After we had managed to overpower the kidnappers and free Laila. She was shaken but unharmed, and Larry and I quickly explained that we were there to rescue her. She clung to us with gratitude and relief as we guided her out of the hotel.

I was not happy because whoever had decided to kidnap a child must be wicked. Larry wanted me to act nice because of the child but I was raven mad. When the senator talked about his daughter, I thought he was talking about an adult.

Larry tried calming me down. He made me see that we have our own problems rather than looking for the sponsors of the Senator’s daughter’s kidnappers. I calmed down and asked that we get the kid and leave immediately.

But as we made our way to safety, Larry insisted on a dangerous move. He wanted to take one of the kidnappers as a witness and a gift for the Senator. It was a risky proposition, but Larry believed it would give the Senator an upper hand against his political rival, who had orchestrated the kidnapping.

I hesitated, knowing the potential consequences, but Larry's conviction swayed me. So we took the man that I had stabbed and had punched in the face. He was bound and gagged, a reluctant witness to the events that had transpired.

I began to question Laila about how she was captured and if she thought she could remember what had happened in the hotel where she was kept. Apparently, it was one of her father’s aides that gave her away to the kidnappers and that was all she could remember.

The other things she said were not useful to me. I put a call to the Senator requesting that two aides of his should be held till I arrived. I could hear him over the phone giving the same instructions to his men.

His security apparatus was compromised and if there was anything he should do first, it was to fix it. Was not going to get involved because Larry and I have a lot to deal with.

We returned Laila to her family's mansion, where Senator Thomas anxiously awaited her safe return. His relief was palpable as he embraced his daughter, tears of joy in his eyes. The gratitude he felt was immeasurable, and he turned to the man Larry had brought with him, the one who had assisted in orchestrating this heinous crime.

Senator Thomas wasted no time in demanding answers. He asked the man who had sent him, and the reply was a shocking revelation. It was his political rival, a ruthless adversary who sought to tarnish the Senator's reputation and force him to step down from office.

“You want to tell me you work for Senator Alby. That’s impossible,” Senator Thomas shouted.

I could not participate in any questioning. It was not my witness and definitely not my problem. I was only waiting for the second part of our deal. If the senator had told me it was a little child we were going after, I would have asked for more.

As the Senator and his men were questioning the man we brought back, I asked Larry for his phone. I wanted to check the file the contractor set that Larry captured on his phone.

The Contractor has tricked me. I did not fail to fulfill Laila’s contract. The Contractor was meant to call me back to give me pictures and details of the asset, but he called to accuse me of not adhering to the contract because he had discovered that I was not going to kill Marvin.

Someone around Marvin must be spilling out information. I need to warn Marvin. He was in more trouble than I.

“What do you think we should do to these three? These two I call my aides betrayed me,” he said, pointing to his aides sitting on the floor.

I looked at him because I was sure that question was not for me. How can you ask me what to do to people who want to cause harm to your daughter?

“In my world, I would destroy them, but you are not in my world and they are not my witnesses,” I replied the senator, expecting him to keep the agreement we had reached earlier on.

“I can see that you do not want to involve the police,” Larry said.

“Should I tell them I reached an agreement with assassins to get my daughter out?” The senator replied.

“No, do not imply that,” Larry said.

The room fell into a stunned silence as the implications of this revelation sank in. The Senator's anger was palpable, and he was determined to use this information to his advantage. But Larry, always the strategist, had another plan in mind.

“This is what I am saying, we can help you deal with this and your political rival in the way you want and then you owe us another debt,” Larry said, smiling. I never took him to be a negotiator but he did a really pretty job.

“But that was the deal I had with Cassie that all jobs will now go to her instead of the Contractor,” the senator said.

“Nope, you said I should come back for the second part of our deal after rescuing your daughter. Since we have been back you were only talking to your aides and finally want us to help you. We have not spoken about the job,” I said.

“So what are you implying,” the senator asked.

“That this job is not in the contract, so you owe us,” I said.

“Wow, I cannot believe you guys,” he said, really very angry thinking we had played him.

“Look, sir, if you want to give the Contractor, that is fine by me, but you and I know that the Contractor does not have the required personnel to carry out any job. If not, he would not be sending those morons and Jackson to kill me,” I said.

“And how did you know all this?” he asked.

“Because I killed all the good hands to get to number one, he needs a new team, but I control the Gang from where he would need new assassins,” I replied.

“What! Do you mean you control the Martinez Gang? Then why did you rescue my daughter by yourself?”

“I did that to prove to you that I am the best and maybe because I owe you one, but now you owe me, and I will come later to ask for it,” I said.

We agreed that he would send the men to a secret location and Larry would take care of them. I have done my bit. He came out with a box of cash. We did not bother to open it.

As Larry and I made our way out of the Senator's place, we had one final encounter with Senator Thomas. He thanked us again for saving his daughter, but Larry was quick to remind him of the favor he had done.

"Senator," Larry said with a hint of sternness in his tone, "you owe us a debt. You should remember that."

The Senator, caught off guard, nodded solemnly. "You're right. I won't forget what you've done for me."

I couldn't help but wonder about the price of our actions and the alliances we had formed. Larry's insistence on taking the kidnapper as a witness had undoubtedly changed the political landscape, but it had also left the senator with a dangerous debt hanging over his head.

“Larry, I really do not like politics or these politicians,” I said.

“We are not into politics, Cassie. We are just doing what we know how to do best, eliminating threats!” Larry replied to me.

As we left the Senator's place, I couldn't help but reflect on the tangled web of intrigue and danger that had woven itself into our lives. The consequences of our actions were unpredictable, and we had to be prepared for whatever came next. Our journey was far from over, and the shadows of the past continued to linger, threatening to envelop us in their darkness once more.

“Larry, we need to reach out to Marvin, he is in great danger,” I said.

“I will work that out. Let me talk to his guards,” Larry replied.