When Alex came racing into the front yard of the house, he caused a stir among the crowd and the policemen. He didn't pay any attention to them. He drove right up to the front of the house and ran straight for the door.
A dozen policemen came running at him from all directions. As he reached the front porch, he was surrounded.
Commissioner Billings came walking up to him. "Mr. Ambrose. You can't go in now. There's a wedding going on."
He respects me, Alex thought with some relief. He must remember what happened at the Tinsdale Hotel, and my relationship with the queen of Brunei. If anyone else were on duty, there would be a fight.
But he had no time to argue. "I'm going inside, Commissioner. Please tell your men to step aside."
Commissioner Billings frowned. "I'm here to ensure that the wedding goes smoothly, young man. Please don't make a scene."
Alex could feel his time running out. He wanted to knock the police down and rush inside.
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind him. "This boy was awarded the National Medal of Honor of Brunei just a few days ago, Commissioner. Are you trying to stir up an international dispute?"
Alex looked behind him and saw that it was Nelly.
She walked up to Alex, glared at him, and said, "Show it to him."
Alex took out his medal and showed it to Commissioner Billings.
Nelly smiled. "Commissioner, are you aware that receiving the National Medal of Honor makes you a nobleman of Brunei? If you try to stop Alex by force, who knows what the sultan might think."
Commissioner Billings thought about his situation. By using police resources to provide security for David's wedding, he was already in danger of violating the law. The last thing he needed was an investigation into his activities. If Nelly was telling the truth, that was exactly what would happen.
Besides, the commissioner thought, I've been told that many cities rich and powerful were there when Alex received the medal. They must know about its significance. If I let him pass, the Drakes couldn't protest.
The commissioner looked around him at the crowd of officers who had gathered around them. "Let him pass!" he barked. "Get back outside and maintain order." The officers dispersed.
"Thank you," Alex said to Nelly.
As he took his first step into the house, a voice cried out from inside. "Nobody's entering this house!"
A thin middle-aged man in grey clothes came walking up the hallway toward Alex. This man was Ryder Dixon. He was one of the new fighters David had hired a few days earlier, after he beat ten of his best men.
He looked at Alex and said coldly, "Do you think you can just go inside? There are rules. Turn around and walk away, and I promise I won't hurt you."
Right as he finished speaking, Alex could see the shadows of four people who came walking up behind him. It was the Moon girls.
"Nobody threatens Mr. Alex like that," said Celeste.
The girls raised their hands and stepped toward Ryder. He took one step backwards and got into a defensive posture. The girls started taking jabs at him, and he was surprised by their fighting prowess. He almost looked a little scared.
He managed to repel the first few strikes, but then Celeste struck him hard in the stomach. It took the wind right out of him, and he barely managed to dodge the next blow from Callisto.
Seeing that he was getting disoriented, Selene took the opportunity to punch him in the chest. The blow sent him reeling and gasping for air. Before he could recover, he was hit repeatedly all over his body.
"Apologize!" Celeste shouted, and the girls all punched him in the stomach at the same time. Ryder fell to his knees and threw up.
Once their foe had been defeated, the girls looked back toward Alex. When they saw Nelly standing next to him, they raised their hands against her. They remembered that she had been Zora's maid. Nelly took a step back and made a defensive posture.
"Don't!" Alex shouted. He stepped in-between Nelly and the Moon Maidens to stop them from fighting. "The feud between Georgina and Zora had nothing to do with her. I have something really important to do, and I can't be watching over you. Do as I say, or I'll be really angry."
The girls looked puzzled and unhappy, but Alex had made his will known. They wouldn't disobey him.
Meanwhile, the people around them had been stunned by what they had witnessed. Four young girls had gone up against a rough-looking security guard and bested him easily. It was like something out of a movie.
Ryder Dixon was as mystified as any of them. He was still lying on the ground and looking up at the girls. He couldn't believe they had beaten him. Alex stepped over him to walk into the house.
As he did so, another voice came booming through the hall. "Didn't you hear? You're not coming in!"
This time, a group of seven people came walking up to the door. There were both men and women in this group, and they wore plain clothing. David had been busy recruiting the best fighters he could find, and now it seemed that everyone was on duty.
This particular group was led by Damien North and Rick Veasy. Their task was to ensure that the wedding went smoothly. They had been posted all over the mansion, but they all rushed to the front door when they heard that Ryder had been beaten.
Alex could tell immediately that all of them were seasoned fighters. He had seen Damien and Rick at the closing ceremony of the Olympics, where one of them had gone up against five visiting athletes and won. They were no joke.
Alex looked at his phone. It was 11:45. If I'm held up now, he thought, the ceremony will be done.
His anger boiled over. "Get out of my way!"
His voice echoed in the hallway like a thunderclap. The Moon girls and Nelly almost covered their ears. They were all shocked at seeing Alex so angry.
"Careful who you scream at, pal," Rick Veasy said calmly.
The entire group of fighters rushed toward Alex, and Nelly and the girls stepped forward to defend him.
When the groups collided, they split up into several smaller fights in the front yard. The Moon girls took on one assailant each, Damien and Rick teamed up on Alex, and Nelly held her own against the last one. To Alex's surprise, she handled herself quite well. She only looked a little rusty compared to the Moon maidens.
The crowd of onlookers could not believe their eyes. Another, even bigger fight! The wedding was getting more exciting by the minute.
Although he was fighting both Damien and Rick, Alex managed to avoid their blows.
He was more skilled than they had thought he was. They thought they were unbeatable, but he was dodging all their blows and making them look foolish.
Damien struck at Alex's stomach, but he only hit the air. As he dodged the blow, Alex grabbed Damien's wrist and twisted. It broke with a popping sound.
Damien screamed and stumbled backwards.
"All right, tough guy!" Rick roared. "I'll finish you myself!"
He rushed toward Alex and went for his torso. He seemed to be trying to go plunge right through his chest.
But he was barely able to touch him. Alex twisted and turned his body, and Rick's hands seemed to glide right over his clothes. Then, Alex straightened his back and threw his whole bodyweight at Rick. Rick staggered back in a daze.
This is taking too long, Alex thought. I don't have time for this. He turned away from Rick and ran for the house.
He didn't get far. Damien suddenly grabbed his legs. "Rick!" he cried. "Get this punk!"
"Hold him!" Rick answered as he came running. He struck Alex hard in the head.
Damien's broken wrist hurt so badly that he had to let Alex go. He fell on his back and cried in agony.
Looking at him, Alex couldn't understand how he could have been held back by a man with a broken wrist.
Rick looked at Alex in horror. The blow to the head seemed to have done nothing. He didn't know whether to flee or fight.
Alex wanted to run off into the house. Nobody was stopping him now. But he didn't want to leave the girls with Rick and Damien. Who knows what they might do? he thought.
Rick's fear took hold of him, and he turned to run away. But before he could take more than a couple of steps, he was grabbed from behind by the collar. The grip was stronger than any he had felt before, and it pulled him to the ground with a loud thump.