The Oval Office ✓ (Book One)

Chapter Twenty Three

Kyle's P.O.V.

"There's no way this isn't another trick."Marisol says, shaking her head.

"Regardless of what it is there's the slight chance that it's not. Ethan do we have any ground teams in the immediate area?" I ask, and he quickly brings up the database.

"Yes sir. Squad IRMC is approximately half a mile away from the first set of coordinates and Squad 130-8G2 is about three miles away from the second set." He says.

"Bring the coordinates up on a map." Kylie tells him.

"The first set is in the middle of a an empty field, the second is...the British royal palace."

"That has to be a joke-"

"It's not. Sir, permission to deploy the squads to the first set of coordinates?" Ethan asks.

"Do it. And get the captain on a call." I reply. Ethan brings up the captain's face -cam feed, and I almost laugh. Not because who it is is funny- but because, well- it's such a coincidence that it almost can't be. "Agent Hess? I don't think I was aware that you were on a ground squad."

"Yes, well, it's been a while Mr.President. What am I gonna be doing today?" She asks.

"I'm sending you to a location suspected to have multiple armed and dangerous terrorists. Your mission, above anything else, is to get Lauren the hell out. However, if there are any other hostages, they are also a priority. If any of the terrorist surrender, do not shoot them- that is an order. They may have valuable information."

"Yes sir." She says, looking at the coordinates Ethan's pinged to her watch. "We're on our way."

—-James's P.O.V.——-

  "Oh James-" Adrian laughs as he's called to where I am. "We all know you aren't actually going to do it. Stop procrastinating, put that thing down, and don't resist your death."

  "Fuck you." I say. "Now it's your turn to be scared. From day one I knew you were never going to let Emily out,  I just didn't want to admit it to myself. I convinced myself that maybe, deep in there you might be a human, but every single day I've had to look at your disgusting face I'm reminded what a goddamn monster you are."

"What a moving speech-" He sarcastically replies. "Let's see if you can keep the same narrative when it happens right in front of you." Just now, I notice Emily behind him.

"Adrian-" The bullet passes straight through her skull. I've pictured this moment a thousand times in a thousand different ways. Her screaming, me screaming- but with it actually happening, no reaction shows on my face. "You think I'm playing? All I have to do is move my thumb and it's over for all of you."

Adrian disappears for a second, reappearing with Princess Ariyah, and drags Lauren, who is barely conscious, into the room. "That's a nice gesture-" Ariyah shrugs. "But you've always been too sentimental. You fail to see the bigger picture in all of this."

"Oh yeah? What is the bigger picture?" I look at her, disgusted. "Cause right now it apparently involves the First Lady dying."

"No- if she dies the president will have a full blown mental breakdown. The entire world will see what a shitty fucking person he really is." Ariyah says.

"You're really fucking delusional if you think you're even half the person he is- is your brain seriously not registering how fucked up this is?" I gesture to the First Lady.

"Oh James-" Princess Ariyah laughs. "You really don't know the president as well as you seem to think you do."

"Think again, motherfucker." A voice behind her says as multiple bullets pass through her body.

—-Kyle's P.O.V, 5 years ago—

  "Senator Wells- I'm so glad you could make it. I hear your work in America is changing things for the better." Princess Ariyah Shakes my hand.

  I was shocked when I received an invitation from the royal family- even more so when I learnt the request came directly from the Princess. At twenty , as the sole inheritor to the throne after a horrific car accident, she will become the queen after  her mom dies. As fucked up as it sounds, I can't say I trust her. The accident was almost too gruesome to not be staged, but there's never been any evidence proving foul-play, and I'm certainly not going to start throwing accusations around. It isn't my place.

  "Yes, well.. I'm simply trying." I reply. "Like any other decent person would."

  "Then I suppose there aren't very many decent people in your government, no?"

  "I guess not." I shrug. "Princess.. why am I here?"

"Your activism has changed the minds of so many bigots in America already, and you've barely been in politics for fifteen years. Britain is falling the fuck apart, if you haven't noticed."

"No offense, but it's kinda hard not to notice. So still... why am I here?"

"Your words are persuasive in a way that nobody else's are. I mean, here it's almost a full blown civil war. The white supremacists who try to kill me every time I breathe the wrong way just because I'm black, and liberal activists that aren't making anything better either by burning my country to the ground. I've tried, my mother has tried, my pale ass fiancé has tried but he just gets called a n****r (Author: I refuse to type that word.) lover every time he opens his mouth, the activists here have worked their asses off trying to make it a better place for everybody and it's just not working. The people are too divided."

"So you want me tooo?"

"Un-divide them. You're an amazing leader. I'm asking for your help."

"With all due respect I don't think there's anything I can do here. The divisions run too deep." I reply.

"Then try. Like everybody else- no activists has ever gotten to people in a new area the first time they opened their mouth." She says. "At least this way, when it does work, I'll get to say I told you so."