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“Are you sure, Jace?” I asked, my heart pounding with anticipation. “We don’t even know who this guy is yet.”
He shook his head, frustration etched across his face. “No, not yet. But if we can find out where he’s hiding, it’ll be a start.”
I clenched my fists, my resolve growing stronger with each beat of my heart. “Then that’s what we’ll do. We’re going after him. I won’t let him continue to terrorize us and threaten everything we’ve built together.”
Grayson pushed off the wall and walked over to me, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “You know we’re with you, Sof. Whatever it takes, we’ll bring this bastard down.”
“Damn right,” Teo chimed in, his fierce loyalty shining through. “We’ll stand by you, every step of the way.”
“I’m not part of this,” Sam said, rolling his eyes. “But I’ll happily help end this once and for all.”
“What about me?” Miranda asked.
“You don’t really have a choice,” Teo said. “You’re our point of contact. We’ll use you to draw the Viper out when we get to the Everglades.”
“But he’s dangerous,” Miranda replied, her eyes widening.
“And what the fuck are we, Disney World?” he snapped at her.
I could see the fear in Miranda’s eyes, but I didn’t have much time to dwell on it. We had a mission to accomplish, and we wouldn’t let anything stand in our way. “We leave this afternoon,” Teo said. “We want to get there tonight. Victor, take her upstairs. I don’t want to see her face.”
“Yes, boss,” Victor said, approaching Miranda and smirking at her as she tried to jerk her body away from his.
“I can walk,” she said.
“Good for you,” he replied.
As everyone began to disperse, Teo approached me with a look of concern on his face. “Sof, are you sure about this?” he asked, placing a hand on my arm.
“I’m positive,” I replied, trying to sound confident even though I felt like puking. “We have to do this.”
“There’s no way I can talk you into staying back, is there?”
I shook my head. “Teo,” I said. “Whoever this is tried to have both Sam and I killed and is now impersonating our dead parents. I want to find this Viper person and kill them myself.”
He hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Okay,” he said finally. “But promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I promise,” I said, trying to hide the excitement and fear bubbling inside me. Teo could be overprotective at times, but I knew it came from a place of love. He didn’t want to lose anyone he cared about. “I’ll have all of you watching my back.”
As we got ready, Sam sighed and looked around. “Before we head out, there’s something you all should know,” he said, looking around at each of us. “Monroe’s been acting suspicious lately. I’ve noticed him making secretive calls and leaving the station at odd hours. I can’t say for sure if he’s involved with the Viper, but it’s worth keeping an eye on him.”
“I mean, he’s repeatedly tried to kill you,” Grayson said. “It makes sense that he’d be sketchy about you.”
“Yeah, but even that’s become slightly normalized,” Sam said. “Something new has happened. Something that has him on edge.”
“Thanks for the heads up, Sam,” Grayson replied, his eyes narrowing in thought. “If Monroe is involved, we’ll have to be extra careful not to tip our hand.”
I nodded. “Agreed. We can’t afford any more setbacks. Let’s get moving.”
We divided ourselves into two cars. Grayson tossed Teo the keys to his sleek black sedan, gesturing for Sam and I to join me. Teo drove like a maniac when I was determined, and he trusted my skills behind the wheel. Victor, Jace, and Miranda piled into the second car, a heavy-duty SUV that had seen its fair share of rough rides through the city streets.
“Stay in touch through the comms,” Grayson instructed as he climbed into the backseat. “And remember, everyone – stay alert. We don’t know what we’re walking into, and we need to be ready for anything.”
As we drove towards the Everglades, my mind raced with thoughts of what would happen when we finally caught the Viper. Would he be able to provide answers about our parents’ deaths? Would he even be in the area we were headed to? I shook my head, trying to focus on the present and not get lost in a sea of possibilities.
We made conversation every now and then, stopping to eat somewhere between Orlando and the Everglades. It started to get hotter and more humid the closer we got to our destination, the air thick and oppressive. The sun was setting by the time we reached the outskirts of the Everglades, its dying rays casting a fiery hue across the sky. The buildings around us grew more sparse, replaced by murky swamps and dense foliage.
“Okay, we’re getting close,” Teo said, his voice low and tense. “Everyone stay sharp.”
