C541 What Connection Do They Have

Hanna stood silently for a moment, considering Alicia's proposal. Then she turned towards her. “So, you think I'm just going to forgive you for killing my father?” Alicia nodded without hesitation. “And I'll forgive you for killing my son.” Hanna stared at her before letting out a bitter laugh. “You make forgiveness sound so easy.” “I'm not saying it is,” Alicia replied. “I'm saying we have to make a choice. We can continue killing each other until there's nothing left of our families, or we can put an end to this.” Hanna shook her head. “I can't guarantee what Charlie will do. And I certainly can't guarantee what my second father will decide.” Alicia nodded. “Just as I can't guarantee that my team will agree with the decision I've made. They might consider it a betrayal, especially after everything you've done. But I've attended enough funerals, Hanna. I've seen enough bloodshed. We should be fighting a common enemy instead of destroying each other.” Hanna studied her for a few seconds before finally nodding. “I'll think about it.” She turned towards the door and raised her voice. “Charlie! You can come inside now.” A moment later, the door opened, and Charlie walked into the room. Her eyes immediately moved between the two women. “Ann, I could hear you laughing with her from outside. What's going on?” she demanded. “You won't let me kill her, and now you won't even tell me what you're discussing.”

Hanna smiled faintly. “Charlie, there's something you need to understand. Alicia and I are cousins. That's why I don't want you to kill her just yet.” Charlie froze. “Cousins?” “Yes,” Hanna confirmed. “We're both members of the Gupta family.” Charlie looked at Alicia, clearly struggling to process the revelation. Hanna continued before she could ask another question. “My family is responsible for guarding the border, and Alicia is the commander of the Gupta army. She came here willingly, and we've been discussing a possible arrangement.” She glanced at Alicia before looking back at Charlie. “She has promised to keep our operations secret and allow our boats to continue passing through the border without inspection, provided we let her leave.” Charlie's expression slowly changed as she considered the implications. “If we can secure that route, where the police rarely patrol, the Harris Cartel could expand considerably,” Hanna added. “It would give us an advantage we've been missing.” Charlie frowned. “Ann, what about my revenge? She killed my uncle!” Alicia let out a humourless laugh. “You kidnapped my child. My son is dead because you kidnapped him.” Charlie's eyes narrowed. “You can't put that on me!” “Can't I?” Alicia challenged. “You were involved, Charlie. You know what happened.” Charlie opened her mouth to respond, but Alicia continued before she could interrupt. “There's something else I don't understand. Why would the Mayor prevent us from finding you, yet give us a mission to find Ann Smith?” Hanna's smile vanished. “What?”

Alicia turned towards her. “The Mayor asked us to uncover your real identity. He was suspicious of you and wanted us to investigate. He even gave us the exact location of the meeting.” Hanna stared at her in disbelief. “That's impossible.” “Why?” “Because the meeting location was decided last night. Only Frank and I knew where it would take place. Even Charlie didn't know until later.” Alicia frowned. “Who is Frank?” Hanna seemed to remember something. She folded her arms, her expression growing darker. “Frank Potter. He told me the whole thing was personal. He wanted to take over the Harris Cartel, and he needed me alive so he could get access to our suppliers.” She paused, then looked at Charlie. “So, Frank and the Mayor are working together?” Charlie shook her head, clearly confused. “How is that possible? The Mayor told me he was working for Willy Harris. Then, after Willy died, he appeared to support us. He even defended me publicly.” Hanna gave a bitter laugh. “I knew something was wrong. I told you I didn't trust him.” She turned towards Alicia. “But who is Frank Potter really, and why is the Mayor working with him?” Alicia remained quiet, but her thoughts were racing. For a while, the Lions had suspected that the Mayor was hiding something. His unusual interest in Ann, his involvement in the Harris Cartel's affairs, and the way he had directed the Lions towards Ann Smith had never quite made sense. Now, the pieces were beginning to fit together.

The Mayor had sent them after Hanna while apparently protecting the very people they were supposed to investigate. He had provided intelligence, arranged the mission, and given them a location where everything could go wrong. And if Hanna was telling the truth, he might have been working with Frank Potter all along. The suspicions the Lions had discussed were no longer just suspicions. Hanna interrupted Alicia's thoughts. “When you saved me at the warehouse, did you kill their boss?” Alicia shook her head. “No. He went back inside the warehouse. I didn't see him again.” Hanna's expression hardened. “Then they know you didn't kill me. They know you saved me, and they may have realised that you were never truly on their side.” Alicia frowned. “Wait a minute. I wasn't working for any drug cartel. The Mayor told us the mission was being conducted on behalf of the government.” Hanna stared at her as though she couldn't believe what she was hearing. “And which government official can confirm that? Did he tell anyone else about your involvement?” Alicia fell silent. The question struck harder than she expected. The Mayor had given the Lions their instructions through her father, Mark. He had presented the operation as a government mission, and they had trusted the authority behind it. But what if the Mayor had deliberately misled them? What if the government had never authorised the operation at all? Alicia's face revealed the shock she was struggling to contain. “The Mayor used us?” Hanna watched her carefully, allowing the realisation to sink in. “I don't know exactly how far his involvement goes,” she said. “But if he was working with Frank, then you need to consider the possibility that the entire operation was designed to serve their interests.”

Alicia clenched her jaw. She had risked her team's lives believing they were carrying out a legitimate mission. Including going to South America. Samantha and Faith had been injured in the attack that followed, and she had ended up in Hanna's custody. Now she was beginning to wonder whether they had all been manipulated from the beginning. Hanna studied her for a long moment before speaking again. “I'll let you go for now. You've brought me information that could change everything.” Alicia looked at her cautiously. “And Frank Potter?” “I'll deal with him myself,” Hanna replied. “But I'll need my team to help me.” Alicia nodded. “I'll investigate the Mayor. If he really played us, I'll make him answer for it.” Hanna laughed. “That is, of course, assuming we don't catch him first.” Charlie had been listening to their exchange, her anger gradually giving way to a growing sense of unease. “If what you're saying is true, then the Mayor was involved in everything,” she said. “But he was also working for Willy Harris. How does that fit together?” Alicia turned towards her. “He knew we were coming after your uncle. My father passed the information to him that morning, and the Mayor provided backup for the operation.” She paused, remembering the events surrounding Willy's death. “His men were the ones who killed the South Americans outside your uncles villa.” Hanna's eyes widened slightly before she began to laugh. “Then it all makes sense.” Charlie frowned. “What makes sense?” “Think about it,” Hanna replied. “The Mayor was working with Willy, but he also had his own interests. Frank wanted control of the Harris Cartel to avenge his family, and the Mayor apparently had his own reasons for wanting Willy gone.”

She paced slowly across the room, putting the pieces together. “Both of them benefited from Willy's death. With Willy out of the way, they could move against the cartel and take control of its operations. But then you rose to power, Charlie, and their plans became more complicated.” Charlie clenched her fists. “So they wanted Willy dead, but they didn't expect me to take over?” “Perhaps they expected to control the cartel themselves,” Hanna replied. “Instead, you took your uncle's place, and now they're dealing with a new leader they can't easily manipulate.” Charlie shook her head, her anger returning. “The Mayor was part of the plan all along.” She looked at Alicia, then turned towards Hanna. “If he's responsible for what happened, I'll deal with him myself.” Hanna nodded slowly. “Then we finally have something in common.” Alicia looked between them, aware of the dangerous alliance beginning to take shape. The three women were no longer arguing about who deserved revenge against whom. They were beginning to recognise that someone else might have been pulling the strings. But there was still one problem. They had suspicions, fragments of information, and a growing list of questions. They didn't yet know the full extent of the Mayor's involvement, or what Frank Potter intended to do next. And if the Mayor had truly manipulated the Lions, he might already know that his plan was falling apart. Alicia took a slow breath. “Before either of you makes a move against him, we need to find out the truth. If we act without knowing the full picture, we could end up playing straight into his hands again.” Hanna looked at her thoughtfully. “Agreed.” Charlie reluctantly nodded. “But once we have the proof, I want him to answer for everything.” Alicia met her gaze. “So do I.” For the moment, their shared suspicions had brought them to the same side. Whether that fragile understanding could survive the truth about the Mayor remained to be seen.