The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 271: The Reverse Plan]

On the fourth floor of Twitter, in the conference room, Hawke convened a management meeting. He passed his phone to Edward for the time being.

Then, a call came in from Campos. Edward answered the call, opened the conference room door, and nodded at Hawke.

"The plan I mentioned earlier will kick off this week," Hawke stated quickly, wrapping up his points before declaring the meeting over.

Caroline exited the conference room and glanced at Edward with curiosity, but wisely chose not to ask anything.

If there was something important for the boss to share, he would. If he didn't, it meant she wasn't entitled to know just yet.

...

Hawke nodded to Edward and retreated to his office. Edward followed him, shutting the door behind them, and said, "Boss, Melissa Ackerman was spotted at the airport in Rosario."

Hawke confirmed, "Going to Baltimore is just cover; the real destination is Rosario."

"I didn't see him," Edward replied. "Juan observed closely; only one female assistant and one female bodyguard arrived on the same flight."

Hawke inquired further, "When did they arrive?"

Edward glanced at his watch and said, "About fifteen minutes ago."

Sitting down in his office chair, Hawke recalled the events from Provo.

If he hadn't been sufficiently alert, he could have ended up as a blood bag and organ repository for the Ackerman family.

There had been news in the media back then about Buddy Ackerman's successful organ transplant; it was a grim realization that if he was caught, he would've likely ceased to exist, with some of his organs already in someone's else's body.

Hawke wasn't a forgiving person. To avoid that fate, he took risks that led to the downfall of Robert Downey Jr. and Matthew Broderek.

He even devised a somewhat unrealistic plan.

With rare blood types, what would happen if he got injured and bled excessively or faced organ failure? Bombay blood was hard to come by, and matching organs was even more difficult.

He certainly couldn't afford to wait for death.

The Ackerman family case was proof of that.

Thus, he once drafted a reverse plan, to capture someone with a rare blood type from the Ackerman family as a backup source for blood.

Now, an opportunity had arisen -- Melissa Ackerman had left the Ackerman family's territory in Los Angeles for the relatively weaker Rosario.

It was an excellent chance to secure a blood source.

While Melissa may not have been involved in the Provo incident, it didn't matter; she was Buddy Ackerman's daughter.

Additionally, Hawke firmly believed in some lessons learned from the past, such as cutting down weeds or they regenerate.

Hawke stood and approached the magazine rack in his office, grabbing a copy of the Los Angeles Times. The political section featured news about the Democratic Party's John Kerry and John Edwards running in the next election.

With less than a year until the elections, the rivalry was about to heat up.

This was the opportunity that Hawke had been waiting for.

Before next year, Twitter would complete its funding round; the assets he controlled were bound to exceed the Ackerman family's total asset valuation of over two billion dollars.

By then, the cash he handled would even surpass one billion dollars.

...

Hawke made up his mind and pulled out his phone to call Erica. Once she answered, he said, "I've been quite busy lately with some urgent matters to attend to. I'll be staying here at the office for a few days and won't be heading to Silver Lake for now."

Erica wasn't the clingy type. "Alright, just give me a call when you're done," she replied.

...

Hawke hung up and pressed the intercom button, summoning Caroline.

Caroline clicked her heels as she stepped into the office, seemingly summoned like a little sheep. "Boss, you called for me?"

Hawke glanced at her and said quickly, "From today on, you and Edward need to come to the office daily as usual, reporting to me and maintaining the illusion that I'm still at the company."

Edward instantly understood that Hawke was preparing for a trip to Mexico and said, "Boss, I..."

Hawke raised his hand to cut him off. "No more chatter. Your presence here is vital to create the impression that I'm still at the office. This includes meals and keeping the lights on, all of that."

Edward nodded, "Leave it to me."

Caroline wasn't aware of Hawke's intentions, but she was ready to assist, saying, "Got it."

...

Hawke made another call to Campos, instructing him to gather a focused team.

Then, he hopped into Caroline's car, and she drove him away from the Twitter building to a secure house in Santa Monica.

Hawke changed his appearance, donning a golden-brown wig and sticking on a fake beard. He applied a few beauty marks on his exposed arms and neck, also putting on temporary tattoos.

He even altered his posture to appear slightly limping with his head forward.

...

After leaving the safe house, Hawke knocked on the Chevrolet parked on the roadside.

Inside, Raul looked at him with a bit of surprise.

"It's me," Hawke said.

Raul quickly unlocked the car door.

Once inside, Hawke instructed, "Drive to find Campos."

...

Ten minutes later, Hawke arrived at a standalone house accompanied by Raul, Guti, and Morentes, his three bodyguards.

Inside, Campos, Garcia, and Carlos were already waiting for him.

Hawke stated plainly, "I'm planning a trip to Rosario, targeting Melissa Ackerman and those associated with the Ackerman Charity Foundation. Each participant will receive $150,000."

He didn't hold back, adding, "There might be a shootout, and people may die; I won't force anyone."

Just as he finished speaking, Campos quickly stated, "I'm in."

Garcia and Carlos exchanged glances and added, "Count us in, boss."

Raul, Guti, and Morentes soon followed, confirming their willingness to accompany Hawke.

"Let's split up from Los Angeles and head to Rosario, meeting up with Hierro and Juan there."

Garcia asked, "What about weapons? Should I find a way to get some?"

"No need," Hawke replied, already having preparations in mind. He turned to Raul and the others, "You're coming with me to Tijuana. I'll handle the weapons."

Hawke had been to Tijuana more than once in his previous life, and hired killers for dealing with Robert Downey Jr.'s friend and the private investigator Tim Wilson.

He also remembered the locations of a few secret gang arms caches.

In Mexico, if one didn't have enough firepower, they would simply be devoured whole.

Time was of the essence, and Hawke and Raul quickly set off in their vehicle, changing cars in San Diego and crossing the U.S.-Mexico border into Tijuana.

The four of them dispersed, ditching their vehicles, and using public transport to blend into the city, where they procured new vehicles.

...

Half an hour later, two cars arrived at a relatively safe parking lot, and the four of them drove towards a house in the southern part of the city.

There, a Mexican couple served as lookouts, and Guti and Morentes, both former anti-drug cops, promptly guided them to the underworld.

Mexican gangs often dealt in drug trafficking and human trafficking; taking out gang members was almost a privilege.

Hawke recalled from his previous life that he found guns and ammunition in the house's basement, as well as some cash in U.S. dollars.

After disposing of the bodies in the basement, they grabbed the bags filled with weapons and quickly evacuated the location.

At the parking lot, they switched vehicles again, heading southwest out of Tijuana, changing cars two more times before reaching Rosario.

...

By the time Hawke and the others arrived in Rosario, Campos and his team had returned to the city from Mexico.

Before night fell, everyone arrived at an abandoned warehouse in a remote valley on the outskirts.

As the warehouse door shut, Raul opened the weapons they had brought along.

Hawke put on tactical gloves, selecting the most comfortable AR rifle, and picked up an M9 handgun, finding empty magazines and corresponding ammunition to load.

The others came over too, each choosing their preferred firearms.

Hawke looked at Juan, asking, "What's the situation now?"

Juan pulled out a map of Rosario, pointing at marked locations. "Fiona is watching over Andy Carroll; after checking in at Titanic Hotel with Veronica and Rachel, they haven't left."

He pointed to a spot marked along the coast. "Hierro has been keeping tabs on Melissa Ackerman. She arrived in Rosario but did not go to the Ackerman Medical Center; instead, she rented a villa in the coastal area. Shortly after her arrival at the villa, three SUVs entered. They are likely security personnel, but the exact number is unknown."

Campos stated, "It won't be more than twelve people. With Melissa's team, that makes fifteen."

Raul opened another bag containing grenades, bulletproof vests, and tactical vests.

Clearly, these pieces of gear came from the Mexican police, who served as a primary source of weaponry for traffickers.

The equipment of the gang was equivalent to the police's resources.

Among the guns was a Remington M700 sniper rifle, alongside an aging Mendoza RM2 light machine gun, as well as the U.S. military-grade M249 light machine gun.

The latter utilized a top-mounted magazine, appearing similar to a Czech-made weapon at first glance.

The last bag had an RPG-7 launcher and three rockets inside.

Garcia, having heard Raul earlier, chortled, "No wonder these trafficker gangs can put pressure on us; they have heavy firepower."

Garcia added the reminder, "Let's not forget, the government forces in Mexico can't fend off those major trafficking organizations."

"This country is truly embarrassing," Carlos muttered, ashamed as a Mexican.

Hawke looked at the map, saying, "I need to know once the shooting starts and someone calls the police, how long it would take for the Rosario police to reach the coastal villa from downtown."

Campos approached to assess the distance: "If they get the call and respond immediately, they could arrive in about 35 minutes, but that's under normal circumstances."

Guti interjected, "If we open fire just a few times, they probably won't arrive for over 40 minutes, but with our automatic fire and explosions, they might think it's a large-scale gang conflict. As long as we're not attacking a Hollywood set, they'll likely wait for the gunfire to stop before approaching."

Garcia sighed, "The Mexican police are rotten to the core; those who genuinely try to do their jobs can't stick around."

Everyone exchanged glances, shaking their heads.

Each of them once belonged to responsible roles, yet this was their situation now.

Hawke instructed Campos, "Arrange for people to monitor key routes from the city to the coastal villa. If you see the police mobilizing quickly, inform us immediately."

Campos nodded, "We'll head to the coastal villa and have Fiona wait outside; she's a woman, and this kind of fight isn't for her."

Hawke asked, "What about the getaway vehicles?"

Juan replied, "They're already prepped."

Hawke outfitted himself with the bulletproof vest and tactical garment marked with the Mexican police emblem, securing his handgun and magazines, while also strapping on two grenades and picking up a combat knife.

The others armed themselves as well.

*****

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