Monday Morning
Arthur’s fear was losing Nichole to another man. Although he was a strong man, the fear of losing the people he loved had been his weakness. He was confident of Nichole’s love for him, but unless he possessed her legally, he would not be placid. He had to protect her until Thursday when they would tie the nuptial knot, and he must devise a means of doing that.
(Peck)
“I am so glad that you are the first thing I will see every morning for the rest of my life. Good morning, my sunshine.”
Nichole smiled as she opened her eyes gradually and responded, “Good morning, my Knight in shining armor.”
She got up, sat down on the bed, and yawned groggily while Arthur watched her with concern.
“You look tired.”
“Yes, Hubby. I wish I could just rest at home today,” she stated.
What a coincidence. He had been thinking of a way to make her stay at home until their wedding day. Now, he had gotten the chance effortlessly and must use it judiciously.
Then, he gave her another peck on her temple and inquired, “Who says it is not possible? A physician can be a patient sometimes and need to take a break.”
“Yes. You are right, Hubby. I will call my hospital to inform them that I need a break and obtain permission to be off work.”
“That will be fine. In that case, I will get off work early, too, to stay with you.”
“That will be all right by me.”
Arthur laughed softly and teased her, “What excuse will you give to your boss? Overdose of getting your kettle amended?”
Nichole smiled weakly and replied, “I will tell him that it is generous hanky-panky from my Prince Charming.”
They laughed again and he reminded her, “When you mentioned Prince Charming, you reminded me of that Friday when we were taking Louis back to Seven Oaks.”
Nichole laughed softly and added, “When you were busy misunderstanding and leering me with brooding eyes.”
“Well, I’m happy it is over. Let me get ready for work. We are having breakfast here. I will ask the chef to do that. You can go back to sleep.”
“Thank you, for that, Hubby,” she said and called the hospital.
She informed her superior of her health challenges. He was sorry to hear that and promised to swap her with another nurse to cover up for her. Instantly, she laid back on the bed.
Afterward, Arthur got out of bed, walked to the Kitchen, and instructed the chef on what to do before he returned to the bedroom. He walked into the bathroom and took his bath and soon, he was through. After their breakfast, he was ready to leave. Nevertheless, he had one challenge, her handset.
He had carefully distracted her from all that took place on Saturday. There was no guarantee that she would not check her phone while she would be alone. Then, he tried to pull a string to see if it would work. Now, she attempted to pick up her phone and he looked at her with a feign surprise.
“Why the phone, I thought you needed rest?” he asked her.
“Yes, Hubby. I wanted to…”
“No Nichole. I would not have you joke with your health. I would rather keep the phone for you until you have had enough rest.”
Nichole, who did not have much need for the phone, willingly handed it over to him.
“You can have it. I am going back to sleep.”
He collected it and gave her a peck on her temple before he announced, “Okay. I will be back very soon.”
“It is all right, Hubby. Be careful.”
“I will. Thank you.”
He left the house with the boldness of a fulfilled man.
At Stephen’s Apartment
He had partially recovered from the pain and had planned his revenge tactics since he could not report to the authorities.
‘Abducting her won’t be a bad idea. After all, she is a single woman. As for Denise, I will speak his language. By the time Arthur is dead, he will have no protection over him, and he will be nothing but a worthless orphan,’ he thought as he put his mercenaries in place.
When he informed Arthur on Saturday of his intentions to get married, he was happy because he thought it was a step to leading a responsible life. As a family member, they did not have any record of criminal activities about him, but his lifestyle was disturbing. His kind of business A resort where he had a restaurant and bar, made his lifestyle questionable. His kind of business, gambling, and other vices may not be far from their speculation.
That day, he had his plans rolled out. He had provided the details and photo of Arthur to his three hired assassins. They were to strike on his way to work. He was aware that Arthur hardly moved out with security guards or drivers and used a particular route. Getting him was as easy as apple pie.
“I need a seamless job. Is that clear?” He asked them over the phone.
“Yes, Boss. What of the woman? How do we abduct her?”
“I will handle that. Never mind,” he declared.
“It is all right.”
On The Road
The three men were out to execute their plans. They were standing on a lonely road with a police uniform and a van. The unsuspecting motorists were glad that, at last, the government had thought of deploying security personnel to guard the lonely road, and they complimented the work one after the other.
“This is a good one.”
“This place had always been overlooked by the government.”
“Wow. This spot had always given me concern.”
At The Government Hospital
The overconfident Stephen was at the government hospital car park with his partner, Jude Addy. He was a twenty-one-year-old boy whom he employed to work with him on such occasions. Nevertheless, they already had their strategies mapped out.