I showed the video to Christian that night, and Christian's response was terrifyingly calm.
"Good," Christian said. "That means I know exactly how Harold thinks. Harold wanted me to be overconfident, so I won't be. Harold planned this, which means I can plan around Harold's plans."
I realized at that moment that I had never fully appreciated how strategic my mate actually was.
I couldn't not contact Harold.
I requested a private video call the next morning, and Harold picked up looking like he'd just finished a training session. Sweaty. Satisfied.
"If I'm going to watch my mate fight for his life today," I said, "I deserve to know exactly what game you're playing."
Harold's smile was cold. "I already told you. I orchestrated the entire sequence. I knew Christian would w
