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“Also, there are probably other people from his department tailing him,” I added. “Which means that anyone we send on that assignment could be in danger of being spotted by the law.”
“But Grayson,” she said. “He’s clearly vulnerable.”
“I think you don’t give Sam enough credit,” Victor said. “From what you guys have said, he’s the one who killed the Orchid Strangler and he’s kind of the reason we’re all in this mess in the first place.”
Sofia glared at him as Teo curled a strand of her hair around a long, tattooed finger. She ignored him. “So what’s the plan exactly?”
“Clues,” Teo replied. “We find something that ties the murder to someone else, we might be able to get your brother out of this mess.”
“Who’s going to believe that?” Sofia was clearly trying to sound stronger than she felt.
“Let’s figure out whose fault it is, then we can worry about that,” Jace offered. “Right now, what’s most important is clearing Sam’s name, right?”
Sofia nodded.
“Grayson, you’re on the crime scene,” Teo said, looking up at me.
I nodded. “You got it, boss.”
He looked around, his gaze sliding over Victor for a long second. “You can deal with this by yourself, right?”
“Boss,” Victor said. “All due respect, I can go to a dead man’s apartment.”
Teo’s concern creased his forehead. “You’re not invincible, Victor.”
“Nobody is,” I said. “But he’s not bench material either. We need all hands, especially his. He’s got a knack for seeing the things others miss.”
Teo’s jaw hardened, his gaze boring into mine. “If you’re sure,” he said, but he wasn’t looking at Victor. He was looking at me.
“Understood,” I replied.
“I’m going with them,” Sofia said as she stood up.
At that, Teo protested. “Sof–”
“Listen,” she said. “This is about helping Sam. And if Victor is right, if my brother is why we’re into this mess, then it’s on me to fix it. So let me fix it.”
Teo pinched the bridge of his nose. “If you’re all going, it might be better if I go with you while Jace backs up from here.”
“Boss, don’t take this the wrong way,” I said. “But it’s not easy to be inconspicuous when you’re around.”
I meant his stature, sure, but it was also his standing as the head of the Mercy Blades.
“Noted. I have things to do anyway,” Teo said. “You got this?”
I nodded. “Yes. I promise, I got this.”
Teo nodded again. “Don’t take long.”
“We won’t,” I replied, eyeing Jace. He could have said he wanted to go and I could tell he wasn’t happy about being left behind,but I hoped that he would stay behind. He nodded subtly at me and I held back a smile.
Teo kissed the top of Sofia’s head. “Alright,” he said. “Go.”
Jace sent me an address for an apartment near Coytown, one of those apartment buildings that looked like an old-timey motel despite being incredibly overpriced. There were a few people outside, talking to each other, and we waited for them to disperse before they left. Sofia moved her foot up and down, her knee wiggling. She was clearly anxious.
“Hey,” Victor said, squeezing her shoulder from the backseat. “We’ll be in and out.”
“You don’t think the cops are staking this out?” Sofia asked.
