C447 The First Task

At the Mayor's office, Mark Mooney walked through the doors with his head held high. He knew exactly what had brought him there. His daughter had taken an enormous risk to protect him and his position as Police Minister. Now, whether he liked it or not, his future was connected to whatever Alicia and her team decided to do next. He approached the Mayor's office and knocked before entering. “Mr. Mooney,” the Mayor greeted him. “Mayor.” Mark shook his hand before taking a seat across from him. The Mayor leaned back in his chair. “So, Mr. Mooney, what did you decide?” Mark smiled. “Mayor, they have accepted your offer.” The Mayor nodded. “That is good news.” “But,” Mark added. The Mayor raised an eyebrow. “But?” “I have my own conditions.” The Mayor smiled. “Go ahead.”

Mark raised one finger. “First, they will use the Lucia Goods facility for their operations.” The Mayor nodded. “Agreed.” Mark raised a second finger. “Second, I don't want them controlled by anyone else. They eliminated Willy Harris on their own, and if they are going to deal with other threats, they need the freedom to decide how they operate.” The Mayor listened carefully. “They are not going to have someone standing over them and giving them orders every day,” Mark continued. “They are a team. They know what they are doing.” The Mayor nodded slowly. “And your third condition?” Mark raised a third finger. “If the government has a task for them, it comes directly to me. You give the mission to me, and I give it to them.” The Mayor studied him. “No third parties?” “Exactly,” Mark replied. “Everything stays between us two. That way, there is no confusion about who knows what, and no one outside this arrangement needs to know about them.” For several seconds, the Mayor remained silent. Then he smiled. “Your conditions are easily accepted.” Mark relaxed slightly. “So my job is safe?”

The Mayor smiled again. “Mr. Mooney, you have been doing well as Police Minister. So yes, your position remains safe.” Mark nodded. “But,” the Mayor added. Mark's smile faded slightly. “The safety of your position now depends partly on your daughter. Whatever she does from this point forward may affect you as well.” Mark understood exactly what he meant. “I know.” He stood up. “Thank you, Mayor.” He turned toward the door. “Mr. Mooney.” Mark stopped. He turned around. “You just told me they accepted the offer.” “Yes.” “Aren't you forgetting something?” Mark frowned. “What?” “Their first task.” Mark stared at him. “Their first task?” The Mayor didn't answer. Instead, he reached into a drawer, removed a sealed document and placed it on the desk. “Here.” Mark slowly walked back. “This is their first task.” Mark picked up the sealed envelope and looked at it. “You already have a mission for them?” The Mayor nodded. “We have been preparing for this possibility.” Mark looked at the envelope for another moment before placing it under his arm. “There is one more thing.”

The Mayor looked at him. “Their payment. You said the government would pay them.” “Yes.” “If you want them to complete these missions quickly, they need funding.” The Mayor smiled. “I was expecting you to ask.” He reached into another drawer and took out a black card. “This is where their funds will be transferred.” Mark took the card. “The limit is three hundred thousand dollars per month.” Mark looked at it. “Three hundred thousand?” “Monthly.” The Mayor leaned back. “They can divide it among themselves however they want. I don't know how many people are on the team, and frankly, I don't want to know.” Mark nodded. “That is probably better.” “It is.” Mark placed the card safely with the document. “Thank you, Mayor.” He turned and left the office. Mark felt that the weight on his shoulders had become slightly lighter. But he also knew something else. This was only the beginning. By the time Mark arrived home, it was already late. We were all waiting for him. The moment he entered the living room, everyone's attention turned toward him.

Alicia stood up. “Father?” Mark didn't say anything. Instead, he walked toward us and handed me the sealed document and the black card. “As the Mayor promised,” he said, “this is the card the government will use to pay you.” I looked at the card. “The limit is three hundred thousand dollars every month. You can use it however you want, and you can divide it among yourselves.” Alicia's eyes widened. “Three hundred thousand a month?” Mark looked at her. “Yes." I looked at Mark. “And the document?” Mark pointed toward it. "Your first task.” The room immediately became quiet. I took the document from Mark. I was about to open it when Alicia stopped me. “Wait.” I looked at her. She glanced around the room. “We are not going to discuss our missions in front of everyone.” She looked at Mark, then at the others. “We are a team of eight. Everyone needs to be present when we open something like this.” I nodded. She was right. “Then we'll wait,” I said. Mark smiled. “That is probably the safest way to handle it.”

He looked around the room. “And there is something else.” Everyone looked at him. “You will be using the training hall at Lucia Goods for your missions.” I nodded. “That makes sense.” “It gives you a private place to meet and plan,” Mark explained. “And because it belongs to Lucia Goods, there is already a legitimate reason for you to be there.” Alicia nodded. “Understood.” Mark looked at us for a moment. “Just remember what the Mayor said. As far as the government is concerned, you don't exist.” Nobody answered. We all understood. Whatever happened next, we would be on our own. Mark finally walked away, leaving the sealed document sitting on the table. Alicia decided that we will inform everyone the following day. While we were waiting for the next day, far away from the Mooney residence, Hanna was already awake. She had woken before Destroyer. She sat at the small table in the hotel room with several sheets of paper spread in front of her.

Her eyes moved across the notes she had written earlier. Charlie. The cartel. Alvaro Gonzalez. South America. And then one final name. Alicia. Hanna had already begun putting everything together. She knew she could not simply attack Alicia directly. Alicia had too many people around her. Her wouldn't let her attack Alicia. So Hanna needed another way. Something that would force Alicia to make a choice. Something that would hurt her personally. Destroyer eventually woke up. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room. Then he saw Hanna sitting at the table. The cold expression on her face had returned. The woman from the earlier seemed to have disappeared completely. Destroyer sat up. “Boss…” Hanna didn't look at him. Destroyer hesitated. He almost asked how she had slept. But one look at her expression made him swallow the question. Hanna finally turned toward him. “What happened earlier was a one-time thing.” Destroyer nodded immediately. “Yes, Boss.”

Hanna's voice was cold. “I am your boss. You are my subordinate. Nothing changes that.” “Yes, Boss.” Hanna stared at him. “And if you tell anyone about what happened…” She paused. “I will kill you myself.” Destroyer swallowed. “Yes, Boss.” Hanna looked away. “Good.” She returned her attention to the papers on the table. “I have already laid out a plan.” Destroyer straightened. “A plan for South America?” Hanna shook her head. “That is only part of it.” Destroyer looked confused. “Then what plan?” Hanna slowly lifted her eyes toward him. “A plan to take her son.” Destroyer froze. He immediately knew who she meant. “Alicia's son?” Hanna smiled. “Yes.” She leaned back in her chair. “If Gold and Diamond is what Alicia values most…” Her smile became colder. “Then we will find out how much she values her child.” Destroyer stared at her. He understood that Hanna's plans had gone far beyond rebuilding a cartel. She was preparing to attack Alicia where she believed she would be most vulnerable. And if the plan succeeded, Hanna believed Alicia would have no choice but to come to her.