"So, what are your plans for today? Gonna see him again?"
"Yeah. I don't want to wait too long. Quinn and the others might have come up with something, I want to get on Cloe's father's good side as fast as possible to find out more info."
"Are you sure you want to do this alone", he asked.
"Yes, this will show that I'm not a threat. I do not intend to fight, I just want information."
"Quinn plays dirty, I don't trust him."
"Neither do I but this is playing it safe. It seems like he is alone. He could have easily taken me out yesterday, he's not shy when it comes to killing in front of a crowd. He does his own thing but when it comes to me, I'm off-limits until his boss gives him the green light. He poses little threat to me right now."
"Just make sure if you're in trouble, you call me. I'll come rushing over asap."
"I'll do that. For now, I will just give you the location of where I'm going and update you if I have to leave. That way if you lose contact with me or if something happens, you can know my last known whereabouts."
"Sounds good."
~
It was now the afternoon. I was back, ready to see him.
"Tyler", Cloe shouted when she saw me.
I walked over to her. She was visibly nervous.
"Don't worry, okay? Nothing is going to happen. Just keep calm and play along."
She nodded.
"Okay."
We rode in the elevator together up to where her father was.
"Cloe, good to see you again", he happily said.
"Dad, you always see me, remember", she said, sounding a bit calmer than earlier.
"And Tyler! Good to see you too, so soon in fact."
After shaking his hand I took a seat across from him.
"What are you here for again", he asked.
"I thought it over about the offer you made with me. I was interested in finding more information."
"Of course. So you really want to be the face of Hason huh?"
"As you know, this won't be my first attempt at it."
"I know. It was crazy what happened. I'm glad you all made it out alright."
"Yeah, I would have never suspected a terrorist group attacking me."
Time to see how he reacts when I bring up Cosen.
"Yeah well you are a popular guy, an easy target but with my help I'm sure you will be fine."
"Oh yeah? You got better connections than me", I said with a fake chuckle.
He laughed.
"I have many friends since I'm the mayor, it's important I have connections everywhere."
"That's true. Will this connection be good for me to expand Hanson Entertainment?"
"Of course! I heard they are quite fond of it. Up front, they may not be to your liking as you are an officer but if you hear them out they are different than what you may think."
"How so", I asked.
"How so indeed Mr. Mayor."
We all turned to look at who just came in, I already know by the sound of his voice. His eyes caught mine, never leaving as he spoke.
"No need to explain. It might be a bit...difficult to have him see us in a different light. Right, officer Hanson?"
"O-Oh so you two know each other?"
"We've had some exciting encounters haven't we Tyler", Quinn asked.
"I wouldn't say that."
He walked around us to stand next to the mayor. He gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm here on my own terms Tyler, the boss doesn't know what I'm doing but oh will he be excited when he finds out. Too bad I can't tell you."
I stayed quiet. Cloe looked fearful.
"What do you think, officer? I have to admit, we did come off as violent but now, we are more connected with the community. We differ from other crime organizations. The fear tactics are old school, I'm not getting any younger when it comes to killing so many people. These days it feels like a vacation, making threats is my new occupation. You can update that on my record. You see, the boss talked about greed. It's one of the sins in the holy bible. God knows how weak man is. He warned them but of course, they didn't listen. Waive money in their face and they become your dog. Right, Mr. Mayor?"
"So it's true? You really did make a deal with them", Cloe said with shock.
"Cloe I-"
"No no Mr. Mayor, what did I say? We keep our business between you and I."
"If that's the case, leave Cloe out of this", I said.
"I would but daddy made a deal with his daughter. She's nothing but collateral if things go wrong."
We both looked at him. He was sweaty, shaking with fear.
How dare he! His own daughter?
"I can do whatever I want with your ex Tyler but I am a gentleman, I won't use her as my toy. I have eyes for someone else. Of course, I can't have my way with him. He's the boss's favorite. Andy sure is cute though."
"Don't you lay a finger on him! I swear I'll-"
"Relax, I told you I can't. No one can. I can only admire him from afar...for now. Besides, I bet if I leave a scratch on him the boss will have my head."
This is important information that I can use to my advantage to save Andy. He's in the same position as me when it comes to their boss, no one can touch us unless he says so.
"Anyway, you can see where we stand a bit better, right Tyler? Maybe I said too much but I really don't see how your small group could overtake us. It's not us who's the enemy, it's the world. The world for you is Illinois. We take over small sections at a time starting with Greenwaters."
His hand clutched the mayor's shoulder righter which made him grimace.
"In the end, you will have no choice but to give in. It will be the new world we live in."
I stood up angrily.
"I will never give in! I don't care how many people you brainwash with your games, I will see an end to all of this!"
Quinn started to chuckle which turned into loud laughter.
"You know after all these years I thought I came across some pretty interesting people but you sir. You take the cake."
He let go of the mayor to lean forward across the desk, his face inches from mine. I did not back down, I was furious.
"I am invincible but to die by your hands would be an honor."
The tension in the air was interrupted by his phone ringing.
"What", he answered and then sighed as he hung up.
"Looks like I have to go. It was nice seeing you again", he said with a smile.
He nodded at both Cloe and her father before leaving.
I felt helpless once again. I couldn't do anything but watch him leave. He's only one piece of the puzzle. While he's an important piece, his absence wouldn't be enough to bring down Cosen.
I need to get back to the station to inform everyone of what I found out. I need to come up with a plan on which direction to go. This isn't a simple villain versus hero case. This time, the hero might be seen as the villain.