C267 You Are Too Young To Risk Yourselves

After changing into comfortable clothes, Mike and Alicia left their bedroom together and headed downstairs. The aroma of freshly prepared food drifted through the Mooney residence, making the atmosphere feel even warmer than before. Their family was already gathered around the dining table. Peter, Mark, Quinton, Mary, and Georgia were chatting happily, but the moment they saw the couple walking downstairs, everyone smiled.

Peter chuckled. "Now this is what I call a family." Everyone laughed as Alicia and I took our seats. Mary immediately served Alicia some food. "My daughter, you've been working hard these days. Make sure you eat properly." Alicia smiled warmly. "Thank you, Mom." Mary's smile widened the moment she heard that word again. "That's much better." Georgia laughed. "I think she's happier hearing you call her 'Mom' than anything else."

The dining room was soon filled with cheerful laughter as everyone enjoyed dinner together. For a while, all the problems outside seemed to disappear. After dinner was finished, Alicia gently placed her fork down. Her expression gradually became serious. "Dad... Grandpa... we have a huge problem." The cheerful atmosphere disappeared almost instantly. Mark frowned. "My child, ever since you came home this afternoon you've been saying we need to talk. What exactly happened?"

Quinton also looked over curiously. "I've been wondering the same thing." I cleared his throat before speaking. "We suspect... the Harris Family is back." Quinton and Mary exchanged confused glances. Neither of them knew much about the name. Mary looked at me. "Son... who exactly is the Harris Family?" I hesitated. Before I could answer, Alicia spoke quietly. "They're the family responsible for murdering my mother... and my aunt."

Silence filled the room. Mary's eyes widened. "W-What?" Quinton also looked stunned. "What are you talking about?" Alicia nodded slowly. "I only found out a few weeks ago myself, Mom." I continued the explanation. "Last night I was trying to investigate Charlie Kinlore after Alicia asked me to look into her. When I couldn't find anything, I decided to search for Willy Harris instead." Peter immediately straightened in his chair. "And?"

I took a folded piece of paper from my pocket and placed it on the table. "I managed to narrow his possible locations down to three places before something happened." Mark picked up the paper and examined it carefully. "What happened?" "I realized someone noticed me." Everyone looked at me. I continued calmly. "As a hacker, whenever you search for certain protected systems, skilled technicians can trace the source of the intrusion through your IP address. The moment I realized my location was being tracked, I immediately disconnected my computer."

Mark slowly nodded. "You made the right decision." I sighed. "I thought I reacted quickly enough." I paused before continuing. "But I was wrong." Everyone became even more serious. "This morning... shortly after my parents left our house... three black vehicles suddenly arrived there." Quinton frowned. "What do you mean they arrived?"

Without saying another word, I took out my phone. "I saved the footage from the security cameras." I played the video. Everyone's eyes remained fixed on the screen. Three black SUVs slowly entered the camera's view before stopping outside the house. One after another, heavily built men dressed completely in black stepped out. Every single one of them carried firearms. They wore black masks that concealed their identities.

Some immediately surrounded the house while others entered through the front door. No one around the table spoke. The only sound came from the video itself. Several minutes later, the men exited the empty house. One of them, who appeared to be the leader, took out his phone and made a call. After speaking briefly, he gestured toward the others. The group quickly returned to their vehicles before driving away. The video ended.

Silence filled the dining room. Quinton slowly leaned back in his chair. "We had only just left the house..." Mary covered her mouth. "What... what would've happened if we were still there?" Nobody answered. No one wanted to imagine that possibility. Alicia finally broke the silence. "Dad... I think we need to increase the security around this house immediately." Peter folded his arms. "I may be old, but if they come, I'll be ready."

Alicia shook her head. "Grandpa... this isn't something we can solve with confidence alone." She looked at everyone. "If Mike really caught Willy Harris' attention, then sooner or later they'll connect him to me... and eventually they'll discover this house." Peter's expression gradually became serious. After several moments, he nodded. "You're right." He looked at Alicia carefully. "But security alone won't solve everything." "What exactly are you planning?"

Mark asked the same question. "I also want to know." He leaned forward. "Should we simply wait for them to make the next move?" He paused. "Or should I mobilize my police force and investigate these three locations immediately?" He paused before shaking his head. "But we don't have enough evidence." He pointed at the paper. "We know Willy Harris is behind everything..." "But knowing and proving are two completely different things." "If we attack now, we won't have anything solid."

Georgia looked worried. "I don't want my granddaughter getting herself into danger because you men couldn't solve this years ago." Mark lowered his head slightly. "Mom... you're right." He looked toward Alicia and I. "The first time Mike tried investigating them, armed men appeared almost immediately." "That alone tells us what kind of organization we're dealing with." "They weren't coming to ask questions." "They came prepared to kill."

Alicia remained calm. "We've already considered that." She turned toward Peter. "Grandpa..." "You served in the military." "I need your help." Peter looked surprised. "What kind of help?" "I need you to find three experienced instructors." Mark blinked. "Instructors?" Alicia nodded. "We're planning to strengthen security both here and at Lucia Goods." "There are several unused offices in the company." "We want to convert them into training facilities."

Everyone stared at her. She continued calmly. "Nothing too complicated." "No military base." "Just proper facilities where employees and ourselves can learn self-defence, physical fitness, firearms safety, tactical awareness, and emergency response." Georgia frowned. "So... something similar to a training academy?" Alicia smiled. "Exactly." "We'll prepare ourselves while continuing with our normal work."

Mark thought quietly before speaking. "You understand this won't happen overnight." "It'll take time." "I know." "The biggest challenge will probably be obtaining legal firearm licences." She looked at him. "Lucia Goods is an information technology company." "We can't simply buy weapons." "Everything must be done legally." I nodded. "I was discovered once." "That doesn't mean I'll be discovered again." "While everyone trains physically, I'll continue upgrading my cybersecurity systems." "I'm confident I can make future investigations much harder to trace."

Mary looked at both of them with worry. "You two are still so young." "Why are you talking about risking your lives?" She looked at Alicia. "These Harris people..." "Aren't they connected to drug syndicates?" "Are you really planning to stand against an organization like that?" Peter coughed before smiling. "Who said they'll be alone?" He looked proudly at everyone around the table. "We're a family now." "If that day ever comes..." "We'll stand together."

Mark nodded firmly. "In that case..." "I'll start making a few calls tomorrow." "I have some old contacts who might help us." He looked around the table once more. "But we'll also need funding." "Converting offices into proper training facilities won't be cheap." He looked directly at Alicia. "How many offices are you planning to renovate?"