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“Oh, you apologized,” I repeated as I climbed out of the pool. “That makes it much better.”
“Fine, I fucked up,” Grayson grunted, shaking his head as if to clear it. “I don’t know what you want me to say. Could we, I don’t know, get out and get back to work?”
“You have a lot of gall having that tone with me,” I said.
I was still fuming, my fists clenching and unclenching like they had a mind of their own. My clothes clung to me, as heavy and uncomfortable
“I didn’t just hear you say that, did I?” I asked.
“I think he gets it, boss,” Victor said. His hand grasped my shoulder with a firmness that brooked no argument. “This isn’t helping anyone.”
I tried to shrug him off, but he held fast. “Teo,” he said, more gently this time, “Grayson didn’t mean any harm. He thought he was protecting Sofia.”
“By lying?” I shot back, shaking my head in disbelief. I could feel my shirt sticking to my back, cold and unpleasant.
“Man’s got a point, though.” Jace chimed in, gripping Grayson’s arm to steady him. “It was misguided, yeah, but his heart was in the right place.”
“His heart,” I muttered under my breath. “And where exactly does that leave us?”
“Back at square one if you keep this up,” Victor said, his gaze unwavering.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Sofia. She’d been quiet—too quiet—a silent storm brewing just beneath her skin. Her arms were crossed tightly against her chest, her jaw set in a hard line. There was something raw in her gaze, a fury that spoke volumes without a single word escaping her lips. It sent a shiver down my spine that had nothing to do with the chill of my soaked clothes.
I shook my head. “I just don’t understand,” I said. “Why the hell would you keep something so important from us, especially from Sofia? You know we’re trying to find Sam and stop the Everglades Viper.”
He looked back at me, his eyes wide but unapologetic. “Teo, I was trying to protect her.” His voice wavered slightly, betraying his anxiety. “I didn’t mean to hurt her, I swear.”
“Sometimes we make mistakes in our efforts to protect the ones we care about,” Victor reasoned, looking pointedly at Grayson. “But his intentions were good, and that’s what matters. You’re letting your anger cloud your judgment, Teo.”
My jaw clenched, but I supposed a part of me knew Victor was right. As much as I hated to admit it, Grayson had been trying to help Sofia in his own way. I really didn’t like it when Victor was the voice of reason. It made everything feel…wrong.
“Fine,” I said. “But this doesn’t change shit. The damage has been done.”
“Agreed,” Grayson said, his voice strained. “And I’m truly sorry for that.”
“I don’t need anyone making decisions for me,” she finally said, her voice cold and hard as her gaze darted between the two of us. “Especially not when it comes to my family.”
“Understood,” Grayson replied, his eyes never leaving hers. “It won’t happen again, Sofia.”
“Damn right it won’t,” I muttered under my breath.
Grayson’s eyes, intense and unwavering, locked onto Sofia’s as he spoke. “I’m sorry, Sof. I messed up, but I want to help fix it. We need to get back to work and find your brother.”
“Fine,” I snapped, still glaring at him. It was hard for me to let go of the anger boiling inside, fueled by my protective instincts toward Sofia. But Grayson was right: we had a job to do, and we couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
“Since you seem to think you know best,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, “you can be the one to lead the charge. You’ll investigate the island on Lake Apopka where the arms dealing is rumored to be happening.”
Grayson looked taken aback for a moment, but then his expression hardened, accepting the challenge. “Alright. I’ll do it.”
“Let’s get moving then,” Victor chimed in, trying to break the tension. He shot me a look that said:Let it go, boss. We’ve got bigger problems right now.
“Right,” I muttered, forcing myself to push the anger aside and focus on the task at hand. I could deal with Grayson later; what mattered most was finding Sam and putting an end to the Viper’s plans.
I could barely stand the tension in the room as Sofia spoke up, her voice shaking but firm. “I’m going with you, Teo. I have to find Sam and face our father.”
“Is that necessary? I would really rather you didn’t,” I said.
“Didn’t you just threaten to kill Grayson for not letting me make my own decisions?”
