The Royal Contract

He could see several police officers in uniforms and some in detective clothes with badges hanging on their belts. Some officers were busy interviewing civilians while others sat at their tables, working on their cases.

“What is he being charged with?” Alex asked as soon as he stepped into the police station after midnight, facing the man who called him.

He was surprised to get a call from a detective about the incident. But as the immediate contact person, they had to call him. His friend sat behind bars, charged with assault and destruction of property, while his wife sat in the waiting area, visibly still slightly intoxicated but crying.

He quickly went to talk to the officer in charge of the situation, wanting to get to the bottom of it. He had to get Marcus and Jacky out of this jam before the press got the whiff of this, and it hit the next news cycle.

“Let me handle this.” David tapped him on the shoulder and faced the detective. Suddenly, their other friend arrived at the scene together with his girlfriend.

“Thanks for coming.” Alex quickly acknowledged his friend. He called him as soon as he heard about Marcus. He was the lawyer, so he would know better what to do with his case.

.....

Immediately, Rosella walked to the waiting area to join Jacky. Dani would like to come, but he went against it. The police station was not suitable for her condition. But Alex was glad that Rosella was here to comfort Jacky while they diffused this situation.

“Of course, this is Marcus. I have to be here.” David whispered in his ear. Then, their friend discussed the situation with the detective, exploring their options.

“As much as I like seeing him behind bars, I don’t like Jacky’s condition. Do everything you can to get him out of here by tonight.” Alex instructed, remembering Jacky’s face and what she was going through.

Of course, he knew David would do his best to get their friend out of this mess. Truthfully, they had waited for this moment, the time that their friend would finally end up in jail for all his youthful mischief. But of course, not in this circumstance.

He knew that even if Marcus was not speaking about it. He was also hurting from the loss of his child. He was trying to be the foundation of their marriage and must have snapped from the pressure.

“Maybe you can arrange with the opposing party. That is the only way he is getting out of this place tonight if you could make Mr. Andrews drop the charges.” The detective explained to them their situation.

Since Marcus was the first to throw the punch, the blame was on him. The brawl in the bar started because of him. Many joined the fight while the others tried to stop them, causing damage inside the bar.

The bar owner was not pressing charges as long as they paid for the damages. But the man who was black and blue on the corner was adamant about pressing charges against their friend.

“What do you think?” Alex asked his friend after the detective left them.

He looked at the other guy, also talking to another detective and a man in an expensive suit. If he was not mistaken, he might know him from somewhere.

“I think we have a big problem.” David expelled a deep breath as he thought of his next move. “That is Senator Andrew’s son.” He scratched the back of his head as he also stared at the other team. “And that man in the suit is one of the best criminal lawyers in town.”

It meant paying off the other party was not an easy option. So, making them drop the case would not be that simple. They need a big gun and a lot of ammo to deal with this situation. But that was not the only problem.

If they could not make him drop the case against Marcus, their friend would have to stay the weekend in this place because the court would only resume by Monday for his bail band hearing.

“Well, we have to try,” Alex said, thinking of ways to settle this before it became a case number in a court hearing.

From the day he learned that nothing came free, he knew everything had a price. It was just a matter of how much or what terms of payment. This man might have something he wanted. He just had to discover it and give it to him if possible. Or somehow strike a deal.

Soon, they were all seated in a room where Marcus faced his accuser. Of course, they were not there to start another brawl but to fix the situation. David asked what it would take for the young man to drop the charges.

“What if I want to pursue this case?” Mr. Andrews arrogantly responded, smirking at Marcus as if he was provoking him again.

David could not blame his friend for attacking the fool. He deserved the bruises he received for his arrogance. Not because he was a son of a high-ranking official, it gave him the right to abuse the situation.

Granting that his friend was also at fault, he understood what triggered him to hit this man. But it did not mean his friend had to be penalized for his action. He had been through enough.

“That is your prerogative,” David answered. “But we are here to resolve the issue. Mr. Kenley is prepared to settle this out of court and apologize.”

They already talked to Marcus and suggested keeping his mouth shut while David negotiated for his release. He did not want emotions to rule this proceeding because that could only complicate things.

“But I would suggest we avoid the drama in this situation.” Alex butt in, knowing that Mr. Andrews had no plan to cooperate with them. “So, I had a small discussion with your father and had made arrangements.” He looked at his watch, then said. “Expect a call from him now.”

As he had calculated, the call came just in time. Luckily, he had some projects with the Senator, building a few ships for the Navy. One of the Senator’s platforms in his reelection campaigns.

After explaining the situation to him, the Senator agreed that this was a simple misunderstanding. He would deal with his son. In return, his son would work under him for a much-needed internship.

The Senator called it a rehabilitation program.