Unsuccessful Search

To the east of the capital, where there were vast green areas and sports zones, two black minivans were parked in the parking lot; while some men in casual clothes were walking around.

As if it were a group of friends who came to have a good time camping overnight, there were more people of different ages, but most of them were young.

The hours passed and it was already dark. That group had traveled unusually far until they reached the Almodovar hill and behind them came the two minivans.

- Chief, I think we'd better split up," said one of the men. - said one of the men.

- ... Yeah, I guess... Okay, Team A will go northeast, Team B will go southwest. Let's call out in case of any sightings. Understood? - Walter ordered

- No problem. - Thomas said.

As they split up, the two concealed vehicles also split up behind the teams.

- You heard that, Eric.

- Yes," replied the male driver of one of the minivans.

- Don't let anyone see you and keep your lights off. - said Walter over the intercom.

- Understood. - replied Bruno, who was driving the other vehicle.

 That guardian of the princess, who was wearing night vision goggles, looked in the rearview mirror and noticed some packages and weapons placed on the back seats.

- I must be careful...

Walking for more than half an hour, one of the shoulders of the first team spoke.

- Boss ... I know we are trying to go unnoticed, but isn't it dangerous for us to go practically unarmed?

- Yes, but in case they find us or take us hostage, our goal is to find them and know exactly where they operate... Besides, Bruno and the other one will pose as strangers... Don't worry, we'll have a chance to enlist.

- I-I see...

Being prepared with contingency plans, the teams began their search throughout the terrain.

Searching through the brush and rocks, the men seemed to be trying to find something on the ground; but found nothing.

- Chief Thomas ... is it true that they were seen here? - one of the men asked.

- ... So says the information that the princess shared ... a group bringing several sacks the size of a person were seen in the early morning several weeks ago ... the citizens of the surroundings thought they were going to make some satanic cult or sacrifices, but suddenly they disappeared with those sacks, they say that there may be a subway entrance ... or so says the information we have.

This explanation gave hope, but also anguish when listening to it.

The group continued walking.

Inside a room in the Beltran residence where three people were alone, a disturbing conversation seemed to end.

- Dead bodies inside a car?! - exclaimed Emily.

- ... Again, could you tell me, why would you go there? - asked Roger.

- ... As I said ... a friend of mine who passed away recently left me a message to pick something up there, but in the end I didn't find anything.

Reflecting the doubts and impressions on their faces from all that was said, one of them spoke.

- Could it have been terrorists? - Roger wondered.

- What?

- For some time now, it has been said that there are terrorist groups near the capital ... it seems that they are fighting among themselves according to what you said, Aren ...

- ...

- So ... upon seeing the corpses, the driver got distracted and lost control of the wheel and the car fell down a small hill? - Emily asked somewhat suspiciously.

- ... Well, yes. - replied Aren.

- Well, I don't blame them ... seeing such a scene would also have left me shocked and even traumatized ... no wonder it seemed to me that Melissa was behaving strangely. - Roger commented.

Although the story was convincing to Count Beltran, Emily was not so easily convinced.

"Now I understand ... but the only thing I don't understand is why Melissa showed that look when she saw him ... it was as if she had found a new toy ... What is the relationship between the two of them?" thought Roger.

- Well ... fortunately, they weren't hurt ... they only had some bruises and slight bumps. - said Emily sighing.

- Yes ...

- ... Mnn ... Aren, before I go I have a question ...

Aren looked at the count with some concern.

- About my daughter, Melissa and you ... is there something you have to tell me?

This question dismayed Emily.

- ... Yes, there is something ... it seems that I can no longer hide it ...

Aren's incomplete answer left the young woman even more worried. Jealousy? Envy?

- ... I ... his daughter ...

Emily's breath seemed to have been cut off as she listened.

- With all due respect, I think Melissa is someone quite strange ... I feel as if she thinks I'm her source of amusement ... - replied the young man.

- What? - muttered Emily.

Roger sighed and looked away.

- Yes, it seems I wasn't wrong... Sorry about that, I'll try to restrain Melissa... Well, that's all from my side. I'll leave you alone... Ah, yes! They warn me about what they wanted to pick up... it was in Loarre, wasn't it? Then you can tell me the details, Aren. - Roger said as he stood up and left the room.

Emily sighed in relief.

"¿? ... It seems that they took it better than I thought ... Just like the story I told them ... if I told them the truth, I don't think they would believe me ... ... On the other hand, it seems that Roger realized the condition of his daughter ... Counting then there are two traumatized women in this house ... I hope the number doesn't increase." thought Aren coolly.

- Well, I'm leaving too ... I have some business to deal with early tomorrow morning. - said Emily.

- ...

As the door closed, leaving Aren alone in the living room, he stood and looked out the window.

"The day after tomorrow I must meet with Russell again ... There are several things I must know ... I must also figure out how to get Melissa off my back ..."

Looking out the window, Aren noticed that, in the distance, three cars were approaching the entrance to the mansion.

- ¿?

The search was not looking promising; the two teams were now searching with flashlights as if they were campers or scouts.

The only company they had was the strong breeze of the night wind and the moon at the top of the sky watching them.

- Hey... do we want to be seen? If not, then you don't think using the lanterns is bad? 

- No, we'll just pose as campers or a group of ghost hunters ... like those channels that are packed on YouTube ... the thing is to find something. - Thomas replied.

- I see ... for an old man, you seem to be well informed. - commented one of the men.

- Who's an old man?! Don't you know that 40 is the new 20? - Thomas exclaimed.

- Aha.

Suddenly, a voice came over the intercoms.

- Team B, do you copy?

- B-team, this is B-team. - Thomas replied.

- Have you found anything?

- ... No, nothing yet.

- Okay, come all geared up, we'll be the decoys. Looks like we found a rat sniffing around here bringing a 'bag'. - Walter said.

- Roger that.

Everyone immediately retreated to the minivan to get ready and go to the first team's location.

Arriving at the A-team's location, everyone could see the flashlights on. Reasonably, the second team remained at a safe distance from the other team lying on the ground so as not to be discovered.

- Boss, it looks like they're here.

- Well ... let's follow the footprints ... - said Walter who was illuminating the floor where the sneaker marks along the ground were shown.

The A-team began to follow the tracks acting like men who foolishly acted as if they were a group of drunken friends.

- ... every time they get two meters away, we stop and follow them, understood? - Thomas ordered.

- Yes, sir. - they all answered quietly.

- Good ... I hope it won't be too far ... otherwise this will kill my back.

An embrace between two young women who had not seen each other for months, tears streaming down their faces and the compassionate looks of those present made clear the expected meeting of this pair of friends who were like sisters.

Emily, who was still sitting, but receiving a warm hug from her best friend, Sofia, could not stop crying with joy. It was different from the time she met her maids, as it seemed they both shared a deep relationship where they had been through similar situations in the past.

Yes, both Sophia and Emily were two orphaned women and sole heirs to a title of great importance who could trust no one. Suffering what inherited power and wealth had brought about at a young age, the two seemed to understand each other quite well, as they had many similarities.

- E-Emily ... r-really ... is it you ...

- Sofia ... H-How did you ...?

- I spoke to Princess Lisbeth ... she told me you were here.

- What?

Although the appearance of her dear friend brought her much joy, Emily knew that if anyone knew about this meeting it could endanger Sofia's life.

- ... Don't worry, Emi... I already know everything... I will support you from the shadows, I won't let anyone know I'm on your side, just let me help you.

Emily didn't know what to answer. As she looked around she saw that there were people who were willing to help her, her uncle, Roger; her cousin, Melissa, the princess, Lisbeth; her friend, Sophia and, as she saw him enter last, Aren also gave his word to help her.

It was as if the wounds in her heart and distrust were just beginning to heal.

Aren noticing this smiled pleasantly.

"I guess this was what she needed... something that only I couldn't give her... coupled with her strong will, I don't think it will take long for her heart to heal." thought Aren as he watched that scene until he was interrupted.

- Hey, aren't you going to introduce yourself? - said John, Roger's only son.

- ... No, I'm fine here.

- But aren't you Emily's boyfriend? - said the boy innocently.

- ... I'm not her boyfriend.

- But I've seen you go into her room several times.

- ...

- Not even my father or any other man has ever entered her room alone with her.

- ...I can't argue against that logic... But I don't.

Almost more than twenty minutes of walking passed and at last the footprints seemed to come to an end.

In front of them they could glimpse a small building made of stones and deteriorated wood. That kind of very small house had a moth-eaten wooden door, but the footprints indicated.

- Wow, what's this, kid?! Are you serious?! - exclaimed one of the men pretending to be a drunken fool.

- Yeah, let's see what's inside...I hope it's drink, since we're all out of it. - said another.

- I hope there's a woman inside, I wouldn't mind fucking her when she's cold. No, it's better that way, since they don't scream! - said another, laughing as if he really looked like an ungrateful man.

All the others looked at him offended.

- What did I say now?

One of the men sighed.

- It was just acting, not being a real jerk.

- You overdo it...sometimes you look like a criminal.

- You're lucky the princess didn't hear you. 

Yes, although Lisbeth was otherwise occupied, those comments were heard over the intercoms being tracked by Marcus. However, just as importantly, the entire development of the search was heard by Lois, Victoria and the others.

- Let's just open the door. - Walter said as he let out a sigh.

Positioning themselves all, a sharp blow was no good. Two, three kicks given at once seemed to move the moth-eaten door a little, but they understood that it was locked.

Everyone understood that they had probably found what they were looking for.

Alerted, the second team, the A-team retreated and went to get ready for the minivan that was not far from that place.

- Do you think this is the entrance?

- I guess... besides, if this isn't a homeless man's house, then what else would it be? - said another of the men.

- Never mind ... we've spent hours searching and this is what we've been able to find ... it's now or never. - said Thomas.

One of them shone a light on the door and saw that it was as they told him, apparently it was locked from the inside, because the door had a broken lock.

Between two people taking impulse, they ran and pushed with all their strength and managed to break down the door.

The whole place became dusty; however, when they moved the door in the middle, they could certainly see a sack the size of a person at the side of that small place.

- Where is the guy, why would he leave this here? - one of them asked.

That question was answered the moment the door was removed. Yes, the first team was not wrong in saying they saw the someone, but it was not what they expected.

Sitting on the floor, there was another person who possibly brought that bag, but he was dead. The interesting thing about it was that on his knees was a piece of paper written.

A message that said only two words: 'We are moving'.

Soon there was a beeping sound as if it were an alarm. Within seconds Thomas noticed something, inside the trouser pocket of the corpse he had found there was a red light glinting on the fabric.

Yes, Thomas' fears had come true.

Having finished changing Walter's gear, they were quickly about to set off until they were startled by a thunderous noise.

- It can't be! Everybody down! - the old butler exclaimed.

Eric was alarmed.

A huge explosion had occurred in that meeting place spreading a layer of sand and dust along with a gust of wind bringing stones as if they were projectiles around their entire diameter.

- A-Team, are you there?! A-Team, respond! - Walter exclaimed over the intercom, but no one responded.