The Royal Contract

He watched the door, waiting for it to open. His eyes also observed the two burly men guarding his every move, which was funny.

It was as if he could go anywhere with his hands tied on the chair. It seemed Alfred was not taking any chances, guaranteeing that he could not escape.

"Hey, I am sure you know who I am." He called to the two guards that did not look familiar to him. He guessed they were Alfred's loyal man, not one of his, at least, not one of the organization's men.

But the men remained tightlipped, staring at him but not saying anything. He could only guess they had instructions not to talk to their captive.

"Anyway, if you knew me, you would know I have a small bladder. That means I need to pee." He looked down at his lap to emphasize his need to go to the bathroom soon.

He wondered if that would work and if these men would be dumb enough to fall for his trap. He knew some men were more brawn than brains. He only hoped these two fell into the first category.

"I don't think your boss would appreciate me ruining his expensive carpet." He shook his head, emphasizing the trouble that would create.

He could tell that Alfred had an exquisite taste in things. After all, he owned the most successful interior designing firm. He could see that Alfred spared no expense in remodeling this room.

From the expensive antique pot by the door to the priceless paintings on the wall, this room screamed power and wealth.

"So, are you going to accompany me to the bathroom?" Gerald asked, carefully watching the expression on their faces. "Or should I just do it here?" He added after seeing a slight twitch in one of the men's faces.

He finally knew he got to one of them. Now, he only needed to convince the other one. And that would be easy.

"Okay, that is fine with me." He slightly wiggled his body, pretending to prepare to relieve himself.

He saw that one of them was arguing to let him go to the bathroom while the other seemed unconvinced. "Man, come on." He could hear the other one asserted.

Fortunately, it did not take a few more seconds to persuade the other man as he walked closer to his side. Then, the other man followed, untying him from the chair.

"Don't do anything stupid, or I will put a bullet in your head." The bigger mad threatened him as he loosened the last knot.

"Of course, where am I going anyway?" He asked, putting his hands up as the other pointed a gun at him.

The man directed him to walk to the other side of the room while the other opened the door for him. He guessed that would be the bathroom.

"Hurry up!" The one with the gun shouted, acting tough to scare him. But he knew the type. The man was just scared, afraid that he might make a mistake.

Alfred, as a businessman, was ruthless as far as he knew. He was generous to his employees, but he did not tolerate incompetencies.

Therefore, he could only suspect that as a mafia man, he could be quite as ruthless, maybe even more severe. He could only guarantee the man would not accept stupidity.

"I can't do it with you watching." He put his hands on his belt, suggesting that he was about to undo his pants while he had his back to the man.

"Give me a minute and turn around." He suggested as he unzipped his pants but did not remove the button.

Fortunately, the bigger man waited outside, leaving him with this one. And as if his luck had not run out, the man did what he told him.

With a quick movement, he pulled out his belt and wrapped it around the man's neck while the man had his back turned.

"Sshhh!" He whispered in his ears, not wanting him to create any noise. He choked him until the man was unconscious, laying him gently on the ground.

He pushed his back on the wall as he caught up with his breath. His old self would have killed him. But he promised he would never take another life unless he had to. And at that moment, he did not see the need.

"Hey! What is taking you so long?" The man outside shouted. And he knew he only had a second before he barged inside.

Quickly, he knelt on the floor and grabbed the other guy's gun. Then, he waited for the man to enter. "I am almost done." He shouted.

But he knew the other man was expecting to hear his buddy's voice, not his. And like clockwork, the man opened the door, ready to charge inside.

However, he was one step ahead, catching him by surprise. He had already pointed his gun at his temple before the big man could say another word.

"Down on your knees," Gerald ordered, grabbing the gun from him and then punching him in the ribs to make his point.

"Aaghh!" The man grunted as he fell to his knees beside his partner's body, who was unconscious on the floor.

He knew he could not leave them just like that, so with the butt of his gun, he hit the man in the back of his head to knock him out.

Then, he collected the rope they used on him and tied them up before locking them in the bathroom. He needed to buy him some time before his enemies learned he had escaped.

"Sleep tight, boys." He told the two as he planned his next move.

With two guns on his waist, he moved to the door and hoped he would not find the need to use it. Then, he leaned closer to check if someone was outside.

So far, he did not hear any movements or sounds from the hallway. Therefore, he believed it was safe to assume the coast was clear.

He had visited this place a few times but never had a tour of the entire house. So, he was still unfamiliar with some of the area. But it was an old Victorian house.

So, it might not be quite different from the similar houses he had seen beforehand. At least the house layout might be more or less the same.

He followed the hallway that seemed to lead him to the grand staircase, where he could hear the loud music. But his instinct told him that he would not find Haley there.

"Okay, old man, where is your daughter? Where will you take her?" He wanted to think like him and get into Alfred's psyche.

He knew Alfred would keep her as far away from him. He looked up to the second floor, thinking she might be there.

But getting through some of the guests and the guards would be tricky. He had to find a way to sneak past them.

"Hmm, what now?" He looked around, trying to improvise. He had to move fast before Alfred had a whiff of what was happening.

His eyes finally found his target. Alfred stood in the middle of the party, laughing with his business associates and friends. Standing beside him was his puppet, Michael.

He guessed they were still busy, giving him time to work on his next move, saving Haley and Mike. But he had to come up with a plan urgently.

"Sorry!" He heard someone speak not far from where he hid.

Aha!

Then, an idea entered his mind.

"Watch where you are going?" The man in an impeccable suit shouted at the waiter who accidentally bumped into him.

The waiter quickly apologized again and returned to the kitchen to refill his tray of drinks. He quietly followed the man and intercepted him on the corner where no one was around.

Luckily, he still had a hundred bucks in his hidden pocket, which he quickly traded for his coat and a refilled tray of drinks.

"Go, and never tell anyone about this." He told the waiter, who was happy to leave with a big payday.

Soon, he pretended to be one of the servers, covering his face with the tray as he went through the crowd until he was climbing the stairs.

As expected, nobody bothered to look at him. Who among this crowd would take a second look at the help? No one.

They were all rich snobs who only thought of themselves.

He was on the second floor in no time without anybody suspecting anything. The guards did not even think to check him out. After all, he was supposed to be in the room, tied up.

As he looked down, careful not to be seen, he saw his buddy, Samson, also pretending to be one of the crew. He seemed to fit in perfectly.

"Where are you, Haley?" He silently asked as he wandered in the hallway, continuing to search for them.

Only a few guests scattered around the upper floor. Therefore, he relaxed a little as he figured out where Alfred could have hidden his daughter. But his guts told him that they would be somewhere here as he opened one door after another.

Then, when he turned to the corner, he quickly backed away. He saw two armed men guarding the door at the end of the hallway.

Automatically, he knew Haley and Mike were inside, waiting for him to rescue them. And he would never disappoint Haley again.

He would be there for her to save the day.