Twisted (erotic) (#6, 101 Nights)

Chapter Eight: Alisha

I lose contact shortly after Natalie utters the horrifying words, George is bleeding.

The next few hours are nothing but confusion, chaos and absolute terror. EJ and I were forbidden by Malika and her fucking henchmen from actually participating in the raid on the tanker.

Instead, we stand by helplessly on the shore, while everything that matters to both of us rests in the hands of men we don’t know if we can trust or not, given EJ isn’t a real king yet.

Helicopters are everywhere in the airspace above the city, and a general curfew has gone out for the entire city, warning citizens to stay inside. There are roadblocks on major roads and every member of the police and security forces have been called in. EJ and I are surrounded by soldiers in black or tan fatigues who are running what turned from a six-man security team’s rescue mission into a full-fledged military operation, led by Malika and those loyal to her.

Soldiers and officers may be nodding in deference to EJ, but he has absolutely no say in what’s going on. He’s tense and quiet, gaze on the bay visible from the command center created in the wharf area.

Witnessing it, I’m reminded of one of my conspiracies about the hidden power of any government to randomly suppress its people.

Of course, if that suppression gets George and Natalie to safety, I don’t care.

“Your Grace.” An officer with three stars on his lapel approaches. He’s not Nijalan; he’s wearing a NATO patch and speaks with a French accent. “The route to the hospital is cleared, and a car is waiting for you.”

“Where?” EJ demands.

The officer steps aside and points beyond a throng of military personnel that make this look like an invasion onto the shores of Nijala.

EJ strides forward without hesitation. People move out of his way, and I trail, clutching my laptop to my chest. I can’t really tell what’s going on, if Nijala is about to plunge into civil war, or if all this is to rescue Natalie and George. It seems like a lot, though if she’s the near-legitimate queen, I guess I understand.

Something tells me this is part of Malika’s planning though. It’s the visible sign of the coup she’s been plotting for quite a while.

We get into the back of a car whose windows are bulletproof glass. The comparative quiet and stillness of the car are a relief. We pull away from the port, and I’m surprised to see the streets are completely empty of people and vehicles.

“Is this what you expected?” I ask EJ, glancing at him.

“No. I was never supposed to rule Nijala,” he replies. “I told Malika this had to be a peaceful reformation.”

It’s nice to know he’s unsettled, too, though he hides it better. I guess that’s the businessman side of him capable of lying to competitors.

“It looks like it will be peaceful outside the palace,” I respond. “You think your father will agree to step aside?”

“I know he won’t. It won’t matter tomorrow, though, when his government turns against him.”

My god. This is insane. The sense of awe returns, along with the thought that someday, I might get a footnote in someone’s history book.

Fidgeting, I try hard not to think about whether or not George and Natalie are really okay. Natalie sounded weak and tired; George was unconscious last I heard.

We arrive to the hospital a short time later, where a full retinue of security personnel is waiting. Even EJ looks more than once when he sees the line of no less than twenty guards waiting for us. A doctor hurries forward, offers a quick bow with a murmured Your Grace that makes me almost laugh, and then falls into step beside EJ. We walk to an elevator, and the doctor punches the button for the fourth floor.