Chapter 425 - The Recorded Phone Call

Mia knows that Fabricio is eager for her to accept his offer and become his heir (officially). She was held back by the idea that she does not want to be the leader of assassins, but now it seems that this organization is much more than just that.

She glanced at Hunter who shrugged, indicating that it's up to her. He told her (more than once) that he will support her no matter what she decides.

Mia met Fabricio's expectant gaze and a small smile crept on her face. "I am interested to find out more. Is that OK?"

Fabricio clapped his hands excitedly. "That is excellent!"

"Can you get some of your men to watch over Liz?"

Fabricio frowned at Mia. "How many times I need to tell you that we are not in the business of guarding others."

"But they guard you, and me.", Mia tried to reason with her father.

"That is different. We are family.", Fabricio responded curtly.

"Liz is like family to me.", Mia whined.

Fabricio snorted. "I know what you are trying to do, young lady."

"Is it working?", Mia asked cheekily, knowing that she asked the same question Fabricio asked her a minute ago.

Fabricio rolled his eyes. "My men are looking for the woman who ordered the hit. Isn't that enough? Liz's boyfriend should be capable enough to protect her in case someone tries to harm her. If we add our people, it might cause more harm than benefits as they start to shoot at each other."

Mia pressed her lips into a line. "I see that you have a point."

"And I see that you still have a lot to learn. We will start today.", Fabricio said strictly. "Lesson one: don't let your impulses guide you. Always think about the situation first. No matter how confident you are, I need you to stop and think. And the more heated up the situation is, the more important is to slow down."

Mia nodded vigorously in agreement, but Fabricio was not so sure she will do it. "Until I give you my OK, I want you to discuss everything with Hunter before instructing people to do anything."

Mia was not happy about it. "Why with Hunter?"

"I can't be the one holding your hand because I want you to stand on your own feet. Between the two of you, he is more levelheaded. I trust that he will not allow you to make rash decisions."

Hunter smiled smugly, despite Mia's scowl. Fabricio called him levelheaded. Hunter likes his future father-in-law.

~ Seattle ~

Max put the Bluetooth earpiece to listen to the audio file that Mia sent. He didn't want to risk Liz waking up and overhearing it. Not before he hears it first.

Hunter told Max earlier about Mia's father and the type of business he is in, so Max had an idea what he will hear, and that it will not be pleasant, but he forced himself to open the file because there might be some hints that can help him find Irene and keep Liz safe.

Max was aware that only by getting his hands on Irene he can protect Liz, because Irene will not give up on getting her way.

//The audio file started…

"Hello? I heard this is the number to call when I have a problem."

The female voice was rushed like she is in a hurry. Max clenched his teeth when he recognized that the voice belongs to Irene.

"It depends on a problem.", the man who answered the call responded.

"There is a woman. I need her gone.", Irene said.

The man responded after a few seconds of silence: "This is not a tourist agency to organize a vacation. You got the wrong number, lady."

"Wait! Not gone on vacation but gone as… dead. I can pay in cash."

"Keep on talking.", the man urged her for more details in a calm voice. He is trained to take these calls and ease the customer into disclosing the details. First-time customers are usually nervous and stiff and based on the tone of the woman, he could detect that she never did anything like this.

"The woman's name is Elizabeth Williams. She is a doctor at the Franciscan Medical Center in Seattle. A woman in her late twenties, with dark brown hair. She visits the Alpha group HQ in Seattle almost daily. How much would it cost to get rid of her?"

"It depends on who she is, and who you are.", the man responded in a flat voice.

"I just told you who she is. A doctor in Seattle. And why do you care who I am?"

"We need to know more about her than her occupation and name if we are going to get our job done. As for you, repeat customers get a discount."

"I don't want a discount.", Irene said irritably. "I said I will pay in cash. I can wire it to you from an offshore account or send it as a parcel to the address you specify. Tell me the amount and it will be done."

"We don't work with anonymous customers. It is not fair that you know who we are while concealing your identity."

"I-I don't know who you are.", Irene stuttered. She was not willing to reveal who she is. "How could I know who you are?"

"You have this number, and if you wire the money, you will know the account. If you send a parcel, you will know the address. How do I know that you are not an undercover cop who wants to frame me?", the man said his well-practiced lines. Their accounts and phone number can't be traced because everything is virtual, but they are not going to be at a disadvantage and work for anonymous people.

"And how do I know that you are not a cop?", Irene questioned back.

The man snickered. "You are the one who called me. If you doubt the authenticity, you should doubt the one who gave you this number."

Irene exhaled loudly. She was on the run and wanted to deliver a final blow before she disappears so that she can have the last laugh. However, if anyone can connect her to Liz's death, it will be much more difficult to stay low key. She was fine with hiding from Max, but hiding from the police is a completely different thing.

"Are you saying that unless I reveal my identity, you will not do the job?"

"That is correct, madam. The only way to ensure this works is if the scales are balanced. You know who we are, and we will see your face in return. Here is how this will work. We will look into Elizabeth Williams in order to estimate how difficult a target she is and we will come up with several options for you to pick from. But in order for us to accept the job, we require to meet with you in person where we can verify your identity and confirm the payment. Half in advance, and the other half after the job is done. I hope you understand that we are in business for this long because we provide top-notch service, and because we are being careful."

"I see…", Irene said with disappointment in her voice.

"If you give me a good number to reach you, I will give you a call when we are ready to talk to you. It usually does not take more than twenty-four hours to come up with estimates.", the man explained.

"Uhm… twenty-four hours. I will call you back.", Irene said, and ended the call abruptly.

//The audio file ended…

Max's brows furrowed. He was confident that the woman was Irene. And she definitely wants Liz dead. What a nightmare!

He took the Bluetooth earpiece from his ear and flung it angrily across the room.

The call ended with Irene saying that she will call back, but Max doubted that will happen. If Irene considered meeting with them, she would ask for more details, and this sounded like she wanted to disengage. It was obvious that she does not want to reveal her identity and to be connected to her misdeeds. Ah, how he regrets letting her leave the Alpha group HQ earlier that day!

How much more trouble will Irene cause?

He shoved his hand in his hair in frustration.

Max had no idea how to tell this to Liz. How will she react? What if she leaves him? Can he blame Liz if she leaves him? It would be normal that she values her life over one relationship. After all, she can always find another boyfriend, while her life is only one. And it's his fault that she is in this predicament.

Max does not want to think about it, but the fact is that Liz is a brilliant woman and that there are many men who would be more than happy to court her… men who don't have the burden of the past like Max… men who don't have psychotic ex-girlfriends.

The problem is that Irene already put a target on Liz's back. What if Irene hires someone else to kill Liz? What if Irene goes after Liz herself? Buying a gun in the United States is not difficult. What if some of them succeed? 

Max was restless and he started pacing through the living room while cursing himself for the umpteenth time because he let Irene leave the Alpha group HQ building. Why did he play that stupid game with Irene for so long? Sure, they captured people who were behind the whole plot to take down the Alpha group, but at what price? If he knew that Liz would be in danger like this, he would fire Irene right away. 

He was about to go to the safe house, but he changed his mind. Max removed his clothes and went back to bed.

He cradled Liz in his arms for comfort and he was unable to fall asleep.

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