𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭

T W E N T Y - N I N E

"So how was it like meeting the king?" Peter asked me while he pours himself another glass of wine.

Peter brought over red wine but I'm not in a mood to get drunk tonight so I'm sitting opposite him drinking water.

"The most intimidating person you'll ever meet." I replied, dragging out the word 'ever'.

"You mad at him for kicking you out?"

"Actually, he was going to send me back to Russia. Nicandro persuaded him to let me stay in Spain but no, I'm not mad at him. Nicandro's will be ruined if it was discovered that an Russian orphan has been living under the same roof as him."

"So he found out you're an orphan but not about your parents and the bombing of the warehouse?"

"Yeah, thankfully." I pursed my lips into a straight line.

Peter remained silent and had that serious thinking face going on.

"Peter?" I waved my hand in front of him.

"He lied..." He trailed off.

"About not knowing?"

"How can he not know? He's the king... he must have so many resources to use to run a background check on you. He can have access to almost everything so I don't see how he doesn't know about your real identity. Unless..."

He's working with felon to kill me. He already knows about my real identity and the talk of 'sending' me back to Russia means I'll be dead before I step foot in Russia. He knows about everything from who my parents are to that I'm involved in the bombing of the warehouse. He is the one working with felon and of course no one would suspect the king of Spain.

We both sat in silence before I said, "He knows and is working with felon, probably already sent someone to kill me."

I immediately stood up from the couch, knocking over the glass of water. My hands are shaking like crazy and my heartbeat is quickened by a thousand times. My vision is blurry, I can't think straight as sweat started to form on my forehead. I think Peter is saying something to me but I can't hear it.

"Alveanea, focus!" Peter shook my shoulders.

"He's going to... kill me." My focus is on the door which his men could barge in any second.

"Grab your phone and room key. Be quiet." He let go of my shoulders and started walking towards the front door.

I took my phone and room key from the table and wait for his next move. Peter pressed his ear against the door for a few seconds before pulling out his gun and opening the door, checking the hallway for any sign of felon's men.

He turned back to face me and signaled me that the coast is clear. I quietly followed behind him and we waited for the elevator. Once we're in the elevator, Peter pressed the floor number which leads to the dining place.

"Why are we going to the dining place? It would be full of people." I questioned.

"They wouldn't do anything to us in front of civilians."

"How do you know that?"

"If things get messy and there's collateral damage, there's nothing the king can do such as shutting down the investigation to the deaths of civilians."

"Alright, but you might want to keep that." I pointed to the gun he's still holding.

"Right." He said as the elevator doors open.

We walked into a buffet dinner with at least a two hundred people sitting down and eating. The aroma from the food filled my nose but I've completely lost my appetite after what I just found out.