Olivia Sparks

[Certain scenes are graphic and could be upsetting to some. Proceed with caution. Discretion is advised.]

Maxen and Olivia had the timeline in their minds, so it was easy for them to backtrack and check previous months.

It didn't surprise them when they saw the same ship floating in international waters months prior, but what had them wondering was why it never crossed the line as if the captain was afraid to explain their unofficial presence in the territorial waters of Nisia.

Maxen pinched his thumb and index finger together, and then slowly parted it to zoom the image on the screen.

Second by second, the pixilated image cleared, revealing mirrored eagles—one held a sword while the other held a globe with each of their claws.

"What is Nuovo's royal fleet doing near our waters?" Olivia wondered aloud when the Royal Family of Vuono's coat of arms painted on the vessel's hull flashed on the screen.

At first, she thought it was some random shipping company floating in international waters to avoid legalities by docking in Nisia, but after seeing the coat of arms as clear as day, it didn't bode well with Olivia.

There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Why would the official ship of Vuono disembark on a journey thousands of miles away every three months for a mere shipment of minerals?

Something didn't add right.

"There must be more than minerals," Maxen said exactly what was in Olivia's mind.

"Guns?"

"That's a given, baby."

Olivia exhaled through pursed lips. "That royal fleet won't sail without a royal in it. That is the protocol. "

"I'm aware of that."

"Who do you think was aboard the ship?" She eyed Maxen and shifted a bit to get a look of his face. "You look furious," she stated.

"I am. And maybe I will turn full rampage if my guess is right." He didn't want to say more than what was needed, and Olivia respected his answer by behaving on his l.a.p. 

Maxen's hand squeezed Olivia's waist. He knew she was curious to hear what's on his mind, but he would rather discuss the gritty details with his generals than his darling wife, despite her uncanny love for morbid movies. 

Suddenly, a thumbnail popped up on the screen when the motion sensors of the cameras in the hallway were activated by the arrival of Wyatt and a group of decorated men and women in uniform.

Hopping off from Maxen, Olivia asked, seductively batting her eyelashes, "Can I stay a little more?"

"You know you can't, baby." Maxen wrapped his arms around Olivia's waist, pinning her c.h.e.s.t to his. 

He pecked her lips as if it would pacify his wife, but there was no harm in trying his luck.

"Okay. I guess I'll hang around Emily and Ava today then." Her voice reeked with a threat that he would pick her up again at The Distillery, and to her shock, Maxen retaliated with a smacking swat to her b.u.t.t.

"No, you didn't!" Her mouth formed into an 'O' when the sting of Maxen's spanking bit her skin.

"I just did. And I will do it again if I see you one more time in places where you shouldn't be idling about." 

Jutting her chin up in defiance, Olivia countered, "Perfect. I happened to be married to one of the owners of the bar. I can get us a discount for a dinner date and a l.a.p dance too."

To her dismay, instead of witnessing a riled up version of Maxen, bewilderment painted Olivia's face at how amused Maxen seemed to be.

"Just a heads-up, Emily and Ava are waiting for you in Notios," he informed her, pinching her chin.

She freed herself from his clutch, yanking his arm off her. "Huh? Why?"

"You'll know once you get home. Now off you go. Your husband has to earn a living." He peeled himself from their embrace and cupped Olivia's shoulders to turn her about-face.

She begrudgingly shrugged away from his hold, shooting daggers over her shoulders once they reached the door.

"Get your hands off me," she seethed, but all she received was Maxen grinning like a fool as he gave her b.u.t.t a good squeeze.

…

A few nights later, Wyatt was napping with his feet propped on the car's dashboard while he was in an undercover operation in the port.

That morning, they received intel that Vuono's royal fleet was "passing" yet again near Nisia's territorial waters.

Unlike the previous times when they ignored such news, a special task force was formed to investigate the event.

The task of filling all access points with eyes and ears was easy breezy to say the least. The tricky part, however, was the fact that they had to operate blindly, with no clue which of the hundreds of sh.i.p.s in the port would deliver the goods to Vuono's royal fleet.

Finally, at two in the morning, the walkie talkie came alive, jerking Wyatt from his slumber.

In no time, Wyatt and his team hid behind the shadows, watching a convoy of three trucks whirl past them.

Turning the ignition on, Wyatt trailed the convoy. He was driving an unsuspecting cart bearing the Lee Shipping Lines' logo.

When the convoy stopped, Wyatt drove past them before passing the wheel to his subordinate.

Not far from where the transfer of shipment was happening, Wyatt and three more soldiers took stealthy steps towards the boat to avoid detection.

Once they were close enough to get a visual, Wyatt spoke through his comms, speaking on his mic to give a tally of how many were moving between the ship and the convoy.

Wyatt bade his time. He couldn't mess up this operation or they would miss their chance of successfully apprehending the smugglers and the bigger fish hiding in Vuono's royal fleet.

He couldn't hijack the transaction and attract attention, so he had to wait for the perfect opportunity to attack.

Dressed as a port inspector, the soldier who was left behind the cart emerged from the shadows of towering cargos with a tactical light in one hand.

"Hey fellas," the undercover agent greeted. He then double-clicked the button of his flashlight, blinding the men near the gangway.

The distraction was enough to turn all eyes and attention towards the undercover agent, leaving the gangway open for Wyatt to cross.

"Hold a sec!" a man barked, halting Wyatt on his feet. He turned to face the men who studied him from head to toe. "Tell the captain we're leaving in ten." 

Nodding his head, Wyatt turned his back, and a smile crossed his face as he walked deeper into the vessel with two of his men behind him.

Inside the ship, Wyatt and his men scanned the area looking for a container to break to gather evidence.

Lucky for them, the team didn't have to scour the area for long, and they breathed in a collective sigh of relief upon seeing a crate instead of a container on the main deck.

One soldier took a photo of the two crates full of precious metals using the camera disguised as a button on his jumpsuit.

Upon seeing that his subordinate took enough evidence, Wyatt jerked his thumb to the cabin's direction where they would wait until the ship would sail towards Vuono's royal fleet. 

After almost an hour of waiting, the ship was close enough to the royal fleet for an exchange to happen. 

Wyatt then stretched his legs to join the rest of the crew who were working on the main deck, securing a gangway between two sh.i.p.s.

Wyatt was impressed. It was his first time seeing an exchange between two vessels in the middle of the sea.

He never thought it was possible until he saw a guy wheeling out the crate towards the receiving end of Vuono's royal fleet.

It was when Wyatt was on his way back to the cabin that he heard a familiar voice. 

He peered to the side and was shocked to see the King of Vuono walking through the gangway as though it was his red carpet. 

Arriving at the ship, Nikolai Vasiliev stood with his aristocrat nose pointed up in the air. 

He clearly hated the smell, but the twitch in his eyes was telling that he was excited for some unknown reasons.

"Record everything," Wyatt whispered to the soldier beside him, who then pressed a button on his jumpsuit to start recording the whole ordeal.

The three undercover agents felt their lungs shrink the longer they stood on the sidelines. As if everything was rehearsed before Nikolai Vasiloiev's arrival, men stood in attention when footsteps pitter-pattered against the rusty steel floor.

Slowly, shadows emerged out of the darkness, and it made Wyatt's fingers curl into a fist.

Wyatt knew he was a good for nothing sc.u.mbag by cheating on Emily, but nothing came closer to Nikolai's scale of evil.

Finding the perfect adjective to describe the King of Vuono, Wyatt gritted his teeth.

Monster. Nikolai Vasiliev is a monster with a crown sitting on top of his head.

He didn't have to think twice. Against all protocols, Wyatt activated his SOS tracker, hoping that even if he ended up dying in that boat that night, the little girls as young as his Aerith would be saved from the clutches of a monster.

Hi guys! I'd really appreciate your powerstones for my New Year's Special story Titled: Stellar Step for a 1001 Mile Journey. It's a story about a girl named Stellar who grew up receiving criticisms from her family, and how she decided to break the chains that held her back all the years plus the two men who would vie for her attention. Sounds excitiiiing right? BTW, Contest runs 12/14-12/28. Thank you so much!