C478 The Price

Without waiting for an answer, Laura quickly called me. After a few rings, I answered. “Laura, what is it?” Alicia was sitting beside me in the living room. The moment she heard Laura’s voice, she looked at me, immediately sensing that something was wrong. I quickly put the call on speaker. “Mike…” Laura’s voice was shaky. She was breathing heavily as though she had been running. “Laura, calm down. What happened?” I asked. “Mike, tell Alicia that Hanna just called me.” I immediately stood up. “What?” Alicia's expression changed. “What did she want?” I asked. Laura took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. “She said she wanted me to tell her everything Alicia is planning. She wants to know everything you are doing, where you are going, and what your plans are.” Alicia immediately leaned closer to the phone. “Laura, how did she get your number?” Laura replied. “She called my father-in-law first. She told him that she was my college friend and asked him to tell me to contact her. I didn't know what was happening, so I called her back.” “Did you tell her anything?” Alicia asked. “No!” Laura answered quickly. “I didn't tell her anything. Trust me, Alicia. I swear, I didn't.”

Alicia remained silent for a moment. I could hear Laura breathing heavily through the phone. Alicia finally nodded. “That's good. And Laura, tell everyone close to you to be careful from now on. If Hanna was able to reach your father-in-law just to get to you, then he could become a target.” Laura's voice became quieter. “Understood.” “Stay safe,” Alicia said. “I will.” The call ended. For several seconds, nobody said anything. I looked at Alicia. She slowly placed my phone on the table. “Hanna is getting desperate,” Mark said from across the room. Alicia looked at him. “Or she's getting confident.” Mark gave a small smile. “So you two are staying quiet, and she's becoming uncomfortable.” Alicia nodded. “Exactly.” She leaned back and crossed her arms. “Hanna expected us to come after her immediately after what she did. She probably expected anger, threats, attacks… something.” I nodded. “But we didn't give her anything.” “And now she's wondering why,” Alicia replied. Peter looked at her. “So what are we going to do?” Alicia looked around the room. “I wanted to tell everyone something.” Everyone became quiet. “Tomorrow morning, the Lions are going to the army at the border.” There was a brief silence. Alicia continued. “The Gupta family is divided, the border is under pressure, and we have to go there.” She paused. “So there won't be any long, sad goodbyes tonight. We might wake up tomorrow and leave before some of you even realize we're gone.”

Mark nodded slowly. “Okay.” Peter, however, frowned. “But why do you have to go there? Isn't Hanna's family also there?” Alicia smiled. “It doesn't matter.” Peter looked confused. “We're going to fight anyway.” The room became quiet again. Mark nodded. “I understand.” Georgia and Mary exchanged a look. Neither of them seemed comfortable with the idea. But they both nodded. “You two must be careful,” Georgia said. Mary nodded. “Very careful.” Alicia suddenly laughed. “What is there to be careful about?” The laughter disappeared from her face. “We already lost our son while we were being careful.” Georgia's eyes dropped. Mary looked away. Nobody knew what to say after that. I reached for Alicia's hand. She squeezed mine. The room remained silent. We all understood what she meant. This wasn't simply another mission. For Alicia, it was personal. Hanna had taken something from her that could never be replaced. And now Alicia was going after her. The Following Morning. The house was awake much earlier than usual. I could hear footsteps moving through the hallway before the sun had fully risen. Bags were being carried. Weapons were being checked. Equipment was being packed. Nobody needed to be reminded about what we were doing. Alicia and I went downstairs dressed and ready. She looked at me. “Ready?” I nodded. “Ready.” She looked around the room one last time. For a moment, I could see the sadness in her eyes. She had tried to avoid the goodbyes. She didn't want anyone crying. She didn't want anyone treating this like we were going somewhere from which we might never return.

But that was exactly what happened. One by one, everyone gathered around us. Georgia hugged Alicia first. “Please come back.” Alicia hugged her tightly. “I will.” Georgia pulled away and wiped her tears. Mary was next. She hugged Alicia for a long time without saying anything. When she finally stepped back, she looked at me. “Take care of her.” I nodded. “I will.” Peter shook my hand before pulling me into a hug. “Come back safe, my child.” I smiled. “We will.” Mark stood a few steps away. He didn't say anything at first. He simply looked at Alicia. There was a father looking at his daughter, knowing that she was walking directly toward danger. Finally, he stepped forward and hugged her. “Don't let your anger control you.” Alicia closed her eyes. “I'll try.” Mark pulled away. “That's all I ask.” Alicia nodded. Everyone else said their goodbyes. Some tried to smile. Others couldn't hold back their tears. I looked around the room. We were standing together, saying goodbye as if we were preparing for war. And perhaps we were. Alicia took my hand. “Let's go.” We walked toward the door. Before stepping outside, Alicia stopped. She looked back at everyone. “Take care of each other.” Nobody answered. They simply nodded. Then we walked out. The doors closed behind us. And with that, we left.

While we were leaving, Hanna was already awake. She had spent most of the night waiting. No phone call. No message. Nothing. Hanna sat quietly, staring at her phone. Her patience was slowly disappearing. She had expected Laura to report everything Alicia was doing. Instead, there was silence. Hanna finally smiled. “Interesting.” She stood up and walked toward the window. The sun was beginning to rise. She turned around. “Warner.” Warner stepped forward. “Yes Boss?” “I have a personal task for you.” Hanna picked up a photograph. She handed it to him. “Go and kill this person.” Warner looked at the photograph. Hanna pointed at the back. “Everything you need is written there. His name, where he works, and where you can find him.” Warner turned the photograph over and read the information. He looked back at Hanna. “When?” “Now.” Warner nodded. “Understood.” He turned around and walked away. Excited to finally prove himself valuable to the boss. Hanna watched him leave. Her expression remained cold. “If they want to play quietly,” she whispered, “then I'll show them that silence has a price.” At the Wood It Company, Josh had no idea that someone was waiting for him. He arrived at work that morning as he normally would. He parked his vehicle and stepped out. He had barely taken a few steps when a vehicle passed by.

Warner was behind the wheel. He slowed down just enough to get a clear view. Then he raised his weapon. Two shots rang out. Josh fell to the ground. Warner didn't stop. He continued driving as if nothing had happened. Within seconds, the vehicle disappeared down the road. Josh was dead. And Hanna had sent her message. At almost the same time, we arrived at Lucia Goods. This was supposed to be our final meeting before heading to the Gupta family. Every lion was there. We were gathering our final equipment when Laura's phone suddenly rang. She looked at the screen. Her face changed. Alicia noticed immediately. “Who is it?” Laura didn't answer. She stared at the phone for a few seconds. Then she looked at us. Finally, she answered and immediately put the call on speaker. “Hello?” There was silence for a moment. Then we heard laughter. A cold, familiar laugh. Hanna. “You didn't do what I asked you to do.” Laura's face went pale. Hanna continued. “Now you pay the price.” Laura immediately stepped forward. “Hanna, what do you want from me?” Her voice was filled with anger and fear. “Why are you targeting me?” But there was no answer. The call ended.

Laura stared at the phone. Nobody moved. Chris broke the silence. “What price?” Laura slowly looked at him. “I don't know.” Before anyone could say anything else, her phone rang again. Everyone looked at her. This time the number was unfamiliar. Laura hesitated. Alicia looked at her. “Answer it.” Laura swallowed. She pressed the button. “Hello?” A man's voice answered. “Hello. Is this Laura Gomez?” “Yes. This is her.” “This is Officer Pooren.” Laura immediately became more alert. “Officer? What is wrong?” There was a brief pause on the other end. The officer's voice became softer. “Miss Gomez, I'm very sorry to inform you…” Laura's face changed. The room became completely silent. “There was a shooting earlier this morning.” Laura stopped breathing for a moment. The officer continued. “Your father was involved in the incident.” Laura's hand began to tremble. “No…” The officer paused. “Miss Gomez…” “No.” Her voice became weaker. “Please…” “I am very sorry.” Laura's eyes filled with tears. “What happened to him?” The officer took a breath. “Your father was killed in the shooting.” The phone slipped from Laura's hand. It hit the floor. For several seconds, she simply stood there. Frozen. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Laura stared at the phone lying on the floor as though she was waiting for someone to tell her that she had misunderstood. Then she whispered, “What?” Officer Pooren's voice could still be heard from the phone. “Miss Gomez, I need you to come and confirm whether the deceased is your father.”