Daggers: A King & Slater Thriller (The King & Slater Series Book 15) by Matt Rogers

Author:Matt Rogers [Rogers, Matt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-06-14T16:00:00+00:00

41

Strangely enough, Slater saw the admission stun King.

Maybe King hadn’t truly believed what he was arguing, not subconsciously, so Slater’s confirmation hit him like a blow to the chest. He took a step back down the slope as the wrinkles on his forehead deepened, faint moonlight lengthening their shadows.

King said, ‘You mean that?’

‘I’ve never said something I didn’t mean.’

‘And what’s your idea of changing things?’

A long, rippling pause. ‘We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. But if you think I’ll let you get yourself killed in Washington without making things right here first, you’re sorely mistaken.’

Slater had successfully dissipated the momentum. Sure, King was still angry, but he’d reined it in for long enough to have a proper conversation, and although he still bristled, there was very little chance he would turn and storm away.

Sure enough, he packed it in.

Turned and sat in the dirt and ran his hands through his hair.

Slater sat down beside him. In mutual silence, they peered out through the tree trunks that framed the hills and the mountains beyond, the land rising and falling under a canopy of stars. Far in the distance, Mount Katahdin loomed above all else. Slater wished he could be in two places at once, but life’s limitations were unavoidable, no matter your talents.

Which was all he could think about.

We’re the best, he thought, but the best isn’t good enough.

If he pretended it was, he’d only be lying to himself.

The fact that King had almost abandoned his post left him shellshocked. ‘Maybe I’m not in control the way I thought I was.’

‘None of us are.’

King nodded dejectedly. ‘You said she spared Tyrell?’

Slater produced the detachable box magazine he’d plucked from the AW50, which he’d tucked away in a jacket pocket before pursuing King. He handed King the mag and his flashlight. ‘You seen rounds like these before?’

King flicked the beam on and trained it on the only round visible, the topmost of the five. He only needed to study the cartridge for a couple of seconds before he had his answer: a resounding, ‘No.’

‘I thought I had some dynamite inside scoop when I realised this came from the covert side of the military,’ Slater said. ‘Then I look up and you’re talking directly to Grey. Talk about beating me to it…’

Despite it all, King managed a smirk.

Slater mirrored it.

Then King grew somber. ‘I fucked up, just before.’

‘I know.’

Slater wasn’t about to downplay it. It had been a long time since they’d needed to reset their own invisible version of that familiar sign: 0 days without a workplace incident.

It felt intensely uncomfortable, like they were regressing.

They were each keenly aware that in this game, regression was death.

They’d survived too many attempts on their lives over the years to keep track of, but it would all come to a crashing halt if they imploded, which is exactly what this mystery woman was going for.

Slater said, ‘Call him back.’

King picked the rugged satellite phone up from where he’d dropped it in the dirt and fingered it between his hands.

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