C534 Why Did She Hesitate

Everyone looked at me. I understood that everyone wanted answers but answers were not easy. I finally broke the silence. "When we arrived at the warehouse, everyone volunteered to take up their positions. Sarah and Chris covered the back of the building, where they could take pictures of anyone entering or leaving. Laura and Amanda took the left side for the same purpose, while Samantha and Faith positioned themselves at the front to observe the exchange. Alicia and I took the right side, carrying our rifles in case we needed to eliminate a target who posed a threat." I paused, trying to recall every detail. "When the vehicles arrived, we took pictures of the people getting out. Everything was going according to plan until the second group showed up. We believed they were Ann Smith's people, and we soon discovered that Ann Smith herself was actually Hanna." Mark's expression hardened at the mention of her name, but he remained silent. "Things became complicated after that. Alicia couldn't find the right angle for a clear shot, and her concentration was interrupted when Faith spotted the RPG. Her warning alerted all of us, and Alicia immediately rushed towards Samantha and Faith. I was packing the rifles when I followed her. But when I reached them, Alicia was already gone. Even Chris, who arrived before me, hadn't seen where she went. The smoke from the explosion had made it almost impossible to see anything."

Georgia struggled to hold back her tears. "What if the explosion hit her too?" I shook my head. "That can't be it. We were far enough away from the explosion when we ran towards them. Besides, we searched the area afterward." Mark looked at us. "Did you check the surrounding area? Perhaps she was thrown somewhere by the blast or fell unconscious nearby." I nodded. "We searched, but she wasn't there. I don't know whether Hannatook her or if something else happened. Or Maybe the other party founded her first. All I know is that Alicia disappeared." Peter frowned thoughtfully. "What about the man Hanna was meeting? Who exactly was he?" I remembered their boss and what had happened outside the warehouse. "Grandpa, when I shot his bodyguards, Their boss managed to duck out of the way. While I was dealing with the other two, he ran back inside the warehouse and escaped through the back door. When we started looking for Alicia, we searched the warehouse as well, but neither Alicia nor that man was there." Mary frowned. "Could he have taken Alicia while everyone was distracted by the explosion?" I shook my head. "I don't think so. He ran back inside the warehouse before the explosion happened, and the blast occurred some distance away. We searched the building, but he was already gone. I honestly don't know what happened to either of them."

Before anyone could ask another question, a nurse pushed Samantha's brd towards her VIP ward. Although she had regained consciousness, she was still weak from the surgery and the injuries she had sustained in the explosion. Sarah immediately approached her. "Elders, please give us a moment with Sam. We need to check on her privately." Kelvin frowned slightly, but he understood. "All right. Go ahead." We entered the room, leaving the others outside. Samantha looked at me as soon as I approached her. "Mike, they took her. I saw it happen." I moved closer to her bed. "What exactly did you see, Sam?" "After the explosion, Alicia came towards us. She was trying to save us. Then Hanna's men pointed their guns at her, but..." Samantha stopped, struggling to continue. Chris leaned forward anxiously. "But what?" Samantha took a deep breath. "Hanna's car stopped in front of Alicia. She stopped them from killing her. I saw what was happening, but I fainted shortly afterwards. I don't know what happened after that." My heart sank. At least we finally had confirmation that Alicia had been taken. But that only raised more questions. Why had Hanna ordered her men not to kill Alicia? What did she intend to do with my wife? I looked at Samantha and tried to reassure her. "We'll find her, Sam. I promise you that."

Across the room, Laura suddenly broke down in tears. "This is all my fault," she cried. "I'm sure Hanna took Alicia because she believes Alicia killed her father. What if she tortures Alicia for something she didn't even do?" Amanda immediately wrapped her arms around Laura. "Laura, please stop blaming yourself. We'll find Alicia. We don't know what Hanna intends to do, but we cannot assume the worst before we have all the facts." Laura buried her face in Amanda's shoulder, unable to stop crying. I understood her guilt, but there was no time to dwell on it. Alicia was missing, and every minute we spent arguing or blaming ourselves was another minute we could have spent searching for her. I turned towards the others. "I'm going to check the recordings from our communication devices. I want to see whether any of the cameras captured what happened after the explosion. Perhaps we'll find something that explains how Alicia disappeared." Chris immediately nodded. "I'm coming with you, brother. Alicia is my younger sister, too. I'm not going to sit around waiting for someone else to find her." We left the hospital, and the Mooney family followed us. As we travelled towards the Mooney residence, I remained lost in my thoughts. The entire mission had gone wrong, but there was one thing I couldn't stop thinking about. Why hadn't Alicia taken the shot? I remembered her hesitation when Hanna appeared at the warehouse. I remembered asking her why she hadn't killed Hanna, and I remembered her admitting that she had frozen. But that wasn't what troubled me most. Before the mission, Alicia had asked whether I would be angry if she decided not to kill Hanna. At the time, I hadn't fully understood why she was asking me that question. Now, I couldn't stop wondering whether she had already made up her mind. And if she had decided to spare Hanna, why had she stopped me from taking the shot myself?

The other Lions had been listening to our conversation through the communication devices. They knew Alicia had deliberately chosen not to kill Hanna. That meant they, too, might be wondering why. I couldn't blame them for questioning her decision. Hanna had caused us too much pain, and none of us could forget what had happened to Emmanuel. My son. And Laura's father. I stared out of the window, fighting back the emotions threatening to overwhelm me. Emmanuel, my son, I hope you're resting in peace. Please, if you can hear me, protect your mother. I need her to come home safely. I closed my eyes briefly, but before I could sink further into my thoughts, Chris interrupted me. "Brother, what about the Gold and Diamond dagger? Isn't it traceable?" I turned towards him. "We left it at home. We only brought rifles to the mission." Then something occurred to me. "Wait a minute. The candle at the Gupta family." Mark, who was sitting nearby, immediately looked at me. "What candle?" I hesitated. "It's something connected to the Gupta family. I'll explain everything properly when we get home." Mark studied me for a moment but didn't press further. Not long afterwards, we arrived at the Mooney residence. I wasted no time. As soon as we entered, I approached Mark and asked him to call Victor. He took out his phone and dialled the number. After a few moments, the call connected. "Mr Mooney," Victor greeted him. I immediately took the phone. "Grandpa, I need you to check something for us. It's urgent." Victor sounded tired. His family had only just returned from his brother's funeral, and I could hear the strain in his voice. "I've just come back from my brother's funeral, Mike. What is it?" I swallowed, suddenly afraid of what his answer might be. "Can you check Alicia's candle and tell me if it's still burning?" There was a brief silence. Then Victor's voice changed. "What happened to Alicia? Mike, where is she?"