章 149: Chapter 149: Resolving Hidden Troubles
"Stella will graduate from high school in a year, and Augie (short for August) will be starting high school next year. Both kids are doing well in their studies. Emily has been deeply involved in charity work lately and drives to the border every week, hardly having time to pay attention to me," Walker said. He appeared to be a traditional family man, and though he seemed to be complaining, the smile in his eyes was unmistakable.
"Kids sure grow up fast. In the blink of an eye, they're almost the same age as I was when I left. Let's go, I can't wait to see Emily and Aunt Molly's beef stew. She must be preparing it already, right?" Hannah said excitedly as she dragged the two of them out of the restaurant.
Jack followed behind in the Firebird while Walker, having returned to the station to switch to an F-150 Raptor, led the way. They drove westward.
Walker's ranch, or rather Hannah's small farm, was quite far from Austin, about 200 kilometers away. In Jack's previous life, he would never have considered detouring to Nanjing, the provincial capital, for authentic salted duck before heading back to Suzhou. But in America, such a detour seemed perfectly normal. Jack had to drive at nearly 100 miles per hour just to keep up with Walker's F-150, which puzzled him.
"Uh, is this really okay? I think I saw a speed limit sign for 80," Jack remarked.
"This is Texas. Everyone drives like this," Hannah responded nonchalantly.
It seemed Jack still had much to learn about the Lone Star State.
"Should we notify the Wolfe brothers?" Jack asked. Although Hannah planned to stay in Texas for a few days, it wouldn't take more than two days to drive from there to Georgia. Even with some sightseeing, they should arrive within a week.
Since Margrave was a small town with a population of fewer than 2,000, outsiders would be very noticeable. Their plan was to go in phases: the Wolfe brothers would arrive first to make preparations, while Jack and Hannah would follow with the necessary equipment. It appeared that Walker was the one preparing these items.
"The accountant and his mercenary brother did something big last night. Did you know that?" Hannah asked, her expression somewhat indescribable.
"Uh, took down a major drug lord?" Jack wasn't surprised since he had provided the information just yesterday.
He had promised Chris to keep an eye on the Marlos Dorados cartel (see Chapter 56) and had made corresponding arrangements. With Angela's wedding approaching, this dangerous threat needed to be eliminated promptly.
When he reestablished communications the day before, Zoe informed him that "Fire Sister" would be in LA. Jack then contacted John, who provided the latest updates: La Fiera was coming to LA to see her son. He quickly contacted Chris, and just before he left New Mexico that morning, he received an encrypted message from Justin containing a single OK emoji.
"Last night, a yacht at Cabrillo Marina was blown to pieces. The LAPD, ATF, and FBI all mobilized, and even the DHS got involved, thinking it was a terrorist attack. They later discovered the yacht belonged to La Fiera, the head of the Marlos Dorados cartel."
"I remember you said Chris had been targeting this woman for a while, so I guessed this was related to you guys. Are you planning to play superhero vigilantes from now on?" Hannah's eyes held more curiosity than concern, seemingly upset about missing out on the fun.
This girl had flashed her FBI badge twice today; why was she still so enthusiastic about these matters? Had he been a bad influence on her? Jack ruffled her hair. "Don't overthink it. I just made a few phone calls. I didn't expect them to act so decisively."
He briefly recounted Fire Sister's crimes and sighed, "Chris followed my advice and didn't use the Barrett. Instead, he used explosives."
Hannah smirked, "I think that's Braxton's idea. They were very clean about it. I didn't pry too much, but I heard ATF suspects some retired Guatemalan police officers."
In the original plot, these retaliatory officers either died or were captured. This time, they took the fall. ATF probably wouldn't find any crucial evidence, so a few days in jail was a small price to pay for this indirect revenge.
"Okay, the Wolfe brothers will leave tomorrow. We'll contact them in a week."
Jack put down his phone and focused on driving.
As night fell, after nearly two hours of speeding, Jack followed Walker's F-150 onto a dirt road. Before long, they arrived at Walker's ranch.
The large house, although somewhat old, was well-maintained. Walker's family had even lit colorful lights around the house to welcome them, standing at the door as if hosting a small welcoming ceremony.
"Aunt Molly, Uncle Bonham," Hannah exclaimed, jumping out of the car to greet the elderly couple warmly.
"Welcome home, my dear Hannah," Walker's mother said, her face glowing. Although her long blonde curls were half white, she looked remarkably youthful.
In contrast, Walker's father, Bonham, seemed less healthy. Jack vaguely remembered he had some illness, which had caused some discord between the couple. Since he was here, he might as well help resolve it.
"Hey, Stella, Augie, you've grown so much! When I left, you couldn't even reach the saddle," Hannah said excitedly before hugging a gentle-looking woman. "Emily, I missed you so much."
"I missed you too, darling," Emily replied, stroking Hannah's back. Seeing her teary-eyed, she smiled and changed the subject, "Aren't you going to introduce that handsome gentleman?"
Hannah shyly wiped her tears and introduced Jack to everyone.
Jack took the opportunity of shaking hands to cast a long-lasting healing spell on the elderly couple. Over the next month, the spell would gradually eliminate some of their health issues, a gesture of gratitude for their care of Hannah in the past.
"Come on in, it's getting late," Walker invited, leading everyone into the house.
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