The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 311: The Battle for Revenge]

A black Mercedes pulled up to Inglewood, parking outside a gated community.

While waiting for Brian to arrive, Edward pondered what Melissa Ackerman had said about the safe and the key. He glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed Hawke reading a newspaper. "Boss, the key is at the Ackerman Foundation headquarters. According to Melissa, it hasn't been touched in years, so it should still be there."

Hawke nodded. "If what she said is true, it's likely still in place."

Edward thought about everything that had happened in the warehouse basement. "Given the circumstances, Melissa didn't seem to be lying. After months of captivity and manipulation, her will was weaker than before."

He had an idea. "Compton has a lot of skilled thieves. Should I find one?"

Hawke flatly rejected the notion. "A petty thief would just become prey in front of dozens of armed guards and the latest electronic security systems. There's no need to rush on the key; I'll make arrangements."

Hawke already possessed some of the information Melissa mentioned; it was left behind by the deceased Guerrero and had been mailed to him by his girlfriend from Caltech. That girl had been found by Fiona and, under Campos' arrangements, temporarily left North America.

Whether it was the videos, the producer, or the girl, they had to wait for the right moment to truly make an impact. Otherwise, it would just mean more people ended up dead.

Hawke's phone rang; it was Brian. After answering, he instructed Edward to drive.

...

The Mercedes approached the entrance of the gated community. Brian stood next to a Cadillac, waving at Hawke's car. Once the car stopped, Hawke got out.

Near the community entrance, a manager in a suit was hurrying toward them. Seeing Brian, he rushed forward to shake his hand, then turned to Hawke and Edward, asking, "Who are they?"

Brian briefly introduced them. "This is Hawke Osment, chairman of Twitter, and this is Edward Connor, vice president of Twitter."

In a gated community where wealthy buyers had to meet certain criteria to enter, the manager's smile brightened like the sun upon hearing Twitter's name. He quickly approached them, shaking hands.

Hawke was straightforward, saying, "Let's go look at the house."

The manager quickly led the way. "Hop in, follow me."

He entered through the community's gate, driving ahead, with Brian and Hawke's cars trailing behind.

This gated community comprised single-family mansions, each occupying nearly half an acre. While it may not have ranked among Los Angeles's top luxury homes, it was still considered a premier community in Inglewood. ṟ𝘼ꞐỔ𝐁ƐS̩

The manager introduced a house located on a small hillside in the eastern part of the community, separated from neighbors by a half-natural green belt. The previous owner had built a nearly four-meter-high wall to ensure the yard's privacy.

The group entered the house, quickly checking the yard before stepping into the two-story villa.

The house boasted stunning renovations, using a combination of brick, concrete, and wooden structures that Los Angeles seldom offered. The two-story building was otherwise unremarkable.

Hawke's main concern regarding the property was the basement. The house had two underground levels, all constructed from poured concrete.

Upon entering the vast underground space on the second basement level, they found not only living facilities but also a bathroom and a water storage room. The first basement housed a storage area of over a hundred square meters filled with countless canned goods and bottled drinking water.

Edward couldn't help but ask, "Did the last owner plan to live underground?"

The manager explained, "Not really. The previous owner was a crazy fan of zombie culture. His father had invested in several of George Romero's films, and he personally had stakes in Resident Evil and the reboot of Dawn of the Dead."

Edward understood. "He was worried about a zombie apocalypse?"

"Yeah, every property he owned had a specially built underground bunker," the manager gestured to the stored food and supplies. "The costs to store all this far exceed the value of the goods themselves."

Hawke deliberately remarked, "Sounds like we need to negotiate a cleanup fee; that's not cost-effective."

Brian caught on, realizing Hawke was trying to drive the price down. He added, "These supplies don't have much practical value."@@novelbin@@

The manager readily agreed, "That cost can be deducted from the house price."

Hawke inspected the property carefully, noting that the basement renovation wouldn't be difficult. He asked, "Does the underground renovation need approval? Is it easy to manage?"

The manager replied immediately, "I'll help facilitate the process, and I can connect you with design and construction firms for the renovation."

Hawke waved his hand, signaling to move on. "Let's talk more upstairs."

They headed up to the villa's lofty living room.

...

After conversing for a while, Hawke managed to negotiate the price of the $4.5 million property down to $3.8 million.

The property was purchased under the name of the Osment Charitable Foundation to shelter funds from taxes. A small portion was engaged in various charitable activities through a professional manager's operations.

But most of the money was used elsewhere, like providing housing for the homeless, including the acquisition of this property.

Most of the charitable foundations belonging to the wealthy operated similarly.

...

After finalizing the house and signing the agreement, once the construction procedures were sorted, Hawke sought a construction team familiar to Campos to begin renovations on the basement.

They planned to convert it into separate holding areas that wouldn't disturb each other.

In addition to Melissa Ackerman, Hawke had his sights set on Sean Ackerman as well. Yet, he still wasn't certain about Sean's blood type. If he could find an opportunity, he'd capture him to test.

Hawke's goal was clear. That old man, Buddy Ackerman, was beyond use with his aging body and organs. He just needs to find his God in peace.

As for the younger generation, keeping them around til they were useful was important. Resources couldn't be wasted.

In this land of capital, wealth and power intertwined, undeniably providing a sense of empowerment.

Hawke's assets now surpassed the Ackerman family's, and he resolved to leverage the fierce electoral rivalry between the two parties to wipe out this enemy family entirely within the year.

It was about money and political struggles.

Beyond that, preparations for potentially explosive business battles also had to be made.

...

As April arrived, Los Angeles appeared stable, far from the heat of the election war.

Campos and company expressed thoughts of seeking revenge. Hawke had promised them a long time ago and would fulfill that promise.

Campos initiated this plan for a reason. News from Mexico had come through, reporting that the coach who had trained and recommended him had been found by traffickers, even in retirement, hanged from a streetlamp in St. Louis.

Apart from Campos, Garcia and Carlos were also among this man's students but not in the same cohort.

Hawke stayed true to his word, requesting a list of target individuals, instructing them to wait a few days.

When they returned, preparations had to be made.

...

Hawke, under his East Coast alias, had contacted the Tijuana area multiple times, reaching an agreement with the mercenary organization he worked with twice before.

Using this underworld organization, he managed Robert Downey Jr.'s assistant and a private investigator involved in high-stakes corporate battles for BlackRock.

Naturally, the motivation for these individuals to work for him lay in substantial financial compensation.

Hawke even took a trip to London, winning a batch of $500,000 in gemstones at a Sotheby's auction. He returned with these synthetic gems, stashing them in the company safe.

...

Later, Hawke met with Campos, Garcia, Carlos, Juan, and Fiona in a safe house.

Campos' eyes were red as he spoke, "Boss..."

Hawke softly replied, "My condolences."

Campos said, "We're going to take out every last one of those bastards."

Hawke pulled out a few printed cards and stated, "These are the people I've hired. They're paid well for their services and come equipped with the best weapons and ammunition. A squad of mercenaries will follow your orders completely."

Campos took the cards. "Thank you."

Hawke continued, "In addition, they'll send someone ahead to St. Louis to gather intel on most of the targets. You'll receive detailed intel when you arrive."

Campos and his crew seemed quite excited.

"You all need to come back alive!" Hawke raised his voice suddenly. "Each of you must work for me for at least ten years!"

They all nodded silently, showing none of the grandiose declarations.

Hawke called for Edward, leaving without looking back.

...

The youngest, Juan, watched Hawke's silhouette disappear and said, "I plan to do this job until I can't anymore!"

Fiona remarked, "You're a real jerk, wanting to game the boss. By the time you're forty, will you still be doing this job? You'll need to have the boss support you!"

Campos patted Juan's shoulder, saying, "Work hard and remember to make your efforts worth every dollar the boss pays."

Carlos laughed, "I could kill that pig in the Oval Office for him."

Garcia punched him playfully, "Are you trying to land the boss in a mental hospital?"

They all laughed.

Campos quickly composed his expression, saying, "Alright, let's get ready. We'll head out early tomorrow, splitting up and returning to Mexico via Mexicali."

One by one, they left the safe house, heading home to prepare for their revenge battle against the dealers and former colleagues.

*****

/Sayonara816.