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At least, I hoped we wouldn’t.
“Hey, you good?” Sofia’s voice cut through the drone of the engine, her gaze steady on me from the rearview mirror.
“Fine. Just impatient,” I said. It felt like a lie, but part of it didn’t: I was impatient. I wanted to find the viper and kill him myself.
I swallowed hard against the knot in my throat. The air conditioning fought valiantly against the heat that pressed inon us from all sides, but it was the creeping chill of doubt that wormed its way under my skin.
Sofia was sitting shotgun, so when she spoke, she looked at the rearview mirror to address me. “Victor, listen,” I met her eyes in the mirror. “We have a better plan now. As long as we stick to it, we can find out what my dad is up to, get Sam out of there, and get out.”
Teo nodded from the driver’s seat. “She’s right. We’ve got backup this time. The Miami Knives aren’t just some street gang; they’re legends. They’ll make sure we’re not stepping into a trap.”
The conversation dwindled as we neared our destination, replaced by a collective breath-holding that filled the car with the dense silence of anticipation. My hands gripped my blade until my knuckles went white, while my thoughts churned with scenarios of confrontation and escape.
“Okay,” Teo said before he parked the car on the side of the road, shaded by tall trees and behind brushes. “Let’s go over the plan again.”
Sofia let out a shaky breath, her eyes never leaving the road. “Alright. So we’ll approach the house from the back, where the walls are less secure. The three of you break in while Jace and I keep a lookout. We’ll find Sam and get out as fast as we can.”
As we prepared to exit the car, I tightened my grip on my knife, my heart pounding in my chest. The rustling of the bushes and leaves in the dense foliage seemed to echo my anxiety, amplifying the anticipation that hung heavy in the air. Teo ledthe way, and we followed closely behind her, with Sofia right behind me, Jace after her, and Grayson bringing up the rear.
The Everglades stretched out in front of us, a seemingly endless expanse of water and tangled vegetation. The air was thick with humid heat, and the silence was unnerving, broken only by the distant croaking of frogs and the occasional rustling of alligators.
Sofia’s hand brushed mine as we crouched in the underbrush, the thick foliage a green curtain veiling us from the cabin ahead. Her touch was brief, but it sparked an electric connection that charged through my veins like adrenaline.
It was dusk; the sun had begun its descent, casting long shadows across the landscape. The Moon, full and bright, loomed in the sky, casting a silvery glow over everything. The humidity clawed at my lungs, making it hard to breathe, but I pushed through the discomfort. Teo had already taken the lead, and I followed, my eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
I was about to creep up to the back door, Sofia and Jace left slightly behind, when I heard a branch snap nearby. My heart leapt into my throat as I froze, my hand tightening around the handle of my knife. I held my breath, praying that they hadn’t been spotted.
My hand tightened around the handle of my knife instinctively.
“Sofia, Jace, be careful,” I hissed, trying to stay as still as possible.
Teo had stopped in his tracks as well, his body tense and ready for action. Grayson was right behind us, watching and listening intently.
A rustling sound came from the other side of the cabin, and I could feel my heart pounding painfully against my ribs. I glared at Teo, who nodded slowly, and then we both began moving towards the sound, our steps as quiet as we could make them. And that’s when I heard footsteps, crunching over the stillness of the swamp. The world spun into chaos. Out of nowhere, a figure lunged from the tree line, barreling toward Sofia with a ferocity that turned my blood to ice.
“Down!” I shouted, tackling Sofia to the ground. The assailant’s blade sliced through the air where she’d been standing a heartbeat ago.
“What the fuck?” Teo said, turning around quickly. “I thought you said no one was going to be here, Jace!”
“He’s off the grid,” Jace said. “I didn’t see any devices on him.”
“Fuck,” Teo swore under his breath. “Okay. Sof, you okay?”
Sofia nodded. I barely had time to take in the fact that her face was smeared with dirt and blood.
“Good. Victor, kill him.”
“Yup,” I replied, taking off in the direction that the man had ran off to. As my vision focused, I saw the blurred figure of a man running away, cutting through the trees. I grit my teeth and my instincts took over. I chased him, my heart pounding in my chest. The man was fast, but I was faster. He darted between the trees, but I followed him, determined to catch him. All I was thinking about was that he had almost hurt sofia and I was simply not going to allow that.
We entered a small clearing, and the man swung around to face me, his eyes wide in shock. I’d caught up to him quickly, and I knew that he was scared.
“What the fuck?” Teo said, turning around quickly. “I thought you said no one was going to be here, Jace!”
“He’s off the grid,” Jace said. “I didn’t see any devices on him.”
“Fuck,” Teo swore under his breath. “Okay. Sof, are you okay?”
Sofia nodded.
