Page 205 of Lethal King

What the hell is he doing with Leander?

My pounding heart drops.

Does Roz know?

… Or is Tytus working against her now?

“I… I…” the dying man starts to fade again. Panic grips me.

If Roz is in trouble, I don’t have a moment to spare.

“Where is Tytus Ryzdon!” I shout. Grabbing the man around the throat I try to shake him awake again. But his eyes are quickly glazing over. “Fuck!”

“Here, wait, try this.” Suddenly, Deacon is at my side. Crouching down, he shoves his phone into the dying man’s face. A smart map is opened up on the screen. “Point to where he hides out. Just point, and this will all be over.”

To my surprise, the dying man seems to understand. With his mangled hand, he reaches for the phone. A pinky finger gently taps down on the map, pinning a location.

Through all of my panic, I still find room to be impressed by Deacon’s ingenuity. It feels like something I would have done, if I were thinking straight.

But there’s no time to think straight.

Roz might be in trouble.

“Are you sure this is the spot?” Deacon asks.

The man nods. “I’ve been there before… He… He’s building an army… I was going to be part of it…”

“I’ll make sure to send all his soldiers to the same part of hell as you,” I growl. Standing up I press my gun against his forehead.

“Kill me…”

“Fuck you.”

I pull the trigger. His brains splatter against the alley wall.

I turn my back to the carnage.

“Let’s go,” I grumble.

I’m already at my car when Deacon catches up.

“You don’t think we should call for backup?” he asks.

“I’ll do it on the way. Are you coming with me or do you want to wait for them?”

That draws a laugh from the young knucklehead. “As if I’d pass up on a chance to ride with the Rian Kilpatrick.”

“My grandfather was the Rian Kilpatrick,” I say. “I’m just Rian.”

“The king.”

“… Only if our empire survives.”

Slamming the driver’s door shut behind me, I wait for Deacon to jump in the passenger’s seat. Then I take off.

Without being told to do so, Deacon starts entering the coordinates into my car’s GPS.

He also starts talking, but I barely hear a word he says. Blood has rushed into my ears. All I can focus on is what’s ahead.