Page 130 of The Last Kingdom

RIFE STEPPED BACK, REALIZING THAT KOGER HAD NOT BEEN FOOLED.Two rounds pounded into the swinging oak panel. Luckily, there was room in the closet and he was able to get out of the way.

Then another shot.

Not his way.

A coup de grâce?

He paused and allowed the tense silence in the bedroom to linger, hoping Koger would think there was no one there. Hearing nothing, he stepped out with his gun aimed. Knight lay on the floor, bleeding from chest and head wounds. Koger was gone. He bent down and checked for a pulse.

None. Rage flushed through him.

“Damn you, Koger. It’s you and me,” he called out.

“Just the way I want it.”

The voice came from ahead, past the next couple of rooms, back toward the vestibule with the spiral staircases.

“Too scared to face me?” Rife asked.

“I could say the same to you.”

No way.

He stood and headed for the voice.

Chapter 74

LUKE GLANCED OVER AT TONI.

They were speeding south on the autobahn through the cold night. Trinity Dorner had not uttered a word for the past fifteen minutes. Two calls had come in for Dorner during that time. Both short. He’d taken her advice and shut up.

For now.

“Things are escalating,” Dorner finally said. “The Chinese have joined forces with the Scythe and the Duke of Bavaria.”

Fascinating, and good to know.

Dorner tossed a cell phone back over the front seat into his lap. “Push 3. And a piece of advice. Talk little, listen more.”

He scooped up the unit. Toni watched him carefully. He decided to be a good boy and do as told. He pushed 3 and brought the phone to his ear. One ring and it was answered.

“Mr. Daniels, this is Warner Fox. May I call you Luke?”

“You can call me whatever you want.”

Fox chuckled. “A prerogative of being president. I understand time is critical, so let me get to the point. Derrick Koger and I recently came to an understanding.”

News to him.

“I’d like to come to one with you.”

“About what?” he asked.

“Malone and Koger are out of pocket,” Fox said. “We have no idea if they’re making progress or not. Are you aware of what we’re after?”

“Only that it’s a document from the time of Ludwig II. That’s all I was told. I take my orders from Koger. I assume he knows what we’re after, and that’s good enough for me.”

“And me too,” Fox said. “But if a situation arises that Koger becomes unable to move forward, I need you to take the lead.”