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“Kevin was watching me,” he said. “From another table. When I asked him about it, he said he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.”
“Did you notice anything else?” I asked, leaning in closer to my brother as he continued his story.
“I didn’t see anyone following me, but I got this feeling... like someone was watching. Someone else, I mean,” Sam said with a shiver. “It was unsettling. So, I took a cab home. But when I got back, the cops were there. They wouldn’t tell me what was going on. They just said they had some questions for me.”
“And that’s it?” I asked.
“Yeah. I thought they were my friends. We worked together for years,” he took a deep, shuddering breath. “Surprise! They’re not my friends.”
I placed my hand on Sam’s shoulder, giving it a supportive squeeze. “Don’t worry, we’ll get to the bottom of this. I know you’re innocent.”
Sam nodded, though his eyes were still clouded with uncertainty. “I just can’t believe this is happening. My whole career, my reputation...it could all be destroyed because of some crazy setup.”
“Hey, look at me,” I said firmly. “I’m not going to let that happen. We’ll find out who’s behind this and make sure they don’t get away with it.”
Just then, the door opened and the nurse returned holding a clipboard. “Sorry that took so long,” she said pleasantly, her eyes darting wildly between us, an unspoken warning on her face. “Now let’s get those vitals checked.”
Chapter Four: Sofia
We were sitting in Teo’s bedroom, but it was just Sam and I. He looked around at the quilt and the wooden chest of drawers then flashed me a questioning look.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know what to tell you,” I said. “His aesthetic is lumberjack.”
Sam smiled. It had taken forever to get his bail posted and to get him processed, and that certainly felt like it had been on purpose. All the cops he worked with were pissed. Even the ones who didn’t seem to be part of Monroe’s bullshit campaign against him were worried. It made perfect sense, considering that they thought he was a murderer.
There were other places to talk. But Teo’s house seemed like a safe haven, a place where he didn’t like to do work for good reason. Sam didn’t want to be seen leaving HQ or any sketchy nightclubs and I couldn’t blame him for that.
Not that being in Teo Costa’s house was much better.
But Teo was probably used to being surveilled.
My brother wasn’t.
He looked exhausted. Far beyond what I had ever seen, worse than when we found out our parents were dead.
But Teo was right. I had to tell him.
“Sam, there’s something I need to tell you. Something… about Dad.” I hesitated, unsure of how to break the news that could potentially shatter what little hope he had left.
“Dad? What does Dad have to do with any of this? He’s long dead, Sof.”
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. “Yeah, about that,” I said.
Sam looked up at me. “Spit it out.”
“Look, I know this is going to be hard to hear, but you need to know the truth.” My voice wavered, and I took a deep breath before continuing. “Our father, he’s not dead like we thought. He’s… he’s the Everglades Viper.”
For a moment, there was only silence as Sam stared at me, as if trying to determine whether I had lost my mind or simply decided to play a cruel joke on him. The disbelief in his gaze made my stomach churn. I had no idea how I could begin to explain this to him when I could hardly untangle it myself.
“Are you insane, Sof? You expect me to believe that our dad, who died in a car accident a few years ago, is suddenly a wanted criminal and a total fucking psychopath to boot?”
He scoffed as he spoke, baring his teeth at me.
“Look,” he said, edging closer to me, his hand on mine. “I know what happened with the Strangler was my fault. I know you wouldn’t be in this world if it wasn’t for me. But if being around the Blades is fucking you up this much, then maybe…I don’t know, maybe you should consider leaving Orlando or something. Start over fresh. You have some notoriety now, right? You’re like this big shot reporter. Any news organization would be happy to snap you up.”
I shook my head. “Sam, you’re not hearing me,” I said. “I didn’t want to believe it at first either.”
“Okay, so don’t believe it, Sof. This is some bullshit.”
