I'm His

18

We catch everyone up to speed the next day, once we're all gathered together under the same roof again. The reactions are mixed. Marcus is decisive, looking tense. "They're going down." He mutters under his breath through grit teeth.

"Might not be that easy, pretty boy." Phaedra sighs heavily. We're gathered around a pool table, taking turns aiming out our thoughts as we take turns striking. There's no rules to the game, just something for us to do together to get our minds off the dark cloud looming over our heads. "Giovanni was the biggest guy in town before we came along. Anyone working for him is gonna be trouble, to say the least." She strikes and misses, glaring. Moving to her side, Derek takes the pool cue and lines up another shot.

"I wish I had some good news to share, but it's all looking pretty dreadful on my end, too." Derek frowns deeply.

"What have your guys dug up?" Ash asks, his arms crossed over his chest.

"A wildfire building up downtown. Turf lines are getting erased, gangs quietly burying the hatchet to focus on something bigger." My throat feels tight and I have to push past the lump to speak.

"...Us?" My lips purse into a thin line.

"Of course us. See any other big threats around here?" Hideyoshi growls under his breath, but the anger isn't directed at me, more the situation itself.

"Mhm. Lots of mob-owned businesses are closing up shop for the next week or so. So we know whatever they're planning, they're going to do it soon." The gang and I continue playing the game for a few more rounds, taking in the news with grave silence. 

When it's his turn again, Chance leans against the pool table, chalking up the end of the cue and staring out at nothing, lost in thought. "Chance?" Blinking a few times, he pauses mid-twist before setting the cube down.

"Can I get the names of the gangs involved?" He looks at Derek, who nods in turn.

"Sure." Derek texts it quickly, and Chance looks over the list, scrolling down with a deepening frown. 'It's difficult for me to tell what's going on in his head right now.'

"We must have really pissed them off if they're working together like this..." I trail off.

"They've probably got intel on us from Giovanni, too, so they're not going in blind." Hideyoshi inputs, muttering curses under his breath.

"So we hit them first." Chance speaks up, commanding the room with a soft voice. I feel cold at his words, especially as I look around the room and see nothing but faces in agreement. 

"You're right. We can't wait for them to strike us first." I concur, but it doesn't ease my anxiety any less.

"We know who they are and we know their weaknesses already. If they're massing up for a big strike against us, there's no time to waste." Grimly, the rest of the gang agrees, and we slowly begin to hash out a plan. 

~~

Very late that night, Chance and I finally return to his room. I'm exhausted, overwhelmed with how fast this is all happening. 'But we can't keep avoiding this forever. Chance started this fight. Now we need to finish it. But will I be of any help...?' Chance and I don't always see eye-to-eye. Sometimes we get knotted up in communication hang ups. But right then, he seems to read my mind, because he taps me on the shoulder and gives me a gun. "Oh!" It's heavy. Loaded. On instinct I check to make sure the safety is on, and then look up at Chance. He's expressionless, waiting for me to respond. "You want me to come with you?" I'm dumbfounded at the mere thought of it.