The Royal Contract

“Wake up, Travis. You have a visitor.” The guard yelled at him on the other side of the cell. “Hurry up. We do not have all day.” He added as he struck his metallic baton on the parallel bars again.

Nick opened his eyes, still groggy from his sleep, and moved to a sitting position. He looked up to the man on the other side and smiled.

He could not afford to piss off another guard. The last time he backed talk to one of them, he ended up with a busted lip and a bruised stomach when hit by his baton.

“Just give me a second,” Nick asked the jail guard as he scrubbed his eyes and stretched his arms. Then, he was up and ready to move out of his cell.

The guard opened his cell door, commanding him to face the wall as he placed a handcuff on his wrist. Afterward, he was out of his cell and walking towards the long hallway.

He could not understand why the guards were treating him this way. He asked his lawyers to do something with them. Pay them a large amount of money if necessary so that he could freely move in this confinement.

.....

However, it seemed that what he had asked was not working. Or his people were not working hard enough to make it happen. Whatever the reason. He would make sure that they would know that he was not happy about it.

“By the way, who is it?” Nick asked, slightly turning around to the burly man walking closely behind him.

But as usual, his voice was drowned in the loud noise coming from the different cells around him. Still, the man refused to answer his question.

He only hoped that it was his lawyer, back with some good news, because he could not stay any longer in this hellhole of a place.

“Sit down and don’t make any problems.” The guard guided him to the table with two chairs on opposite sides. Once sitting down, he was handcuffed to the table, with no choice but to wait for his guest.

He looked around the room, wondering if someone was watching his every move and listening to what he had to say. He was unsure if it would be safe to talk in this room.

“Hello, my friend.” A man suddenly walked into the room and greeted him as if they had known each other quite well.

He recognized the man and met him a few times, but he would not consider the newcomer one of his friends. He might have seen him with some of his friends or on the news. But they never had any business together.

“What do you want?” Nick immediately asked suspiciously. He did not trust the sudden appearance of this man in his presence.

He wanted his lawyers and not some lawman in a fancy suit playing games with his case. He heard good things about him, but he did not need some idle chitchats. Unless the man was here to help him, if not then, he had no time for him.

“For starters, what do you want?” The man returned the question back to him. “But I am quite sure that I have an idea of that.” He continued as he sat down on the other chair in front of the desk.

“But before I continue, let me introduce myself again. I am Mike Carter.” He extended his hand on top of the table, reaching for his hand, but Nick refused to shake it. “Anyway, I work for the District’s Attorney.”

He watched Nick’s eyes turn into a slit, fuming in rage upon hearing his introductions. He could not blame the man. He knew what jail time could do to such a man like him.

He wondered how long it would take to break him in a place like this. He could already notice the toll his body had taken from the beating, considering the little time he only had been inside this facility.

“I have nothing to say to any of you without the presence of my attorney.” Nick hissed at the man who had just completely ruined his day. “Now, I think you should leave.” He rammed his hand on the table to show his displeasure with his visit.

His unwanted visitor had no choice but to stand to avoid his assault. He moved a few steps away from him, observing the handcuffed man try to break free from his chain.

He was about to call for the guards to escort him out of the room since he believed he had no more business to discuss with the district lawyer.

But he abruptly stopped when the other man suddenly pulled an envelope out of his jacket. Then, the man waved it in front of his face. He had recognized the emblem on the side of the envelope, and it was not a good sign.

“Not until you read this.” He could tell that Nick recognized the seal on the piece of paper. His eyes suddenly bulged, and fear was written all over his face.

He carefully pulled a paper out of the envelope, opened it, and placed it on the top of the table. He had already read the content. Now, it was time for Nick’s turn.

“Are you working for him?” Nick asked, suddenly alarmed by his company.

He had wanted to communicate with the big man since he was incarcerated. But now that he had finally sent him a word, he could feel the chill go through his spine.

He took the paper in his hands and started reading the content. He still waited for Mike to answer his question, but he kept reading the letter that had specific instructions for him to follow.

“This is preposterous.” Nick finally shouted after reading the last word on the paper. “Is this some kind of a joke?” He pulled the chains on his wrist, lowering his head to the table.

He cradled his head in his two hands before running his fingers through his hair. He felt frustrated and angry with the content of the letter.

“You know very well that he doesn’t joke around.” Mike finally spoke up after seeing him break down.

He could already guess that Nick was calculating the risk of not following what was being asked of him by their big boss. He seemed to think that he still had a choice in the matter.

Nick failed to realize until now that once he entered the organization, there was no way out except in a body bag.

“But he could not expect me to do this,” Nick shouted, crumpling the piece of paper in his hand and throwing it at him. But Mike had easily caught the crumpled letter and placed it back in his pocket.

“I want you to tell him that I have to see him and talk to him personally.” Nick ran his hands on his face, suddenly agitated that everything was falling out of his control.

“You know it is not possible.” Mike walked a bit closer to the table and planted his hands on the table as he stared down at him. “Just do what he asks of you, and you will be fine.”

Based on his observation, Nick had become very unstable. He had not liked how he had handled things from the start, and he was glad that his boss did not trust him.

He believed that Nick might drag the entire organization down if he was not dealt with properly and soon. In his opinion, Nick was a liability than an asset. He was a loose cannon.