The Royal Contract

After hearing what Tim said about Nick trying to get in touch with them and careful deliberation, Alex finally agreed with her that they should at least check what he had to say before completely shutting him off.

Maybe he had valuable information he could share with them. He might be a slimeball, a despicable man, but he still had information that had led them to some good leads. Maybe he had a few more things he was hiding from them, using it as his last card.

“I think he might have something, but he is becoming more desperate to use it. I think he believes that his life might be in danger.” Ben answered her, quickly glancing at her in the rearview mirror.

Words on the street, there was already a price on his head. Rumor was spreading of someone offering a nice reward to whoever would be the first to put him down.

Tim’s contact had not yet materialized a credible witness to confirm this allegation. For now, it was a rumor with no foundation, but they could not be too sure. It might be true.

“So, someone else wants his silence.” Dani was not surprised by this. It was only natural for cases like this to be violent. She had seen worse.

.....

But she was hoping that she would be able to talk to him before the other party got to him. In this case, she believed it would probably be her brother who was behind this.

If her speculation was true, just like what Alex had told her before. She should expect the worse and think that her brother was the one running the show on the other end.

“I believe so.” Ben had no plan to hide anything from her. After the ordeal she had gone through, he believed she was more resilient and strong-willed than any woman he had met before.

She could handle what else might be coming her way, especially if she knew what was happening around her. The more prepared she was, the better her chance of surviving what might come her way.

“Then, I guessed we should hurry before anyone else learns of our plans and stops us.” She told her security, not wanting to waste any more of their time.

She sat quietly on the back of her seat as she contemplated the questions she wanted to ask the man that had caused so much trouble in her life.

Was she ready to face him again without losing her cool? After what he had done to her and her husband, she knew how traumatized she was.

She acted relaxed and collected but deep inside, she was shaking like a leaf every time she would think of that time they were in captivity.

“Are you sure you are ready to see him?” Ben asked. Although, he could already see the determination in her eyes.

It was his job to protect her from anything that might harm her. So, if there might be a slight chance that she was not ready for this, he would want to know so he would know how to act around her.

“I have no idea if I will ever be ready for this. But I know I have to do this.” She was not going to pretend that she knew what she was doing.

But she would do this because it was necessary. She would face this fear because it was the only way she had to fight it. Fearing fear itself was not the way to recovery.

Facing whatever was gripping your heart and preventing you from breathing was the only way to beat it. She might fail on her first try, but she could always do it again until she found a way to control her fear and overcome it.

“At least you can be assured that Sir Alex would be there, together with Tim and me.” Ben smiled at her through the small mirror, and she knew she felt better.

He was right, she thought. She had nothing to fear since all they had been doing all this time was protect her. Ben might have failed once, but it did not mean that he was not trying his best.

It was an unfortunate accident that she knew would never happen again. But she also came prepared. She took lessons about self-defense, realizing that she also needed some protection, at least a refresher course to jag her memory.

“Thanks again for everything, Ben,” Dani knew that words would never be enough for what Ben and men like him were doing for people like her.

Many people with money and power disregarded what these men did for them because they thought they were paying them more than enough for their life and sacrifice.

But nobody could put a price on a man’s head. They deserved more than that. Not even a criminal like Nick deserved to die because a man said so.

Now, she suddenly wondered if her father had something to do with the price on his head. She knew how much her father hated Nick after all he had done. Now, she could not help but think that he might be one of them who had put a bounty on his head.

“Are we still far?” She asked as she checked on her phone for any messages.

She had never been in a correction facility before. She did not usually handle criminal cases. Therefore, there was no need for her to go to such places.

She had seen what it looked like on the inside of a cell.

She assumed that it would not be easy to be locked inside for a long time. At least, she was basing it on the deposition cases she had worked on before.

“We are just a few minutes away.” Ben looked at his watch before glancing again on her way. “But I had received word that Tim and Ben had already arrived. They would be waiting for us at the gates.”

He could not see any problem at this point. Most of the security inside were allies. He was confident that everything would run smoothly, but he would still be vigilant for anything that might go wrong.

“Honestly, I can not wait for this to be over.” She smiled at Ben, who was not just her security anymore.

He was more than that. He was a friend and a brother like what Alex had told her. These men had risked their lives for them not because they were paying them but because they were their extended family.

As they neared the facility, she was surprised by the commotion at the gates. She was expecting it to be quiet with not much activity. But red lights and loud sirens were booming around them.

“Something is wrong?” Ben said as he stared at the commotion not far from them.

He quickly called his boss to verify the matter. He would not proceed if they deemed that the princess would be in danger. He would not take that risk.

“What?” Ben asked, talking rapidly on the phone.

She could partially hear what he was saying, but she had no idea what the other said on the other line. But from what she heard so far, she knew something was wrong. Now, her mind was back to the bounty on the head.