C382 Counter Attack

Nicolas read Samantha's message for what felt like the tenth time. He stared at the screen, hoping that perhaps he had misunderstood her words. What was she trying to tell them? Lindsey noticed the worried expression on her husband's face. "Nicolas?" He looked up. "I don't understand this." "Neither do I." Lindsey reached for her phone again. "Call her." Nicolas nodded. Without wasting another moment, he called Samantha. The phone rang only twice before she answered. "Mom?" Lindsey immediately spoke. "My child, we don't understand your message."

There was a brief silence on the other end. Samantha smiled faintly. "Mom, is Dad listening?" "Yes. He's right here." "Put the phone on speaker, please." Nicolas leaned closer as Lindsey placed the call on speaker. "Sam," he said, "are you doing well?" "I'm fine, Dad." Her voice sounded calm, but Nicolas could sense something unusual behind it. Samantha took a slow breath. "Dad, I want to make sure something is taken care of before anything happens." Nicolas frowned. "What do you mean?" "I've approved the partnership between Heaps Group and Wood IT Company for the next five years. I believe the company will continue functioning well."

Lindsey exchanged a worried glance with Nicolas. Samantha continued. "And regarding Monica's shares, I want her to receive everything that belongs to her. Please make sure all of them are transferred to the account I gave you." Lindsey could no longer remain silent. "Samantha, what is this?" Her voice trembled slightly. "Why are you talking as if you're saying goodbye?" Samantha laughed softly. "Mom, I'm not saying goodbye." "Then why are you making arrangements for everything?" Samantha fell silent. For several seconds, neither Lindsey nor Nicolas said anything. Finally, Samantha spoke again. "In the coming days, there will probably be some news about me."

Nicolas immediately became serious. "What kind of news?" "You might hear that something happened to me." Lindsey's heart dropped. "Samantha..." "But Mom, don't believe everything you hear." She paused. "Nothing is going to happen to me." Nicolas stared at the phone. "What?" Samantha continued calmly. "But for the next three months, I won't be reachable." The silence that followed was heavier than anything she had said before. Nicolas looked at Lindsey. "Three months?" "Yes, Dad." "Where are you going?" "I can't tell you yet." "Why?" "Because the fewer people who know, the safer everyone will be."

Nicolas wanted to ask another question, but Samantha continued before he could. "Dad, please don't worry. I promise that in three months I'll be back." Lindsey's eyes began to water. "My child, whatever you're involved in, please be careful." "I will, Mom." Samantha's voice softened. "You don't have to worry." Nicolas swallowed. "We love you." Samantha remained quiet for a moment. Then she said, "That's everything I wanted to tell you. Have a good night." Before either parent could respond, the call ended. Lindsey stared at the phone. Nicolas remained silent. Neither of them knew what their daughter was planning. But both understood one thing. Something was coming.

At the chambers residence. Chris sat alone in the living room, waiting for his parents to return. The house was unusually quiet. He looked around. The familiar furniture. The family photographs. The memories attached to every corner. For the first time, Chris wondered whether this might be his last night at home for a long time. The thought made his chest tighten. He slowly stood. "I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered to himself. Then another thought crossed his mind. His son. Tristan. Chris immediately walked upstairs. He entered his room and opened the wardrobe.

After a moment, he selected a suit for the following day. He laid it carefully across the bed. Tomorrow would be different. He knew that. But before disappearing, he wanted to spend time with his wife and his son. A few minutes later, he heard a car arriving outside. Chris walked downstairs just as Valeria and David stepped out of their vehicle. His mother smiled when she saw him. "Chris, you're still awake?" Chris smiled. "Mom, Dad... I'll go stay with my son tonight." Valeria nodded. "That's fine." Chris looked at them both. "See you tomorrow evening." David frowned slightly. "Tomorrow evening?" Chris nodded. "Yes." Before either of them could ask another question, Chris walked toward his car. He climbed inside and drove away. David watched the vehicle disappear down the road. Something about his son's behavior felt strange. But he couldn't explain why.

Back at the Mooney residence, Alicia and I had finally returned to our bedroom. The exhaustion had caught up with both of us. Alicia sat quietly on the edge of the bed. She looked down at Emmanuel, who was sleeping peacefully. I watched her for a moment. She had survived an attack. She had given birth prematurely. And now she was preparing to disappear for three months. There was no doubt that she was tired. But neither of us could afford to relax. Outside, the ten coaches remained awake. Family guards were ordered to rest leaving only the ten coaches on guard. A small fire burned near the edge of the property. The coaches sat around it, discussing the plan that would determine what happened next.

Hammer looked toward Reaper. "All right. Earlier you said you had an idea for the disappearance." Reaper nodded. "I do." He stared into the fire for a moment before continuing. "Right now, too many people are watching Madam. Harris Family knows who she is, what she owns, and where her family is connected." The others listened carefully. "Our priority is to protect her," Reaper continued. "But we also need enough time to train Madam and the people she is building into her team." Sniper nodded. "So you want us to make them believe she's gone." "Exactly." Reaper leaned forward. "But it can't look like a simple disappearance."

Hammer raised an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?" "Do you remember that we have some contacts with the Korean underground groups?" Sniper looked at him. "You're thinking about involving them?" Reaper nodded. "We could stage an incident involving outside criminals. Something convincing enough that everyone who sees it believes Madam and the others have either been kidnapped or lost." Sniper considered the idea. "And you want it recorded?" "Yes." "But that could attract the police." Reaper smiled faintly. "That's the point." The others looked at him. Reaper explained. "Willy Harris is paranoid. He won't simply believe that someone told him Alicia disappeared. He'll investigate." He paused. "So we give him something he can see."

Hammer slowly nodded. "A convincing story." "Exactly." Reaper continued. "If outsiders are involved, the investigation becomes more complicated. Different identities. Different languages. Different connections." He looked around the group. "Willy will see the incident, hear that the police are investigating, and then watch the investigation develop." Sniper nodded slowly. "And while everyone is searching for them, Madam is already training." "Yes." Hammer thought for several seconds. "Are you sure this won'tcome back and hunt us?" "Yes." The fire crackled quietly. Finally, Hammer nodded. "All right. I'll contact our people."

Before he could say anything else, a voice suddenly came through the communication channel. "Rider to Hammer." Hammer immediately reached for his radio. "Hammer listening." Rider's voice became serious. "Three unidentified vehicles approaching from the eastern road." Hammer's expression changed. "Threat or civilians?" A short silence followed. Then Rider answered. "They appear armed." The coaches immediately became alert. Hammer stood. "How many?" "Approximately fifteen." Hammer looked toward the others. "Everyone take your positions." The coaches moved quietly. "Ghost, Viper, Rider, keep watch."

He turned toward Sniper and Hunter. "Take the elevated positions." Then he looked at Beast, Wolf and Bulldog. "Stay near the front." Everyone acknowledged the order. Hammer looked toward the burning fire. "Nobody wakes Madam. Also we must keep this quiet use silencers." The coaches disappeared into the darkness. Neo and his men slowly approached the property. Their vehicles stopped a short distance from the entrance. Neo stepped out and studied the surroundings. The property looked strangely quiet. There were no visible guards. Only the faint glow of a small fire could be seen in the distance. Neo narrowed his eyes. "This doesn't feel right." One of his men looked around. "What do you mean?" "There should be someone here." The other man shrugged. "Maybe they didn't notice us."

Neo didn't answer. He stared toward the entrance. Something felt wrong. But they had been given an order. And Neo didn't want to return to Willy empty-handed. "We proceed carefully." The men began moving forward. They had barely taken several steps when a sharp sound broke the silence. Neo collapsed. Everyone froze. For a moment, nobody understood what had happened. Then panic spread through the group. Then someone whispered. "It a sniper. Take cover!" The men scattered. But they had already walked into a carefully prepared trap. The coaches moved according to the positions Hammer had assigned. The attackers were overwhelmed before they could organize themselves.

Within minutes, the confrontation was over. The property became quiet again. Hammer slowly stepped forward and looked across the scene. "Reaper." Reaper approached. "Yes?" "Take Ghost and clear these bodies." Reaper nodded. "We'll handle it." Hammer and the remaining coaches began removing anything that could reveal their identities or positions. They also made sure to remove everything that would cause Mooney family to panic. The fire continued burning quietly. Hammer looked towards the villa. For the moment, Madam was safe. But Hammer knew something important. If Willy was willing to send another group so quickly, then their window of opportunity was becoming smaller. The disappearance would have to happen soon. Very soon.