The Royal Contract

"My men are already scoping up the place." The duke informed his friend on the other line.

He had been staring outside his window since he came back to his office before he decided to call Ethan. But he hardly saw the scenery outside. His mind was only concentrated on one thing. 

He and Ethan had agreed to coordinate their investigation and operations for a faster and more efficient result. That was to get their children back soon and alive.

If they had confirmation of the location of the hideout, then he would let Ethan handle the rescue mission. Fred knew his men could also tackle the task, but he agreed with Ethan. 

Alex had the best-trained force in the business to handle the job. Besides, they had the most determination and motivation to rescue their leader than any of Ethan and his men combined.

"Are you sure that this reporter is not just a ploy to send us on a wild goose chase?" Ethan could not help but be skeptical since they had been chasing a lot of dead ends.

Whoever was responsible for the kidnapping of their children, he believed he was always one step ahead of them. Or even two. He was clever and had a lot of resources. 

He also suspected that he was responsible for the chaos in his company and even Alex. He was beginning to doubt that Nick was the sole culprit in this. 

This unknown individual had carefully studied them, coordinated his attack, and executed them with precision. He had been hiding in the shadow for far too long, blending between the light and the darkness that nobody saw him coming.

He believed Nick was involved, but he had some help. Nick was not capable of managing something this big. Someone else might be running the show and using the clueless Nick as the fall guy.

"I think we can trust her. I believe that she accidentally stumbled on this story when she came after Nick for some personal reason." Fred related to Ethan.

The duke asked Eida why she was coming after Nick. But she declined to provide her reason. Still, he believed that she had no other interior motives for sharing this information, aside from getting a lead in this story.

"How did she know that Nick had a part in the abduction?" Ethan still had doubts about the authenticity of the report.

He always had good relations with reporters, but he never trusted them. They would praise and love you as long as you did not give them a reason to attack you. 

But once they found a story that would make big bucks. Then, they turned into sharks that would strike without warning. Or vultures that would prey on their victim until there was nothing left but the carcass. 

"A witness talked for a wad of cash," Fred told him. Then, he continued to narrate to him what she told him.

She had one of her leading investigators follow Nick wherever he went. That was when he had stumbled on the big hideout, more like a fortress, hidden on an average size island. 

It was heavily guarded, which piqued his interest, so he had no way of investigating inside. His investigator decided to check the local pubs, searching for information. 

Luckily, his tour guide knew some people who could help him with the right amount. One of them mentioned seeing two bodies carried out of a plane by armed men in the middle of the night. 

The man was just unsure if they were alive or who they were. He was too far to see clearly, and it was dark. Only a few lights were on that night on the tarmac. 

"Then, she had this weird suspicion that the missing couple from their honeymoon might be the two people seen that night. However, she could not confirm it until she had talked to me." Fred concluded his narrative.

Fred was not a hundred percent sure of the story since a drunk man could be concocting stories to earn some money. But he could not pass up a lead even if it might end up as another bogus information.

"Sir, excuse me. But Major Barry is asking for you to return to the room." One of his lieutenants had walked into his office, excusing himself for the interruption, but the urgency called for it.

"Give me a minute. I will be right behind you." He told the man before dismissing him.

He could only conclude that it must be a pressing matter for the major to demand his attention. They might have the latest update on their current operation.

"Excuse me, Ethan, but I need to go for now. I will get back to you as soon as I hear some news." He knew that the waiting game was probably killing him, just like it was doing to him. 

However, they had to be patient and stay calm. It was the only way to save their children from whoever was running this operation against them.

He rushed to the other room to find out what was so urgent that Major Barry had sent for him. But he was hoping that it was positive intel that would show that they had found them.

"Yes," Duke Frederick addressed all the officers in the room, focusing his eyes on the major who was talking through the intercom.

He assigned the operation to one of his top officers, who had proven time and time again his ability to lead and provide good results.

"I think my men had found something from the tarmac. A hair clip that resembled what the princess wore on her wedding day. It must have dropped on her hair when she was carried out of the plane." Major finally reported to him when he ended the call.

He was almost a hundred percent sure that they were closing in with the abductors, finding the couple and saving them. That clip was a rare piece that had no possible duplicate.

"Then, have your men scout the place and inform Agent Tim regarding everything you gathered so that they could start with their operations." The duke commanded, feeling only slight relief.

At least, there was a possibility that they had finally found them. 

For the first time, his team finally had a solid lead. All they needed now was the confirmation that Nick was hiding them in that fortress of his.. Then, Tim could take the reins in the rescue mission.