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“But it’s not true,” Jace said. “Because your parents are dead, right?”
“Shut up, Jace,” Victor said. “Hey. We’re here for you, Sof. We’ll figure this out together.”
Jace nodded, stepped forward, and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “We won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, leaning into Jace’s embrace. This was a lot, but it was nice to know I had their support.
“So we’ll go back inside and I’ll kill her,” Victor said, matter-of-factly.
I should have reacted with immediate horror. I didn’t. I sighed instead, shaking my head. “No, don’t,” I said. “We can’t just kill her. We need to handle this carefully, strategically. Violence will only make things worse.”
He glanced down at my hand on his arm, then back up at me, his eyes still blazing with anger. For a moment, I thought he might try to shake me off, but instead, he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.
“Alright, Sofia.” His voice was tight, barely controlled. “I’ll hold back—for now. But if she tries anything else, I can’t promise I won’t take matters into my own hands.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, grateful for his restraint. My heart raced in my chest, fear and anxiety swirling inside me as I considered the implications of Miranda’s actions. I had no idea what she hoped to achieve by tormenting me like this, and I had no idea how far she would go.
“Let’s think this through,” Jace interjected, his tone level and steady. “If Miranda is trying to manipulate us, we need to figure out her endgame. What does she want?”
“What if it’s not her?” Victor said. “This Sara person, the person that has her running around doing errands for her…she might be the one behind all of this.”
“Right. And what would Sara want?” Jace asked.
“Well, clearly they want Sofia and Sam dead,” Victor said. “No offense, Sof.”
“Power,” I murmured, my thoughts racing. “Control. That’s what whoever is manipulating Miranda wants.”
“We’ll make sure she doesn’t get that chance to hurt you,” Victor vowed, his jaw set with determination. “Whatever it takes, Sofia. We’ll protect you.”
“And Sam,” Jace said. His arm was still wrapped around me. “We’ll protect both of you.”
I nodded, trying to draw strength from their unwavering loyalty. The road ahead was filled with danger and uncertainty, but with Jace and Victor by my side, I knew I had a fighting chance.
“Let’s go back inside,” I said, taking a deep breath to steady myself. “We need to be on our guard and come up with a plan.”
Even as we walked back inside my apartment, nothing about it seemed familiar. The faint smell of dust still lingered in the air. The shabby furniture and worn carpeting there was no indication that anything sinister had happened. Fake sunflowers and vines hung from the corners of the room, their colors faded with age. I felt a pang of sadness as I realized how little joy this place had brought me lately. But I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the task at hand.
Victor sighed. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go in there and–”
“No, I’m good,” I said. “Just take a moment, okay?”
Victor rolled his eyes. I sat on my couch, which was far less comfortable than any of the couches the Blades owned, and buried my face in my hands.
“Hey,” Jace said, his hand on my shoulder. “Wanna talk about it?”
“It has to be a lie,” I said. “My parents are dead. My dad would never do something like this even if he was alive.”
“There’s every chance she has a physical description of your parents from the person impersonating your mom, Sof,” Jace said. “She’s trying to get to you. Remember why she’s here in the first place. Right?”
What he was saying made sense. It couldn’t be my dad. There was absolutely no way.
He had died, and even if he hadn’t died, he had always been a good man. And he loved me. My dad wouldn’t be involved in any of this.
“This is just really getting to me. She’s just really getting to me,” I replied, meeting Jace’s gaze. “I mean, it’s one thing to want to kill us, but implying she’s my parents? That’s so fucked up.”
“Shh, it’s okay.” Jace wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. His warmth enveloped me. “We’ll figure this out together, Sofia. You’re not alone in this.”
“It’s so fucking twisted,” I whispered, burying my face in Jace’s chest. He smelled like pine. “How can anyone be so cruel?”
