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“So you just have a natural knack for it.”
“Maybe,” she replied. “Sam was always allergic...”
She trailed off after a second. “Your brother’s lucky, having you out there fighting for him,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
She stopped petting Oliver and locked eyes with me, her gaze unwavering. “We’re going to get him back, Victor. No matter what it takes,” she said. “If I don’t, then all of this...all of this is going to feel like it was for nothing.”
“What if he just doesn’t want you to reach him?” I said. “Have you considered that?”
She shook her head. “No,” she said. “It’s not like that. It’s never been like that. And if it was, how come none of you could find him? Not Jace, not Teo with all his resources? Not even his Miami Knives associates?”
“Right,” I said. “You don’t have to worry, Sof. We’re going to find him.”
My voice was a low growl, filled with a promise I intended to keep. I’d seen too much loss, too much pain. Sam would not be added to that list. Not on my watch.
The food arrived shortly after, and we dug into the spicy chicken and rice dishes. We mostly ate in silence, each succumbing to thecomforting familiarity of the moment. This was nice. This was the kind of thing I would love to have every single day of my life.
“Thank you,” she whispered, standing up and brushing the fur from my sweatpants.
“The food is nothing.”
She shook her head. “For everything. For believing in me when I didn’t.”
“Always,” I said simply, because it was true. From the moment I’d met Sofia, there had been no doubt in my mind that she was extraordinary.
“Come on,” I gestured toward the kitchen, where a bottle of whiskey sat alongside two glasses. “Let’s toast to small victories and the big ones yet to come.”
“Sounds perfect,” Sofia agreed, following me. The cats trailed behind us, their presence a reminder of life’s gentler moments amidst the storm we were preparing to enter.
The clink of glasses was a crisp, solitary note in the silence that had settled between us. The whiskey burned a trail down my throat, smooth and potent. Sofia’s eyes met mine over the rim of her glass, and something unspoken passed between us. The air seemed to buzz with it. She tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear again, something she only seemed to do when she was nervous.
“Victor,” she said softly, setting her glass down.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you... for not treating me like I’m fragile.” She stepped closer, and I could smell the faint scent of gunpowder on her, a reminder of our time at the range—another layer to the woman she was becoming. “I know the rest of the guys do it to protect me. Sometimes it’s nice, I don’t know, hot. But I’m…I’m not fragile. I’m doing my best.”
“I will never treat you like you’re fragile, Sof,” I murmured, my gaze dropping to her lips. “You’re the strongest person I know.”
Her hand found its way to my chest, fingers tracing the outline of my scars through my shirt. Each touch was a lightning strike, igniting fires in places long dormant. I caught her wrist gently, pulse racing under my thumb.
“You keep saying that,” she said. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…” I took in a sharp breath as her fingers trailed down my sternum. “To some degree, every one of the Blades chose this life. You didn’t. You were thrust into it. And you’ve proved your mettle, again and again. You never fail to impress me, to impress all of us.”
I reached out to twirl a strand of curly hair that fell on the side of her face, my hand never letting go of hers.
“Is this okay?” I asked, every muscle tensed as I searched her face for any sign of hesitation.
“It’s more than okay, Victor,” she replied softly.
She looked up at me then, her lips parted slightly as if about to say more. I didn’t let her. I pressed my lips against hers, lightly at first, and then with more intensity. Sofia’s eyes flutteredshut, and she responded with equal fervor. It was a moment of connection, a shared experience that threatened to burn away the darkness that had been lingering between us.
We pulled away, gasping for air, faces treacherously close. Her heart was pounding against my chest.
“Holy shit,” I said, my hand on her cheek as she leaned into my touch, sighing heavily against my skin.
“Yeah,” she said, her gaze finding my eyes. “That was...fuck. Take me to bed, Victor.”
