Page 119 of The Last Kingdom

Together, they heaved him up and over the bridge’s low railing.

It happened so fast that it took a moment to process that he was falling through the cold with a strange sensation of weightlessness. The sound of the waterfall drew closer and closer. Icy air rushed down his throat and seared his lungs. Adrenaline pumped through his system as a lifetime flashed through his mind. His heart thudded with a massive resonance, as if about to explode from his chest. Then he slammed into something hard.

Which hurt.

His body rebounded.

He hit it again.

Rocks?

Cold water rushed over him.

His mind went blank and bare.

And the world vanished.

Chapter 68

LUKE SPOTTED A TRASH CAN AND HEADED FOR IT.

He and Toni would have only a moment to sell things. He didn’t really like the idea of what he was about to do, but had no choice. He approached the can, looked inside, then yelled in English, “Bomb. There’s a bomb here. Run. Now. Run.”

Toni took her cue and screamed, “Everyone get away.”

They both flailed their arms and kept sounding the alarm. Hopefully, enough people around them spoke English.

And they did.

Only a few seconds were needed for the threat to become real. People rushed away in every direction, quickly crowding into one another. As things congealed and people began to feel trapped, panic set in. He added to the confusion by yelling again that there was a bomb.

The crowd erupted into full panic.

Exactly what they wanted.

What had been an orderly gathering for the police to navigate was turning into an impenetrable wall of humanity.

“That should do it,” Toni said.

“Oh, yeah.”

* * *

RIFE STOOD ON THE BRIDGE AND STARED OUT INTO THE NIGHT ANDthe falling snow. Prince Albert had watched impassively as his brother was murdered.

“He would have been a recurring problem,” Albert said.

“Not anymore.”

“No. That problem is solved.”

“What about the body?” Knight asked.

“It will be found,” Albert said. “Eventually. We will attribute it to Stefan’s carelessness. Thankfully, he had a reputation for being reckless. Nothing now remains in our way.”

Good to hear.

His deal had been with Albert all along. The idea being for the duke to involve Koger and all of the various resources the CIA could bring to the table. Once that played itself out, Koger would either be dismissed or killed, depending on what developed. He preferred the latter since he and the big man had never been buddies. Just one more debt he’d like to repay. All part of his new devil-may-care attitude toward life and law.

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