Children of the Knight (77 page)

“D
O
YOU
have video chat on your phone?” Ramirez asked with an exaggerated sigh, as though saying, “why do they never believe me?”

A
RTHUR
handed the phone to Chris. “Sir Chris, doth this phone have something he called video chat?”

Chris took the phone and through blurred eyes quickly pressed a couple of buttons on the touch screen to open the video chat feature. Before handing the phone back, he looked imploringly at Arthur. “Are Lance and Jack gonna be okay?”

Arthur nodded. Then he held up the phone and spoke into it. “Yes.”

R
AMIREZ
quickly turned the screen away so as to not reveal himself. Instead, he turned the phone to face Lance and Jack.

Lance couldn’t help himself. “Arthur, he’s gonna kill you! It’s—” An elbow to the ribs shut him down before he could finish.

“It’s a trap, Arthur—” Jack spit out before he, too, got an elbow to the gut that silenced him.

Ramirez glared and disengaged the video feature before returning the phone to his ear. “You, see, Arthur, your knights are alive and, like all children, incredibly stupid!”

A
WAVE
of panic assailed Arthur at seeing the boys struck so harshly, and he fought to control the fear in his voice. His breath felt tight in his lungs, and his heart pounded with dread. He should have been prepared for a man like this—there had been a great many of his ilk back in Britain.

But he
hadn’t
been prepared.

Another error on his part.

Please, Lord, do not let Lance and Jack pay for my mistakes….

He exhaled a deep breath then spoke into the phone, “Do not harm them. I shalt do whatever you ask of me.”

R
AMIREZ
glowed with delight. “Of course you will. And what I want is very simple. You’re to keep your appointment with the mayor. Proceed precisely as you planned, but know that I will be watching and listening the entire time. Should you try to double cross me, your two fagboys are dead. I’ll call again with further instructions. It’s been a pleasure.”

He pressed “End” and beamed at the two coughing, gagging boys. “The end is near, for you and for him.” He sounded almost giddy.