Page 77 of Lethal King

When I open them again, the sky has darkened a shade.

“Did I fall asleep?” I mumble to myself.

Rubbing my eyes, I turn around and face forward. Leander’s yacht fills up most of the skyline. But behind it, I can just make out the silhouette of a growing island.

“I think that’s it,” Tytus shouts through the roaring engine.

My heart clenches.

Drago.

The coward’s been hiding ever since we broke free from his grip. I wonder if he knows we’re coming?

I hope he does. And I hope he dreads it.

We’re deep into dusk by the time we pull up to a shabby dock. Just down the row, Lander’s opulent yacht stands out like a sore thumb. But it doesn’t appear like there’s anyone around to notice.

It’s quickly clear that this rocky island is abandoned.

“Where are we?” I ask, still slightly groggy.

“Hell if I know,” Tytus says. Tying the boat up, we both walk down the dock towards Leander.

He’s surrounded by a group of his bodyguards. An uneasy feeling appears in my gut. But I’m not sure if it’s from suspicion or seasickness.

“I don’t like this,” I say, brushing the back of my hand against my thigh holster. My gun is still there, locked and loaded. But that doesn’t mean I’m in any state to use it.

All it would take is one single vibration during a shootout, and I would be a sitting duck.

I fucking hate this.

“Let’s stop here,” Tytus suggests. Slowing down some thirty feet from Leander and his men, he takes out his phone. “Take yours out too. Look up our coordinates. Figure out exactly where we are.”

“I can’t,” I quickly realize. Pulling out my own phone, I gesture down at the mini nuclear reactor attached to my case. “I brought this along to scramble any potential followers. But it means I can’t get a good signal either.”

Tytus recoils at the sight of the thing. “Looks excessive. And dangerous.”

“It is,” I grumble. But Tytus can’t know the truth. “No one is allowed to know where Drago is but us.”

“And apparently Leander.”

“Someone better be ready to tell us how this little partnership came about, because if they don’t, this island might just become a graveyard.”

“Agreed,” Tytus nods. “Now, let’s find out what Drago’s been up to.”

* * *

The living arrangements are much more modest than I was expecting.

For some reason, the idea of Drago living in squalor for this past year doesn’t fill me with any sense of satisfaction. Not like I thought it would.

Instead, there’s a sadness to it all.

I can’t help but remember back to when we first met. When he saved me from an unspeakable fate. His words gave me hope. His determination helped me push aside the darkness and strive for something greater than victimhood.

We were supposed to rule the world together.

Now, it looks like he’s living in an isolated cave, all alone.