The Royal Contract

He had to be patient with him and get as much information from him by simply asking questions without intimidation. Some tactics were better this way. He only hoped that he was here to cooperate with him.

At the end of the day, it would be up to him if he would believe his words. To analyze if there was a hint of truth in his revelation. If not, it would be a decision to kill him on the spot or keep him for further interrogation.

“How is Ben, by the way? I did not see him anywhere in the building.” Joe asked, turning his head from right to left.

Usually, Ben would be standing by his side as his right hand in his operations. So, for the young man to be absent from his side would mean that he was out on a mission.

He remembered hearing the rumor that the royal couple might be going on a trip. But he was not part of that operation. He was not privy to the rest of the information on that matter.

“He is alive, thanks to you.” It was a sarcastic answer, making his blood boil a little more.

.....

Ben had told him what Joe had planned to do with him if his men did not arrive on time to rescue him. He could never forgive Joe for almost murdering Ben in his weakest state.

He never believed in striking a man when he was down. It was a cowardly way of fighting a battle. But he just learned that his former comrade had never been fighting fair in the first place.

“Well, it was a job, nothing personal.” Joe gave him a tightlipped smile as if he still regretted failing to finish the job. “But I am sure you are glad that I screwed up.”

Joe adjusted his coat, still confidently sitting on the chair with his legs cross-legged and his arms comfortably resting on the armrest.

He still would have liked it if he had gotten rid of that young man who thought of himself as better than him. But that ship had sailed, and he could not do anything about it unless they would cross paths again.

“Well, to me, it is personal.” Tim narrowed his eyes on the enemy that he once called a brother. “You will answer for your crimes when the time comes.”

Joe did not even show any sign of remorse for what he had done against his former team. He was a pompous ass who believed that he deserved better than the team gave him.

But Tim was not done with him yet. He would make sure that he would wipe his grin from the face of the planet with his bare hands. He would not let him get away with his betrayal.

“As much as I want to be your next victim, I am afraid that you have to wait. I still have a few cards to play here, and I think you will still want me alive.” Joe negotiated with his life, knowing that he had poked the bear too much, and he was now ready to strike.

He should really tone down on his taunting because it was not helping his case at the moment. He was here for a reason, but it suddenly went sidetracked because of his personal baggage.

“Well, I don’t have all night to wait for you. If you have anything to say, then spill it out.” Tim impatiently said as he continued to watch the man before him.

He remembered he still had to review the reports his men had prepared for him before they were rudely interrupted by this man. Time for him was a commodity he could not waste.

He watched him like a hawk, waiting to strike if he suddenly made a wrong move. He once trusted him, but it was a mistake that he was not willing to make again.

“First, I always believed in what we are fighting for...” Joe began his narration, but before he could say a few more words. Tim stopped him.

Tim slammed both his hands on the table before him, making the wood rattle in its place. Even his gun moved a few inches from where he had placed it from the impact.

“No,” Tim shouted loudly at the other man across from him, stopping him effectively from saying anything further. “You don’t get to make excuses for what you did to this group. You don’t get any right to tell me why you did what you did.”

He would not give him a chance to explain himself because what he did was unforgivable. No amount of justification would absolve him from his crimes.

He would sentence him to death now or later on. But it was the only punishment fit for his crime. Forgiveness or absolution would never be on the options.

“Just state your case and let me be the judge if I should still let you breathe out of here and wait to kill you the next time I see you.” He stood up from his chair and menacingly stared at the other man.

He could not think of anything the man could say that could make him change his mind about him. He had forgiven men before for killing another man, but it had a valid reason.

The only thing stopping him now was the thought that he might be carrying valuable information that could expedite his search for the big boss.

“Or just kill you right now.” He picked up his gun, not far from his right hand, and pointed it at the traitor.

He had always been calm and collected when dealing with issues, but Joe had totally driven him to his limits. He only had a few more threads left before he finally snapped and let his blood flood the floors.

“I hope you will choose the first one, but, at any rate...” Joe still never left his cool, even if his former boss was about to blow his brains out. “Do you want me to continue? Or do you want to pull that trigger?”

He was giving the option to his boss. At any rate, he was not afraid to die. He already got the money he needed for his family. A fat lump sum to make sure that they would have a comfortable life.

Still, he had to do one more thing for his current boss. It would guarantee his position within the organization. And also the safety of his family if he had accomplished his mission.

He had to make their enemies, meaning his former team, believe he regretted his past actions. That he was ready to divulge classified information about their enemies.

At least some fabricated stories and information he concocted, leading them away from the truth. He also had to convince them that he had turned over a new leaf.