Page 233 of Lethal King

“It’s not your dead brother either.”

“Then who is it?” I quietly ask.

With a blue fire burning in his cold eyes, Leander rips his gaze off the screen and turns it onto me.

Without another word, he storms forward and shoves the tablet in my face.

“You tell me.”

31

Rian

“Why did I agree to this again?”

From the drone footage on my phone, I can’t see the look on Deacon’s face, but I can imagine it.

“Agree to what?” Tytus grunts. The beast of a man is lagging behind. His injuries are severe. But he wouldn’t let me come here alone, no matter how much I insisted on it. “You’re the one who volunteered to be bait.”

“I can be an idiot sometimes,” Deacon mumbles. “Shit. Here they come.”

Planting my back against a thick tree trunk, I zoom in on the screen. Sure enough, a wall of soldiers has exited Leander’s secluded mansion. They’ve got their guns drawn and pointed towards Deacon.

“Don’t make any sudden movements,” I warm him.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Give that to me,” Tytus says. Reaching out an unsteady hand, he gestures for my phone.

I hesitate to give it to him.

He’s still my enemy, after all—that isn’t going to change just because we both care about Roz.

“Why?” I ask, wondering if he has the same technological gifts as Rozalia.

“Because I want to feel useful,” he coughs. “And I don’t know how many of those fuckers I’m going to be able to kill while I’m like this.”

“You put up a pretty good fight against me.”

“I’m still recovering from that,” Tytus grimaces.

He grabs his abdomen and leans against the trunk beside me.

“Fine,” I huff, handing him my phone. “Be our eyes in the sky. I’ll contact the troops.”

“Thank you.”

Turning away, I press a finger into my earpiece and look through the trees ahead. The first bits of morning sunlight are starting to light up the property, but the forest surrounding it is still draped in darkness. It provides the perfect cover.

I pull out my radio.

“Maksim, do you copy?”

A rush of static hisses over the airwaves until my uncle’s voice appears.

“I hear you, loud and clear. Everyone’s set up. Wish I was there to help.”

“You are helping,” I assure him. “How is Mel?”