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“Again,” I instructed, my gaze never leaving her form. Each round fired was a testament to her resolve, each casing that hit the floor a promise to her brother.
“Focus on your breathing, princess. Squeeze, don’t pull.”
My words were measured, a counterpoint to the drumbeat of shots that filled the space.
She fired again, this time the bullet piercing closer to the bullseye. “Okay, Sof. You got this,” she muttered, more to herself than to me. Her eyes were steely, fixed on the paper target that represented so much more than a simple mark to hit.
“Damn right you got this,” I said. “You’re doing amazing, Sof.”
Sofia turned to me, her brow furrowed in concentration. “How did you get so good at this?” she asked, her question hanging in the air like the faint smell of gunpowder.
“How do you think?” I asked her. “Practice. Necessity. The world’s a cruel place, Sofia. I learned to be even more cruel.”
“Is that what it will take?” Her voice was low, almost lost amidst the noise of the firing range.
“It’ll take everything we’ve got,” I admitted, allowing myself a moment to meet her gaze.
We spent hours in that range, the daylight dwindling into nothingness as bullets became our vocabulary, targeting our dialogue. Sofia’s initial hesitation gave way to a confident precision, her movements becoming second nature under my guidance.
“My dad won’t know what hit him,” she said, a grim smile curving her lips as she reloaded with practiced ease. Her shots now struck with startling accuracy, grouping tightly at the center of the target.
“Let’s hope not,” I replied, my thoughts briefly straying to the man who had cast such a long shadow over her life. Over all our lives.
But I wrenched them back to the present, to the woman beside me who was rapidly morphing into the kind of adversary the Viper would never anticipate.
As the range lights dimmed signaling the end of our session, I could see the steel in Sofia’s eyes, the hard set of her jaw. She was ready, or as ready as one could ever be for the hellfire we were about to rain down upon the Everglades Viper.
“Are you ready now?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “I’m so ready.”
“Good,” I replied, my hand on the small of her back. “Don’t worry, Sof. We’re going to save your brother. I promise.”
“Yeah,” she said, her jaw set. “Yeah, I know.”
Chapter Eighteen: Victor
We were exhausted by the time we were done. “It’s getting late,” I said. “My apartment is nearby. Do you want to eat there? I can take you back to Teo’s once we’re done.”
She smiled at me, her eyes shining. “You’re going to cook for me?”
“No, I’m going to order takeout,” I replied. “But it’ll be whatever you want.”
She laughed. “Okay,” she said, leaning back against the leather seat in my car and sighing, beads of sweat on her forehead. “Am I going to be able to have a shower at your place?”
I looked at her, my gaze sliding up and down her body. “You can do whatever you need to,” I replied. “You can use all the facilities.”
Her gaze landed on my eyes.
“What?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I guess I thought you were going to ask to watch or something,” she said.
“I didn’t think I needed to ask,” I said. “I thought you were going to offer.”
She laughed, running her hand through her hair. As we drove through the city, Sofia’s eyes never left the streets outside, taking in the familiar sights like a hawk perched upon a tree. It was as if she was already anticipating the dangers ahead, preparing herself mentally for the battle to come.
“You know,” she began, breaking the silence that had settled between us. “I never thought I’d be in this position. I never thought I’d have to fight. But I’ll do whatever it takes to save my brother.”
