Page 48 of The Silencer

Jer nods, a grim smile on his face."Exactly.The Silencer has some work to do."

As we drive into the night, I feel a renewed sense of purpose.My father may have won this round, but the war is far from over.And I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he never hurts anyone again.

The game has changed and the stakes are higher, but one thing remains the same: I am the Silencer, and I have a job to do.

* * *

Jer’s house is quiet as I enter, my footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.It's been three days since the failed prison operation, and we've been regrouping and gathering intel.

I make my way to Jer’s office, where he and Maverick are hunched over a table covered in documents and maps.They look up as I enter.

"Any news?"I ask, though I can tell from their grim expressions that the answer is no.

Jer shakes his head."Nothing concrete yet.Your father and the Syndicate have gone to ground.They're being careful."

I clench my fists in frustration.Every moment my father is out there is another moment Clodagh and countless others are in danger.

"What about Clodagh?"I ask."Is she secure?"

Maverick nods."We've got round-the-clock surveillance on her.She's safe for now, but..."he hesitates.

"But what?"I press.

"She's cautious," Maverick admits."She’s already tried to ditch three of the guys we have guarding her.Thankfully, they were ready for it.But maybe she needs to know there’s a threat to her?"

The thought of dragging Clodagh back into this nightmare makes my stomach churn.But I know Maverick's right.Keeping her in the dark might be more dangerous in the long run.

"Alright," I say with a sigh."I'll talk to her.But first, we need to focus on finding my father and the Syndicate."

Jer nods, pulling out a fresh map."We've narrowed down their likely locations to these three areas," he says, pointing to circled regions."Based on our intel and known Syndicate properties."

I lean in, studying the map."So what's our play?"

"We hit all three simultaneously," Jer says."Small teams, in and out.We're looking for any intel that can lead us to their main base of operations."

I nod, trying to figure out the best ways to get in and out without losing any of our men.Those fucking Syndicate bastards are trained.I saw that when we were at the prison.We need to be cautious and meticulous about doing this."When do we move?"

"Tonight," Jer says."We can't afford to waste any more time."

As we go over the final details of the operation, my mind drifts to Clodagh.I know I need to talk to her, to warn her about the danger she might be in.But part of me dreads seeing the fear and pain in her eyes that my father has caused once again.

"Emmanuel," Maverick's voice breaks through my thoughts."You with us?"

I shake my head, refocusing on the task at hand."Yeah, sorry.Just thinking about our next move."

Maverick gives me a knowing look but doesn't press the issue."Alright, let's gear up.We've got a long night ahead of us."

As I start preparing my equipment, I can't shake the feeling that this is a trap.Something doesn’t sit right with this at all.

"Jer, something about this doesn't feel right.What if we're walking into a trap?"

Jer pauses, watching me."You may be right.The intel came to us a bit too easily.What are you thinking?"

"I think we need to be extra cautious," I tell him."Maybe send in scouts first to each location before we commit our full teams.And have backup ready in case things go sideways."

Maverick nods in agreement."Smart.We can't afford to lose anyone on this op."

We quickly change the plans, ensuring everyone knows what to do and to make sure they have their wits about them.

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