Page 56 of The Silencer

There's a pause on the other end of the line."Emmanuel, we can't just rush in without a plan.The Syndicate?—"

"Fuck the Syndicate," I interrupt, my voice harsh."This is personal now.He's threatening Clodagh directly.I'm not waiting around for him to make a move."

Jer sighs heavily."Alright.Come back to the office.We'll figure out our next steps."

I hang up and pull back onto the road, my knuckles white on the steering wheel.As I drive, I can't shake the image of Clodagh's face from my mind—the fear in her eyes, the softness of her lips.I push the thoughts away.I can't afford distractions now.

When I arrive at Jer's office, I find him and Maverick already poring over maps and satellite images of Hawaii.

"What do we know?"I ask, striding into the room.

Maverick looks up."We've narrowed down his likely location to a compound on Lana?i.It's remote and heavily guarded.Getting in won't be easy."

I nod grimly."But not impossible."

Jer gives me a hard look."Emmanuel, I know you want to rush in guns blazing, but we need to be smart about this.One wrong move and we could lose everything."

I know he's right, but the urgency I feel is overwhelming.Every moment we delay is another moment my father could be planning his next move against Clodagh.

"Fine," I concede."What's the plan?"

We spend the next few hours hashing out the details of our operation.It's risky, but it's the best chance we have.As dawn breaks, we finalize our preparations.

"We move out tonight," Jer announces."Get some rest.You'll need it."

As I turn to leave, Maverick catches my arm."Emmanuel, about Clodagh..."

I tense, wondering how much he knows."What about her?"

He gives me a knowing look."Just...be careful.Don't let your feelings cloud your judgment.We can't afford any mistakes on this one."

I nod stiffly, not trusting myself to speak.I turn and leave Jer's office, Maverick's words echoing in my mind.He's right, of course.I can't let my feelings for Clodagh distract me from the mission.But even as I tell myself this, I know it's easier said than done.

I head home to get a few hours of sleep before we fly to Hawaii.My mind is racing with thoughts of my father, of Clodagh, of all the ways this could go wrong.When I finally drift off, my dreams are filled with images of blood and gunfire.

I wake up feeling more exhausted than when I went to sleep.As I'm getting ready to leave, my phone buzzes with a text from Clodagh.

Clodagh: Are you okay?You left so suddenly last night...

I stare at the message, my thumb hovering over the reply button.Part of me wants to reassure her, to tell her everything will be alright.But I know I can't make that promise.Not yet.

Instead, I type out a quick response:

Me: I'm fine.Stay safe.I'll be in touch soon.

It feels cold and impersonal, but it's the best I can do right now.I can't afford any distractions, not when we're so close to ending this once and for all.

Eleven a.m.arrives and I’m antsy as fuck as I meet up with Jer and Maverick at a private airfield owned by Henry Gallagher.The tension in the air is thick as we board the plane that will take us to Hawaii.

"Remember," Jer says as we settle in for the flight, "our primary objective is to neutralize Jacob and gather any intel we can on the Syndicate's operations.In and out as quickly and quietly as possible."

I nod, checking my weapons one last time.The weight of my gun is comforting, grounding me in the moment.

The flight seems to stretch on forever, but finally, we touchdown on a small, unmarked airstrip in Lana?i.From there, we make our way toward my father's compound.I’m focused, in the zone, just as I am whenever the Silencer has a job to do.

As we approach, I can feel my heart pounding in my chest.This is it.After all these years, all the pain and suffering he's caused, I'm finally going to face my father again.

We breach the perimeter of the compound with surprising ease, which immediately sets me on edge.It feels too easy, like we're walking into a trap.

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