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"A crook missing his laptop?" Bobbi asked as Oliver showed her the laptop he had confiscated.
"Harold Backman." Oliver said. "He's who the Starling City's worst call when they want to launder money in the Caymans."
"Shouldn't you give this to IRS, in that case?" Natasha raised her brows.
"We will. Just as soon as you return the money to their rightful owners." Oliver said as Natasha took a look.
"Well, that's going to take some time. I'll have to break through asymmetric encryption algorithm." Natasha said.
"It's going to take days at least to go through this." Bobbi said.
"Sorry, why are you late again?" Tommy sighed in frustration. "Listen, I need this stock tonight or I'll have to reschedule the event and that's going to cost me…" He groaned. "Fine. Then I guess I'll have to call another suppler." He hung up as Oliver went up.
"Is there a problem?" Oliver asked.
"We're running out of martini and the more high-class booze and Hamilton Hill reserved the club for a party tomorrow night." Tommy said.
"I can call another supplier, if you want." Oliver said before he got a message on the phone. "Sorry, gotta take this."
Oliver went downstairs as Bobbi handed him the paper.
"This a list of deposits that Backman made over the last year in Caymans. There's one big deposit that might interest you." Bobbi said as Oliver read it.
"Two million dollars on Decem… December 12th." Oliver realized. "That's the day Walter disappeared."
"Maybe one of Backman's clients had been paid two million to take Walter." Diggle surmised.
"We need to find out who and use them to find Walter." Oliver ordered.
"Already done." Natasha showed him the profile. "Dominic Alonzo."
"Yeah." Oliver sighed.
"Runs the biggest underground casino in Starling City." Diggle remembered.
"He is the type who would kidnap Walter." Natasha nodded.
"Yeah but the casino is heavily guarded." Bobbi said. "You'd need to access his computer without setting off any alarms. And I think I have an idea."
Starling City
Oliver was on a fire escape across the club, observing through the goggles as Bobbi, in a dress, approached the guards.
"Password's 'snapdragon'." Oliver said.
"Password." The guard asked.
"Snapdragon." Bobbi said calmly as they let her into the casino and she looked around.
"What do you see?" Oliver asked.
"Six armed guards, two pit bosses, one floor an." Bobbi said as she sat at a blackjack table. "One stack of High Society, please." She passed the cash over to the dealer, who flipped through it before nodding at the pit boss.
Took some time before Bobbi started to on a winning streak as she was collecting the chips before noticing a guard behind her.
"Miss, can you come with me?" The man asked, well, more like ordered.
"Is there a problem?" Bobbi asked, trying to sound oblivious.
The man neared her. "Get up."
"Could've said 'please'." Bobbi shrugged but complied nonetheless before he accompanied her into the manager's office. "Can I go to the bathroom, please?"
"No." The pit boss growled.
"Come on, the manager's office is right down the hall and then right to the bathroom, it'll take me just a minute." Bobbi said, trying to sound seductive, while giving Oliver directions.
"Mr. Alonzo." The pit boss forced Bobbi into Alonzo's office before closing the door.
"Have a seat." Alonzo said as Bobbi sat down. "What's your name?"
"Jessica." Bobbi lied.
"Do you know where the term '86' comes from, Jessica?" Alonzo challenged.
"Prohibition." Bobbi said calmly.
"Now it means to ban someone, someone who's cheating. You're 86'd. Leave your chips and go." Alonzo said.
"Understood." Bobbi got up from her seat but the pit boss blocked her way to the door before pulling out a scanning device as they found her comms as she sighed.
"Oh, yeah, Jessica, one more thing." Alonzo said. "You see, the thing about card counters is, uh, sometimes, they work with a partner." He smashed the comms with his boot as Bobbi sighed, realizing she had been made.
Suddenly, Bobbi grabbed the pit boss and hit him in the face, knocking him out before slamming Alonzo against the desk, pinning him down. "Wait until you meet my partners."
A man was thrown through the entrance door as the Hood, Natasha and Diggle wearing ski masks burst in, the Hood taking down a dealer and Natasha kicking a guard across a blackjack table as Diggle shot down two of the guards behind them. They took cover as another guard fired an SMG but Natasha jumped over a blackjack table, kicking him in his face and knocking him out.
Two guards rushed at Diggle with pool cues Diggle dodged as he kneecapped one of the guards before grabbing another one's cue from his hands and knocking him down on the floor.
The Hood, Diggle and Natasha then burst into Alonzo's manager office with the archer having a notched arrow as the man had aimed gun at them. The Hood fired, hitting bullseye on the dartboard behind Alonzo.
"I heard you never miss." Alonzo mocked.
"I don't." The Hood replied as the arrow exploded, knocking Alonzo on the floor before the Hood grabbed him and pinned him to a wall. "Where's Walter Steele?" He demanded.
"What? What are you talking about?" Alonzo asked, confused.
"Six months ago you had him kidnapped!" The archer snarled.
"It was just a job. I was given a name, I didn't ask any questions." Alonzo said defensively.
The Hood squeezed his throat, running out of patience. "Last chance. Where is he?"
"Below ground." Alonzo replied.
"You're lying!" The Hood snarled.
"I'm not. I delivered him and they killed him. I heard the gunshot. He's dead." Alonzo said as the Hood let him go, staring for a moment before knocking him out. Oliver put down his hood, looking devastated as Natasha held his shoulder, providing whatever little comfort she could.
Later, Queen Manor
Thea and Moira were in a living room, looking at some online clothes shop on a tablet before Oliver entered.
"Ollie, are you OK?" Thea asked, noticing that Oliver was upset.
"I need to talk to you both." Oliver whispered as he sat on a chair across them.
"What is it?" Moira asked.
"It's about Walter." Oliver replied as Thea put the tablet aside, intrigued about news about her stepfather.
"Did the police contact you?" Moira asked.
"One of Mr. Diggle's army buddies works for the FBI now and they got news tonight."
Thea and Moira shook their heads in denial. "No."
"I'm very sorry."
"No, no, no, no, no." Moira shook her head in denial. "There must be some mistake. Who did Mr. Diggle talk to? Did they find a body?"
"Mom… Walter's gone." Oliver said softly.
"No. This isn't right." Moira said as she was walking out from the room.
"Where are you going?" Oliver asked.
"Out."
"It's ten o'clock at night."
"I need some air."
"Mom, you're in shock."
"Don't tell me what or how I feel, Oliver." Moira snapped as she whirled on him before storming out from the manor.
"Why is she acting like that?" Thea wailed.
"Come here." Oliver embraced her in his arms as she sobbed into his chest.
Later, the Lair
After Oliver had followed Moira into Merlyn Global Group, he filled everyone in back in the lair.
"Malcolm Merlyn." Bobbi repeated.
"Tommy's father? Are you sure? Why?" Natasha asked.
"Just do as I say and check his phone records." Oliver ordered as Bobbi typed something into the keyboard.
"Some tenement complex in Bludhaven."
"Can you pull out a satellite view?" Oliver asked.
Bobbi pulled up satellite imaging. "For a low-income house, it's heavily guarded."
"Two guards stationed at all access point. One on the roof. No other buildings in the area." Natasha said.
"You would need a plane or something to get on there." Diggle pointed out.
"We've got something." Natasha said.
Bludhaven
"Good luck!" Clint called out as the Hood and Natasha both jumped off the plane, opening their chutes and safely landing on the roof. The Hood slid down the stairs, knocking the guard over the ledge as he fell down on the ground before he and Natasha entered the building, knocking down from the stairs two guards.
They walked down the hall before a guard ambushed them from the shadows and the Hood knocked him out, while Natasha slammed another one's head against the wall. The Hood engaged another guard in front of him, whacking him in the head with his bow.
Three guards entered but Natasha threw a disk on the floor as it exploded in smoke before she rushed at them and quickly took them down. The Hood spun around, notching an arrow and shooting another incoming guard down, while Natasha threw three knives at the thugs on the other side of the hall, taking them down.
Another thug grabbed the Hood from behind but the Hood spun around and dodged a roundhouse kick of another guard incoming. The Hood threw one of the guards to a nearby door and Natasha engaged the three more incoming guards with her batons, effortlessly dodging their combined attacks before she beat them up.
The Hood fired another arrow at another guard on the other side of the hall before the last one grabbed him from behind but the Hood struggled out from his grip, dodging his punches and slamming his head to a wall three times, knocking him out.
The Hood approached the metal door with a bolt, opening them and revealing disheveled Walter on bed, sleeping as the vigilante turned on his voice changer. "Mr. Steele. Walter."
"What?" Walter woke up, looking confused as he looked at the Hood. "What's happening?"
"You're going home." The Hood said.
Merlyn Global Group
"She helped the Hood save Mr. Steele?" Malcolm called over the phone as he narrowed his eyes. "No. No need. I'll handle it." He hung up and considered before dialing another number. "I have a job for you. And I'm offering you a chance at revenge. Natasha Romanoff. She's here."
The name "Jessica" is a reference to Adrianne Palicki playing Jessica Moore in Supernatural TV series, girlfriend of one of the main characters Sam Winchester in the pilot of the series.
Wondering, who Malcolm sends against Natasha now? Wait until the next chapter.
So, what do you guys think?
Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.
