Page 58 of Retaliation

Gunnar shook his head, his skepticism unwavering. “I get that she’s tough, but taking down Double R? That’s a stretch, even for her.”

Dennis placed a hand on Phillip’s shoulder, his expression solemn.

“We need to be sure before we make any moves,”

he said. “We can’t afford to make a mistake on this.”

Phillip nodded. “I know, but it was her,” he said, his anger slowly making way for something far more dangerous.

“How can you be so sure?” Dennis asked, not convinced.

“Because she’s the leader of the Silver Serpents,” he hissed, throwing his cigarette into the fire.

Gunnar let out a slow whistle.

“I’ve heard rumors but thought they were mere myths,” Gunnar interjected.

“They’re not myths,” he confirmed, his tone solemn. “Poison runs the Silver Serpents, and Double R’s death wasn’t the first time they’ve crossed paths with us. She’s the reason our numbers went down so rapidly four years ago. She took Rex, Caleb, hell, who knows how many more.”

Dennis exchanged a glance with Gunnar, their expressions mirroring Phillip’s growing concern. The revelation painted a darker picture than they had anticipated.

“Damn,” Gunnar muttered, running a hand through his long, blond hair. “If Poison’s involved with the Serpents, this just got a whole lot more complicated.”

Phillip leaned forward, his gaze intense as he met each of their eyes in turn.

“Scor, you’ve heard the stories,” Dennis cautioned. “There’s a reason not even the Italians can control the Serpents. She’s been flying under the radar for who knows how long. They’re notorious. The boss has never even considered going after them. Everyone thinks the city is run by the Italians, Americans and us, but the Serpents has their own territory. And Poison has the whole force of the Italian mob protecting her.”

“That’s why we need to tread carefully,” Phillip urged. “We can’t underestimate her or the Serpents, but she will pay for what she’s done.”

Gunnar nodded in agreement. “So, what’s the plan?” Gunnar asked.

Phillip exhaled slowly, the fire casting dancing shadows across his determined features.

“We gather intel,” he stated, with finality. “We find out everything we can about Poison and the Serpents. Then, when the time is right, we strike.”

Dennis and Gunnar exchanged a glance.

“We’ll need to be extremely careful,” Dennis suggested, breaking the silence. “We can’t afford to draw attention to ourselves. The boss will have our heads if we start a war.”

Phillip nodded in agreement, his mind.

“Dennis is right. This can start a war between the Italians and Japanese, Scor,” Gunnar warned. “Are you sure you want to go after her?”

“I don’t care!” he roared, anger threatening to suffocate him. “She needs to pay for what she did!”

“Okay. Okay,” Gunnar cautioned, his hands raised.

“We’ll gather intel.”

“How should we go about it?” Dennis.

“We’ll split up,” Phillip proposed, his voice steady despite the weight of everything bearing down on him.

“Dennis, you focus on digging into the Serpents’ activities. See if you can find any leads. Gunnar, you’ll work on tracking down any connections Poison might have outside of the Italians.”

Dennis and Gunnar nodded in understanding. The gravity of their mission hung heavy in the air, each of them keenly aware of the dangers ahead.

“And what about you?” Gunnar asked, his voice full of concern as he turned his gaze toward Phillip. “What’s your plan?”

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