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But she was worth it. She had always been worth it.
But she was worth it. She had always been worth it.
"Is that what she wants? To be a pawn in your deal with her father?" Victor challenged, his eyes glaring hotly into mine.
"It's not what any of us want," I shot back, my voice rising slightly higher than I meant to. "But sometimes, we have to sacrifice the desirable for the necessary."
I didn’t tell them that I hadn’t had a chance to talk to her about it.
Silence swallowed the room again, a heavy blanket of tension draped over each of us. I saw Jace rubbing his temples, his eyes closed as he grappled with the weight of my words. Grayson was pacing, his boots thudding softly on the sterile white floor.
Victor stood firm, his arms still crossed over his chest. His gaze never wavered from me, the challenge still glowing in his dark eyes. "And have you thought about what the Viper will do once he's done with us?" he asked.
“There is no us, Victor,” I told him. “The Blades can cease to exist and you all have assets that will give you money for the rest of your life.”
“This isn’t about money,” Grayson said.
"No," I agreed quietly, "It's not." It was about survival. It was about life, and death, and all the shades of loyalty and redemption that lay in between.
"This is about Sofia," Victor interjected. "And if we're going to be honest, it's always been about Sofia, since she came into our lives."
"I know,” I admitted, my throat tight. But she had made her choice. And now, I had to make mine. If she wouldn’t help herself, then I was going to have to help her.
And if that meant hurting these men, who had been family to me since I could remember…well, then it meant what that.
But at least it also meant that I got to keep Sofia alive.
Chapter Eighteen: Sofia
Ihad expected a sleepless night. But my body, drained from the day's revelations and the hellish emotional rollercoaster I'd ridden, had other ideas. I woke up with the first rays of the sun, my dreams filled with visions of Stephen's grim face as he methodically laid out the case against my father.
I rubbed at my eyes, pushing back the covers and swinging my legs onto the cold wooden floor. The house was silent, still lost in the early morning peace that I loved so much.
Dressing quickly in jeans and a loose t-shirt that the feds had provided for me, I headed downstairs to find Stephen sat at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in his hand.
Seeing me, he raised his eyebrows in a silent question before pushing another mug towards me. I accepted it with a soft thanks, settling into the seat opposite him.
"Sleep okay?" he asked, his voice gruff from sleep. The small kitchen was filled with the smell of fresh coffee and the scent of Stephen's own brand of aftershave - something woodsy and warm.
"I've slept better," I admitted, taking a cautious sip from my mug. The coffee was strong and dark, just the way I liked it. It soothed my throat and began to chip away at the fog in my brain.
Stephen nodded sympathetically. "What's on your mind?"
I sighed, wrapping my hands around the warmth of my mug. "Everything, really...but mostly Teo," I confessed, my gaze drifting to the window. Outside, the sky was a muted grey, streaks of orange just barely visible on the horizon.
“He can take care of himself,” he replied.
I shook my head. “You don’t know him at all.”
"I'm not saying I do," Stephen countered, running a hand through his tousled hair. "But I've seen enough of his operation, been privy to his dealings. He's not some naive kid, Sofia."
I stared into my coffee as if it held the answers I sought. "He's not, but this...My father is ruthless, and Teo, he might get himself killed trying to protect me."
“Your boyfriend is the head of one of the scariest gangs in Orlando. I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
I scoffed, shaking my head as I glanced up at him. "You think this is about the Blades?" I asked, incredulous. "This isn't about territorial gang disputes or turf wars, Stephen. This is about my father and his psychotic mission for power."
Stephen sighed, fingers tapping on the edge of his coffee mug. "I know what it's about, Sofia. And I know that your father is a clear and present danger to everyone associated with you. That's why we're here," he reminded me.
