Page 113 of Retaliation

She turned away, trying to process the revelation. The man she had trusted, who she had fallen for, had been reporting on her all along. Her mind raced, connecting the dots with a clarity that made her stomach churn.

“I should have known,” she muttered. “All the pieces fit too perfectly.”

“I never intended for you to get hurt, Miss Poison. I was protecting my interests, my people,” Yamatochi said, his voice softer now.

She looked back at him, realization hitting her like a punch to the gut.

“You’re... you’re the Japanese Mafia boss.” The words felt surreal as they left her lips as she lowered her head. “I apologize for my behavior, sir. I did not know.”

To her surprise, Yamatochi laughed, a deep, genuine sound that seemed to lighten the heavy air between them. “Stop apologizing, Miss Poison. Own who you are. We are equals here. You’re a mob boss in your own right.”

She looked up, her eyes meeting his. His laughter, his words—they caught her off guard. He wasn’t patronizing her; he was acknowledging her strength, her position. It stirred something inside her, a sense of pride and defiance.

“And I should apologize for any pain this has caused you. But understand, everything I did was to protect my organization.”

“With all due respect, sir, I don’t need your sympathy. Scorpion is a grown-ass man and should have had the balls to tell me himself.”

As the car approached the hospital, Poison took a deep breath. Once the car stopped in front of the Emergency Room, Damian came to her door and helped her out. Yamatochi took over, supporting her into the hospital.

Inside, Yamatochi approached the first nurse he saw, a seasoned woman with sharp eyes.

“Excuse me, Ma’am,” he said to the older woman.

Her eyes widened at the sight of Poison’s blood-covered face. “This young lady was in a motorcycle accident and requires medical attention.”

Poison recognized the nurse immediately. She had

seen her several times when Nick treated her injuries.

“Is Doctor Charlton available?” she asked.

Without a word, the nurse turned and hurried away.

“That was a bit rude,” Yamatochi commented.

But before they had time to dwell on it, the nurse returned with a wheelchair and Nick trailing behind her.

“Hey, Nick,” Poison tried to smile, despite the pain and exhaustion etched on her face.

Nick’s eyes widened in shock. “Poison!” he exclaimed.

Yamatochi leaned closer to her, whispering, “You know the doctor?”

“He’s treated me a few times,” she replied, managing a small smile.

“Definitely a streetfighter,” Yamatochi noted into her ear, and to her surprise, he sounded proud.

Nick reached them, his face a mask of concern. “Who was it this time?” he asked as Yamatochi carefully lowered her into the wheelchair.

“Bike accident, and then we nearly squashed her with our car,” Yamatochi answered.

“What?” Nick cried, eyes darting between them.

“I’m fine,” she assured him, trying to sound convincing.

“Thank you, Mister Yamatochi, for getting me here. But I can handle it from here.” She held out a blood-covered hand to him.

“That’s fine. We’ll have your bike dropped off. It was a pleasure meeting you officially.” Yamatochi took her hand without hesitation, not bothered by the blood and grime. “Take care, Miss Poison. And remember what I said.”

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