C427 We Did Not Train For Nothing

Cipher smiled at her father. “Father, we know Willy found out that we were not kidnapped. We came because we need to do something else, but we also wanted to see everyone.” Peter immediately looked concerned. “Is everything okay?” Cipher nodded. “Yes. We are fine.” Mark studied her expression for a moment. “You are certain?” “Yes, Father.” Before Mark could ask anything else, Cipher looked around the room. “Where is my son?” Quinton pointed toward a small baby's bed near the corner of the dining room. “Sleeping.” Cipher and I exchanged looks. I smiled. “I cannot leave without seeing him.” Mary raised an eyebrow. “Son, you have barely been here for five minutes.” “That is five minutes too long without seeing my son.”

Bighead would have laughed if he had been there. Unfortunately, I had left him and the others at the military base, where they were probably wondering whether we had already been arrested. I slowly walked toward Emmanuel's small bed. He was sleeping peacefully, his tiny hands resting near his face. For a moment, I simply stood there and watched him. After everything that had happened, seeing him reminded me why we had chosen this dangerous life. I reached down and gently touched his cheek. Then I pinched him. Emmanuel immediately woke up screaming. His little face turned red as he began crying. I smiled. “Sorry, son. I had to.” Cipher rushed toward me. “Mike!” Before I could defend myself, she quickly picked Emmanuel up. “My son, your father is cruel.” She held him tightly against her chest and began gently rocking him. “Come here, my baby. Your mother is here.”

Emmanuel continued crying for a few seconds before slowly calming down. Cipher kissed his forehead. “Wow, look how much you have grown.” I stood beside her, smiling. “He looks different.” “He is growing,” Cipher replied. “Soon he will be running around the house.” Mark smiled from behind us. “And causing trouble for everyone.” I looked at him. “He gets that from his mother.” Cipher immediately turned toward me. “Excuse me?” I raised my hands. “I said nothing.” Georgia laughed quietly. Mary shook her head. “You two have not changed at all.” For a brief moment, the room felt normal. But we all knew the peace would not last. Cipher eventually looked toward Mark. “Father, I think in the coming days we will know where Willy is.” Mark's expression became serious. “What do you intend to do when you find him?” Cipher adjusted Emmanuel in her arms. “What do you plan on doing?” Mark smiled calmly. “My child, if you can give me his location, we will arrest him and let the law take its course.”

Cipher froze. “Dad, you mean you will just arrest him and that is all?” Mark frowned slightly. “What else should I do?” “What if he gets out?” Mark shook his head. “You do not have to worry about that. Willy Harris has committed many crimes. Even if he wants to walk free, there is no chance he will simply escape the consequences.” Cipher stared at him. “People like him always find ways to escape consequences.” Mark remained calm. “That is why we have courts, prosecutors, and police.” Cipher looked away. I could see she was trying to control her emotions. Mark continued. “I understand that you want justice for what happened to your mother. But you cannot allow revenge to become the only thing guiding your decisions.” Cipher looked back at him. “I am not asking you to understand everything.” “I am your father. Understanding you is my responsibility.” The room became quiet. Peter looked between them but did not interrupt. Cipher finally nodded. “Fine, Dad. I will tell you when we have his location.” Mark smiled. “Good.” “But we will be there as well to help.”

Mark's smile faded slightly. “Help with what?” “With stopping him.” “Alicia...” “Dad, we cannot simply stand somewhere else and wait.” Mark sighed. “You are not police officers.” “No,” Cipher replied. “We are his targets.” Mark looked at her carefully. “That is exactly why I did not want you involved.” Cipher did not answer. I could see the disagreement growing, so I decided to remain silent. This was between a father and daughter, and both of them were too stubborn to surrender easily. Peter eventually changed the subject. “What about the kidnapping? How will you convince the world that you are free?” Cipher smiled. “A public statement saying that Father paid the ransom should be enough.” Mark laughed. “My daughter, you have become smart.” Cipher immediately looked offended. “Dad, I was always smart.” “Fine, fine.” He raised both hands in surrender. “It is good that you are all safe.” I smiled at everyone. “We will be taking our leave then.” Mary looked disappointed. “You are leaving already?” “We have to return before everyone start worrying about us.”

Mark nodded. “Be careful.” Cipher looked down at Emmanuel one last time. I stepped closer and gently touched his tiny hand. “Father loves you.” Emmanuel was still half-asleep in Cipher's arms. Cipher smiled. “Your mother loves you as well.” I kissed his forehead. Then Cipher and I hugged everyone. Mary held onto Cipher for a long moment before finally letting go. Georgia hugged me tightly and told me not to let anything happen to her granddaughter. Peter placed a hand on my shoulder and reminded me that the family was always waiting for us. Mark said nothing at first. He simply watched us. Then, as we reached the door, he called after Cipher. “Take care of yourself.” Cipher turned around. “I will, Father.” We left the mansion and climbed into the black car. As soon as Cipher started driving, she began shaking her head. “I really do not understand what my father is thinking.” I looked at her. “What do you mean?” Cipher kept her eyes on the road. “You clearly heard what he said. Why does it not concern you?” “Wife, why should I be concerned?”

She glanced at me. “Arresting Willy is a bad idea.” I raised an eyebrow. “Why?” “What if he escapes and comes after us one by one?” I remained quiet. Cipher continued. “What if he is arrested and chooses another leader from his cartel? What if he tells everyone to kill us because we were responsible for his arrest?” Her voice became more intense. “You know we would have to testify. What if he reveals that we faked our kidnapping to capture him? What happens then? What happens to our families? What happens to the people who helped us?” I looked at her. “Then what are you suggesting?” She rolled her eyes. “We did not learn shooting and killing for nothing.” I sighed. “Cipher.” “No, listen to me.” She tightened her hands around the steering wheel. “Making the police arrest Willy will not make the pain of growing up without a mother disappear. It will not bring my mother back. He killed her, Cracker.” Her voice cracked slightly. “I have spent years living with that pain. I have spent years wondering what my life would have been like if my mother had not died in that car accident.” I looked at her. She continued. “So I will avenge her by killing him. Simple.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The road stretched ahead of us, quiet and almost empty. I understood her anger. I understood why arresting Willy did not feel like justice to her. But I also knew what killing him would mean. It would change everything. I looked at her carefully. “And how will you explain that to your father?” Cipher gave a small shrug. “I won't.” I smiled faintly. “Then when he gets angry, I will tell him this was your plan.” She burst out laughing. “You are terrible.” “I am your husband.” “You are supposed to protect me.” “I am protecting myself.” She shook her head, still smiling. For a few seconds, the tension disappeared. Then her expression became serious again. “We need to be careful.” “I know.” “If Willy is meeting Charlie today, we need to know exactly where.” “I will have the cloned phone monitoring everything.” “And if we find him?” “We prepare.” Cipher nodded. “No mistakes.” “Agreed.” The rest of the journey passed quietly. Neither of us said it aloud, but we both understood that our next move could determine the fate of our families.

At Willy's Estate, Willy Harris was pacing up and down his office. His patience had disappeared hours ago. He checked his watch again. “Why is Charlie not here already?” Brian stood near the window. “Perhaps she was delayed.” Willy stopped pacing. “Delayed by what?” Brian did not answer. Willy's eyes narrowed. “Do you think they followed her?” Brian turned toward him. “If Alicia and Michael Smith were watching her, they would have known she was coming here.” “That is exactly what concerns me.” Willy walked toward the desk and picked up his phone. He tried calling Charlie. No answer. He threw the phone back onto the table. “Where is she?” Brian remained silent. Willy's anger continued to build. Then the office door opened. Charlie hurried inside. Her clothes were disorganized, and tears were already running down her face. “Uncle!” Willy immediately turned toward her. “What happened?” Charlie rushed forward. “They beat me.” Willy's expression changed. “What?”

Charlie struggled to breathe. “They came to my house.” Brian stepped closer. “And then?” Charlie looked between them. “They looked strange.” Willy frowned. “Strange?” “Yes. They were wearing military uniforms.” The room fell silent. Willy's face became colder. “Tell me everything.” Charlie wiped her tears. “They came early in the morning. I was at home with my husband.” “It was Alicia Mooney and Michael Smith.” Willy's eyes narrowed. “So they really are alive.” Charlie began crying again. “They pointed guns at us. They searched the house.” Willy stepped closer. “What did they want?” “I don't know.” “Charlie.” “I swear, Uncle, I don't know anything.” Willy stared at her. “Then why would they come to you?” Charlie shook her head. “I told them I have not seen you in a long time.” “And what did they say?” Charlie hesitated. “They said you came after their family.” Willy's expression hardened. “What else?” Charlie looked terrified. “They left a message.” Willy folded his arms. “What message?”

Charlie swallowed. “They said if you touch their family again, they will return the favour.” Willy stared at her. Brian's expression became serious. Charlie continued. “They said next time they would not only kill me. They would kill my husband and his family.” Willy's eyes remained fixed on her. For a long moment, nobody spoke. Then he asked quietly: “Did they say anything else?” Charlie shook her head. “No.” Willy turned away from her and began pacing again. Willy stopped near the window. “Tell me the whole story,” he said. Charlie nodded. “Everything.” Willy looked back at her. “What happened from the moment they arrived until the moment they left?” Charlie took a deep breath.