Chapter 16 Chapter 16
"2 cars three miles back, And no headlights. Keeping distance from them." She could hear Marcus through the phone and Lydia's throat went dry. Her breath heavy and her hands cold.
"Are they still following us?" He asked, while still holding the wheel tight. There was a tightness on his face.
"Yes, sir." Marcus said a little louder from the other side. However, the car didn't speed up, and did not swerve either. The convoy subtly tightened. And the rear vehicles shifted position.
Arthur reached calmly beneath the armrest. A hidden compartment slides open and he removes a handgun and Lydia's eyes go wide open in shock.
"Emmm..." She muttered backing away a little in her seat. Arthur then checked the gun. Reassembling it with smooth precision, while Lydia only stared at it and him.
"You do that like you're adjusting your tie." She muttered, but he didn't react or smile.
"It's the same principle." He said and this confused.
"What principle are you talking about?" He asked, looking only at the gun now.
"Principle of preparation." He said like it was nothing and her heart started to pound in her.
And then it happened. The first impact came and the explosion came from the left. Not behind and a black SUV burst from the side of the forest area and at full speed.
Immediately it slammed right into the second escort vehicle. The metal screamed and the glass shattered. Not theirs but the outside. Gunfire erupted immediately and it all happened at the same time.
For Arthur's men it looked like none of them seemed to want to panic. There was sharpness in the work, They seemed relentless and calculated. Lydia gasped and held onto the car.
She was sure she was to die today. Her life now flashing in front of her eyes.
The armored vehicle jerked hard and Arthur moved instantly.
"STAY DOWN.." He yelled and bullets struck the exterior of the car. Heavy and loud metallic thuds.
"Huuuhh..." She gasped, panicking and put her head down, her hands covering her ears. The sound wasn't sharp, but it was too deep. She had never heard of something so loud. She felt her bones shake. that was the impact on her mind and body.
It was like someone slamming a hammer against the steel over and over again.
The glass didn't shatter but the noise was suffocating.
The driver accelerated and more gunfire came. Through the small gap between seats, Lydia saw muzzle flashes outside. Arthur's men had already engaged by now.
It was not chaos now. She could see how it was controlled violence and Lydia didn't even know something like that was even possible.
The car swerved sharply and another impact came. Lydia clutched Arthur's jacket.
"Arthur...."
"I know.." He let out, lifted slightly and checked the side window. the Kings expression never changed. And the intercom crackled.
"Vehicle disabled sire. Two hostiles down. Three advancing." Marcus let out and Lydia was too stunned to understand any of that.
"Advancing?" She whispered to herself.
Arthur made a decision and stopped the car. the man then opened the door, ready to get out.
"No please..."
"Stay here Lydia.." He said and she grabbed his arm. " No.... don't leave they have guns...."
his eyes met hers, and it was like steel.
"Stay here. You are safe. I won't let anything happen to you." He said to her and she knew he wasn't lying to her either. But she was still shacking.
"Stay..." he whispered, and grabbed her hand. Slowly forcing her to let go and she did.
Arthur then stepped out into the gunfire himself.
Rain hit them instantly. the cold and heavy wind. Lydia crawled up enough to see through the reinforced glass. Arthur didn't run, he walked and his men formed around him, not shielding him but following him.
One of the attackers charged from behind a damaged SUV. Arthur fired once and the man dropped. Another tried to flank but Arthur shifted and shot clean through the shoulder and then again in the center mass. No hesitation at all and no wasted bullets. One attackers tried to use Lydia's vehicle as a cover.
Arthur's face changed shape almost immediately. And it wasn't rage but it was something colder. He moved faster and disarmed the man with brutal efficiency.
A sharp crack of the bone and one final shot.
"Ahhhhhhhh..." the man screamed loud before dying.
the forest then went quiet for the rain and the engines that were running. It had taken less than four minutes and four minutes to erase them all. Hiss men now scanning the entire area.
The King stood still in the rain, chest raising and slowly falling. Untouched and untremblying. Then he turned towards the car his wife was in. He could see her shaken, her eyes wide open and shock in them.
He felt something inside, pain.... pain is what he felt. For her. Seeing someone as innocent like her, in a world that like his was painful to watch.
She was crying, her eyes red.
He felt hat in his chest. he brought her here, to this day. And now Arthur felt guilty. He was here hell and he was playing this role right. He was her hell, and that pained him.
Arthur walked towards her and opened the door slowly.
She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. Her fear right there.
"Come... out." he whispered, for the first time this man was shaken. He moved his hand and she didn't move for a second. But she looked at his hand that had blood on it.
He noticed that and pulled his hand away. Rubbing the blood on his jacket. He did that for her, blood never scared him, shock him. But he did that for her and gave her his hand again.
This time she took it and got out. Her legs shaking when she stepped onto the wet gravel. Arthur gripped her arm firmly, steady but not rough.
"We should go....... home." She whispered, her voice so low. He let out a heavy breath and held her shoulders.
"We're not going home." He whispered, making her frown.
"Then where are we going?"
"Contingency." He said and guided her quickly into another vehicle.
This one was smaller and faster than the one they were in.
Two escort cars still very much remained with them.
While the rest stayed behind to handle the situation and the aftermath of the small battle.
As they pulled away from there, Lydia eyes looked back at what was left.
Bodies were on the ground and in the rain. She could see blood everywhere
The King though, he had not looked back once he was only thinking about her.
And drove away from there. Leaving the mess behind.
Inside the new vehicle there was only silence that was now pressed hard between them.
Her ears were still ringing and she could constantly hear the runs around her
Lydia poor hands were still trembling uncontrollably all this time.
However, Arthur noticed it almost immediately.
He did not think took much about, but just took them in his hand. Surprisingly to her, his hands were warm and steady as well
"You're safe." He said in his rough voice.
"You just killed four people." She whispered and he nodded, steady still.
"Yes." He said point blank. While still concentrating on the road.
"You didn't even blink." She muttered, barely audible.
"If I blink, I die." He said. His honest truth.
Her breath shook at his statement. But he was fine with this.
"They were trying to kill you Arthur."
"They were trying to kill us. They were coming for you too."
That word lingered within her the moment she heard it.
"Are you hurt?" He asked and this hurt her more. She stared at him.
Her ears are still ringing from all his messes. And Lydia's chest was heaving.
"You.... .. " She gasped, stunned. "You said I'd be safe here. With you."
"You are." He muttered looking at her. And now she saw red.
"WE WERE JUST ATTACHED." Lydia screamed at him hurt.
"And you are alive." He reminded her and that broke something in Lydia.
She shoved him away hard, as hard as she could
"Open the door. I want to get out." She ordered the king.
"Lydia" He muttered and she shut her eyes irritated.
"Open the door Arthur. I don't want to be anywhere around you. " Whe said and he clenched his jaw and his grip on the wheel got tighter.
And when he didn't do as she said. Lydia huffed loud and tried to open the door on her own. With all her grip.
"Lydia, stop "
He yelled pulling her arm. But she didn't stop and continued to go on.
"Let me out." She yelled. And Arthur immediately lost it.
"LYDIA STOP " He screamed scaring her. And right then he slammed the break
s on the car and stopped.
For both of them they needed a breather. He just held her arm while she sat there. Tears running down her face she was breathing.
Too heavy.