C441 The Government's Secret Weapon

Peter waved toward us. “Sit down first. This matter is very important.” Alicia and I slowly walked toward the seats and sat down. The atmosphere in the living room had completely changed. Only a short while ago, we had returned from Lucia Goods feeling relieved that everything was finally returning to normal. We had seen the employees, spoken to Adam and Leon, and reassured everyone that Lucia Goods was safe. Now, sitting in front of Mark, we knew that feeling of relief had disappeared. Mark remained standing for a moment before finally taking a seat. Peter looked at him. “Tell them everything.” Mark nodded. He looked at Alicia first, then at me. “After the Mayor figured everything out, he came up with a proposal.” Alicia immediately became serious. “What kind of proposal?”

Mark took a breath. “The Mayor has decided not to arrest you or your team.” Alicia's shoulders relaxed slightly. “And you?” “He also promised to let me keep my position as Minister of Police.” Alicia looked at him carefully. “So what does he want in return?” Mark's expression became serious. “He wants you to convince your team to become the government's secret weapon.” I frowned. “The government's secret weapon?” Mark nodded. I looked at Alicia. She looked just as confused as I was. “You mean a spy?” I asked. Mark shook his head. “Not exactly.” Alicia leaned forward. “Father, I don't understand.” Mark folded his hands. “He wants you and your team to work for the government.” Alicia's eyebrows rose. “Work for the government?” “Yes.” Mark continued. “He said that all of you will be paid by the government to carry out special missions.” I remained silent. “What kind of missions?” I eventually asked.

Mark looked at me. “The kind of missions the police cannot handle.” He paused. “You would help arrest some of the most dangerous criminals in the country.” Alicia listened carefully. “And if they cannot be arrested.” Mark hesitated for a moment. “Then you would be asked to eliminate them.” The room became quiet. Alicia and I exchanged glances. It was difficult to process. Only hours ago, we had been talking about returning to our ordinary lives. Now the government wanted to officially use the skills we had developed during everything we had been through. Mark noticed our expressions and gave a small smile. “So, whenever the police are chasing someone and cannot find them, or when they are having problems dealing with a dangerous criminal, they will contact you.” I leaned back. “So basically, they want us to do the jobs they cannot do themselves.” Mark nodded. “That is essentially what he proposed.”

Alicia thought about it for a few seconds. Then, surprisingly, she smiled. “Well, I don't see a problem with that.” Mark looked at her. Alicia continued. “We would be helping our country.” She looked at me. “And we would be using skills that we have already been trained to use.” I nodded slowly. There was some logic to what she was saying. We had already risked our lives fighting criminals. We had already operated together. We already knew how to gather information, plan operations, defend ourselves, and work as a team. At least this time, there would be a government purpose behind the missions. But Mark's expression remained serious. “There is a problem.” Alicia looked at him. “What?” “The Mayor made one thing very clear.” Mark paused. “If danger comes your way, the government will not be involved.” Alicia frowned. “What do you mean?” “I mean that if the people you are hunting discover who you are and come after you, your friends, or even your families, the government will not take responsibility.”

Alicia's smile disappeared. Mark continued. “They will deny everything that connects them to you.” The words settled heavily in the room. I stared at Mark. “So we would work for the government, but officially we would not exist?” “Yes.” “And if we get captured?” “They deny knowing you.” “If someone attacks our families because of one of these missions?” “They deny knowing you.” “And if one of us is killed?” Mark looked down. “They deny knowing you.” Alicia immediately stood up. “What?” Her voice echoed through the room. “What kind of arrangement is that?” Mark remained calm. Alicia began walking around the room. “They want us to do dangerous jobs for them, but they do not want to take responsibility if something goes wrong?” She turned toward Mark. “The Mayor is impossible!” Mark did not answer. “Who would agree to something like that?” Alicia continued. “Who would risk their life knowing that the government will simply deny everything if things become bad?” Mark slowly pointed toward her. “You.”

Alicia froze. The room went silent. She stared at her father. “What?” “You would.” Alicia looked away. Mark continued. “You already did it.” He pointed toward the television. “You went after Willy Harris without government protection. You took your friends with you. You risked your lives knowing perfectly well that nobody could come and save you if things went wrong.” Alicia's expression softened. Mark lowered his hand. “The only difference now is that the Mayor is offering you money and a reason to continue doing what you already know how to do.” Alicia sat down again. “But Dad…” Mark looked at her. “My job as Minister of Police is at risk.” Alicia became quiet. “If this arrangement is accepted,” Mark continued, “I keep my position.” He paused. “If it is rejected, the investigation can continue.” Alicia looked at the floor. “And then?” Mark's voice became quieter. “Then you, your friends, and possibly I will have to answer for everything.”

Alicia slowly looked at me. Her eyes were searching for an answer. I had none. I wanted to tell her that we could find another way. I wanted to tell her that we could leave the country, disappear, or somehow make the evidence disappear. But we both knew that was no longer simple. The Mayor had already connected everything. The boat. Lucia Goods. The weapons. Willy Harris. Our entire operation. There were too many connections. Alicia finally looked back at her father. “Do we have to answer immediately?” Mark shook his head. “No.” He leaned back. “You don't have to give me an answer now.” Alicia waited. “The Mayor gave me two days.” “Two days?” Mark nodded. “Two days to give him your decision.” Alicia did not hesitate. “Then I will inform my friends.” Mark looked at her. “I will try to explain to them that this also affects your job.” Mark nodded. “I know they may not agree.” “They have the right to refuse,” Alicia said.

Mark's expression changed slightly. “I know.” He paused. “But I also need you to understand what is at stake.” Alicia nodded. “I do.” I stood up. “Alicia, let's go and call them.” She immediately stood. “Okay.” We began walking toward the hallway. Behind us, the living room remained quiet. Peter glanced toward Mark. Neither man said anything. Quinton was also unusually quiet, sitting in his chair and trying to understand everything that had just happened. The house that had been filled with relief only a few hours earlier was now filled with uncertainty. The moment we entered our room, Alicia closed the door. She immediately reached for her new phone. “I'll call them.” She unlocked the phone and started searching through her contacts. Then she stopped. Her expression changed. “Wait.” I looked at her. “What?” She stared at the phone. “We don't have the group chat anymore.” I immediately understood. Our old phones had been destroyed and disposed of. We had deliberately removed anything that could connect us to our previous identities.

Alicia sighed. “We don't even have the same group chat anymore.” I smiled slightly. “Then we will have to find another way.” She looked at me. “Mike, what do we do?” I shrugged. “Other than meeting them in person, there is no other way.” Alicia rolled her eyes. “Do you have a plan?” “No.” She stared at me. “You don't?” I smiled. “No.” She shook her head. “Very reassuring.” I laughed. “But telling everyone together will be better than going to every family individually.” Alicia thought about it. “You are right.” If we visited every family separately, we would have to explain the same dangerous situation over and over again. It would also give the news more opportunities to spread. And more importantly, we needed everyone to hear the same thing at the same time. Alicia suddenly smiled. “Then we will use their club.” “Ben's club?” She nodded. “It is private enough, and everyone knows where it is.” “That works.” Alicia quickly began sending messages. She had the new numbers of the others saved separately. One by one, she sent the same message. "Something important came up. Meet me at Ben's club at 6 p.m." She stared at the screen after sending the last message. “Done.”

I nodded. “Now we wait.” Alicia looked at me. “I hope they don't think something terrible happened.” I smiled. “With everything we have been through, they probably will.” She laughed softly. “You are right.” She put the phone away. For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. Then Alicia looked toward me. “Mike.” “Hmm?” “Do you think they will agree?” I knew immediately what she meant. “The government? She nodded. “I don't know.” I walked closer to her. “Neither do I.” She sighed. “Some of them have families. Some of them have businesses. They finally returned home. Asking them to become government agents might change everything again.” I nodded. “That is why we shouldn't decide for them.” Alicia smiled. “We tell them everything and let them choose.” “Exactly.” She took a deep breath. “Then let's go.” We left the house and headed toward Ben's club. Neither of us spoke much during the journey. The city looked completely normal. People walked along the streets. Cars moved through the traffic. Businesses were open.

Alicia looked through the window. “Do you think everyone will come?” “They received the message.” “That wasn't my question.” I smiled. “Yes. They will come.” She looked at me. “How do you know?” “Because you told them it was important.” Alicia laughed. “That is true.” We continued driving. But neither of us could ignore the question hanging over us. Would our friends accept the Mayor's proposition? Or would they decide that the price of working for the government was simply too high? By the time we reached Ben's club, the sun was beginning to lower in the sky. The club was already open, but the atmosphere was quieter than usual. Alicia looked at me before we stepped out of the car. “Ready?” I nodded. “As ready as I can be.” She smiled faintly. “Then let's wait for our team.”