The King of City

50 THE CONCERNS

Lionel didn’t fully understand what had happened, why those men came to shoot their kidnappers and didn’t harm them who were tied up, why they got to that point so far away from the city if there were no roads nearby, the only explanation was that there was an intelligence job involved, but that only led to another question, and it was that if they did intelligence to those kidnappers, with what reason did they do it considering that they didn’t seem to be members of the public force and for, Therefore, Lionel didn’t see a valid reason why some people with these weapons, that hardware and those vehicles, had something against simple kidnappers. 

Lionel thought that it could be Beau's work, but what reason would he have to help him, if Lionel didn’t even tell him where he was going to be, however, he wanted to verify it.

"Who talks?". Beau asked on the other end of the phone, he had a voice like he had just gotten out of bed, apparently the night before, Beau was very busy at the bar, he even had to work actively due to the unfortunate lack of staff and he didn’t trust his clients to the gang members, as these weren’t yet viewed favorably by the clients.

"It's me". Lionel identified himself and without wasting time he proceeded. "I was attacked along with Elsa and Corrine yesterday".

"Really?". Beau said, he didn't believe it, but, just in case, he asked. "You're good?".

"Yes, I'm fine, but barely, I have some scratches and bruises on my body and I have a tremendous headache, but I'm fine". Lionel said seeing that his assumptions at the end were incorrect, but continued with the story. "We were saved by two military trucks, loaded with mercenaries and state-of-the-art weapons". Lionel said trying to be as specific as he could.

"Wow, that's amazing! It’s like the action movies that I watched in the cinema”. Beau scoffed that he didn't take that Lionel was saying very seriously.

"We almost died, Beau. Stop the antics!". Lionel said a little irritated by Beau's attitude.

"Sorry". Beau said with sincere regret and compliment. "Do you know what they wanted?".

"Apparently they wanted to kidnap Elsa, Mary and me, they tied us to a tree away from her and took her away from us, exactly to a tent, where they tied her up and gagged her". Lionel related.

“Wow! You were saved by a miracle, and, why didn't they kill you?”. Beau asked.

"I don't think they killed us because they were waiting for orders, but I don't know from whom". Lionel said puzzled and frustrated, he was quite angry not knowing who his attackers were and the assault group that helped them, didn’t leave a single one alive of the enemies, so he couldn’t question any of them.

"Then why don't you ask Elsa? Suddenly it was someone she knew who intervened so that you wouldn’t be harmed”. Beau suggested that he used to advise Lionel.

"You're right!". Lionel said reflecting that he should have started his inquiries there. "I have to go, see you later". Then, without waiting to hear Beau's farewell, Lionel hung up, he remained a thoughtful moment, when he least thought, he felt a hand touch his back, it was Elsa who worried about the expression that Lionel had, despite the traumatic moment that It had happened, she was too worried about him to leave him in that state.

"You're good?". Elsa said with some concern on her face. "I see you scattered". Concluded.

"I'm fine, I was just thinking". Lionel said returning to the real world. "Do you have any idea who those guys were now?". Lionel asked bluntly to the point, for him, every lost minute was a moment when his life and those of his friends could be in danger.

"I don't know! Why do you think I’d know them?”. Elsa became defensive because of Lionel's question, the insensitivity of him seemed incredible considering that she was only worrying about him.

"Excuse me, I didn't mean to be rude". Lionel said with sincere regret and trying to get out the right words to avoid hurting Elsa's feelings and grabbing her arms, Lionel told her. "I need you to think about who wants to hurt you".

"The truth, I can't think of any names, but they must have been those of the Democratic Party, I can't think of any other". Elsa said quite confidently. "Surely they want to harm my father, mortifying him with my disappearance".

"I think you’re right, however, such an abstract clue doesn’t serve us." Lionel said disappointed, because she still didn’t know who those thugs were, but then he decided to change his attention and ask her about their rescuers. "Do you know who the subjects of the trucks were?".

"I really don't know, I think it was just luck, it must be that those people who kidnapped us had some debt or something similar with them and that's why they annihilated them. Damn garbage!". And saying this, she spat on one of the corpses of the enemies as a symbol of his contempt and hatred. To Lionel it seemed the most logical answer, but he didn’t think much, why people with the appearance of special forces or at least mercenaries would deal with some second-class thugs, it wasn’t possible, so he wanted to investigate more to see if he found the answer. "Couldn't your father have sent them?". Suddenly Elsa reacted, it was to be assumed that, if she had been attacked, her father would be in a similar or worse situation, so she took her cell phone immediately and called her father, her hands were shaking, she was really scared and worried about his father's safety, the feeling of relief was indescribable when Mr. Einstein answered.

"Hello?". Mr. Einstein said on the other end of the line.

"Daddy! You're good?". Elsa hurriedly asked who was deeply concerned about her father.

"I'm fine daughter, it's only been a couple of days since we said goodbye". Mr. Einstein said that Elsa's question seemed strange to her because, despite the threats, Mr. Einstein's life had never been put in danger. "Something happened to you?". Elsa's father asked thinking that the reason for her call was more because something had happened to her.

"No daddy, I'm fine, nothing has happened, I just wanted to talk to you". Elsa lied that by the reaction of her father she realized that he hadn’t been the person who intervened for them and sent those mercenaries.

"Thank goodness daughter, but you know that you shouldn’t call me at this number, it’s for your safety, okay?".

"Okay Daddy!". Elsa replied more calmly.

"Ready my girl, take care of yourself". And hung up.

"It wasn’t my father who sent those men to help us". Elsa said to Lionel who was looking at him with an inquiring gaze waiting for answers.

"If it wasn't him, who was it?". Lionel said almost to himself.

"Hey!". Corrine shouted in the distance, quickly approached. "Do you have any idea why they attacked us and who they were?". Corrine asked looking to get information from them, she believed that the people who had attacked them were people who had some pending issue with Blackwing.

"We don't know yet, but we'll find out". Lionel told them, with the certainty that he really didn’t know who had sent those thugs, but at least, he already suspected who would be the artifact of their rescue.