Falling In A Second

The masked guest

King Azuka barely heard what the guard at the door was saying,he was seated on his daughters bed in her bedchambers with a photo in his hands,it was a photo of Nile on her 10th birthday,she looked sooo cute even with most of her front teeth gone,he smiled at that,the tooth fairy also known as her mother had placed a 500F coin under her pillow for every one of those tooth,he remembered how she would came running into their bedchambers every morning screaming" mum,dad,look she was here,the tooth fairy,she was really here and she left me this for my tooth" ,she'd climb into bed with them and her mother would always ask" so sweety what are you gonna do with this money?,and Everytime she'd answer without a doubt"am going to make cup cakes for the children at the orphanage on Saturday and I'll take it to them with a book, we'll read first and then have cupcakes and juice".The royal family visited the HOTPEC orphanage once every month and Nile loved playing with the children,they were her only friends and she couldn't wait for the day of the month to see them.The king smiled,she had been a lovable kid,kind,gentle and smart,everyone dotted oh her both family and servants.She loved reading even as a kid,the King looked at the book shelf beside the window and smiled,he missed his daughter terribly,it's been two days and he had no idea where she could be,all attempts at finding her had been fruitless so far.What would his wife be thinking now? what kind of a father was he that he couldn't even protect his own daughter? that was the only favor his late wife had asked of him,after all she had given him in this life,he couldn't grant her this one wish,to keep their child safe.The king had teary eyes,he put down the photo and stood up,wiped the tears that were fighting to flow and stood straight,he was the king and he would rescue his daughter no matter what,he might not have been able to save her mother but he would save her.King Azuka walked out of the room and closed the door behind him,he went to the throne room and summoned the guards.

Vinnie walked in just as the guards were dismissed,the King was not seated on the throne but on the seat meant for members of the council of elders and Jeremy was seated across from him,he wasn't comfortable with him been involved in any way but he had no choice,he bowed to the king ignoring the other man completely and remained standing.The king responded to his greeting and asked" any updates?". Vinnie said sadly" am sorry your highness,but none yet,our men are still out there and be rest assured we won't stop until we find her".Jeremy stood and facing Vinnie asked" so you and all your men couldn't track down one man and a young girl in two days in an island as small as this,how on Earth did you became head of security I wonder?". Vinnie moved closer to him furious,he was taller and bigger and if not for the respect he had for the king,he would have dealt with Jeremy a long time ago,the man never missed an opportunity to embarrass,taunt and insult him and sometimes he tries really hard to stop himself from knocking out those perfect white teeth.Vinnie moved closer to him until their chests were just inches apart and just as he was about to speak,the king step between them and said" could you guys please put aside your differences for now,must you always fight each time you are in the same room,this is not the time, the princess is out there with a stranger,only God knows what condition she is in right now and you want to stay here and fight? ok,go right ahead and let's see who the man is".Vinnie stepped back and said" am sorry your highness",Jeremy didn't even bulge neither did he apologise,not that anyone expected him to,he would never.

After all three men had sat down,the king said"I'll be joining the search party and until I find my daughter,I won't be back,am leaving just a few guards here,the rest will go with me, we'll need all the help we can get,we have no idea who her captor is,what he's capable of,if he working alone or what he wants".Vinnie sat up straight at this" your highness,I know how frightened and worried you are right now,any father would be,but I don't think leaving the palace will be a good idea,I have a hunch the criminal wasn't here to rob the palace,what if it's more complicated than it is?what if this is what they wanted in the first place?to have you out of the palace? until we are sure who we are dealing with,I'll advice your highness that you remain in the palace while we keep searching and I promise we'll do our very best to find the princess".The King looked at Jeremy to know his opinion on this and surprisingly,he agreed with Vinnie,"and don't worry my king,I'll attend to the matters of the kingdom for now,that is if you are not up to it" he added.Before Vinnie could object to that,the king answered" that won't be necessary Jeremy,sitting here doing nothing will drive me crazy so I might as well attend to my duties" and turning to Vinnie" am counting on you Vinnie,please do all you can, if you need anything what so ever,you let me know".Vinnie nodded with a smile,bowed to the king and left to join his men in the search.Jeremy stood up and faced his brother" don't you think you trust that man a little too much? I don't think he's deserving of so much trust" The king shook his head in denial" Vinnie and I have came a long way,I have complete trust in him,he would never betray our friendship".Jeremy smiled" ok brother,if you say so but be careful,the enemy might be closer than you think". With this,he bowed and walked out leaving the king to ponder upon what he had just said.

It was Friday night and the Coco bongo casino was packed full,The boss was seated at the VIP Lounge with a couple of friends and some strippers,it was his night off and he was having a good time.He wasn't worried about Desmond or the mission because everything was going according to plan,he knew Desmond would do anything to be free from his grip.He was filling his second glass of whisky when one of his men walked in and said something in his ear,he immidiately excused himself and went into his office,dismissing his men,he closed the door.As he turned,he was startled by a person seated on his seat dressed in an all black sweats shirt and wearing a mask.The boss sat down,he didn't like the idea of this man occupying his seat,if it were someone else,all hell would break loose but this man wasn't anybody,he was paying him huge amount of money for a job he considered simple and if he could delivere,this man would ensure that his illegal businesses would never be threatened,he could operate in peace.Yes,he could tolerate him seating in his chair.The man took off the mask and they both smiled.The man suddenly frowned" it's been two days and your man hasn't delivered yet,what's happening?'.The boss waved his doubts away" you've got nothing to worry about,he contacted me already and told me his location,by now he must be going to our agreed location to hand her over to my men,tomorrow morning,she'll be all yours".The man stood up" the palace has doubled the search parties so he should be careful,he must not be caught,she must not return to the palace". The boss stood up too" this guy is smooth and a dare devil,he won't get caught,I assure you, he'll deliver".The man nodded"I hope for your sake you are right,cos if anything goes wrong,well....you don't want to know what happens when am......... displeased".He put his mask back on and left.The boss let out the air he'd been holding,as much as he trusted Desmond's skills,he couldn't take any chances.

He called his men and assigned two of them" you will go to Desmond's location and keep a close eye on them from a distance,do not let anyone suspect that you are following them,you will follow them from a distance and makes sure he goes to the location and delivers the package,go,now". The men nodded and left.The girl would not be brought to the casino,he was the biggest criminal in town and he'd be the first person they'd suspect,and he was sure all his properties would be searched,so instead,they'd arranged a more secure location for the girl.He had wanted Desmond to do this job alone because he was smart besides if he had sent his men,it would have been impossible for all of them to leave the palace without one of them been shot at or caught.

The boss looked around his office,business wasn't as good as it used to be,the security forces with order from the king kept interrupting his shipments and confiscating his goods.This had made him highly indepted to his suppliers and the only reason he wasn't behind bars was because the king and his force didn't have sufficient evidence that he was the owner of the seized goods.All his strings of badluck had been caused by the king and he was going to make him pay,he smiled.

The boss had always hated the king,he was too self righteous for his liking,he had no idea though how to deal with him,not until the masked stranger had contacted him about a job that would pay him 10million francs and freedom to operate,he couldn't let such an offer pass.When he had heard that it involved the king,well,he had loved the job even more.He needed this job to go smoothly,he wouldn't let anything or anyone stand in the way.If this is successful,he would get the power he had always dreamt of.

The king was standing in the garden breathing in the sweet scent of all the beautiful flowers,more than anything else in the palace,they reminded him a lot of his late wife and daughter.They had both loved this garden and tended and transform it into a little paradise,he could almost see his wife and daughter at age 3,his wife would harvest a flower and give their baby to smell,she'd always say" mum,it's beautiful,more than the first one", she always said that,after her mother the queen had died,Nile had tended the garden,it made her felt a little close to her mum.The king smiled.He missed his daughter so much,the place was just empty without her,he wouldn't be able to take it if anything happened to her,he couldn't loose her too,he just couldnt" I promise you my love,I'll find our daughter no matter what,I won't let her get hurt".The King turned to go back inside and almost collided with his brother"I've been looking everywhere for you,there's something I need to discuss with you".The king was anxious" what is it,any updates on my daughter's whereabouts?".His brother shook his head in denial" not yet brother,it's about Vinnie".The king's expression changed to curiousity"what about him?".Vinnie lowered his voice a little" I have a strong feeling he's involved with this whole thing,he could be the Mastermind behind this charade"The king smiled" that's impossible,I know the man and I trust him,he won't do anything that will jeopardise our friendship or harm the princess,I have absolute confidence in him". Jeremy frowned" ok,I hope you are right,I hope this kingdom and this family do suffer because of this blind trust".The king parted him on the back"trust me,he's safe don't worry".The king walked past his brother,leaving tight fist and a look mysterious look on his face with an obviously forced smile.