The Royal Contract

But, of course, incidents might still happen.

Therefore, he was careful not to get caught. He took all precautions until he had retrieved the files from his hidden vault. Then, he slipped through the guards again until he was out safely.

“Now, what?” Mike asked as he drove the getaway car. He steered the car in the darkness, avoiding any attention until they had reached the open road and joined the other passing cars. Then, he turned the headlights on.

Now, he held in his tight grip some of the evidence he needed to bring some of the operators down. But he still had bigger fish to fry. But first, he had to catch them. And that would not be as easy as this one.

If he failed,

He watched the light traffic hide their car, appearing like they were just one of them. They had to blend in if they did not want anyone else to suspect anything. His enemies had many people who could easily spot them if they appeared suspicious.

“Concentrate on the road,” Gerald told his friend as he opened the files in his hand. “We will discuss this once we return to the safe house.”

And, of course, the last thing he needed was to run with a law enforcer. It would be hard to explain why a dead person was still alive. Although he had an arrangement with the authorities, only a few people knew about his current situation. And they intended to keep it that way.

.....

The authorities promised to give him a new identity if the situation worsened. A new life where he could start over again and where his enemies would never reach him.

“What are you thinking?” His friend knew him too well as his eyes glanced his way.

But, of course, he would never trust the authorities to keep him safe. They wanted the big fish, and he was the bait. He knew if they were desperate to get the new leader of his old organization, they would never have second thoughts about sacrificing his ass.

At the end of this road, he concluded that he could only depend on himself to keep himself safe. And if he had to disappear, it would be on his terms, not theirs. Even they would not know where he was.

Nonetheless, he still wanted to get his life back. And start over with Haley. It was the only reason he was here in the first place, risking his life. He wanted to do something that would make his son proud of him. Or daughter.

“We will plan our next move before the authorities kill us both.” He said, knowing that many of the people they placed in the witness protection program died because of corrupt authorities and officials in the system.

He had no intention of becoming one of them. Or his friend, for that matter. Money was not a problem. He had enough in his offshore accounts to make him disappear from their radar. And he believed he still had a few people who showed loyalty to him even after he had died.

Now, all he needed was a foolproof plan that the authorities would not suspect and untraceable. So far, he could think of several ways, but he had to decide on the best one.

“Count me in.” Mike excitedly responded as he slammed his hands on the steering wheel.

He could tell that his partner was also thinking of a few suggestions. That was what he liked about him. He was not just a man who had his back, but he also had the brain to back him up.

His friend was as intelligent as he was. Admittedly, there were times that Mike might have outwitted him. Still, it was a defeat that he would take any time since his friend’s ideas had already saved him countless times back in the day.

“What about them?” Mike asked the people that were following them not far behind.

“All they wanted are these papers.” He waved the documents and notebook in his hand. “And I intend to give it to them.” He said. But it did not mean he was not using this information to buy his life and safety.

“I trust that you have a plan,” Mike said, but his eyes told him his friend was busy concocting something in his complicated mind.

Then, he fell into silence as he mulled over his thoughts. But there was something he had not mentioned to his friend yet. He also took pictures of a new plan he had accidentally discovered lying on the table.

But he intended to show him tonight when the authorities had left them alone. At that moment, he would keep his discovery a secret from everyone else, more or less, until he had figured out what his enemies were planning.

“Have you checked on her?” Suddenly, a new thought came to his mind as they neared the place where he stayed.

He had to hide again while they planned their consequent action. And while the authorities build a case against the criminal masterminds. As of now, he could probably convict at least three big players, the ring leaders.

But that was not enough.

He believed the authorities could not act on this information yet unless he could get enough proof to convict his replacement, Don, and his trusted assistant, Michael, and the rest of his new gang.

Regarding the other drug cartels and their other illegal affiliations, there was nothing he could do for them. It was out of their jurisdiction if they were out of the country. He could only help them with the ones that operated in this soil.

“Yes, just a few minutes ago,” Mike answered, knowing who he was referring to with that question. Who else would interest him except her? “She said that she had settled in her new temporary housing. And the people she met were accommodating, kind and hospitable.” His friend added.

“That is great.” He thought, slightly feeling disappointed and frustrated with his situation.

He would give anything if he could hear her voice again and talk to her. But he knew that was not possible. He had to be patient and wait until it was safe.

“What about the baby? Did you ask her if she was ok after the flight?” He could not help but feel concerned about their health condition.

“She said that everything was fine,” Mike assured him, slightly shaking his head, probably laughing internally at his behavior.

Who would have thought that a man like him, who never even blinked when he killed a man, could worry like this over a woman and a child? He would laugh if somebody told him he would turn out like this more than a year ago.

“What about the doctor?” He asked, “And the chopper.” He quickly added.

He remembered that the problem with the island was the lack of expert doctors and medical facilities that could treat complicated medical conditions.

Therefore, he requested that someone always be on standby in case she needed one. He was not taking any risk with her and his child. He wanted everything covered, from their safety to their health.

“I already arranged it.” Mike smugly answered him, showing him he could follow those simple instructions.

He did not doubt his skills, but as he said, he was not taking any chances. He had to double-check everything, especially everything that concerned Haley and his baby.

He was not afraid to die for real this time, but he was terrified to hear that something had happened to the most important people in his life because he was not there to protect them.

“Thanks again, Mike. I appreciate everything you did for me.” Gerald knew that his friend had gone beyond anything he had expected from him.

He could not ask for more. He should not be demanding anything else. However, he could not help it. But he knew his friend understood his situation.

“You know I will take a bullet for you if I have to.” His friend said, suddenly turning solemn. “But I hope I never had to.” He suddenly retracted his words. “That looks like it hurts a lot.”

Funnily, one thing his friend did not like was needles. He would not tremble with a gun pointed at his head but show him a pointy syringe, and he would cower in fear at the corner.

He said it was a traumatic experience he had while a child that he could never overcome. His friend had tried several therapy sessions and treatment plans, but his fear had never disappeared.

He could only hope that their enemies would never discover his weakness. Or he would be under their mercy.

In his case, he also hoped that his enemies would never uncover his kryptonite.