C538 Where Is Laura

Victor turned towards his father, concern written across his face. "Father, how can I convince Darry to give us Hanna's number?" Miller shook his head. "If Darry knew anything about this, he would have come here to brag about it. He has been plotting his revenge against Alicia for Samson's death, and he would never miss an opportunity to remind us that he had won. The fact that he hasn't contacted us tells me that he is just as much in the dark as we are." He paused before continuing. "Find Hanna without alerting Darry or the coaches. We don't want anyone knowing what we're doing until we have a clear lead. Start by checking all the hotels owned by your brother. If Hanna needs somewhere to hide, those properties would be worth investigating." Victor nodded. "I'll get my people on it immediately." After some time, Miller slowly left the villa, leaving Victor to organise the search. Victor understood that Laura was her granddaughter's friend, after Miller left he arranged for a simple dinner to be prepared and personally carried it to the room where Laura was locked in. When he entered, he found her sitting on the bed, still crying. Her eyes were red, and she looked exhausted from everything that had happened. Victor placed the tray on the table and offered her a polite smile. "Laura, what you did today was incredibly foolish."

Laura slowly raised her head. Victor continued. "My father and I don't know what agreement you and Alicia made when she decided to take responsibility for Samson's death. Whatever the circumstances, you shouldn't have come here and confessed without thinking about the consequences." He paused, his expression becoming more serious. "Fortunately, my older brother, Darry, wasn't present when you made that confession. He's been plotting revenge for Samson's death, and if he had heard you admit to killing his nrother, I cannot imagine what he would have done." Laura immediately sat up straighter. "Did you contact Hanna? Has she released Alicia?" Victor shook his head. "What makes you think Hanna would release Alicia simply because you've confessed? The conflict between those two is much bigger than you seem to understand. This isn't something that can be resolved with a single conversation." Laura lowered her eyes. Victor sighed. "Listen to me. Don't do anything foolish again. I'll send my people to look for Hanna, and we'll do everything we can to find Alicia. But until we know where she is, you need to remain here and let us handle things." He gestured towards the tray. "Here. At least eat something." Laura stared at the food but didn't reach for it immediately. "Can I ask you something?" "Go ahead." "Why haven't I been arrested? Why am I being treated like a guest instead? And why have you put me in such a beautiful, well-kept room?" Victor glanced around the room. "This room belonged to Alicia's mother."

Laura froze. She looked around again, this time with a different expression. The neat furniture, the carefully arranged books, and the peaceful atmosphere suddenly felt more significant. She was sitting in the very room where Alicia's mother had once lived. Victor noticed her reaction but offered no further explanation. "If you can't sleep, at least read something. There are plenty of books on the shelves. Crying all night won't help you or Alicia." With that, he turned and left. Laura remained seated for several minutes, thinking about his words. Eventually, she picked up the tray and began eating. She knew Victor was right about one thing, crying wouldn't bring Alicia home. When she finished, she stood and walked towards the bookshelf. Her eyes moved across the titles before she finally selected a book. Returning to the bed, she opened it, hoping to find something that would distract her from the thoughts consuming her. But even as she began reading, her mind remained with Alicia. At the hospital, it was already late, and Amanda had stayed as long as she could. She finally stood and turned towards Sarah. "Sarah, I need to go home and get some rest. Please look after Sam and Faith. Call me if you need anything." Sarah nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Amanda." Samantha was already asleep, her body exhausted from surgery and the events of the day. Faith remained nearby, while the Wood family continued keeping watch over them.

Amanda said goodbye to everyone before leaving the ward. However, instead of driving home, she headed straight to the Gomez family residence. Only one person occupied her thoughts. Laura. The strange things Laura had said before leaving the hospital continued to trouble her. The emotional confession, the tight embrace, and the unexpected kiss had left Amanda with a feeling she couldn't shake. Then there was the message Laura had sent to the Lions' group chat. It sounded too much like a farewell. Amanda had tried to convince herself that Laura was simply overwhelmed by guilt over Alicia's disappearance. But the longer she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. She needed to find Laura and make sure she was all right. When Amanda arrived at the Gomez residence, the house was already quiet. Everyone had retired to their rooms, but the lights from her car caught Prince's attention. He got up and went to answer the door. The moment he saw Amanda, he frowned in surprise. "Amanda? What are you doing here at this hour?" "Good evening, Mr Gomez. I'm sorry to disturb you, but I've come to see Laura. It's urgent." Prince's expression changed. "Laura? She left about two hours ago. She told us she was going back to the hospital." Amanda shook her head. "I've just come from the hospital. Laura never arrived." Prince stared at her. "Are you saying she's missing?" Amanda hesitated. "I'm not sure, but I think she may have done something foolish. She was acting strangely before she left, and I'm worried about her." Prince's face filled with concern. "Where could she have gone?" "I don't know. It's all right, Mr Gomez. I'll check the Mooney residence. Perhaps she went there." Prince nodded, although he clearly remained worried. "Please let us know if you find her." "I will." Amanda hurried back to her car and drove towards the Mooney residence.

At the Mooney residence, nobody had gone to bed. Alicia's abduction had left everyone deeply unsettled, and the house was filled with anxiety. While the others waited for news, I sat in my bedroom in front of my computer, examining the footage from the camera Alicia had worn during the mission. Chris sat beside me, watching the recording with growing frustration. "Brother, do you see this?" he asked, pointing at the screen. "Alicia was running towards Samantha and Faith when that car pulled up in front of them." I nodded. "Yes. Keep watching." We continued watching as the footage played. A man approached Alicia and pointed a gun at her. Before she could react, another car pulled up beside them. One of the men struck her on the head with his gun, leaving her unable to defend herself. They then carried her into the waiting vehicle. Within moments, the men had driven away with Alicia. I clenched my fists. There was no longer any doubt about what had happened. Hanna's men had abducted my wife. I leaned back in my chair, trying to control the anger building inside me. "We finally have proof," I muttered. "Hanna's people took her." Chris shook his head, still trying to make sense of everything. "If Hanna is Ann Smith, does that mean she's the new boss of the Harris Cartel? And what about Charlie? How can Hanna, a member of the Gupta family, be involved in the drug trade?"

I stared at the screen. Those questions had been troubling me, too. Hanna belonged to one of the most powerful families we knew, yet she had been operating under a false identity dealing with the Harris Cartel. Charlie Kinlore had been rebuilding the cartel, but Hanna's involvement suggested that the situation was far more complicated than we had realised. "We'll have to investigate all of it," I replied. "But first, we need to find Alicia." Before Chris could respond, someone knocked at the door. A moment later, Amanda entered the room. She looked around anxiously before asking, "Is Mike asleep?" I shook my head. "I'm here. What's wrong?" Amanda hurried towards us. "Where is Laura?" I frowned. "Laura? We left you all at the hospital. What do you mean?" Amanda shook her head, visibly worried. "She said some strange things to me before she left. Then I read the message she sent to the Lions' group chat, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I went looking for her, but the Gomez family told me she had left hours ago, supposedly to return to the hospital." She paused, looking between Chris and me. "She never arrived there. I don't know where she is, but I think something bad is happening." Chris frowned. "Now that you mention it, I didn't understand Laura's message either. Why would she suddenly thank everyone and talk as though she was saying goodbye?" I turned back towards my computer, but my attention was no longer on the recording. Laura's strange behaviour, her emotional message, and her sudden disappearance were beginning to form a troubling pattern. "Where could she have gone?" I wondered aloud. Nobody answered. We were already trying to find Alicia, and now Laura had disappeared as well. I had no idea what she was planning, but one thing was becoming increasingly clear. Whatever Laura had decided to do, she had made sure none of us knew about it.