ROYAL ROCK(71)

“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.