C452 Colombia

I pointed toward the screen. “She left for Colombia.” Alicia stopped. For a moment, she simply stared at me. “Colombia?” I nodded. “Her flight is already confirmed. She left Glasgow.” Alicia slowly walked toward the computer and looked at the information herself. Charlie had taken Emmanuel out of Scotland. Our son was now in another country. But strangely, neither of us cried. Maybe there were simply no tears left. We had spent too much time crying already. Now we knew who had Emmanuel. That changed everything. We weren't searching blindly anymore. We had a name. We had a destination. And all that mattered now was how quickly we could get there. Alicia walked toward the wardrobe and began getting dressed. I waited for her. Neither of us said much. There was nothing left to say. We would find our son. And whoever stood between us and him would have to face us.

When we finally went downstairs, everyone was already waiting. Mark, Peter, Mary, Georgia, Victor, the coaches, and the rest of the Lions were gathered in the living room. The moment Alicia entered, everyone turned toward her. She didn't waste any time. “Charlie left with my son.” The room became completely silent. “She boarded a plane to South America, to be specific she went to Colombia.” Mark froze. I could see sweat beginning to form on his forehead. Samantha frowned. “South America?” Alicia nodded. Samantha looked at Alicia. “Wasn't our first mission the one that involved South America?” Mark's expression immediately changed.He looked toward us. “During the shooting at Willy's house,” Mark explained, “the police identified four South Americans among the attackers.” “All four were killed by the police.” Mark continued. “And according to the information we received, they were connected to some drug lord in South America. Chris rubbed his head. “That was the task, wasn't it? Finding their boss?” “Yes.” Mark looked at the group. “But forget about that task for now.” He paused. “We have to find my grandson.”

Alicia looked around the room. “Which is exactly why we are going to Colombia ourselves.” Everyone immediately understood what she meant. Mark's face hardened. “You mean you're going to South America?” “Yes.” “Alicia, my child, South America isn't Scotland.” His voice became more serious. “Especially Colombia. You can't simply fly there and assume you're going to come back alive.” Alicia looked at him calmly. Then she smiled. “Which is why I'm not going alone.” She looked toward the Lions. “I'm taking my team.” Nobody objected. Alicia continued. “I trust them. We've been through worse together.” She looked at everyone. “We leave for Colombia this afternoon.” Mark opened his mouth to respond, but Alicia raised her hand. “Everyone, go back and prepare.” Her voice became firm. “This is an order. We leave at five p.m.”

The Lions immediately began moving. There was no hesitation. They had already accepted what they were walking into. Before leaving, Hammer stopped in front of Mark. “Don't worry, Mr. Mooney.” The other coaches stood behind him. “We're trained them for this.” Sniper nodded. “They'll bring Emmanuel back.” Sarah added, “As long as we can find him, we'll survive.” Mark looked at all of them. He wanted to believe them. He had seen what they could do. But Colombia was different. This wasn't another mission in Scotland. His grandson was now being held thousands of kilometres away, and he had no idea what they were walking into. Alicia turned back toward him. “Dad.” Mark looked at her. “Call the Mayor.” “About the mission?” “No.” Alicia shook her head. “Tell him we want to go to Colombia because we're looking for the origin of those four South Americans.” “We want a private plane ready at five.” Mark nodded. “I'll call him.” “Thank you, Dad.”

Alicia walked away. I followed her. The Lions went back to their homes and rooms to prepare for the journey. This wasn't going to be a normal mission. We weren't going to Colombia to complete the government's assignment. We were going there for Emmanuel. Our son. And nothing was going to stop us from bringing him home. Meanwhile Charlie finally arrived in Colombia with Emmanuel. The journey had exhausted her. She had spent most of the flight worrying about what would happen next. She had never imagined that she would become involved in something like this. But she had already crossed the line. There was no going back. Hanna and Destroyer were already waiting for her. The weather was terrible. Heavy clouds covered the sky, and rain had begun falling heavily across the city. Hanna looked at Charlie as she approached. “Come on.” They quickly made their way to the hotel they had booked. Destroyer stayed close to Hanna while Charlie carried Emmanuel. The baby was restless after the long journey.

Charlie looked down at him. She still couldn't understand why Hanna wanted a baby involved in all of this. Destroyer, meanwhile, had another job. He needed to find Alvaro Gonzalez. After helping them settle into the hotel, he left. His mission was simple. Find out where Gonzalez was. Charlie was left inside with Hanna and Emmanuel. Charlie found herself alone with Hanna. She finally gathered enough courage to ask the question that had been bothering her. “Ann.” Hanna looked at her. “Why did you ask me to bring the baby?” Hanna smiled. “Because I have plans for him.” Charlie frowned. “What kind of plans?” Hanna's smile disappeared. “You don't need to know.” She pointed toward Emmanuel. “Just make sure he's fed.” Charlie looked at the baby. “And make sure he doesn't cry.” Charlie nodded. “Okay.” There was a brief silence. Then Charlie looked at Hanna again. “Ann?” “Yes?” “What is your last name?” Hanna grinned. “You don't need to know my last name.” She leaned back. “The fact that you know I'm Ann is enough.” Charlie stared at her. There was something strange about the way Hanna spoke. It was almost as if she knew Charlie couldn't do anything with the information anyway.

Hours passed. Eventually, Destroyer returned. He looked exhausted. He closed the hotel room door behind him and walked toward Hanna. “Boss.” Hanna looked up. “What did you find?” Destroyer shook his head. “I couldn't find him.” Hanna's expression hardened. “Alvaro?” “Yes.” He sat down. “But I spoke to someone who knows where he is.” Hanna raised an eyebrow. “And?” “They said they can take me to him tomorrow morning.” A smile slowly appeared on Hanna's face. “Good job.” Destroyer nodded. “Thank you, Boss.” Hanna looked toward Charlie. “Now we prepare.” Charlie was still holding Emmanuel. She looked at Hanna. “Prepare for what?” Hanna ignored the question. Instead, she looked directly at Charlie. “Do you know of any agreements between your uncle and Gonzalez?” Charlie shook her head. “No. I don't.” Hanna stared at her for several seconds. “Then you're useless.” Charlie frowned. Hanna pointed toward Emmanuel. “Babysitting suits you well.”

Charlie tightened her grip around the baby. “You brought me all the way here just to babysit?” “For now.” Charlie looked at Hanna. Then her expression became darker. “Babysitting the child of my uncle's killer?” Hanna remained silent. Charlie continued. “Tell me something.” She stared directly at Hanna. “Why shouldn't I kill him right now?” The room became silent. Hanna slowly looked at Emmanuel. Then she looked back at Charlie. A small, cold laugh escaped her lips. “Because if you do…” She paused. “You will follow him as well.” Charlie swallowed. Her confidence disappeared almost immediately. The way she said those words was enough. Charlie finally understood something. The woman sitting in front of her was not someone she could challenge. She was dangerous. And if Charlie wanted to survive, she would have to follow Hanna's instructions.