COMEBACK OF THE ALPHA KING

Chapter 8- Saved.

King's scowl magnified. He was tempted to serve him another slap but decided he had better things to do.

Better plans to work on that'd deal with this clown in front of him. He took several steps back, observing Darius with renewed interest.

An inquisitive look strode through his gray eyes, provoking them to twinkle for the slightest second.

Darius misread King's sudden reticence as fright.

He grinned so hard he irritated the minor cut he'd sustained on his lips.

Darius winced at the smarting pang that followed this action, immediately terminating his smile.

A succession of displeased cusses left his lips as he picked out a ruffled hanky from his chest pocket to dab off the blood he was losing.

"You bastard. Today will be the last time you try this s**t. I'd make sure of it."

Pocketing his used hanky, Darius cast a feverish glare at King.

Onyx, who had been a frozen spectator since this debacle began, ambled forward to tug at King's shirt.

For a passing moment, King stiffened, rattled by the soft pull.

Ruled by his spite, he had somewhat forgotten Onyx was present in the room.

He spun around, remembering why he was there.

"What have you done?"

Her low question was torrid, and so was her fiery gaze.

Onyx's eyes had darkened to passionate round balls that gleamed with challenge.

King, distracted by the change in her demeanor, gave her no reaction.

She tugged his shirt more forcefully than before to get his attention.

Behind them, Darius fumed and fussed. He grunted out an unending list of exaggerated threats King ignored, but Onyx couldn't overlook.

Despite his vivacious quipping, Darius made no move to leave his position, pressed against the wall.

He worried about further physical assaults from King.

Darius may be cold-blooded, but he didn't know how to fight.

All his life, he'd lived in the graces of others to do his dirty deeds for him.

If he needed to get physical, he had men for that, and currently; he didn't come with any.

He hadn't planned to face such a challenge in confronting Onyx.

"It's fine Miss Jameson. The police would handle it."

King fixed a tight smile at Onyx, stepping around her to approach his seat.

As he did so, he fished for his phone in the back pocket of his pants and then dropped into the chair.

"The police?"

Onyx's incredulous response came out as a scoff.

She stumbled after King, legs tingling from her overworking nerves.

Like King, Onyx rounded her desk, throwing herself into her chair.

Instead of relaxing into the leather seat like he was doing, she sat up straight and alert, ready to school King on what he was ignorant of.

"Do you think they'd take your side...our side?"

She shot a fretting look at Darius, who was sneering at both of them, chuckling in silence.

His round-like body shook from the exercise and somehow that silent mockery was more derisive to Onyx than any of his spoken gibes.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she cast her troubled gaze at King, working her voice several decibels lower so Darius wouldn't hear her next words.

"The police would never be on our side. They are on his side..."

Onyx's throat clogged with unwanted emotions, stalling her lesson to King.

Her lips quivered with a promise of exposing her irate sentiments, and she bit back her lips to suppress it.

King didn't know what he was doing. Thinking he could trust the police to deal with Darius Thatcher.

If involving the police was effective against that snippy man, he'd have stopped harassing her long ago.

"Nobody would dare bypass the law on my watch."

King's declaration held such profound determination that raised both Darius and Onyx's brows.

"Ha! Where did you find such a foolish pretty boy?"

Darius cackled, patting his pockets for a cigarette stick.

Finding it, he promptly lit the stick, tipping it to his chapped lips for a long drag of smoke.

"I'd so deal with you after this."

He pointed the lit cigarette at Onyx, puffing out a mouthful of smoke in an expert's slow trail.

Onyx coiled in her seat, seeing the unbending resolution in Darius's expression.

She knew he'd make her life miserable as he had implied.

Not wanting to dwell on the tragedy that was awaiting her, she settled into her seat, observing King in perplexity.

He was no longer staring at her but was typing away on his phone with ardent concentration.

King's diverted attention gave Onyx the leverage of studying him without interruption.

Her gaze wandered from his interesting thick brows to the small creases embellishing his temple.

She lingered a little too much on his curved lips, wondering what was going on in his head.

From King's adamant resolve, Onyx knew she couldn't stab through his stance.

Instead, she marveled at his bravery, thinking about the rarity of such a man.

Leytan City was packed with a shocking amount of dubious souls who didn't think twice before trampling on anyone they saw fit.

Here, oppression and bullying were as common as air and it came off as necessary as food.

Onyx had quickly learned to keep to herself if she wanted to thrive here.

The fewer people who noticed her, the lesser her chances of being harassed.

This man she was looking at had such an untainted perspective that was irregular.

Even his soldier peers she'd seen around didn't show such nobility as King did.

In this city and day, how could such a pure heart exist?

Except for her father, no one else had ever stood up in defense of her.

King's actions just now made her think of him.

She missed him so much but knew leaving him was the best decision to make.

Although Onyx had earlier warned King about crossing the boundary of asking a personal question, she couldn't help but breach the rule.

She wondered about who King was and what made him so thick about injustice. Why was he so bold?

Onyx was certain such qualities couldn't be picked up by the military alone.

There was something else. Something that had her burning with curiosity. Who was this man?

Letting out an involuntary sigh, Onyx flung a glare at Darius's way, fuming beyond evaluation.

True, Darius was influential, and he would probably win this war. She wasn't going to carve in with ease.

King only got in trouble because he was protecting her and for that reason, she'd stand with him.

It didn't matter how far she had to extend her connections, she'd find a way to get him out of this mess. He deserved that much loyalty.

"I want the authorities in Leytan city to enforce the law on Darius Thatcher impartially."

King spoke into his wristwatch in a manner so subtle no one noticed what he had done.

He tapped the screen of his wristwatch to ensure it had delivered his message.

Onyx saw him do this, but it appeared to her like he was playing with his jewelry.

What she didn't know was that it wasn't just a wristwatch. It was a tracker which connected instantly to the general's office.

The smart device gave direct access to the general's personal security team, employing them to do anything requested of them.

Only two people possessed this device in the whole of Bloomsville Kingdom. King and the general.

It was one of the many frills his position awarded him.

Unknown to anyone in the room, King had been recording everything that had transpired since the beginning of his interview.

When Nova had chided him to keep his phone on record, he had done that just to tease her and had forgotten about it.

He only recalled it because he had brought out his phone to send her a text.

His initial plan was to ask her to run a background check on Darius so he could pass it to the appropriate officials for visitation.

After seeing this record, he got busy editing out the unnecessary parts as evidence to back up his report.

He sent it to the general's office and then went ahead with his prior agenda to text Nova.

King not only wanted to secure Darius's arrest today, but he also wanted to diminish the Tatchers.

Onyx wasn't the only one questioning who King was. Darius was too.

From his position at the wall, he stared so hard at King, if his eyes had lasers, he'd have drilled a hole into King's scalp.

Though he had scorned King's last remark, it still unsettled him.

The conviction with which King had delivered such words wasn't ordinary.

What did he mean by that? What connections did he have to make such an audacious declaration?

Taking a deep inhalation from his cigarette, Darius looked closely at King, checking to see if he recognized him.

King didn't look like a face he knew, which only upset him more. A no-name blockhead had raised his hands to strike him.

Darius lifted his free palm to caress his cheeks where it hurt the most.

He silently thanked his stars that this hadn't happened in public. It would have been too humiliating to bear.

Finishing off his cigarette, Darius dropped the stub on the floor, stomping it with his foot.

Like the addict that he was, he produced another stick, lighting it up in continuation.

He couldn't wait for the police to arrive. That was the only hope he had in this battle.

When King had encouraged him to call the police, Darius had called their family friend, Officer Lyod.

Not only was Officer Lyod the superintendent of Leytan City's district police force, but he was also their family's best ally.

For every crime committed, officer Lyod always ensured the Thatchers weren't held accountable.

He provided them a solid alibi all the time and ensured they were free wolves who couldn't be touched by the law.

Of course, such freedom came at an enormous price. A hefty sum of money the Thatchers never failed to pay up.

It was a solid business relationship that had been long-standing for as long as Darius could remember.

Officer Lyod never failed them, and this situation was just a walk in the park, like every other situation.

"Soldier?"

Darius chuckled to himself, shaking his head. He caught Onyx's gaze and scowled at her.

"More like an impoverished toy who should have done his research."

Darius made up his mind to grab King's Cv once the police carted him away.

He'd pass it to his men for a thorough background investigation.

Even though he was sure King was a nobody, he wanted to ensure he'd rot in jail.

He'd dig up as much dirt as he could find against him and use it to his advantage.

After that, he'd come back to deal with Onyx. Darius had several plans for that effect, and he was anxious to get started on them.

An uncomfortable silence pooled into the room. The only thing speaking was the acrid smell of smoke from Darius's indulgence.

Its suffocating scent made Onyx nauseous as it battled with the clean air in the office, making breathing difficult.

Each of them resolved their thoughts, anticipating the outcome of this critical situation.

Half an hour later, Onyx pranced to her feet when the clamoring noise of blaring sirens surrounded the entire complex.

She rushed to her window, which overlooked the parking lot, pulling aside a part of the shutters to gauge the situation.

A silent gasp floated out of her lips as she noted the procession of vehicles occupying the car park.

The cars were so much the lot couldn't contain them, and some of them parked well onto the highway.

Onyx didn't just see police cars. A variety of official vehicles from all sectors of the law were present.

Who knew Leytan City had this many law enforcers?

Onyx's started hyperventilating when a legion of uniformed officials dropped out of the vehicles.

Their presence plus the deafening commotion that serenaded them created a scenery of unwanted attraction.

Every occupant of the building came out to see what the chaos was about. There wasn't a single person who remained in their office.

To Onyx, who cherished a private lifestyle more than anything else in the world, this was a mortifying scene to behold.

She swallowed down a burdensome dread as she watched the sea of people march into the building, undoubtedly coming for them.

"Get ready for your doom."

Darius laughed, discarding his half-finished cigarette.

Onyx closed back the shutters, turning to shoot him a grievous stare.

Nothing could explain the fierce abhorrence settling in her pits for this man.

The situation was too unfair to be real. How could the entire city team up in unison to fight an innocent man?

If there was anyone in this room today who deserved such treatment, it should be Darius.

Onyx and Darius jumped when the door came open, exposing the massive crowd of officers.

Her office was a small space, so she knew more of them were brimming outside, possibly creating a thick cluster of people.

Leading the officers was a stout-looking man, slightly on the robust side, but still staunch enough to be in service.

He had a stern appearance only made more unnerving by his well-groomed mustache.

While he had his cap off, holding it in place to his ribcage, his escorting officers wore their caps, looking ready for an attack.

They all stood at attention, arms raised to their head in a prepared salute. Onyx guessed they were saluting the officer in front of them.

What a charade.

On seeing this officer, Darius' face perked up in delight.

"Uncle Lyod."

He exclaimed, stepping closer to the man.

Without wasting any more time, he pointed to King, who hadn't moved an inch from where he sat.

Unbothered and still religiously typing away on his phone.

"It was him. Everything you heard reported it was him who did it."

Hearing this outrageous lie, Onyx jumped to King's rescue without batting an eyelid.

"That's not true. Mr. Salvator took action because..."

She halted her explanation when the officer raised his hands to silence her.

"I know what happened."

His grim remark sent a prickling chill washing over Onyx.

Of course, he knew what happened. They always did, yet failed to do the right thing.

What was she thinking, trying to elucidate the situation when she knew he wouldn't be listening to her explanation?

The police had taken sides and, just like she predicted, it wasn't their side.

"If you know what happened, why aren't you arresting him?"

Darius shook his hand at King. "Go on, cuff up that criminal."

Just as the words left his lips, King stood up, pocketing his phone.

He swung around with a purposeful peril, ultimately acknowledging the men.

His straightened form appeared to keep the officers on guard and every one of them when rigid.

Officer Lyod put on his cap then, his face hardening up to an unfathomable expression.

A tyrannical stillness rested in the air, settling between the officers and King.

There seemed to be a silent communication going on between them, but no one could be sure.

King studied the men in front of him, recognizing most of them as his inferiors, some of whom were currently training under him.

He gave them a discreet nod, and somehow they dropped their salute.

Darius hid behind Officer Lyod before breaking the obtrusive silence in the office.

"Why are you silent now, hun? Scared of some handcuffs?"

He tapped Officer Lyod's shoulders, then demanded.

"What are you waiting for? An order? Arrest him."

King quirked a brow at the officer, then spoke up.

"You heard him. What are you waiting for?"

His voice was so relaxed Onyx blinked at him in arrant shock.

"King." She warned as if lending him the sense he seemed to be missing.

However, much to her unending amazement, Officer Lyod gave his verdict.

"We have looked into this case and after thorough investigations, I hereby announce that Darius Thatcher is guilty of all charges laid."

Onyx almost snapped her neck, trying to see and understand what she had just heard.

Darius's pointing hand flopped to his side at this unexpected announcement.

Before anyone could react, Officer Lyod wiggled his fingers at one of his men.

The officer stepped forward, holding up a voice recorder.

With a click of a button, Darius's documented voice filled the room.

Astounded by the replay of his threats, Darius flung his mouth open.

He shot an accusing look at the officer, seeing for the first time that he wasn't looking at him.

"Wha... How did you get that?"

At that question, Onyx gasped, covering her open mouth with her palms. She angled her head to cast King an amused look.

"Did you do that?"

Her voice was whisper thin, but he heard it. King would have responded if Darius's erratic screams didn't envelope the room.

Both King and Onyx looked in his direction to find two men bundling him up.

"Take him away," Officer Lyod ordered, and the officers followed his prompt.

A string of disorderly threats spilled out of Darius as they carted him out of the office.

He left the same way he came, only this time, escorted by people who could stop him.

The remaining officers threw out another salute and then filed out of the room, leaving Officer Lyod to conclude the matter.

"We'd make sure he gets what he deserves, ma'am."

Onyx beamed at him, overwhelmed with glee. Never in her world did she think she'd hear such words.

Given his position and influence, she suspected Darius would be out of detention soon.

Still, this was a victory worth celebrating. She won. They won. It was all it took for her to contain her excitement.

Officer Lyod left and soon after, the office became deserted, with everyone returning to their business.

Her receptionist peeped into the room, missing her animated smile.

"Is everything alright, ma'am?"

Her small voice wavered, betraying her fright. Onyx gave her a sympathetic look before nodding her response.

"Everything is fine, Anna. I'm sorry you had to witness this."

She gestured towards everything at once, trying to clarify what she meant.

"It's no problem, ma'am."

Still not smiling, Anna shot King a grateful look and then shut the door.

"See? Calling the police was useful, after all."

King grinned. Onyx shook her head at him, trying to hide her smile.

"We only got lucky this time." Her slight smile faded to a frown as she reenacted everything that had happened.

Indeed, they were lucky. She wasn't sure why the police obliged to justice today, but it didn't mean all was well.

"King, you were too impulsive..." Onyx sighed, letting her weariness show on her face.

She didn't mean to sound ungrateful, but the better part of her was worried.

If Darius were to return, and she was sure he would, his first target would be King.

"This is all my fault." She sighed again, looking up at him.

"You need to leave this city now. I'd compensate you. Darius, he... he isn't easy prey.

He'd be back or his family... "

King interrupted her, smirking because he understood her fear.

"He won't be back, I assure you. You have nothing to worry about."

He stepped around her, walking to the table. King picked out a pen from his file and bent to sign the contract.

He spun around to flash her the signed contract.

Seeing this, Onyx sighed again in defeat, walking herself to her seat. They both sat down and she took the contract from him.

"Fine, but promise me one thing?" She didn't wait for King to give his response.

She bent to the side of her drawer to pick out her business card.

"Promise me you'd call me if the Thatchers give you any trouble."

Onyx slid the card across the table towards him, and King picked it up with careful consideration.

He studied the card details, noting yet again that the name there was Onyx Perez.

In Nova's report, Onyx bore the last name Jameson. Why was she using a different last name now? Who was Perez?

As if reading his mind, Onyx called his attention to her.

"I noticed you were addressing me with a different last name.

I don't use that name anymore. I go by Perez now."

Onyx choked on the name, forcing herself not to think of why she changed it.

It's all for the best. She told herself, dropping her fidgeting hands into her lap.

She also had the boggling query of how King knew about the name. No one knew this detail about her.

Shrugging it off, she took a deep breath, then continued.

"Better still, call me Onyx. Since we'd be working closely, Let's drop the formalities.

I'd do the same with you."

She gave a King a bright smile. He saw her reluctance but smiled back.

"One more thing. Do you have some time by 5 pm today?

I'd be picking up my daughter from school.

I'd like you to meet her before you resume your duty tomorrow."

King's eyes widened at her. His heart flew to his mouth, and he tasted its rabid thumps.

"Uh... yh... yes... I..."

"Perfect. I'd text you the address details."

Onyx saved him from his graceless stutter. She leaped to her feet, ending the interview.

"I'd see myself out."

King picked himself up, shaking his head to stop her protest.

He gathered his things and then spun around, walking himself out of the room.

All through his flight downstairs, King kept his head down deep in the perusal of the day's development.

He only looked up when he stepped out of the building.

King stood still, feeling a near panic attack for the third time that day when he found Nova in the parking lot leaning against his car.

She looked furious.