I'll Protect You (Re-Edit #2, 2016)

Code: Red? Please, call me when you reach a Code: Zero

Dedicated to Anha, whose comments literally fill me with joy and happiness. You're like a bundle of sunshine, like how on earth are you so positive and sweet?? This is also for you, Anha, because I know you hate my cliffhangers which is why I know you'll just LOVE the end of this chapter

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When Logan and I rushed to the restaurant located inside one of the most expensive hotels in the city, we found it swarming with XYZ agents. Guests were being ushered upstairs by bellboys and I caught sight of a manager apologizing for the hassle, explaining that it was a "royal emergency."

You can say that again. 

A few agents directed us towards the ballroom, where we found my father calming down my hysterical mother, but it was a futile struggle. Her sobs only got worse, and it seemed with every second she grew more and more unstable. 

"Park!" my father cried in relief as he saw us dashing through the doors. "Oh, thank the stars, you're safe." 

My mother rose to her feet and practically collapsed into my arms when I stopped in front of my parents. Her tears began to stain the back of my shirt as she wrapped me tightly against her, her fingers winding themselves in my hair. 

"Didn't I tell you Park was okay?" my father said softly as he put a hand on her lower back. I felt my mom nod into my neck before my father gently pried her off of me.

"She's perfectly fine," he continued. "And Jasper will be safe as well. We'll find him, love. I swear to you that we'll bring him home."

He settled my mother into a chair, stroking her back until it seemed that she was slightly more relaxed than she had been when I arrived. Then, after a swift kiss on her cheek, he pulled me away, back towards the ballroom doors. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I saw that Logan was now comforting my mother and a smile passed on my lips before it swiftly faded. 

"Show me the message," my father asked in a low tone. I pulled out my phone and unlocked it before placing it into his hand. His eyes scanned the message I received and a furious fire began to burn in the back of his eyes. 

"How did they..." my father seethed, venom embed into his voice, and the hand clutching my phone began to turn a ghostly white. He didn't get a chance to finish his thought, however, for an agent walked up to him and the two began to chat in hushed volumes. 

I took this as a sign that I should leave, so I turned on my heel and wandered towards the hotel entrance, watching as more and more agents strode in. Some of them recognized me and took a moment to bow before going on their way. No one stopped to chat. Everyone was moving with a purpose and the longest sentence uttered to me was, "Welcome back home, your Highness."

"You should take a seat," a voice by my side said. Logan appeared, eyeing me with concern. "You've been shaking ever since you got the message."

"No," I stated with vehemence. "I'm not sitting until I find Jasper."

"You turned whiter than a corpse when you read that message. What did it say? Did it say Jasper's life was in danger?" Logan inquired, inching closer. 

"It just said that they have Jasper and that they're waiting for their ransom," I lied.

"Then you can sit down for now. They're waiting for our next move, and chances are more than likely that they need Jasper alive if they want to keep their lives and collect their ransom."

"I can't! Not when I know that there's the possibility that...that..." My voice trailed to a silence as horrible scenarios flashed before my eyes. I bit on my lips as the beating inside my chest began to quicken in erratic paces.