The Royal Contract

"Haley, I am coming. I need you to wait for me." He could hear the clock ticking, reminding him that his time was almost up.

He knew he had to save her. He had to act quickly since his time was running out. However, that was not that simple.

Although Mike had already sent him all the information he needed, he still could not go, charging behind enemy lines with guns blazing. That would not constitute a rescue plan but more like a suicide mission.

"What to do?" He mumbled while staring at the only ally he had in the room. "Maybe you have a suggestion."

First of all, his enemies outnumbered him. It was just him, Samson, and Mike, while his adversary had an entire army.

Although many of those people swore allegiance to him and his father, he could never count on them. In their line of business, loyalty, and honor were traits he could never rely on.

Secondly, it would be dangerous for Haley and their baby if his enemies started charging with open fire. He had to be smart about this. He had to have a better-than-good plan.

"I am sorry, Sir. Tell me to shoot someone, and I will do it. But I can't help you with this one." Samson answered him, turning his head from left to right.

He knew he could count on Samson on the battlefield, but strategizing was not the man's thing.

It was his.

He usually was great at coming up with ingenious plans. But the stake today was much more than money and power. It was the lives of the two important people in his life.

He could not risk their lives by committing a mistake. His plan must be bulletproof. It must be perfect or at least goddamn close enough.

"What is taking Mike so long?" He snapped after waiting for another forty-five minutes without hearing from him again.

He was supposed to call him fifteen minutes ago, but until now, Mike had been silent. He could not help but worry, knowing anything could have happened.

"I can contact our other assets if you want," Samson told him.

They could.

He had some people still working for Mike inside the organization.

But, "No." As he had said, he could not rely on those people. He could not trust their loyalty.

In the world he used to reign, money ruled, not honor. Those who once helped in the past could, without a doubt, flip sides if offered with an enough price.

"Let us just wait for another fifteen minutes." He wanted to give his friend a chance to come through.

Mike could be in a bind but would soon call him once free. But his mind was already trying to figure out other plans, just in case it did not turn out how he had hoped.

"But ready the car." He instructed while he strode over to the other table where they arranged the guns they would possibly need.

He was not going to a gunfight without a loaded gun. He might as well shoot himself if he did.

He checked his favorite piece, inspecting it for the last time before securing it in his waist behind his back. He would not go anywhere without it after his previous encounter with the group.

"What about the authorities?" Samson asked, knowing they were also looking for him.

If Alfred and his men caught him, they could kill or surrender him to the authorities. Both were not promising prospects.

"Don't worry about that. I have it handled." Gerald just hoped Dani's uncle had his back if he ended up in jail.

But that was better than the other possibility. However, knowing Don, he would prefer to see him lying on the cold floor, swimming in his blood.

"Just worry about not getting shot tonight." He told his buddy.

He had learned to like the man. He did not want him hurt. He had tried not to involve him in this matter, but Samson would not go away.

As much as he wanted to involve the police in this situation, he knew that would only complicate the situation. He would have difficulty guaranteeing Haley's safety if too many variables were involved.

Then, his phone rang a few minutes before his deadline. He only had one caller, so he immediately answered.

"Listen. I have not much time." Of course, he recognized the voice on the other end, so he did not interrupt, noticing his friend was in a hurry.

"I have Haley with me. I will try to sneak her out later." Mike whispered to the receiver, probably not wanting anyone else to hear him, but he could audibly understand him.

"I want you to wait for us outside. I will text you the details." He continued when he kept silent, but he knew his friend could hear his heavy breathing on the line. He knew he was there listening attentively to his instructions.

"Did you understand?" Mike finally asked, appearing to be waiting for a response.

"Yes. I heard you." He finally replied, assuring his friend that he understood the plan.

Now, all there was to do was wait for the text and hope everything worked out as planned.

"I have to go before they catch me." Mike's voice faded away before he cut the line. Then, there was just silence.

"What about Haley? How is she?" But he was too late. His friend probably did not hear him. But that was OK. At least Mike did not say that she was in any urgent danger.

He guessed there was only one thing to do for now. Wait for his friend's update. But they could do that in the car as he grabbed the rest of his things and prepared to leave.

But he had come up with another plan if things failed. If he was going down, they were all going down with him. He grabbed another parcel on the table before heading out the door.

Then, he did not even bother to lock up as he went straight to the car, where Samson was already ready to leave. He pulled a gun from the bag and handed it to his partner.

He could not leave him without something to defend himself. They were on their way to war. They should be both prepared to fight.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Gerald would like to give Samson a chance to back out. It was not his fight. He could easily walk away from this. "I won't mind if you say no."

He knew Samson had a family who he cared about deeply. He would not mind if he decided to pick them over helping him. After all, this was a dangerous mission.

"I am not going away, Boss. I have your back." Samson grabbed the gun and checked the magazine before inserting it into his waist. Then, he was driving them on the street, out of his hidden parking lot.

As Samson said, he would kill for him if he had to. That was the loyalty he could count on. Samson had already proven himself to him. He would never forget that.

In the meantime, he had set up a nice nest egg for Samson's family. He knew that Samson had only joined the group to support them.

This time, it was his turn to return the favor by helping them. Besides, not all of that was his money. Most of the money stashed in his account was dirty, earned from the illegal business his father turned over to him.

Therefore, it was not a loss that he would ever mind losing. Besides, he intended to donate all of it to charity. Not that he would need that money to survive.

Ethan, his biological father, had left some of his estate under his name. So, with that alone, his child would already have a decent future.

But first, he had to save Haley. That was his priority.

"First, we have to drop something off." He instructed Samson to make a left turn. Then, they were moving in another direction.

He knew he had to make a side trip. He needed an alternative way to save Haley and his child if things did not go as planned.

After a few minutes of driving around the City, they finally stopped at the place where he needed to be. Mario, his gardener, stood outside the corner, waiting for him.

Aside from Samson, he knew he could always trust him. "You know what you will do with this." Gerald handed him the parcel he had been keeping on his lap.

It was his last bargaining chip for freedom, but it was also the only way to save Haley if something happened to him. That would also guarantee the downfall of his enemies.

"Yes, Sir." Mario understood his instructions. Therefore, it was time for him to proceed with his other plan.

"Where, Sir?" Samson asked, appearing like this was nothing of the ordinary.

One thing he had always admired about this man, he was not afraid to die. He could kill a person with his bare hands. But he also would not mind dying in another man's hand.

Nevertheless, he discovered Samson would fight till the very end for his mother and sister. And now, this man was fighting for him and his loved ones because, for this giant man, he was now his family.

"Now, we save our family." He had never understood it before.

He thought that power and money were the only things he needed in his life. Joaquin had never shown him the value of having people to love.

But Ethan, Dani, Mike, Haley, and even Samson had taught him that he was wrong. A family had always been what was missing in his life.

And he learned that it was not always about blood but love that built a family. And he guessed family came from all shapes and sizes.