Page 56 of The Last Kingdom

“Don’t you think working together might have been better?” he asked.

“And miss that great exhibition you put on in Herrenchiemsee? Shooting high. Did you involve Malone? Or Koger?”

“That would be me. He’s a friend.”

“And then your put-down of Christophe. Priceless. He didn’t appreciate it at all.”

“Like I care. He’s an idiot.”

She chuckled. “That he is. He’s also been trying to get closer.”

“Any success?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know. Would you have really pounded me if I’d gone for the gun?”

He recalled the fight onshore. “Probably.”

“Now that would have been fun.”

“You know, opening that compartment in the desk was not your finest hour either,” he said.

She shrugged. “That was Christophe’s problem. Like you said, he’s an idiot. I didn’t really care if he failed.”

He got it. “You wanted others to come after you left and get the book.”

“Something like that. Of course, I didn’t know then that you had the same idea with Malone.”

He pointed. “Who exactly are these two guys?”

“Local help.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“They were hired by a man named Jason Rife, who is ex-CIA.”

The dark helped him keep his best poker face so as to hide his surprise. Ex-CIA?

What the hell was happening here?

He crouched down and checked out the two guys on the ground. Both wore black ski masks, gashes of white skin for eyes and lips. He removed the masks and saw they were each late twenties, European, wearing boots and jeans, their impressive physiques certainly courtesy of Soloflex. He found no keys, ID, or anything besides two cell phones, which he pocketed. They might prove informative. He then retrieved both weapons that had scattered across the pavement. “You want to tell—”

A car roared around the corner at the far end of the alley and screeched to a halt. Two men emerged and aimed guns his way. Luke never hesitated and fired two shots at the car with the weapons he held. Toni had disappeared behind him, the wash from the headlights illuminating her speedy retreat into darkness. He had to give her cover. So he sent more rounds at the car.

The men slipped back inside and slammed the doors.

He used the moment to retreat himself.

He heard the engine rev and the vehicle sped straight for him, running over the two bodies in its path. Which spoke volumes as to their intentions. He turned a corner and saw Toni to his right, pressed to the wall of a building.

Ready. Waiting.

“Let’s take ’em,” he said.

And he tossed her one of the guns, then darted left and assumed a position against the opposite building, waiting for the car to emerge from the alley. When it did, they sent bullets into the windows.

Which shattered.

He took out the driver. She shot the passenger.