Chapter 211: < Protect – Side Story – Logan’s Adventure [6] >

“My name is Sam. You’re that Logan, aren’t you?”

He wasn’t a big-bellied man, but a middle-aged man with an average physique. He smiled and offered him a handshake. Logan accepted and shook his hand a few times. Seeing how his eyes weren’t shaking in the middle of gunshots, he must have had an experience out on the battlefield.

He trusted him more than a police officer.

“Have you served?”

“In Iraq.”

“Old Bush?”

“Both the damned Bush father and son.”

The Bush father and son were probably the only ones who were both American presidents and declared war. Logan led the way. He couldn’t trust the police.

‘If it was Carol, she probably already talked to the police.’

She probably planted some informants within the police. The police were supposed to be upright, but in the end, they were nothing but employees who needed to get paid.

Logan led them to a car that he had parked four blocks away. Luckily, the tentacles of the mercenaries hadn’t extended that far. But it was just a matter of time.

He started the car.

“Huh? Where are we going?”

“The Hamptons.”

“Hamptons?”

Christina spoke up to Logan’s sudden announcement of heading over to a tourist destination.

“What about Hannah?”

“She’s in a safe place. Don’t worry.”

“I’m sorry, Logan.”

“No need to apologize. Just explain what happened.”

Listening to the story from her was the most reliable.

“It’s been 10 years already…”

How many people in the world would have lived lives they were proud of? Logan’s life wasn’t one that he could brag about. If it wasn’t for Ahn Soo Ho, he would have lost his life out on the battlefield.

Christina McQueen’s life wasn’t so smooth either.

She was the queen of their high school, but there were thousands of high schools in America. That meant there were that many queens as well. The first thing that Christina realized after stepping into reality was that it wasn’t hard to find others who were just as pretty as her.

“All the girls who think they’re decent looking dream of becoming a Hollywood actress, but the world doesn’t work that way.”

As soon as Christina realized that, she also learned that she needed a weapon to beat the rest. Men certainly liked sexy women. However, there were as many as there were stars in the sky. So Christina added another charm to her sexiness.

Logan was shocked by the tattoo that she showed him. He had no idea how the queen of his high school met a criminal like Patrick Holland, but now he knew.

“You?”

Logan stared at her with dumbfounded eyes. There was only one organization in the world that used such a tattoo.

Absent Morgan

Just like how Green Peace was known for protecting the environment, they were known as the anti-men organization of the mercenary world. Absent Morgan was a feminist organization that went against the international policies that only conserved women and children as war victims.

They were different from the typical feminists that just talked the talk because while the feminists fought with their mouths, these women took their automatic rifles and shot down their enemies. It was contradictory to needing power in order to resist power, but in order to make a change, power was needed.

“So Caroline and Kenneth both knew, didn’t they?”

“Well, she did bring her son to every mission.”

“Then what I don’t understand is… she’s Kenneth’s daughter, isn’t she? Hannah is Kenneth’s daughter.”

Logan was so shocked that he almost let go of the wheel.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I was dispatched… in order to get rid of Patrick Holland.”

He almost went crazy.

What Logan was especially mad about was just how much CIA knew. If even Jeremy Eaton O’Hare knew and didn’t tell, he intended on flipping the CIA upside down. But before that, it was more important to reveal Caroline’s true intentions.

“How involved is Caroline?”

“Carol doesn’t know.”

“That Hannah is her granddaughter?”

“Nope.”

“Why didn’t you tell her?”

“Because I promised not to get close.”

Logan imagined all sorts of things in response. The friends of boys who couldn’t date their friends were probably the drill instructors. The sex ratio of Absent Morgan probably leaned toward the females.

In most cases, the men were older than women, but in this case, the women were older than the men. In almost all societies, there were conflict between mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws. A daughter-in-law older than the groom? That was possible, but as Caroline, who knew this world very well, she wouldn’t have allowed it. Both the son and daughter-in-law would have been cut off for good.

“Is that why Kenneth made Patrick Holland his mentor?”

“That was because of me.”

“Then Kenneth must have died because the truth came out.”

“That, too…”

Christina took out a USB from her pocket.

“The truth is, it was because of this.”

“Does it contain ledgers?”

“Yeah. The truth is, Patrick intentionally made his company go bankrupt.”

What Kenneth left behind before dying was a list of corruption and bribery committed by Holland Corporation. Logan laughed inside his head.

‘It’s hard for political consultants to live past 10 years.’

That was what Ahn Soo Ho said. The ones who cleaned after politicians were able to make good money, but they didn’t die in a pleasant manner.

‘Because the cold-hearted qualities of power doesn’t allow otherwise.’

It was best that only fewer people knew the secret as much as possible. But the more one climbed up, the more comrades one needed to share his or her secrets with.

‘But they kill the dog after the hunt is over.’

The hunting dog was destined to die after the hunt. As long as Patrick Holland wasn’t stupid, he probably had insurance for his future, and slush funds were the simplest and most effective method.

Christina continued to talk all the way to the Hamptons. Ahn Soo Ho made safe houses all over the world, and the number in America exceeded three digits. In most well-known places, Ahn Soo Ho had a place that his people could use. The Hamptons near New York was a famous tourist destination.

A person in charge came out to greet them.

“The room is clean.”

“Thank you.”

“Please go on in.”

Most of the people managing Ahn Soo Ho’s safe houses in America were civilians. And in places like Africa and the Middle East, he employed tribal members that didn’t believe in Catholicism or Islam. The native tribes were born to survive, so when they were given a knife or gun, they became warriors.

On the outside, the safe house looked like any old house in the Hamptons, but once one went downstairs, there was a control room as well as a communications center. He always wondered why he kept that safe house there when he didn’t really use it, but he now realized that Ahn Soo Ho knew it would be of use one day.

‘There’s a reason to everything Soo Ho does.’

There was never enough preparation for what could possibly happen. Despite being powerful, his boss still prepared for the worst-case scenario. Once Logan checked that the 20 centimeter-thick wall closed, he told Christina and Sam to get some rest.

After seeing them disperse, Logan started to work the equipment in the control room.

“How’s the situation?”

“Unidentified punks are all over New York.”

“Unidentified?”

“Yes, Sir. If they had a mercenary contract, they would have needed notarization… but there are no records.”

Logan ordered Richard and the troop to stay inside the hotel. If they went anywhere, there were going to be followers.

“How many are there at the hotel?”

“Nine people.”

Nine was enough to form an entire unit. However, Logan felt anxious. The end of the Kenneth Burn murder cases wasn’t simply the lunacy of a mother who lost her son.

‘If the politicians did something to get rid of Patrick…’

And if Patrick made a counterattack to survive, this problem could head toward a completely unexpected direction. When one had nothing else left to lose, one was bound to pick the most extreme alternative.

“Can we increase our personnel?”

“Should we look?”

“Only pick those we can trust.”

“Yes, Sir. Also… your brother would like to speak with you.”

“Connect him.”

“Hey! You bastard! Where are you?”

He went off as soon as he was connected.

“Where’s Hannah?”

“She’s sleeping.”

“What about Rosaline?”

“She’s sleeping, too.”

“Listen well, Ethan.”

Logan secured the right mood.

“There might be a surprise attack.”

“What? Then I’ll call the police…”

“I’m not finished. You can’t trust the police.”

“Why not?”

“This is no ordinary case.”

Logan’s plan was to save Christina and then get out, but that wasn’t going to be easy. Either Patrick Holland needed to be caught or the ones who were after him had to back down.

‘The problem is that Carol is out to end both of them.’

As the mother who lost her son, she wanted to kill both sides. But seeing how she didn’t start shooting right away, she must have caught onto Holland Corporation going bankrupt.

‘She needs the evidence that Christine has.’

Death wasn’t the only form of revenge.

“Huh? Damn it! Who are you? You bastards!”

He heard Ethan swear and then the line got cut off. Right before the line was cut off, Logan heard someone yell, “Stop right there!” The only people who could say that to them were the police.

Logan changed the channel.

“Logan?”

“Malik Kyung!”

He connected to Malik.

“What happened?”

“Don’t be so direct… Um, an arrest warrant was issued in front of your accommodation. The charge is for child confinement and kidnapping.”

He had just heard the news as well.

“Aren’t you at the hotel as well, Logan?”

“I’m at a safe house.”

“With Christina McQueen?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Then the answer is obvious. Someone is using their governmental authority. Someone who caught on that you have her in your hands.”

“Carol?”

“Not Carol.”

“Then who is it?”

There weren’t many people who were capable of mobilizing the prosecution and judges as well as the police to issue an arrest warrant. If they were in Texas, it would have been hard to arrest the Young’s, but they were currently in New York. It was one of the most political cities in the world next to Washington D.C.

“Evelyn Parmer.”

“The vice president?”

******

“The vice president is on the move.”

Caroline put down her tea glass in response.

“They made a surprise attack on the hotel using governmental authority.”

“For what charge?”

“Child confinement and kidnapping.”

“They must have been in a rush.”

“Since someone they didn’t expect popped out, they must have been…”

She was about to take another sip when she paused.

“Someone they didn’t expect…? Logan?”

“Yes, Ma’am. He left New York. I apologize.”

“No need.”

She didn’t actually think he could catch Logan. Ahn Soo Ho was powerful as well, but Shadow Hunter was no joke either.

“The night is young.”

The night had just begun.

“And I think we’re going to get a call from that unexpected person.”

Caroline had a keen sense for such things.

“Carol.”

“It’s not me.”

Logan laugned bitterly in response to Carol’s remark.

“I know.”

“Congratulations. You won. I surrender.”

“Didn’t you dispatch too many men to surrender?”

“I tried to scrape up what I could. Anyway… you won, Logan. I’ll give up on Christine.”

“Let’s make a deal.”

“A deal? Don’t you have everything you want? Oh yeah! Hannah is at the hotel, isn’t she?”

Caroline smiled. Logan obtained one thing but lost another.

“Please protect Hannah.”

“I’ll think about it if you give me Christine.”

“No.”

“I don’t need anything else, Logan. I just need her.”

“Carol. You have to accept any request I give you.”

“Why?”

“Because Hannah is your granddaughter.”

Caroline dropped her tea. As soon as the maid came running over, she stopped her.

“Say that again.”

“Hannah is your granddaughter.”

Her eyes went blank and then sparkled.

“Nonsense!”

“Do a DNA test if you want to.”

“There’s no way! How?”

“Why do you think Kenneth chose Patrick Holland as his mentor?”

“Christine.”

Caroline murmured Christine’s name.

“That bitch! How dare she possess my son? After I raised her even though the only talent she had was her body, she goes and does that? She loved Kenneth? That old bitch?”

That wasn’t something that normally would have come out of the mouth of an Absent Morgan’s head. But she was simply a mother who loved her son. The topic of a woman in her 30s seducing a boy in his teens was bound to get out soon enough.

But instead of kicking her out, she decided to retire from the feminist movement herself. She thought that that would put an end to her son’s relationship with her.

“Is she there?”

Logan looked behind him in response. She was standing behind him wrapped in a towel after a shower.

“She is.”

“Let me talk to her.”

The only mode on the phone was speaker. Christina stood in front of the phone and pressed the talk button.

“Carol.”

“Bitch.”

Her response wasn’t pleasant. But she smiled at the fact that her voice sounded softer than the old days.

“I’m sorry, Carol.”

“Don’t be. Don’t even apologize. You just keep living like that forever.”

“I will. I’ll be sorry for as long as I live.”

She didn’t say anything else. Why? Because she really did feel sorry. It was her fault that Kenneth died. Christina sincerely believed that.

“Let me talk to Logan again.”

As soon as Christina took a step back, Logan stepped forward.

“Are you going to make a deal, Carol?”

“The USB.”

“I’ll give it to you.”

“I’m hanging up.”

Logan turned around with a sorry face.

“I’m sorry I didn’t ask you first.”

“No, you did good. I didn’t have the guts to say it.”

“That’s good.”

“But will Hannah be okay?”

Logan smirked in response.

“Don’t you know Caroline Burn?”

“I do. But…”

“Just wait.”

If he had to choose three women he respected during his 40 years of existence, it was his sister, Rosaline, Ahn Soo Ho’s wife, Jang Seol Hyun, and the powerful woman, Caroline Burn.

Star Fox

The fox that eats up stars.

******

“Get the car ready.”

“Do you trust him?”

“Soo Ho’s men don’t lie.”

Caroline shook her head to her subordinate’s question and got up.

“He could lie if he was desperate enough.”

“Let me correct myself. He does lie. But he doesn’t deceive people. No matter what.”

She put on her coat.

“Why? Don’t you trust him?”

“No, I do.”

Caroline tilted her head to his lukewarm response.

“Why are you trusting him so easily?”

“There were rumors going around.”

“Rumors?”

“Yes, Ma’am. There were rumors about Christine, Kenneth, and Hannah.”

“Yet you didn’t tell me? I didn’t know about something related to my son? Fisher?”

“That’s because I couldn’t confirm the truth. I didn’t want to make you worry over unconfirmed information, Carol.”

Caroline glared at him, and Fisher shrugged and accepted the photo she handed him.

“Here’s a photo.”

Fisher took out a photo of Hannah from the pile of documents and handed it over. Hannah looked adorable while hugging a stuffed bear.

“This is my granddaughter, Fisher. I have a granddaughter.”

“I figured as soon as I saw the photo.”

“How?”

“She has your eyes.”

“She does?”

Caroline’s eyes turned soft as she looked at Hannah’s photo. Fisher liked the sight of that. This didn’t suit Carol, who had been chasing after revenge this whole time.

A subordinate in the front seat looked back.

“Boss, it won’t be easy getting into the police station. The vice president’s men are all over the place. And they must have smelt something else because they’re running over like hyenas as we speak.”

Caroline’s eyes turned sharp again.

“Whether it’s the law firm, the mayor, the governor, or a member of the national assembly, deliver this message.”

Hannah was a last gift that her son left behind. She was a baby angel that returned to give Caroline the gift of happiness again. And if the vice president or even the American president got in the way of her steps toward Heaven, she was ready to step all over them.

“I don’t pay you the big bucks to just sit around.”

She was ready to break into the White House if she had to.

< Protect – Logan’s Adventure [6] > The end.

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