The Royal Contract

1181 A message written in plain sight

He wished to visit her one last time before she left him, hopefully not for good. But that was wishful thinking, knowing that there was a likelihood that she might not forgive him for what he did and intended to do.

Still, he could not help but wonder if there was another way. But sadly, he knew that to keep her safe, she had to leave and be as far away from him as possible.

“Sir, they are here.” Samson knocked on his door, informing him that his next meeting had just arrived. ????????????re???????? ????????????

“Is Mike with them?” He asked as he stared at the wall outside one last time.

“Not yet, Sir. But he said that he was on his way. Maybe running a few minutes late.” He understood his friend since he still had to arrange Haley’s flight out of the state.

As he said, he wished he could be there to send her off. But he could not risk it. He almost blew his cover the other day. And then, everything they had worked for would have been for nothing.

He just had to be patient and wait till everything was over. Then, he could come running after the woman he loved and his child. If he had to grovel at her feet, he would do that. He would do anything to see them again, well and safe.

“Ok. Tell my guests I will be out in a few seconds.” He informed the big man, watching him exit his room.

He looked at the small piece of mirror in his room and stared into his eyes. It was still the same man he saw in his reflection, but he knew he felt different.

.....

Haley had changed him, and he did not even notice it. One day, he realized that he was a different man. His priorities gradually changed, and he began wanting something he never thought he even dreamt of having.

“I am sorry for keeping you waiting.” He finally walked outside the room and faced the men in their black suits crowding his small living area. “So, should we start with the meeting, or are we still waiting for someone?”

He sat across the lone chair, facing the men sitting and the rest standing by the wall. He eyed the five men he had been dealing with since this whole fiasco started, focusing most of his attention on the man in charge.

“Where is Mike?” One of the men standing asked him as he searched the room with his eyes and found that he was alone since Samson had already moved outside back into his position.

“Is he coming?” Another one asked before he could answer.

“He is just running late with an errand, but Mike would be here any minute now.” He assured the man that was conducting the meeting. “If it is alright with you to proceed with the meeting without him, then maybe we could start now.”

He did not want to waste any more of his valuable time by sitting idly by while they waited for his friend to arrive. He knew he could handle this meeting even without him.

Then, the man standing the farthest, near the window, nodded his head, instructing one of his men to open the briefcase in his hand. So far, he had already accomplished the first stage of their plans.

“Are you sure your wound doesn’t bother you anymore, Gerald?” The leader of the task force asked. “We can delay this for a few days if you need more time for your injury to heal.”

“Don’t worry about my wound. I can handle it.” He would not let a little pain delay any of these proceedings.

Yes! He had faked the entire incident. And fortunately, Mike was the one who shot him and not one of the goons. He could trust Mike to miss his vital organs.

And the Drug Enforcers were present on the scene, on standby in case things went south. And the paramedics were not far away in case of an emergency.

“He is dead.” He remembered his friend assuring the men he was with, so they would not check on him. But just in case they did, he injected himself with a medication that would slow down his heart rate, making the men believe he had no more pulse.

When they put his body on the trunk to dispose of it, his friend distracted the other men, pulling them into a bag of cash he had brought with him. Of course, what criminal could resist a wad of unmarked bills?

“They are all yours,” Gerald could partially hear his friend’s loud voice from a distance, but his consciousness slowly faded with the loss of blood and medication.

Still, he felt his body move and out of the trunk. He knew the plan. The authorities would switch the body with a decoy, an already dead body, a john doe.

After a while, he heard one of the goons speak. “How do we dispose of the body?”

Then, he heard his friend before he lost consciousness. “I think we should burn the car and all evidence.” Mike’s words echoed in his drug-induced mind as he fell into a deep sleep. The source of this content is ɴovelFɪre.net

The next thing he knew, he was recovering in a private facility. Then, they transferred him here for his safety, with Samson as his bodyguard. But the other enforcers came by from time to time to check on him.

But he would guess they might be camping out of his sight, watching his every move. He sometimes caught them, but he never acknowledged them.

“If you are sure.” The leader said, snapping him back to the present as he looked at the agents he was working with to put down his enemies.

He had accidentally learned of the plot of his enemies to put him down and take over his organization. They thought he had grown weak when he met Haley.

He would admit that they were not wrong with their presumptions. However, he would not allow anyone to betray him and take everything he had worked hard to build without a fight. Therefore, with the help of his friend, Mike, who had worked for the District Attorney, he devised a plan to get even.

“I want this over soon. But let me get this straight. If we help you put down this organization, Mike, Samson, and I will have full immunity to all our crimes.” He repeated the deal that they had signed with the authorities.

He knew that this was what his father, Ethan, had always wanted, for him to start a new life. Fortunately, a chance presented itself, giving him a quick opportunity for a clean slate.

Although Mike was against it at first, he managed to convince his friend that it was the right thing to do. Besides, he was doing this for the woman he loved and the possible future of his child.

He knew he would not want this life for his kid. He would not want his child in a life of cruelty and violence. It was enough that he had to suffer under this fate. He would not wish for the kind of life he had for any of his future kids.

“We already gave you our word.” The leader told him, assuring him the papers were already in motion.

But he already knew all that because Mike had connections inside, assuring them everything was in order. He would be held unaccountable for his past crimes, a free man if he could deliver Don and his gang.

Unfortunately, he had to include Haley’s father and his associates. He had no idea how Haley would take that if she learned that he betrayed her father, Mr. Alfred Rosley, and was the cause of his downfall.

“Ok. So, what is the next step?” He finally asked, ready to discuss strategies.

But before they could say another word, a man entered the room, making all of them stop. “I hope you did not start without me.” He humorously said as he stepped further into the room until he stood beside him.

“Mike, you are just in time.” The man in the corner said. “We are just about to start.” He continued as he pulled out the papers and plans inside the briefcase.

It contains surveillance photos of their targets, structural plans of several different buildings, and a few location maps. The man handed him a report they had compiled from their investigation, anything they could use against their enemies.

“We are open to suggestions if you have any.” The leader asked them since they would know more about the organization’s moves than them.

He studied the reports and the other materials on the table, trying to figure out the dates and names, hoping to get a clearer view of the entire picture.

He had devised a system while he still led the underground group. It made the operation flow smoother and faster. It used codes and other technics to confuse an outsider from deciphering the hidden note if the police intercepted the message.

“Give me a few minutes to figure this one out.” He told the men who had no clue what they had stumbled upon in their searches.

It was a message written in plain sight.