Men of Power

Niveo was a medium sized Sovereign country overseen by King Marcus for the last thirty years. It was governed by its own laws. Many of the laws in Norde City and Bern City were not acknowledged by Niveo. Especially laws about women and marital issues. Niveo was a heavily patriarchal society that limited women's rights to live alone, take part in commerce, and decide matrimonial issues.

In Niveo, all a man needed to do to take a wife was bring her to his home and keep her there for thirty days. The lady could contest it but if she wasn't beaten, or spoken for by someone that outranked the man, and he could prove the ability to provide for her, she would lose.

Climbing back into the car, Tim asked. "What is King Marcus's surname?" Tim leaned forward telling the driver to take them to the law firm.

Caleb pulled out his phone and ran a quick search on King Marcus. "You're not going to believe it."

Timothy sighed. "Just tell me."

"Merches." Caleb groaned. "How are we going to win a fight with the royal family?"

"We are not, Mia is never getting on the plane. I doubt they can leave today, even a Prince of Niveo would have to provide documents for a woman and two children to travel internationally." Timothy told his friend praying he was right.

Tim checked his tracker. Were they going to the new house? Wait, the Merches estate was their neighbor. No, they couldn't fly yet. They had a minute to get reinforcements. A few minutes later they arrived at the law firm. Tim and Caleb hurried to Jason's office. When they got there, they noted that Jason, Nathan, and Claude were there. It didn't matter, Tim didn't have time to worry about Claude.

Tim pulled Jason aside and told him there was an emergency. Jason asked Tim what was going on. So, Tim told the brothers the entire sordid story that had occurred this morning and of Mia's flight with the children.

"He could just be lying about the misunderstanding. He could be trying to get us to help him keep Mia and the children and be completely guilty. There is no way to know." Claude spat.

Tim looked at Jason. "Why would I do everything I have done just to throw it away?"

Jason huffed. "Tell me the whole story about Luna and her son."

Timothy nodded and told him everything up until today. Everything he could think of. "She has been out to get Mia and Ginger this whole time, but I thought there would be more time to deal with it once Mia and I were out in the open with the twins."

Tim ran his hand over his face roughly. "I swear to you, Jason. I didn't do this. I couldn't. I've never wanted anyone but Mia, ever." Jason watched Tim for a minute catching the meaning of his words.

"Where is Mia and the children?" Jason asked Tim.

"They are at the Merches estate with Nicholas." Tim said looking at his phone to verify that that was still true. "For now..." Tim said stressing the importance of those two words.

"How do know that?" Nathan asked.

"There is a tracking chip in Ginger's bracelet. I tried to broker a deal with Technosphere, but you said the technology was unreliable. It works really well by the way." Tim answered.

"You chipped your daughter?" Jason asked appalled.

"I have a wife with a wicked tendency to run away if she gets upset, sue me." Tim threw his hands in the air frustrated.

"You realize your talking to a lawyer in a law firm, right? Jason snorted.

"What do you mean wife?" Claude questioned. Jason groaned and told his brother that Mia and Tim were married and expecting a child.

"And you're getting caught with other women, you're a real bastard, aren't you?" Claude stood up and started toward Tim.

"Enough!" Tim roared. "We don't have time for this. Nicholas plans to take them to Niveo."

"What?" Nathan gasped. "No, that can't be true. Who told you that?"

"Rachel told me that. Do you people not know who you have been trying to marry Mia to?" Tim was getting agitated and paced quickly.

Timothy stopped right in front of Jason. "Nicholas is King Marcus's only son. Apparently, Nick hates his father and the whole mess but because Mia asked him to hide her and the children from me. He will take them to Niveo. Do you think King Marcus will give up a full set of heirs considering the political upheaval there lately about the lack of a line of succession. I doubt he would even care if the children were Nicholas's if it shuts up his rivals. We would never see them again as long as King Marcus lives."

Jason cursed a long string of colorful expletives. "Let's go." No one argued this time. Jason called for his car to be brought round plus a second car with eight security guards. Everyone loaded up and followed Timothy's car to Mia and Tim's marital home.

When they arrived, the cars parked, and people climbed out wandering around. They had a small army which was good because they might need one. These properties were heavily secured. Tim stared across the expansive field to the Merches estate. He could just see two dots on the back veranda.

Timothy checked his tracking app. Ginger was still there. At least that was something. He watched as the two dots went inside then a few minutes later reemerged as he was looking at his tracking app. He had been trying to see how close it would go to the exact location of Ginger when it blinked out.

"No!" Tim cried. "It's gone, she found it. I have no way to find them now!"

"Tim, what happened?" Jason asked, truly concerned by the man's distress.

"Mia found the chip and destroyed it." Tim's head dropped and he heaved a ragged breath. "I have no way to find them now. If I can't convince them not to leave here..." Timothy shook his head.

Jason looked across the field. "Why don't you, Caleb, and I walk over there and try to talk to her? Try to explain the misunderstanding? Nathan can keep things under control here. I think it's worth a shot." Tim nodded and called for Caleb while Jason talked to Nathan. Nathan wanted to go as well but Jason thought it might be better if they kept the group small.

The trio trudged across the uneven fields slowly enough to not appear too threatening. Nicholas was standing on the veranda, the three of them stopped about fifty feet away. Tim couldn't help crossing his arms over his chest. He felt defensive. Tim was terrified that despite everything he was going to lose it all. He asked repeatedly to talk to Mia. Eventually just calling out to her. Until Nick said he would ask if she would come talk to him. Nicholas was being decent; he just wanted to protect Mia from him.

Mia eventually came to talk to him, but it was obvious that she didn't believe his story. She didn't understand that Timothy couldn't hurt her like that. That he couldn't be with someone else. It was his fault that she couldn't trust in what they had. He had never told her how he felt. Mia was going to walk away from him so he finally found the will to say the words. He could not lose her. Mia asked what she was to him?

"You are my wife and the mother of my children." Mia didn't stop. "Damn it, Mia. I love you! "Don't do this to us" Mia paused for a beat looking out at Barrett.

It was too little too late. Mia thought he was just saying those words to use them against her. That he had disgraced their marriage and would now use love as a weapon against her too. Tim doubled over as she walked away and put his hands on his knees. He couldn't catch his breath. Timothy tried to slow everything down, but he was hyperventilating, dizzy. He collapsed to the ground.

Jason and Caleb hauled him up. Caleb told him they would come up with another plan, but he knew it wouldn't matter. He had lost them. Tim had failed to take care of the problems in their lives, and they had destroyed everything just like Mia said they would that night back at Aide Castle when she had told him goodbye. Mia and the twins were gone, and he didn't have the will to breathe anymore.

Then something Tim wasn't expecting happened. Nicholas asked them to wait. He had them come up on the veranda and told them very bluntly what his plans were and what he wanted from Timothy.