at her wound. The medics had taken a look and didn’t think it was serious, so I had decided to take care of her myself.
Which was a good choice, as it turned out. My eyes roamed her body, up along her skin, and I couldn’t help but kiss her lips.