Abyss (The Mercy Blades Book 4)

Clarissa Bright
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 Abyss

Clarissa Bright
Copyright © 2023 by Clarissa Bright

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law.
 Contents

Blurb
1. Chapter One: Sofia
2. Chapter Two: Victor
3. Chapter Three: Sofia
4. Chapter Four: Sofia
5. Chapter Five: Sofia
6. Chapter Six: Grayson
Sam I
7. Chapter Seven: Jace
8. Chapter Eight: Victor
9. Chapter Nine: Sofia
10. Chapter Ten: Sofia
11. Chapter Eleven: Sofia
12. Chapter Twelve: Teo
13. Chapter Thirteen: Teo
Sam II
14. Chapter Fourteen: Victor
15. Chapter Fifteen: Sofia
16. Chapter Sixteen: Jace
17. Chapter Seventeen: Victor
18. Chapter Eighteen: Victor
Sam III
19. Chapter Nineteen: Sofia
20. Chapter Twenty: Teo
21. Chapter Twenty-One: Sofia
22. Chapter Twenty-Two: Sofia
23. Chapter Twenty-Three: Victor
24. Chapter Twenty-Four: Sofia
25. Chapter Twenty-Five: Teo
 Blurb

I n this cutthroat world of the Mercy Blades, bloodstains are a badge of honor.
Every choice I’ve ever made is steeped in violence.

The ultimate rule: protect your own, even if it means betraying others.

And Sofia…she isn’t just our source of redemption, she’s more than that. More than she should have ever been.

She’s foundation and wildfire, shattering the world we once knew and forcing us to reevaluate everything we thought we
understood about loyalty and trust.

As the deceit thickens, I find myself battling not just the enemy outside, but the crippling doubts within. When everything burns,
everything I’ve worked so hard for could shatter.

We’re playing a game where the line between friend and foe is thin. The haunting echoes of the past could destroy everything.

Especially when it’s Sofia’s life on the line.

I need her. I need to ensure she’s safe. And for that, I would willingly descend into the abyss.

The stakes are high, but as the saying goes, the higher the stakes, the sweeter the victory.

One way or another, she will be ours.

Forever.
 Chapter One: Sofia

T he world knew me as Sofia Reyes, former pop culture reporter and now I was…what, exactly?
One of the Mercy Blades?

I’d left behind the glitz and glamor of celebrity gossip–as if it had ever been glamorous–to join the most dangerous gang in
Orlando, my life taking a sharp turn into the scary unknown. Being with dangerous men had become my reality, a twisted path I
had to follow.

It wasn’t a choice; it was survival.

Months had passed since our confrontation with the Everglades Viper, a venomous figure whose malevolence had spread
through the city of Orlando like wildfire. We had gone down there to confront him and it was a miracle all of us had gotten out
of that alive.

The Viper was smart. He’d set up a trap for us.

We tried to recover from the aftermath, licking our wounds and preparing for the inevitable next strike.

“Hey, Sof, you good?” Teo asked, his voice soft but the tone of it enough to startle me. We were sitting in his car, parked
around the corner from Captain Monroe’s house and other than the soft hum of distant traffic and the sound of the occasional
owl outside, the stakeout had been mostly silent.

I nodded. “Yeah, just thinking about how much has changed,” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “This is all so messed up, Teo.”

He gave me a long look, then sighed. “Yeah, I know,” he said. “I really wish you would’ve listened to me and stayed home.”

I shook my head. “If the Viper is my father…since the Viper is my father,” I said, shuddering. “Then it’s my responsibility to
make sure these people are safe. I’m not going to let you leave and take on all of this by yourself.”
“Right. Well, it’s not your responsibility, but I know you won’t listen to me. Damn, it’s hot in here,” he said, shifting in his seat.
He reached over and turned the key in the ignition, allowing a gentle breeze from the AC to circulate through the car.

“Better?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. He nodded, his gaze never leaving Captain Monroe’s house.

A gnawing sense of unease twisted my insides, growing stronger with each passing moment. The Viper had been quiet lately,
too quiet – and that only meant danger was on the horizon. As if sensing my thoughts, Teo reached over and gave my hand a
reassuring squeeze.

“Hey, we’ll get through this. We always do,” he said, a hint of vulnerability in his voice.

I looked up at him, opening my mouth but not saying anything.

“Go ahead, Sof. You can talk to me,” he encouraged, his grip on my hand tightening ever so slightly.

I hesitated, swallowing hard. “I just…I still can’t believe it, you know? That the Viper is my father. That he’s alive. First, my
brother gets involved with a serial killer. Then it turns out my father is a serial killer. Now I’m…wait. You’re not a serial
killer, are you?”

A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, but he managed to keep his composure. “No,” he said.

“Right. Just the boss for organized crime,” I said, burying my head in my hands. “Fuck. It’s like I’m living in some twisted
nightmare.”

“Hey, I don’t hurt people for fun,“ Teo said. He sounded a little offended.

I looked up at him. “So you aren’t a serial killer.”

“No,” he replied. “I hate blood, remember? Among many other things. Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. We’ve gotten
through scary shit before. We can make sure the Viper doesn’t hurt anyone else, too.”

“Right,” I said. The Viper’s legacy of destruction couldn’t continue – not if I had any say in it.

“Hey,” Teo whispered, his eyes darting back to Captain Monroe’s house. “I think something’s going on.”

“Where?” My heartbeat accelerated as I strained to see what Teo was looking at.

“Over there,” he pointed, indicating a shadowy figure slipping around the corner. Our eyes locked for a moment, and my heart
jumped in my chest. Whatever was about to happen, I knew it couldn’t be good.

My eyes stayed glued on the shadowy figure, adrenaline surging through my veins as Teo and I hunkered down in our hiding
spot. Darkness enveloped us, amplifying every sound around us.

I couldn’t help but think of how much had changed since joining the Mercy Blades – a world of danger and violence that now
felt like home.

“So we know Captain Monroe’s involved with the Viper somehow,” Teo muttered, his eyes never leaving the building. “It’s
like they’ve got endless resources at their disposal.”

“Right,” I agreed, my mind racing with the implications. “He was the one blackmailing the captain and Jace mentioned
something about an expert hacker doing that. Means he must have someone on the payroll to do that, since my father himself
never knew much about computers. I think this is bigger than we initially thought. If Captain Monroe is involved beyond being
blackmailed, then the Viper’s reach extends far beyond what we ever imagined.”

“So what do you think that was?” Teo said. We waited for the shadowy figure to get into a car parked around the corner.
“Someone working for Monroe or someone working for the Viper?”

“I don’t know,” I replied, swiping over my phone screen as the shadowy figure got into a car in front of us. “But I just sent a
picture of their car to Jace. Hopefully he’ll have some insight when he does a more thorough check.”
Teo sighed. “Whatever the case, we have to be careful,” he said. “If he is as powerful as he seems, then we’re going to be in a
lot of trouble when he realizes he didn’t beat us.”

“Speaking of being careful… How’s Sam?” I asked, concern for my brother gnawing at the edges of my thoughts. He’d been
under surveillance by the Mercy Blades ever since we discovered our connection to the Viper, and he’d been involved in our
mission down South.

“Still under watch, but thankfully safe for now,” Teo replied, his words offering me some small comfort. “We’re doing
everything we can to protect him, sunshine.”

“I know,” I said. “But it still makes me uneasy that he won’t quit the force and…”

“He needs to keep up appearances, Sof,” Teo said, his hand playing with my ponytail. “Posturing is part of the game.”

“He already feels so bad about what happened with Archer,” I said. “I can’t bear to tell him about the Viper being our dad.”

“You should tell him,” Teo said. “He’s going to find out one way or another. It’ll soften the blow if it comes from his sister.”

I shook my head. “Nothing softens this blow, Teo.”

“Hey,” Teo’s hand suddenly found mine again, his warm grip grounding me in the moment. “Sam’s tough. He’s going to be
okay.”

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. The stakes were high, higher than they’d ever been, and the thought of losing Sam
terrified me more than anything else. But I couldn’t afford to let fear control me – not when so many lives were on the line.

Teo leaned closer, his breath warm against my cheek as he whispered, “We’ll get through this, Sofia. We’ll protect Sam and
take down the Viper. Together.”

My heart fluttered at the conviction in his voice, and I turned to face him, my gaze meeting his honeygold eyes. At that moment,
the rest of the world seemed to fall away, leaving only the two of us.

“You make it very hard not to kiss you all the time,” Teo said.

“I’m just sitting here.”

“Exactly my point,” he said.

I laughed.

“I promised you,” Teo replied without hesitation, his free hand coming up to cup my face. “No matter what it takes, we’ll
protect Sam. I always keep my promises, Sof.”

I was about to ask him where Sam was right then when he looked at his watch. “Jace,” he said, swiping over the screen. “We
can both hear you.”

“Hi,” Jace said, his voice broadcasting over the car’s speakers. “How’s the stakeout going?”

“You two can do social time later,” Teo said. “What’s up?”

“Right, sorry, boss,” Jace said. “So it looks like the person in the car you spotted is one of Monroe’s associates. We’ve been
keeping tabs on him for a while now, and it seems like he’s been transferring money to various offshore accounts belonging to
the Viper.”

My heart sank at the news. The Viper’s reach was wider than we thought, and we were running out of time to stop him.

“How’s the Viper funding all of this?” I asked. “That’s what I don’t understand. Where did he get all this money for all these
flunkies?”
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Jace replied. “But from what we’ve gathered, it seems like he’s been involved in a lot
of illegal activity for a long time now. White-collar crime, arms dealing, you name it.”

“Arms dealing?” I asked. “Arms dealing?”

“Hey, don’t shoot the messenger,” Jace said, then took a second. “Wait. That’s the part you’re upset about?”

I looked up at Teo, who shook his head slightly. I got the message: don’t tell Jace anything about the Viper. Not yet, anyway.

“So he’s been building this empire for years,” I said, my mind reeling at the implications. “And we’re just discovering him
now.”

Jace sighed. “My best guess is that he’s been working with other criminal organizations, exchanging favors and information for
cash. He’s managed to stay under the radar for years, but we’re finally starting to piece together the puzzle. Since most gangs
won’t work for someone without another gang vouching for him, it makes sense that the Viper would have teamed up with
Captain Monroe and his men.”

I looked up at Teo, my brows knitted.

“The police is the perfect place to find men connected to gangs,” Teo replied, shrugging his shoulders. “They work their beats
and are frequently friends with bosses or captains, looking away from minor crimes for a small fee. It’s just a business
expense.”

I nodded, understanding the logic behind it. But the thought of my father working with someone like Captain Monroe made me
sick to my stomach.

“What about Monroe?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. “What’s his role in all of this?”

“He’s definitely involved,” Jace said. “I found evidence linking him to several of the Viper’s operations, including some of the
more violent ones.”

“So he’s not just being blackmailed,” Teo said.

“Doesn’t seem like it,” Jace agreed. “We’re still trying to piece together how he got involved with the Viper in the first place,
but it’s not looking good for Monroe.”

“That means he’s more dangerous than we thought,” I said.

“Absolutely,” Jace replied. “We need to be careful around him. He’s not someone to be underestimated.”

I looked at Teo. “What does that mean for my brother?” I asked.

For a second, his expression darkened. “Nothing,” he replied. “I told you. I’ll kill anyone who tries to hurt him.”

“Teo...”

“I’ll call you later, Jace,” Teo said. “Good job.”

He hung up the call and looked at me, his jaw hardening. “If you want to protect him, you’re going to have to tell him, Sof,” he
said. “It’s the only way.”

I shuddered. I wanted to tell him he was wrong, but he wasn’t. I knew he was right.

I just didn’t want him to be.

 Chapter Two: Victor

I stood in the physical therapy room, sweat dripping from my brow. The pain was there, but it was a good kind of pain – the
kind that reminded me I was alive and fighting. Sofia hovered near me, a mix of concern and admiration written on her face.

“Victor, don’t push yourself too hard,” she warned, her voice filled with worry. “You’ve come so far already.”

I nodded, grateful for her presence as I continued stretching out my injured leg under the watchful eye of my physical therapist,
Emily. She had been working with me since my accident and knew exactly how far to push me without causing further injury.

“I’m fine,” I reassured both of them, gritting my teeth against the discomfort. “Just trying to get back to 100% as soon as
possible.”

Emily gave a small nod before packing up her equipment. “You can have the room for as long as you need, Victor,” she said
softly. She was an older woman with an easy smile and a plump body. With her help, I’d managed to regain most of my
mobility. “But your friend is right. Do the exercises but stop when they get too hard. Resistance is good, pain isn’t.”

She gave us a small nod and left the room. As soon as she was gone, Sofia stepped closer to me and gently placed a hand on
my shoulder.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked, her eyes full of concern.

“Never been better,” I lied, the words tasting bitter in my mouth. But I couldn’t let her see how much I still hurt. She had
enough to worry about already with the bounty on her head and her brother, and whatever had happened with the Viper. She
hadn’t said a damn thing about it, but we knew the Viper was plotting his next move against us. No, I had to be strong for her,
even when I was at my weakest.

“Good,” she said, nodding. “Just remember that I’m here for you, Victor. Whatever you need, I’ll do everything I can to help.”

“You just want me to owe you a favor.”

She laughed. “Of course I do. It’s nice to have you in my debt.”

Grayson laughed. He’d been sitting in one of the chairs around, and I knew Teo had sent him to watch over Sofia, who had
insisted on coming with me.

Before, it would have been enough for me to protect her. Now, I needed to have Grayson around. My legs trembled beneath me
as I pushed through another set of exercises, each one bringing me closer to being the man Sofia needed me to be.

Not that I should have even tried to do that. Teo was already doing that.

“Victor, don’t forget to breathe,” she reminded me gently, her hand on my shoulder, and everything suddenly got harder.

“Right,” I exhaled, steadying my shaking limbs and focusing on my breathing. It was easy to lose myself in the pain, but with
Sofia there, I never felt entirely lost.

I watched as Grayson got up from his chair, tossing a look in our direction. “I’m going to grab us some coffees,” he announced,
giving me a subtle nod before disappearing out the door. Neither one of us had asked for a coffee but it was nice of him to give
us some space.

“Thanks, Grayson,” Sofia called after him, her fingers lightly tracing circles on my arm. We were alone now, and I could feel
the conversation shifting gears. It was a relief, in a way, to be able to talk without feeling like we were being monitored. “How
are you feeling? Really. No posturing. Just tell me how you are doing.”

I looked at her gaze, which was far more intense than I had anticipated. It was completely disarming. Any smart retort
immediately died on my tongue. . “It’s frustrating, Sofia. I want to be out there, helping you all. I can’t stand just sitting around,
watching everyone else take care of things.”

Her hand squeezed my arm gently, reassuringly. “You’re doing amazing, Victor. Really. And we know how much you want to be
out there, but you have to give yourself time to heal.

I sighed, feeling the weight of my impatience. “I know, I know. It’s just… hard, you know? Feeling useless like this.”

“Victor, you’re not useless,” she insisted, her voice firm but understanding. “You’re recovering so that you can come back even
stronger than before. That’s incredibly important.”

“You’ve been so helpful,” I replied. “I…”

I was about to apologize for ever being a dick to her when an abrupt sound reverberated through the room – a sharp crack that
closely resembled a gunshot. My instincts kicked in, and I bolted towards the door, adrenaline pumping through my veins. But
as I reached the hallway, my body betrayed me, lungs heaving and legs wobbling beneath me.

“Victor!” Sofia called out, rushing to my side as I leaned against the wall for support.

“Stay back, Sof. It’s not safe,” I panted, swallowing the frustration that threatened to choke me. In my mind, I knew I was still
recovering, but my heart ached with the desire to protect her, no matter the cost. I limped toward the hallway, where the
gunshot had come from.

“Victor!” Sofia shouted after me.

Gritting my teeth, I ignored her.

“Victor!”

Despite the pain seizing my leg, I managed to slowly move toward the front of the physical therapist building. Through the
window, I could see Grayson’s imposing figure, the way he was leaning over something. I walked outside, doing my best not to
break into a run despite how much I wanted to. I didn’t think my body was going to be able to survive that.

My heart raced as I scanned the area, searching for the source of the noise. The adrenaline rush had me on high alert, but there
was no evidence of a gunshot. Instead, my gaze fell upon a smoldering pile of debris just outside the therapy center.
Grayson’s hand was on his piece for a second, then he moved it away.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Burst pipe, I think,” Grayson replied. My head was pounding. He gave me a long look, but didn’t say a thing, though his gaze
lingered on the sweat on my brow.

“Shit,” I muttered, feeling a flush of embarrassment creeping up my neck. It wasn’t a threat after all, and here I was, barely able
to stand on my own two feet because I’d jumped into action. Sofia’s gentle hand on my arm brought me back to the present
moment.

“Hey, it’s okay,” she said softly, her eyes filled with understanding. “You reacted instinctively, and that’s a good thing. It means
you’re still sharp, even if your body hasn’t fully recovered yet.”

Grayson shook his head at her, but I laughed. I let out a humorless chuckle, the irony of the situation not lost on me. “Some
protector I am, huh?”

Sofia shook her head, her dark curls bouncing with the motion. “Victor, don’t do this to yourself. You’ve been through so much,
and you’ve made incredible progress in such a short time. It’s amazing how far you’ve come.”

I shrugged her off, fighting the urge to scream. It wasn’t like when the boss was hurt; his job involved a ton of moving pieces. If
Grayson or Jace had been hurt, it would have slowed them down, but it wouldn’t have been the end of everything.

For me, it felt like the end. I was the muscle, and I had no delusions about what my role in the organization was, exactly. Teo’s
choices for captains were deeply thought out and I understood that I was simply another moving piece of the puzzle. If I
couldn’t perform, there was a chance he would demote me.

A demotion meant less money, sure, but right then, I didn’t care about that. A demotion also meant loss of respect and that was
the part that should have been freaking me out. Instead, my thoughts kept going to Sofia; if I wasn’t a capo, I wouldn’t always
hang out around the boss, I’d be doing random, low-level jobs instead, and that meant that I wouldn’t be hanging out around
Sofia.

I would kiss the ring when I saw Teo because I didn’t have a death wish, but beyond that, my relationship with Sofia would
irrevocably change, and the men I had come to consider my brothers would slowly become acquaintances–or worse, managers.

“Sof,” Grayson said. “Can you go get our coffees? The barista was still working on them when the pipe exploded.”

“Sure,” she said, flashing me a smile as she walked away.

Grayson looked up at me. “You look like shit.”

“Alright, well, don’t hold back, Gray. Tell me what you really think.”

Grayson chuckled. “I’m serious, man. You’re no use to anyone if you push yourself too hard and make your injuries worse.”

I nodded, knowing he was right. The last thing I needed was to be out of commission for even longer. “I know, I know. It’s just
hard to feel like I’m not pulling my weight.”

“You will be,” he said firmly. “But you have to give yourself time to heal first.”

Another wave of frustration washed over me, but I forced myself to take a deep breath and let it go. The last thing I wanted was
for Grayson to pick up on my insecurities and start second-guessing my abilities. “With the Viper on the loose, I’m concerned it
won’t be fast enough.”

“Victor,” Grayson said. “Sofia’s safety is Teo’s priority and having you around is the easiest way to ensure her safety. But if
you mess around with your own health, you’re going to put him in an awkward position. Do you understand what I mean?”

I nodded, feeling a grim sense of understanding. Grayson wasn’t saying anything I hadn’t already thought myself. But hearing it
from someone else made the reality hit harder. Teo’s organization was built on loyalty, and if I couldn’t keep up my end of the
bargain, there was a chance I’d be replaced. It was a harsh reality, but I knew it was one I had to face head-on.

“I’ll take it easy,” I said finally, forcing a smile on my face despite the dread that was slowly creeping in. “I won’t let my ego
get in the way.”

“That’s all I wanted to hear,” Grayson said, clapping me on the back again. This time, the motion didn’t hurt as much. “Now
let’s go grab that coffee before Sofia thinks we’re talking about her.”

He gestured toward the door and we both walked back inside.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I looked at Grayson, who furrowed his brow as he grabbed his own phone.

“Shit,” he said as he looked down at the same message we’d both gotten from Teo.

Come to my house ASAP. Shit is going down.

Whatever that meant...I was sure it wasn’t good.

 Chapter Three: Sofia

T hestomach
aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted through Teo’s cozy living room, but I couldn’t bring myself to take a sip. My
churned with the news he had just delivered.

Jace was sitting on the sofa with his laptop on his knees, Grayson was leaning against the wall–the man seemed to always only
crouch or lean–and Victor was half-sitting on the arm of the sofa, his gaze darting between Teo and a man I’d never seen
before.

“You have to be wrong,” I said, my mouth dry.

I could tell Teo was resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “I’m not wrong, Sof,” he said. “I’ll let him tell you himself. Kevin, tell
my girl what happened to her brother.”

I’d seen the other guys scared of Teo before, but I’d never seen anyone look quite as scared as Kevin did in that moment.

“It’s okay,” I said, flashing Teo a warning look. “Don’t worry. Just tell me what happened.”

“I’m not sure,” Kevin said. “He was on…date. I don’t interfere with that shit, and then, I don’t know, something happened to
the guy he was on a date with when he went home. Then the police picked your brother up when he was at home and I made
myself real scarce.”

“You were supposed to never leave him alone,” Teo said, in that soft, terrifying voice of his.

“I didn’t, boss,” Kevin defended himself. “I just left for a second when things got hairy. I didn’t want the cops to catch me. My
plan was always to go back. I know they would try to turn me and…”

“Whoa, there,” Grayson said, suddenly standing straight. “Go home, Kevin.”

“But…”
“Go home now!” Grayson said. He sounded irritated. Kevin’s eyes widened and he nodded, moving slowly away from
Grayson, then turning around and running out of Teo’s house.

“I’m at fault here, Teo,” Grayson said, his voice barely audible in the tense silence that followed Kevin’s exit. “I had no idea
he was meeting someone tonight.”

Teo let out a deep sigh, his dark eyes softening as he looked at me. “It’s not your fault. You’re not your men.”

“But I am responsible for my men,” Grayson countered.

“You should have told me,“ Victor said, frowning. “You knew about this date?”

Teo shook his head. “Kevin was supposed to keep me updated. But apparently, he decided to play hide and seek with the local
authorities instead.”

“Let’s take a breath here,” Jace said from the sofa, not looking up from his laptop. His fingers were moving rapidly over the
keyboard. I could see lines of codes flickering on the screen. He was already on the job, trying to find out everything about the
man who had been with my brother.

“Take a breath? My girl’s brother is in custody, Jace!” Teo said, his voice echoing in the quiet room.

“I get it, I’m upset too. But yelling is not going to help,” Jace replied, his focus still on the screen.

Grayson moved from the corner of the room, heading towards the kitchen. He returned moments later with a cup of coffee for
me, his chiseled features set in a grim expression.

Teo losing his temper was something they were all clearly used to, but I still found it confusing and disorienting. And we also
knew this was just the beginning of a nerve-wracking hunt for answers.

“We will find out what’s going on, Sof,” Grayson said, his warm hand squeezing my shoulder comfortingly. “Your brother will
be out before you know it.”

I glanced at him and then at the rest of the guys. Despite the fear knotting in my stomach, I couldn’t deny one fact…I was lucky.
Lucky to have people like them, regardless of the danger we were about to face. And with that thought, I found a shred of
strength to carry on. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.

And sometimes, all you needed was a start. At least that was what I told myself, anyway.

“Let’s focus on Sam instead of Kevin here,” Grayson said.

Teo glared at him, but he nodded.

“Sam? A killer?” I stammered, my fingers tightening around the warm ceramic mug. “That’s impossible.”

Teo sighed, running his hand through his dark hair. “It doesn’t surprise me that the cops are trying to set some shit up. They
probably have evidence on him.”

“Then the evidence is wrong!” I snapped, slamming the mug down on the table with enough force to spill the steaming liquid
onto the worn wood. I couldn’t deny that I was angry too; if Sam was at the police station, that meant he was in danger from
Captain Monroe. Something Teo had specifically told me he would protect him from. The very idea that would turn my
brother’s entire department against him made my blood run cold. “My brother would never hurt anyone like that.”

“Listen,” Teo said, putting a calming hand on my shoulder. “I’m not saying he did it. We all know this whole thing is fucking
bullshit. I’m just telling you what I heard. You should go see him, talk to him about this.”

“Of course I’ll see him!” I stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over the chair. “Take me to him. Now.”

Teo nodded and grabbed his keys, leading me out to his car. “You guys keep working on this person’s identity, okay?” he told
the rest of the Blades before he put his hand on the small of my back and led me down the driveway toward his car.
The drive to the local detention center felt like an eternity as my mind raced with thoughts of Sam being accused of such a
horrifying crime.

We arrived at the imposing brick building, and I could feel the oppressive atmosphere settling in around us.

“Remember,” he said, his grip tightening around my hand. “We’re here for Sam.”

His honeygold eyes smoldered with intensity. His hands on mine weren’t comforting, they were a call to action. His voice,
stripped of pretense, of bravado, echoed in the walls of the car around him. Focused not on comforting lies but harsh truths, he
still left the danger we were in unspoken between us.

“Are you okay to walk in there?” I asked as we looked at the sign that said Police hanging over the door.

“Yeah, I’m not going to burst into flames or anything,” he replied, winking at me.

I laughed. “Alright. Let’s go find out.”

“Sunshine, one sec,” he said. “You’re not going to have any privacy in the detention room. People will be listening. Have him
request a medical examination. I know the nurse, I’ll give her a little extra motivation to keep out of your hair while you talk to
Sam. You should take advantage of your privacy.”

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. “You’re telling me to tell him my dad is the Viper?”

“I’m telling you that there’s a chance he had a hand in Sam’s arrest,” he replied. “And it might be in your brother’s best interest
to know that.”

I swallowed, my head pounding.

“Okay,” I said. “Okay, I guess that makes sense. Thanks, Teo.”

He nodded and smiled reassuringly. Then he stuffed his gun in the glove compartment, and then his knife, and then another knife
under the passenger seat. “You’re welcome, Sof.”

Once inside the detention center, we were met with the usual cold atmosphere that was so typical of such places. We passed
through the metal detectors and the gates, making our way towards Sam’s cell.

My brother was being held in a small, barely lit room. He looked up as I entered. His once-cheerful dark eyes clouded with
worry. My protective instincts kicked in, and I knew I needed to get him out of this situation.

“Hey, Sam,” I said, forcing a smile as I approached him. “You alright?”

“I think I need to stop dating,” he said quietly.

I looked at Teo. He was standing in front of the bars of his cell. He bent down and whispered a few words to Sam before
signaling to the guards. The door swung open, and Sam was handcuffed before being led away to the medical examination that
Teo had arranged.

“Go be with your brother, Sofia,” Teo said.

I nodded.

I followed the guards down the corridor, my heart pounding in my chest. The fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting
eerie shadows on the cold cement walls. As we reached the examination room, I could hear the muffled sound of voices from
inside. Teo had done his part, now it was up to me to uncover the truth.

Steeling myself, I pushed open the door and stepped into the small, sterile room. Sam was sitting on the examination table, his
face etched with exhaustion and anxiety. The nurse, a middle-aged woman with kind eyes, stood nearby. “I’m going to get some
forms,” she said, then spoke in a whisper. “Voices carry into the hallway.”
“Hey,” I said softly. The nurse left, closing the door softly behind her. “How are you holding up?”

Sam looked up at me, his haunted eyes meeting mine. “I’ve been better,” he replied with a weary smile. “But I’m glad you’re
here.”

“What happened?”

“I wish I knew,” he said. “I found this guy online. He was cute, we went on a date. Everything was fine. Then Officer Wild and
Officer McGraw came into my apartment and arrested me. Said that I was the last person he was with.”

“But I thought murder investigations took a lot longer than this.”

“They do,” Sam replied. “I’m being held but I’m not charged yet. They’re saying I’m a person of interest.”

I swallowed. “What have you said?”

“That I need a lawyer,” he replied. “They keep saying that I could just talk to them, that they’re my friends, but I have a feeling
it was Captain Monroe who sent them my way. He couldn’t kill me so he’ll get me sent to jail and I’m the law so I don’t think
other convicts are going to be very nice to me, even if the screws are.”

I nodded, taking a seat next to him on the cold metal examination table. I squeezed his hand, trying to offer what little comfort I
could. “I promise you, Sam,” I said firmly. “I’m not going to let that happen.”

He gave me a weak smile, a slight nod of his head acknowledging my words. But the fear in his eyes didn’t fade.

“Teo has some ideas. And near infinite resources.”

“Yeah, I think my career here is shot anyway,” Sam said, then took a deep breath. “I’m probably done being a cop for good, all
thanks to Monroe, so maybe it’s not a horrible idea to take money from a Don.”

“Okay, Sam,” I said, my voice steady despite my escalating panic. “I need you to tell me everything you remember from that
night, every detail, no matter how small. I’ll help you figure this out.”

Sam nodded, his eyes scanning the sterile room as he tried to recall the events of that fateful night. “Okay,” he began hesitantly.
“I went to the date, we met at the restaurant and then... a little while later, I felt like I was being followed. It scared me, so I left
the guy at the restaurant and I came home.”

“And Kevin wasn’t with you?”

“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

W ethenwereflashed
sitting in Teo’s bedroom, but it was just Sam and I. He looked around at the quilt and the wooden chest of drawers
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.”

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “He told Teo he was my dad, and Jace got some pictures of him at the club,” I said. “He
couldn’t see his face, but like…Sammy, I could recognize the way he walked.”

“Okay. So a killer is fucking with us,” he said. “Which part of that is a surprise? There are still bounties on our heads, someone
is trying to clip us. Now I’m being framed for murder. None of this means our father is involved. I know you trust Teo, but I
obviously need to remind you that your boyfriend is the boss of a very profitable gang that’s less invested in finding killers and
more invested in continuing business as usual.”

“That’s not fair,” I replied.

He cocked his head, his eyes darkening. “I know Teo loves you,” he said. “But he already has a job. It’s not ‘detective’.”

I stared at him.

“Okay, so let’s say I’m living in this twisted reality where our sweet salesman father is the same man who is terrorizing the
entire city,” he continued. “That would mean Dad faked his own death years ago and then...what, Sof? Decided to take a career
detour into mass murder? Because that’s naturally the most logical career progression after selling water treatment equipment
for years?”

I swallowed. “Okay, look, I’m just telling you what I know. You want to get defensive, that’s your call.”

“The thing is, you don’t know anything,” he replied. “You’re speculating.”

“Yeah, Sam. And what happened last time I was speculating?”

“Now, that’s not fair,” he said.

“We’re well past fair,” I replied, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I knew you might say this, so I actually prepared something.”

I took a deep breath and reached into my bag, which was sitting next to me. I pulled out a folder filled with evidence I had
painstakingly collected over the past few months as Victor recovered. The weight of the papers felt heavier than ever as I
opened the folder.

“Look at these,” I urged, spreading newspaper clippings across the table. The headlines screamed out in bold print:
‘Everglades Viper Strikes Again,’ ‘Police Baffled by Serial Killer’s Trail of Bodies.’ When I first started collecting these, they
were all local to Miami and the Everglades and all that shit, but now it’s moving North.”
Sam’s eyes scanned the articles, but I could tell he was still struggling to accept the truth. “This doesn’t mean anything. We
know the Viper is a serial killer with near infinite resources.”

“Alright. Well,” I insisted as I pulled out another stack of papers. “These are police reports, Sam. They detail how each victim
was found, and the similarities between their deaths. And this” – I pointed at a map showing the locations of the victims’
bodies – “is what finally made it all click for me. The killings follow a pattern, one that traces back to our father’s old hunting
grounds.”

Sam stared at the map, his face pale and his hands trembling as he traced the dotted lines connecting each point. My heart ached
for him – I knew how much this hurt, how it threatened to shatter the image of our father that he’d held onto for so long. I’d had
some time to process it with Teo and the rest of the guys but I could see Sam’s heart breaking like mine had. Worse than when
we had found out our parents were dead.

Or at least when we thought they were dead.

“Still not enough?” I asked quietly, trying to keep my voice steady. As much as I wanted to protect Sam from the pain I was
feeling, I knew that I couldn’t shelter him any longer. He needed to see the truth for himself.

“Fine,” he whispered, his voice barely audible. “Show me the rest.”

With that, I pulled out the article about the car accident that supposedly claimed our father’s life. Jace had done some digging
and found that our father’s death certificate had been falsified. DNA tests on the body pulled from the wreckage didn’t match
the samples taken from his toothbrush, and the man held no facial similarities to our father.

“Remember how they talked us out of identifying the body? We thought it was to protect us,” I said. “Turns out Dad bribed
someone to make that happen.”

“You’re wrong.”

“I’m not, Sammy.”

For a moment, we sat in silence, the oppressive atmosphere of the visitation room pressing down on us like a physical weight.
Then, slowly, Sam nodded.

“Fuck. Did he kill Mom?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I think so.”

For a moment, we sat in silence, both of us processing this newfound information. The room felt heavy and Teo’s room felt
smaller than it ever had.

“So Teo has been helping me with a plan,” I said. “We need to take him down.”

“We?” Sam’s eyes widened with alarm. “Sof, we cannot go near him. Let your boyfriend handle it if you have to, but we can’t
go near Dad, okay? He’s a killer. A psycho. He has us in his crosshairs. Teo and his underlings might be able to confront him,
but you and me? Absolutely fucking not.”

“I know he’s dangerous, Sam.” My voice was resolute. “But he’s out there. He’s hurt us, our Mom, all of those people,” I
gestured at the clippings spread out before us. “And he’s still out there, hurting others. He almost killed Teo, he almost killed
Victor. He kidnapped Jace for a hot minute. He’s our father, we have a chance of getting close to him that no one else does.”

“He’s actively trying to kill both of us. The Mercy Blades live in a dangerous world and they know what they’re doing. If they
want to get in the way, that’s their choice. Not yours.”

“Sam, we can’t just stand by and let other people take him down. I won’t.” I took a deep breath, fighting back tears. “We’re the
ones who can stop him. If not us, then who?”

“Wait, are you telling me that you sleep with all these men and you won’t let any of them actually protect you?”
I glared at him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Actually, I do,” he replied. “I know exactly what I’m talking about. I let your boss put his men on me to protect you, not to
protect me. Sof, I’m the law. I could’ve easily gone to Captain Monroe–”

“Who has tried to kill you more than once–”

He held up his hand to stop me from talking. “And told him that I’d flipped even though I hadn’t. I might have made some
mistakes, Sofia, but I’m still a cop. I have resources. Training. Things you don’t have.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair and rubbing at my temples. I knew Sam had a point, but it still hurt. Being dismissed
and belittled, as if I had no right or capability to protect myself and those I cared about. As if I hadn’t already been doing just
that all along.

“Okay, look,” I said, trying to keep my voice level. “I know you’re upset. I do. But we can’t just sit here and do nothing. He’s
still out there, Sam. We have to do something.”

He shook his head, then let out a frustrated breath. “Stay away from this, Sofia,” he said.

“What about the Blades? They’re the reason you’re alive.”

He glared at me, standing up. “No,” he said. “They’re the reason you’re alive. I can take care of myself. Tell your man to stop
trailing me and I’ll make myself scarce.”

“What about Dad?”

“What about Dad, Sof?” he asked, venom in his voice. “Get this out of your fucking head. You can’t take him down. Just
because you fuck a mobster doesn’t mean you are a fucking gun doll. You’re a reporter who reads romance for fun and won’t
get to the top of a climbing gym because you’re afraid of heights. You need to use their protection, but you also need to tell
them to back off.”

“Teo is the one who bailed you out.”

“I know!” he said. “I know. And now I need you to tell him to back off. I can’t deal with any of this.”

Sam looked like a mess. His white shirt was rumpled, his eyes were red and swollen. He had dark circles under his eyes. He
looked defeated, which scared me more than anything. Even after everything, Sam rarely looked defeated.

“There isn’t a universe where I let you just disappear, Sam,” I said. “Monroe is still coming after you. The Viper is still
coming after you.”

“Let him,” he said. He sounded angry. “He can’t prove I killed anybody because I didn’t kill anybody.”

“You know that’s not how it works,” I replied.

“I need to take of myself a little bit. I need a break.” His voice was broken, his eyes pleading with me as I tried to understand
what he was asking. “I can’t have someone watching me. Just for like...a month. Look, I know I made a mistake getting
involved with Archer, but do you think that maybe I can have a minute to catch my breath?”

“What are you saying?” I asked. “Getting involved” was a weird way to put it, but I didn’t want to call him out on it right then.
His eyes were so dark, just like our Dad’s. Our father, the killer. The viper. Trying to kill us.

First mom, then the two of us.

Things he’d probably seen. Things he’d probably done. Our father, the man who’d told us stories about camping beside lakes,
pointed out constellations, bought us ice cream when we were good and scolded us. Like a normal dad.

A man who turned out to not to be so normal after all.

“I’m saying that I need a vacation from this life.” His voice isn’t much above a whisper, but I can’t understand him over the
sudden roar in my ears. I feel lightheaded.

“Sam?”

“I need to get away, Sof. I just need some time, okay?”

“What about--”

“And when I come back,” he says, cutting me off. “I’ll forgive you. I’ll forgive you because you’re my sister and I love you, but
you can’t ever do this to me again.”

Do what to him? Tell him the truth? I wanted to ask him, but I couldn’t. “This isn’t my fault,” I said. “You can’t think this is my
fault.”

“It’s not,” he replied. “But I liked it better when I didn’t know.”

“I’m not asking for your forgiveness.”

“Maybe you should,” he said. “Leave me alone, Sofia. Tell your men to stand down. I can take care of myself.”

“Sam, don’t--”

But before I could say anything else, he slammed the door of Teo’s bedroom behind himself, and he was gone.
 Chapter Five: Sofia

T heNonedoorof the
slammed as Sam left, echoing through Teo’s opulent living room. I had tears in my eyes as I rose from the bed.
men had stopped him and he hadn’t even looked back.

I stood rooted to the spot, the aftershocks of Sam’s anger quivering in my bones as Teo and the rest of the gang slowly made
their way into his bedroom. “Fuck,” I said, rubbing the bridge of my nose, trying to ignoring how much my head pounded.

Sam was out there now, alone and hunted, because of secrets our father had buried in the murky depths of his life as The
Everglades Viper.

“Hey.” Teo’s voice was a low rumble, his hand on my arm warm and steadying. “Sunshine, look at me.”

I turned, my gaze meeting his—honeygold covered by large pupils that covered them almost entirely. I could have been out
looking for my brother, yet here I was, ensnared by the gravity of Teo’s presence.

“Sam’s going to be okay,” Teo said. It sounded like the truth when he said it, even though I knew it was a lie.

“How can you be so sure?” I whispered, my voice almost breaking.

“Because we’re going to make damn sure of it,” he said, his teeth raking down the length of my neck and sending a shiver down
my spine. “

“Teo, I...”

In an instant, he turned me around and pulled me into his arms, his lips finding mine in a kiss that spoke of power, of
possession, of promises too dangerous to keep. I melted against him, lost in the heady sensation, the taste of him—dark
espresso and danger—filling my senses.

“Let me take your mind off things for a while,” he whispered against my lips. “Do you want me to?”
My body responded instinctively, my ache for distraction overpowering the nagging worry for Sam. I didn’t want to think about
his absence, the danger that lurked outside those doors. I wanted to lose myself in Teo, in the intensity of his touch, and forget,
even if just for a moment. And the rest of the Blades watched me, none of them saying a thing, all of them waiting for Teo to
keep going.

These men were going to be the end of me.

My heart raced at his words, my mind torn between the worry for Sam and the desperate need to lose myself in Teo. Teo’s
fingers traced a path down my spine, sending electric shocks of pleasure through my body. His touch ignited a fire within me
that I couldn’t deny.

“Yes,” I managed to whisper. “Take my mind off things. Just for tonight.”

Teo grabbed the bottom of my top and pulled it over my head, revealing my bare chest.

“God, you’re hot,” he said softly. “Isn’t she hot, boys?”

He didn’t let them say anything. He kissed me again, his hand slowly moving down my stomach, his long fingers touching the
waistband of my pants.

I moaned into his mouth, my body craving more of his touch. Teo wasted no time in unbuttoning my pants, his skilled fingers
slipping inside and teasingly brushing against the lace of my underwear. My mind was clouded with desire and the thought of
an audience made my heart race even faster as Teo pulled down my pants in one swift motion, leaving me almost completely
exposed in front of him.

“I can smell how wet you are,” he said.

“Teo, please,” I pleaded, feeling a flush of embarrassment heat up my cheeks. The realization that the rest of the Blades were
watching only intensified the mixture of arousal and self-consciousness coursing through me. “Can we...take this somewhere
more private?”

Teo’s lips curved into a wicked grin, his fingers still teasingly playing at the edge of my panties. “Are you sure? It seems like
they’re enjoying the show,” he said, then slipped a curved finger into my pussy. “Fuck, you’re soaked. You’re clearly enjoying
it too.”

I gasped at the intrusion, my body arching against his touch. He was so good at this, I instantly felt like I was on the edge of an
orgasm. The room was filled with the sounds of my pleasure and the low murmurs of approval from the men watching. My
cheeks burned with shame and excitement, torn between wanting to run away and wanting to surrender completely to this man.

Teo’s voice was husky in my ear as he whispered, “You’re so fucking responsive, Sunshine. They can’t get enough of you.” His
finger continued to pump into me, each stroke pushing me closer to the edge. “They can hear how wet you are. They can smell
you. It’s fucking incredible.”

He didn’t let them say anything. He kissed me again, his hand slowly moving down my stomach, his long fingers touching the
waistband of my pants.

“Do you want them to see?” he whispered into my ear, soft spoken as always, an edge of desire in his voice. “Do you want
them to witness how much you enjoy being touched by me?”

With each stroke of his fingers, I felt my inhibitions melt away. The thought of being watched by all these men only heightened
my arousal. He pumped into me, finding my g-spot, his thumb brushing against my clit and sending waves of pleasure through
the rest of my body.

“Answer me,” he said, his hand suddenly stilling. My hips moved as if of their own accord and Teo laughed in my ear. “I’m not
going to help you unless you tell me what you want.”

“Yes,” I breathed, my voice barely audible amidst the heavy breathing in the room. “I want them to watch.”

Teo’s grin widened, his eyes gleaming with a mix of dominance and desire. He withdrew his finger from my dripping core,
causing a whimper to escape my lips. The room was silent for a moment as Teo stood up, his gaze locked with mine. The men
around us watched the exchange. I could feel their gazes on me but I couldn’t bring myself to look at any of them, so focused on
Teo’s eyes.

“Boys,” Teo said. “Get comfortable and enjoy the show.”

The Blades wasted no time in finding seats or leaning against the walls. I caught Grayson’s gaze for a second, and he winked at
me. Blood rushed to my cheeks as I sought Teo again.

He took a step back, his eyes never leaving mine as he slowly removed his shirt, revealing that sculpted body covered in
intricate tattoos. He was so fucking gorgeous, my breath hitched at the sight, desire pooling between my thighs.

“Touch yourself,” Teo said, his gaze on mine.

“What?” I asked. “But I thought we were...”

“We are. Right now, I want you to touch yourself.”

I hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether I could bring myself to please both Teo and the hungry eyes of the Blades watching.
But the need for release and the undeniable pull of the moment overpowered my inhibitions.

But it didn’t matter. I looked up at Teo to find desire blazing in his hazel eyes and my hand slowly moved down my stomach,
my fingers brushing against the sensitive skin right above the waistband of my panties as Teo’s gaze darted between my eyes
and then slowly down my body. I felt a jolt of electricity shoot through me as I made contact with my slick folds, my breath
catching in my throat.

Teo watched me intently, his own hand now moving to leisurely stroke his hardened length. I could barely see him, he was still
wearing pants and the fabric obscured his cock, but the way he stroked himself, the muscles on his biceps tightening as he
looked at me, that was almost enough to send me over the edge. The sight of him pleasuring himself only fueled the fire burning
within me, intensifying the ache between my legs. Without breaking eye contact, I started to explore myself, tracing delicate
circles around my clit and slipping a finger inside, reveling in the sensation.

The room was filled with the sound of heavy breathing and the mounting tension between Teo and me. The Blades watched in
quiet anticipation, their eyes fixated on our every move. Teo’s voice was a low growl as he spoke, his words dripping with
desire.

“That’s it, Sunshine,” he murmured, his voice husky. “Show them how good it feels.”

I obeyed, my fingers moving faster against my slick folds, my pleasure building with each stroke. I could feel the heat radiating
from my core, intensifying the need pulsing through me. Teo’s eyes darkened with hunger as he continued to stroke himself,
matching the rhythm of my movements.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, his gaze locking with mine. “You’re so fucking sexy. Come for me, Sof.”

My fingers moved with urgency, my breath hitching as pleasure coiled tightly within me. Teo’s hand quickened its pace, his
own need evident in the way his grip tightened around his length. The sight of him, lost in his own desire while watching me,
sent waves of ecstasy crashing over me.

I couldn’t hold back any longer. My body tensed, and a primal cry escaped my lips as my orgasm finally overwhelmed me.
Pleasure rippled through every nerve ending, electrifying my senses and leaving me trembling in its wake. My eyes remained
locked with Teo’s as I rode it out, as my muscles tensed and my orgasm crashed through me, so hard I thought I could feel
nothing but pleasure coursing through my veins, every other one of my senses slowly ebbing away.

As the final waves of my orgasm subsided, a sense of satisfaction washed over me, leaving me breathless and satisfied. Teo’s
hand stilled, but his gaze remained locked on mine, his desire still evident in the depths of his hazel eyes.

Teo took a step closer, his chest heaving with anticipation. His voice was husky as he whispered, “You’re absolutely stunning,
Sunshine. Such a beautiful sight. I could look at you all day long.”
He traced the outline of my jaw with a calloused finger and I leaned into his touch. “Now kneel for me, baby,” he said.

I hesitated for a moment, the intensity of the moment catching me off guard. Kneeling in front of Teo with an audience of Blades
watching was a level of vulnerability I hadn’t anticipated. But the desire burning within me outweighed any reservations.

“It’s okay,” he said. “Kneel.”

Teo’s gaze bore into mine, his smirk lingering on his lips as he watched me obey his command. The Blades’ gazes were fixated
on us, anticipation hanging heavy in the air. Teo reached down and ran his fingers through my hair, tugging gently to assert his
dominance.

“Such a good girl,” he said. “You know what I want, don’t you?”

With a gentle pressure on my head, Teo directed me closer, guiding my lips towards him as he unzipped his pants and revealed
his length. I could feel the gazes of the Blades boring into me still, I could feel their hunger, but Teo commanded my attention.
He didn’t let me look away.

I took a deep breath, my tongue darting out to wet my lips in anticipation. Teo’s hold on my hair tightened, the sensation sending
shivers down my spine. I met his gaze, the intensity in his eyes pulling me deeper into the moment.

“Yes,” I whispered, my voice barely audible amidst the heavy breathing in the room. “I know what you want.”

With that, I leaned forward, taking Teo’s length into my mouth. “I want you to know,” Teo said as his grip tightened on my hair,
the taste of his cock engulfing my senses. “That every time you go down on one of these men, they’re going to be thinking about
how the first time they ever saw you blow someone, it was me.”

Teo’s grip on my hair tightened as he thrust gently into my mouth, setting a rhythm that had me eagerly following his lead. The
taste of him, mixed with the heady atmosphere of the room, sent a wave of arousal coursing through me. Each stroke of his cock
against my tongue pushed me further towards the edge of my own desire.

“I want you to memorize how my cock tastes,” he said. “So you have a point of reference every time you go down on one of
them. You got that, sunshine?”

Teo’s thrusts became more urgent, his movements guided by his growing need. His grip on my hair tightened, a delicious mix of
pleasure and pain that sent sparks of desire straight to my core. I focused on taking him deeper, sucking and licking with fervor
as if my life depended on it.

“I’m going to come in your mouth and I want you to swallow every drop,” he said.

My heart raced as I felt the pulsating urgency in his voice. I tightened my grip on his thighs, my own desire building with every
thrust. The realization that I was about to taste Teo’s release sent a surge of anticipation through me. Without hesitation, I
nodded, my eyes never leaving his.

Teo’s movements became more erratic, his breath coming in ragged gasps. I could feel the tension coiling tightly within him,
the telltale signs that he was on the brink of release. His grip on my hair tightened even further, the mix of pleasure and pain
only heightening my own arousal.

As Teo’s thrusts grew more frenzied, I could taste his release growing closer. His moans grew louder, echoing in the room, as
he neared the edge of ecstasy. In one final, powerful stroke, he released himself into my waiting mouth.

I swallowed eagerly, savoring the taste of him as his moans filled the room.

As Teo came down from his high, he gently guided me to stand upright, his hand leaving trails of heat along my flushed skin.
The Blades watched in stunned silence, breathing quickened, but not one of them saying a damn thing.

He extended his hand to help me up and pressed a soft kiss to the tip of my nose, a smile on his face, his hands circling my
waist. “You never fail to impress me,” he said. “Are you distracted?”

I was more than distracted. All I could think about was the way he tasted, the way he smelled, the way he had touched me and
was talking to me. My reality felt like it was fading away, narrowing down only on him; despite my arousal, my body felt like it
was in a trance.

“Sof,” he said. Teo’s voice drew me out of my head, his hands gently guiding me to the plush bed at the edge of the room. The
room felt like it was swimming before my eyes, my senses dulled and my body lethargic. I was aware of the Blades clearing
the room, their gazes lingering on me a second longer than necessary, but it felt distant, almost like an out-of-body experience.

“You did so well, Sunshine,” Teo murmured as he slowly laid me down the fuzzy duvet, his eyes soft as his gaze washed over
me. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, blinking as I tried to ground myself in the moment. When I swallowed, my throat was a little soft. “Just feeling a
little, I don’t know, floaty.”

He smiled at me, his features softening. “That’s normal. You should drink this,” he said, grabbing a bottle of water that was on
his nightstand, unscrewing the lid for me and thrusting it toward me. “Feeling like this can happen when things get a little
intense.”

Teo leaned down and brushed a gentle kiss against my forehead, his warmth seeping into my skin. His touch, both tender and
comforting, anchored me to reality amidst the haze of desire that still lingered within me.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered, running his fingers through my hair as he settled next to me on the bed. “Just relax and let
yourself come back to earth.”

Teo reclined next to me, his fingers finding a soothing path down my arm as he traced circles against my bare shoulder.

“Just breathe, babe,” he murmured. His voice seemed to come from miles away and yet, it was right here, right now, inching
through the fog and touching every part of me both scarred and untouched.

“Easy, Sunshine. You were amazing,” his voice echoed in the room, only adding to the floating sensation until I felt utterly lost
and utterly found in his arms. “You’re so fucking gorgeous. I can’t believe how lucky I was to find you.”

Time passed slowly like this, our breaths synching, his warm whispers comforting in the quiet hush of his room. Between the
gentle lull of his praises and the periodic sips of water, the swirling vortex of emotions subsided, my heartbeat slowed,
returning my pebbled consciousness back to its rightful owner. The floating sensation became less sharp, replaced by a
persistent tenderness that buzzed through me.

“It’ll just be me and you next time,” he said. “But you can use the other guys, if you want to. Just remember that you’re mine.”

When he whispered that into my hair, his breath hot against my chilled skin, I swear I could’ve come again right then and there.
 Chapter Six: Grayson

S ofia looked spent, but after she had showered and done her hair again, she seemed ready to join us. She leaned on Teo,
sitting quietly as she let the rest of us strategize. It wasn’t like her, but I knew it was borne out of a desire to make sure that
her brother was safe and I certainly couldn’t blame her for that.

“So to be clear,” she finally said after we’d been discussing plans for a little while. “You’re not going to put a tail on Sam?”

“I think it’ll be very difficult for one of my men to tail your brother if your brother doesn’t want to be tailed,” Teo said. “He’s a
cop, after all.”

“Also, there are probably other people from his department tailing him,” I added. “Which means that anyone we send on that
assignment could be in danger of being spotted by the law.”

“But Grayson,” she said. “He’s clearly vulnerable.”

“I think you don’t give Sam enough credit,” Victor said. “From what you guys have said, he’s the one who killed the Orchid
Strangler and he’s kind of the reason we’re all in this mess in the first place.”

Sofia glared at him as Teo curled a strand of her hair around a long, tattooed finger. She ignored him. “So what’s the plan
exactly?”

“Clues,” Teo replied. “We find something that ties the murder to someone else, we might be able to get your brother out of this
mess.”

“Who’s going to believe that?” Sofia was clearly trying to sound stronger than she felt.

“Let’s figure out whose fault it is, then we can worry about that,” Jace offered. “Right now, what’s most important is clearing
Sam’s name, right?”
Sofia nodded.

“Grayson, you’re on the crime scene,” Teo said, looking up at me.

I nodded. “You got it, boss.”

He looked around, his gaze sliding over Victor for a long second. “You can deal with this by yourself, right?”

“Boss,” Victor said. “All due respect, I can go to a dead man’s apartment.”

Teo’s concern creased his forehead. “You’re not invincible, Victor.”

“Nobody is,” I said. “But he’s not bench material either. We need all hands, especially his. He’s got a knack for seeing the
things others miss.”

Teo’s jaw hardened, his gaze boring into mine. “If you’re sure,” he said, but he wasn’t looking at Victor. He was looking at me.

“Understood,” I replied.

“I’m going with them,” Sofia said as she stood up.

At that, Teo protested. “Sof–”

“Listen,” she said. “This is about helping Sam. And if Victor is right, if my brother is why we’re into this mess, then it’s on me
to fix it. So let me fix it.”

Teo pinched the bridge of his nose. “If you’re all going, it might be better if I go with you while Jace backs up from here.”

“Boss, don’t take this the wrong way,” I said. “But it’s not easy to be inconspicuous when you’re around.”

I meant his stature, sure, but it was also his standing as the head of the Mercy Blades.

“Noted. I have things to do anyway,” Teo said. “You got this?”

I nodded. “Yes. I promise, I got this.”

Teo nodded again. “Don’t take long.”

“We won’t,” I replied, eyeing Jace. He could have said he wanted to go and I could tell he wasn’t happy about being left
behind, but I hoped that he would stay behind. He nodded subtly at me and I held back a smile.

Teo kissed the top of Sofia’s head. “Alright,” he said. “Go.”

Jace sent me an address for an apartment near Coytown, one of those apartment buildings that looked like an old-timey motel
despite being incredibly overpriced. There were a few people outside, talking to each other, and we waited for them to
disperse before they left. Sofia moved her foot up and down, her knee wiggling. She was clearly anxious.

“Hey,” Victor said, squeezing her shoulder from the backseat. “We’ll be in and out.”

“You don’t think the cops are staking this out?” Sofia asked.

“Maybe,” I replied. “But I doubt it. After they get forensics in there, if that’s even where it happened, the next of kin is the
person who cleans the victim’s apartment out. Doesn’t look like this guy had a lot of friends or family, so it won’t look super
sketchy if we’re there.”

“Okay,” Sofia said, taking a deep breath. “What do you know about this guy?”

I looked down at the information Jace had sent me. “His name is Brady Thompson. Well, was, I guess. He was thirty-two years
old, single, gay. Self-employed. He worked from home as a translator.”
“Anything else?” Victor said.

I scanned through the rest of the information. “No criminal record, no known enemies. Apparently, he was known to be a bit of
a recluse, kept to himself most of the time. No close friends either.” I held up a photo of Brady Thompson for Sofia and Victor
to see. “This is what he looks like.”

Sofia frowned. “That doesn’t tell us much. We need something that connects him to someone who might have a motive to frame
Sam.”

Victor leaned forward, his voice low. “Maybe we should start by looking into his client list. As a translator, he must have had
clients from all walks of life. We might find something there.”

I nodded in agreement. “Good idea. We’ll start there and see if anything stands out.”

We walked into the apartment building, up a set of stairs and then down the hallway until we found his apartment door, 12A.

I looked in both directions before Victor got to work on the lock. He grimaced as he kneeled down, clearly in pain. But he
made quick work of the lock and soon we were in Brady’s apartment.

The air inside the apartment was stale, the scent of neglect and decay wrapping around us like a shroud. I flicked on the lights,
revealing a small, unkempt space cluttered with stacks of papers and books. Victor winced as he straightened up, his hand
lightly grazing his injured knee. Sofia took a step forward, her eyes scanning the room, searching for any clues that might
unravel the mystery surrounding her brother.

“Wait here,” I said, my hand on my gun. “Just need to make sure this is all clear.”

I walked through the apartment, my senses on high alert. The silence was suffocating, broken only by the distant sound of traffic
outside.

Returning to the living room, I gave Sofia and Victor a nod to let them know it was safe to enter. Sofia took a hesitant step
forward, her eyes narrowing as she took in the disarray of Brady’s belongings.

“Looks like someone made a mess,” she said.

Victor shrugged. “Maybe Brady was a messy guy.”

I shook my head. “No, this looks deliberate. It’s not just clutter, it’s chaos.” I knelt down to examine the papers on the floor,
sifting through them carefully. “And it looks like someone was searching for something.”

“God, it’s like he’s still here,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Keep your voice down,” I cautioned, my eyes scanning the chaos of the room. Papers strewn about like afterthoughts, furniture
upturned – a snapshot of struggle frozen in time.

“I can’t believe my father...” Her words trailed off, the unspoken horrors too weighty to bear.

“Your father might have had nothing to do with this.”

Her head snapped up. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

I didn’t, but she didn’t need to hear it. “Focus on what we can do now.” My hand found hers, squeezing tight to tether her to the
present. “We find something to clear Sam, that’s our mission.”

I moved through the apartment, senses on high alert, my mind cataloging every detail. A shattered picture frame, the glass like
daggers of ice catching the scant light; a bookshelf, its contents spilled out haphazardly, hiding...something.

“Here,” Sofia said, crouching down. She held up a flash drive, almost lost in the sea of debris. “Could this be it?”

“Maybe,” I said. “But why would they have just left this on the floor?”
I reached out to take the flash drive from Sofia’s hand, my fingers grazing against hers in the process. It was a small,
inconspicuous device that could hold a wealth of information. Something about it felt important, significant even. I turned it
over, examining it closely for any signs of tampering or anything of the sort. “I think we better give this to Jace,” I said. “Let’s
not count our victories yet.”

Victor, who had been quietly observing our exchange, chimed in. “We should also make sure we don’t leave any traces behind.
We don’t want anyone tracing our steps back here. We should...”

He quieted down as he heard something. “Wait. Can you guys hear that?”

“Hear what?” Sofia asked.

Victor held his hand up. “That,” he said. He crouched, which made him wince, but he kept doing it until he reached the corner
between Brady’s bookshelf and desk. And then, amidst the silence, a soft mewling broke through. “Shit,” Victor said.

He moved slowly, and there, beneath a heap of fallen laundry, a malnourished cat blinked back at him, whimpering.

“Damn it,” Victor cursed softly, but his hands were gentle as he scooped up the creature, cradling it against his chest. The cat
didn’t move, didn’t try to dart out of the way. “Nobody’s gonna hurt you now. Check to see if Brady had any food out for the
cat, Grayson?”

“On it, Vic,” I said.

I rummaged through the scattered mess on the kitchen counter, eventually finding a half-empty bag of cat food. “Looks like
Brady was taking care of this little guy,” I said, pouring some kibble into a bowl I found nearby. The cat’s emaciated form
perked up at the sight and smell of food, eagerly devouring what we had given it.

Sofia knelt down beside Victor and gently stroked the cat’s matted fur. “Poor thing must have been terrified,” she murmured,
her voice filled with a mixture of compassion and sorrow.

“We can’t just leave him here,” Victor said. “He must have been so scared. His water bowl is empty, he was probably drinking
from the toilet.”

Sofia’s gaze softened as she looked at Victor. “I agree,” she said, her voice filled with determination. “We can’t abandon him
after everything he’s been through. We’ll take him with us. What’s his name?”

I glanced at the collar around the cat’s neck, where a small tag dangled. “It says his name is Oliver,” I replied, a hint of a smile
tugging at my lips. “Seems like Brady had a soft spot for him.”

Victor’s eyes softened as he continued to cradle Oliver in his arms. “Well, Oliver, looks like you found yourself some new
friends,” he said, his voice gentle and soothing.

“We’ll keep looking while you tend to Oliver, Victor,” I told him, looking up at Sofia. “Anything that looks off or anything that
might link him to the Viper would be a good find.”

“Of course,” Sofia nodded, her eyes filled with determination. “We won’t stop until we find the truth.”

As Victor settled Oliver into a makeshift bed of clothes to comfort him, Sofia and I ventured deeper into the apartment. We
meticulously searched every room, every inch of space, hoping to uncover any clues that would shed light on the motive behind
Brady’s framing.

In the study, I found a stack of notebooks tucked away on a bookshelf. Carefully flipping through the pages, I discovered that
Brady had meticulously documented his translation projects, noting down every client, every project detail. One particular
entry caught my attention—a recent job for a prominent businesswoman named Nicole Monroe. Captain Monroe’s wife, if I
recalled correctly.

This was good, but if exonerating Sam meant trying to pin his crimes on his direct boss, that was going to be very tricky.

I fingered the phone in my pocket…Sofia’s phone, the one Sam had when we found the orchids in his house a lifetime ago. The
one I had never given back.

I set it down on Brady’s nightstand, next to his copy of Song of Achilles, took a deep breath and thought about what I should do.

About whether this was a good or bad idea.

I didn’t like lying to Sofia, but this might be our only choice.

So I did what I had to do.

I cleared my throat and called them in.

 Sam I

T hedescended.
steering wheel felt sticky in my hands, a tangible reminder of the Florida humidity that clung to everything, even as night
This little beater was the car I drove when I wanted to get away from everything and I couldn’t be sure that the
cops wouldn’t be following me. Of course they would pull my records, but they were stupid enough to only rely on what they
had seen, and what they had seen was the car I drove to work almost every day.

I maneuvered through the labyrinth of Orlando’s forgotten streets, where shadows clung to the corners like cobwebs and the
city, which once felt vibrant with pulse, felt like it was dying under my father’s coil.

I hadn’t wanted to believe my sister, but when I thought about everything she had said, I had to admit that it made sense.

There was no other reason someone would be targeting just the two of us.

I hadn’t wanted to believe it, so I called my friend Morgan Phillips, who worked in the evidence locker and asked her to pull
the records for my parents’ accident. She did, and she paused for a second as she looked at something.

“That’s so weird…” she said. “Did your dad wear dentures or something? He wasn’t elderly, was he?”

I swallowed. “No?”

“Yeah, so this is strange,” she said. “We identified your father, Eduardo Reyes, not from his remains but from the ID he had on
him. But he had no teeth, it turns out, because someone asked for dental identification for both your dad and your mom.”

“Who?” I asked.

I heard her shuffling papers. “Detective Monroe, according to this document,” she said, then her voice dropped as she seemed
to realize the seriousness of the situation. “Wait, Reyes. What is this about?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said.

“Is this why you’re calling me on my personal cell?”

“Please don’t mention this to anyone, Morgan,” I said. “Please?”

“You got it, but someone is going to figure out that I signed this evidence out to look at it.”

“It’ll take them a bit,” I said, then took a deep breath. “Actually, you know what? Use my name to sign it out. Use my signature,
if you have to.”

“I’m not forging your signature.”

“Fine. Then say I threatened your job unless you helped me,” I said. “But don’t worry. It won’t get to that.”

Before she could argue, I hung up on her. I parked the car a few blocks away from a run-down motel, the kind of place where
no one would think to look for me. I grabbed my duffel bag from the backseat, filled with cash, clothes, and my most essential
belongings. The weight of it pressed against my side as I headed towards the motel entrance.

Inside the lobby, I approached the front desk where a tired-looking clerk glanced up from his newspaper. “Need a room?” he
asked, his voice devoid of any enthusiasm.

“Yeah,” I replied, slipping a wad of cash onto the counter. “Just for a few nights.”

The clerk eyed the money before reaching below the counter and handing me a keycard. “Room 212,” he said, barely making
eye contact. “Enjoy your stay.”

I didn’t answer him. I made my way to the second floor and found my room. It was small, with faded wallpaper and a dusty
smell that felt it could choke me. “Protect Sofia,” that single imperative hammered in my skull. But how could I protect her
from the truth that splintered our world? Confronting the man who raised us, who now threatened everything we held dear, was
a path fraught with peril. He’d almost killed Teo Costa. The only reason Sof and I were still alive was because of the
protection of the Mercy Blades.

But now I had to protect her from the inside. I had to find out why our own father wanted us dead. And the only way to do that
was to delve deeper into the dark underworld he inhabited.

“Got to do something,” I resolved, steeling my nerve for the confrontation that awaited. There was no turning back now, not
when the darkness of my father’s empire spread like a stain across the city we once loved. He might have been hiding in the
Everglades all this time, but he was clearly waiting to pounce, waiting for something to happen. Except he hadn’t needed to
wait because Archer Holden had come into my life and I had been so excited a detective wanted to sleep with me that I had
kind of been okay with him killing people.

So maybe I wasn’t so different from my father after all.

I paced around the small room, running my fingers through my hair as I tried to calm my racing thoughts. The weight of the truth
settled heavy on my shoulders, the realization that I had been blinded by desire, and worse than that, manipulated by a monster
who lurked in the shadows of my own family.

If Sofia was right--and I had no reason to believe she wasn’t right--then I needed to protect her. She was the last family I had
left, the last family I cared about, and if my father was going to try to hurt her, I was going to get in the way.

I reached for my phone. My first instinct was to call Sofia, to tell her that I was going to be out of touch for a little while and
that I was sorry for storming out. But I needed to protect her. I took the sim card out, crushed it, and sighed as I put my phone
under hot running water.

I had to do this by myself.

I needed to find my dad.

And I needed to kill him.

And if I was lucky, I might be able to survive.
 Chapter Seven: Jace

T heThompson’s
glow of my laptop screen cast an eerie shadow across the walls of my apartment, the digital labyrinth of Brady
digital life sprawled before me like a venomous web. There it was—a string of code, innocuous to the
untrained eye but lethal as a viper’s bite, meant to slither through The Blades’ defenses and strike at our heart. My fingers
danced over the keyboard, tracing the contours of the hidden message that hid the dangerous virus within.

I wasn’t sure what I had been thinking, plugging this fucking USB to my main machine. I should have been more careful, but I
really didn’t think that anything Grayson could tell me about Brady Thompson would surprise me very much. I had already
done a deep dive on his social media; the man was a loner whose last living relative was an elderly uncle in a state facility in
Minnesota. The old man was set for life and seemed happy and well-taken care of. From what I had been able to gather, Louis
Thompson had stopped speaking to Brady Thompson when Brady was sixteen. I couldn’t exactly be sure but I had a strong
suspicion that it had something to do with Brady coming out.

I had been so convinced that my research was right that I had simply not paid attention to the fact that a little USB stick could
do this much damage.

The sound of knocking felt like a gunshot, exploding behind my closed eyelids. I hadn’t even noticed the footsteps approaching
my door. I got up, looked through the peephole, and saw a tired looking Sofia playing with a strand of curly hair. There were
shadows under her eyes as I opened the door.

“Hi,” I said. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

She raised her eyebrows and I got out of her way.

“Sorry,” I said. “You can come in.”

“Teo and Grayson had work to do, and Victor is getting Oliver microchipped after he takes him to the vet. I can’t stay at HQ,
Jace, I’m worried sick about Sam. I…”
“You drove here? By yourself?” I asked.

“I can drive,” she said, then smiled at me. “Took Teo’s keys. You think he’ll be mad?”

“Furious,” I replied, getting out of the way. “Actually, I’m glad you’re here. I found something, Sof.”

She closed the door behind her and approached, the scent of her perfume mingling with the stale air of my digital war room.
Her gaze flicked to my laptop, then back to mine. “Is that—“

“Yeah, a Trojan horse I wasn’t worried about but should have been,” I confirmed, reopening the file to show her the encrypted
message. “Brady’s left us a nasty surprise.”

“What does it mean?”

“It’s a crawler,” I said. “It doesn’t just get into my files to corrupt them, it makes them impossible for me to access eventually.
There’s something on the backend–sends all the sensitive information to a source I haven’t managed to track and then destroys
the whole thing. But not before they get everything. All our files, all our transactions…”

“Is it already doing it?” she asked.

I nodded, pinching the bridge of my nose. We both walked toward my desk. “I managed to reroute it to one of my external hard
drives, but it might have been too late,” I said. “This was designed to be activated as soon as it was plugged into the
computer.”

Sofia leaned in closer, her eyes fixated on the glowing screen. “Can you stop it?” she asked, her voice laced with urgency.

“I’m working on it,” I replied as I took a seat at my desk, my fingers flying across the keyboard. Sweat dotted my forehead as I
delved deeper into the code, desperately searching for a way to neutralize the threat.

Sofia paced back and forth behind me, her footsteps echoing the anxious rhythm of my heart. The weight of our mission bore
down on us, suffocating the air in the room. We had grown so accustomed to fighting external threats, but now the enemy was
lurking within our own walls.

“Jace,” Sofia’s voice trembled. “I need to find him. I need to find my father and make him pay for this.”

I turned away from the screen, meeting her gaze. “I will find him, Sofia,” I said. “Right now, I have to stop this virus from
spreading. Everything is at play right now.”

We couldn’t afford to lose focus. The fate of our organization and the safety of those we cared about hung in the balance.

As I continued to analyze the intricate lines of code, a glimmer of a solution began to form in my mind. “I think I might have
found a way to halt the virus,” I said, my voice filled with cautious optimism.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I create a virtual machine to act as a decoy,” I said. “We’ll lose some files but I think this will work. Actually, we set up
multiple dummy systems—shadows of our own infrastructure. When the virus activates, it hits them instead of the real deal. I
have a feeling I won’t be able to get rid of it all in the backend.”

“Like a cyber sleight of hand,” she said, the corner of her mouth quirking up.”

“Exactly.” A smirk tugged at my lips, too. “It’ll buy us time to track the remote signal and take down whoever’s holding the
leash. Don’t quote me on this but I’m almost positive Brady wasn’t the one in charge.”

“Smart,” she said, her hand brushing against mine again for a second. Her touch sent a shiver through my body. “Let’s do it.
What do you need from me?”

“Nothing,” I said. “Just…stay here. Hang out?”

She smiled, sitting on my bed. “Okay,” she said. “That sounds good.”

The click-clack of keys filled the room as I set to work. I partitioned servers, rerouted traffic, and spun illusions with the ease
of a seasoned magician. I had never thought about it like that, but I liked the way Sofia was framing it. With each stroke, I wove
a protective web around The Blades, around my family.

“Once the decoys are live, we’ll need to monitor them closely,” I said, pausing to catch her eye. “Any unusual activity could be
our cue to strike back.”

“Whatever you need, Jace. You can count on me.”

I nodded. “Yeah,” I said, turning back to my screen. “I know.”

“So how is it going?”

“Right, after I create a virtual machine to act as a decoy,” I said. “We’ll lose some files but it’s better than losing everything. If
I can divert the virus to attack the decoy, it will buy us more time to track down Brady and put an end to this.”

"Does that mean it's going well?"

I smiled. "It means I'm trying my best."

Sofia nodded. “Do whatever it takes,” she said. “We can’t let him win. So you definitely don’t think it was him.”

“Brady?” I asked as I looked at the code. “No chance. This is difficult, expensive, bespoke work. This is a black hat hacker for
hire and I don’t think Brady would have had the means to hire them.”

“So it was my dad.”

I nodded, my mouth dry. “Yeah, I think there’s a pretty good chance your father has been pulling all the strings here,” I said.

She looked like she was about to cry. “Jace, I haven’t heard from Sam in days. If he’s with my dad...”

I looked up at her. “I put a trace on his phone, but it went cold last night,” I said. “He either lost it or destroyed it. Your father
wouldn’t have taken care of his phone along with him. If anything, he would’ve used it to lure us to his hiding place. Sam didn’t
want to be found. There’s a reason he stormed out of here. And your brother isn’t stupid, Sof. He’s done everything he can to
take care of himself.”

“But what if he’s in danger? What if my father has done something to him?” she said, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Then we’ll find him and bring him back. Don’t worry, okay?” I said. “Teo isn’t just going to let anything happen to him. None
of us are.”

She smiled at me. “I know. Thanks, Jace.”

I turned back to my task, clicking away as Sofia watched me. I only stopped when I heard the sound of my door and turned to
look at her. She’d paled. “Were you expecting someone?”

“It’s just me!” Victor shouted from the other side of the door when I didn’t open it.

Sofia got up. “I’ll get this,” she said. “Victor, hi.”

“Hi, Sof. Jace,” Victor said. He was holding Oliver, who looked much better than the pictures he’d shown me, and was
meowing in his hands and sporting a dark green collar now. “I would have taken him to HQ but Midnight is there and she can
be territorial. Can you look after him for a couple of days until I go home and figure out a way to introduce them to each
other?”

I nodded as he walked in. “Sure,” I said. “But you can’t just keep the victim’s cat.”
Victor raised his eyebrows. “Yeah, watch me.”

Sofia laughed. “Alright, okay,” she said. “Do we want to close the door after you or…”

Victor smiled at her, taking a step into my apartment. “Sorry,” he said. “I was so focused on finding a safe place for the little
guy I didn’t even think about that.”

Sofia closed the door behind him. “It’s not a problem,” she said. “Jace is just working on the USB stick we found at Brady’s.”

Victor set the cat on the ground. “Did you get anything from that?”

“Nothing but a virus designed to infiltrate and bring down our entire system.”

“Can you do something about it?” Victor asked, still crouching behind Oliver, who was looking around curiously.

I nodded. “It’s done,” I said. The screen’s glow died down to a soft hum of success as I leaned back in my chair, the virus
contained like a venomous serpent within the confines of digital glass. “It’s done,” I exhaled, a palpable relief washing over
me. The Blades’ systems were safe; our mission was still cloaked in the shadows where it belonged.

“Damn,” Victor said. “Good job. Can I get some water or something? I’m really winded.”

“Yeah, make yourself at home,” I replied before I could catch myself.

Victor smirked at me. “I’m going to take you up on that,” he said, sitting on the bed. “Did we get anything else useful out of our
little excursion to Brady Thompson’s apartment?”

“My old phone,” Sofia said. “The one the Strangler had. Why was it in Brady’s apartment?”

“I don’t know, but it was wiped clean,” I said. “Factory reset. It’ll take me a bit to recover the data and it probably won’t be
all of it but I’ll see what I can do.”

“Well, we should probably let you work,” Victor said. “I can take Sofia back to HQ and...”

I held my hand up. “I need a break from looking at this screen,” I said. “Let me get us some coffee and then you can go back?”

Sofia smiled. “Sure,” she said. “That sounds good.”

Then she bit down on her lower lip and looked right into my eyes.

“You know,” she said. “I could certainly use a distraction.”

 Chapter Eight: Victor

T heon rain tapped incessantly against the windowpanes of Jace’s studio apartment, drums echoing in the night. Shadows danced
the walls. The three of us sat on Jace’s bed, making small talk – anything to avoid discussing the Everglades Viper, Sofia
and Sam’s father, who loomed over us like an ominous storm cloud.

Anything to avoid discussing Sam himself.

“I should’ve offered to get food,” Jace said, putting down his cup of coffee. “I thought I had something I could whip up at home
but I’m pretty sure my fridge is empty.”

“You don’t have to feed us,” Sofia said. “I know I’m being an imposition.”

I shook my head, which hurt. I stopped myself from grimacing. My body ached from the recent surgery and the car accident–
hah, accident–that had caused it, but I kept my pain hidden behind a mask of indifference. I didn’t want their pity or concern.
We had enough on our plates without adding my injuries into the mix. “I think I can speak for Jace when I say he likes having
you here.”

“I do,” he said.

“And I do like your cooking,” Sofia replied. “So I wouldn’t hate it if you did make something for us.

“Thanks!” Jace said. “Honestly, it was a process. Did I ever tell you guys about the time I tried to cook an omelet and
accidentally set off the smoke alarm? Like, how hard is it to cook an egg?”

Sofia laughed, her musical voice rising above the sound of the rain. “I can’t imagine that.”

“You’re going to have to,” Jace said. “It’ll never happen again.”

She turned to look at him and their gazes held each other for a long second. I wasn’t sure who initiated the kiss, but soon her
lips were locked to his and they were kissing each other with an intensity that felt like it radiated heat.

I considered leaving the room, giving them privacy, but something held me back. The way they seemed so eager to share this
intimate moment with me intrigued me. As if sensing my thoughts, Jace glanced at me while still locked in his passionate
embrace with Sofia, a silent invitation lingering in his gaze.

I wrestled with my thoughts. My heart raced, and my skin felt like it was burning, alive with electricity.

The mattress dipped beneath our combined weight as Jace’s hands moved restlessly across Sofia’s body, his fingers finding the
soft valleys and curves hidden beneath her thin tank top.

Sofia turned to look at me, just for a second, her brown eyes seeking my gaze. “You don’t have to leave,” she said softly. “He
can stay, right, Jace?”

“Anything you want,” Jace said. He was raking his teeth along her pulse on her neck, his thumb playing under the strap of her
top as he slowly slid it down her shoulder.

She gasped at his touch, the sound echoing loudly in the silent confines of the room.

“Do you want to stay?” Sofia asked me.

She didn’t have to ask. My jeans felt too tight as heat pooled low in my belly. “Yes,” I said. “I want to stay.”

Quietly, I reached out my hand, hesitantly touching Sofia’s shoulder. She gasped at the contact, her eyes fluttering open to meet
mine.

Jace slid his palm up Sofia’s stomach with his free hand, sparking an orchestra of moans in response.

“Do you like this?” I whispered as my fingers trailed down the curve of her shoulder, my voice barely audible above the sound
of the rain outside. “Does it excite you?”

She nodded, her chest heaving with deep breaths.

“Is this okay?” I asked, pulling back just enough to gauge her reaction. Her eyes were filled with desire, and she nodded once
more.

“Go ahead, Victor,” Jace said. “You want to please her, right?”

I did. I really did.

My hands found the hem of Sofia’s shirt, slowly lifting it up and over her head. The sight of her bared skin sent a shudder
through me, the only thing covering her gorgeous chest the flimsy fabric of a black sports bra. I’d seen her naked before, but I
had never seen her naked before from this close.

And it was making me crazy.

“I never thought you’d be willing to share her,” I said to Jace.

Jace shook his head. “I don’t get to decide,” he said. “Only she gets to decide.”

Sofia pulled back slightly, breathless and smiling up at him with a desire in her eyes that made my stomach flip. “You’re sure?”
she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Yes, Sof,” he said softly. “I’m sure if you are.”

“I’m sure,” she said. Jace curled his fingertips into the waistband of her leggings and slowly pulled them down her legs,
revealing her smooth skin inch by inch. I watched, my breath catching in my throat as Sofia laid before us, her body exposed
and vulnerable. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the scene unfolding before me. I wanted to explore her like Jace did, to
unravel every secret she held within her intoxicating form.
“God, Sofia,” I breathed against her neck, my heart pounding in response to her moans of pleasure. “You’re so incredible.”

Jace unzipped himself and lined his hips with her as he slowly moved her panties to the side. Sofia watched me, her chest
rising and falling rapidly with each breath, her eyes fixed on mine, seeking my reaction. I could smell how aroused she was, I
could see it from the sweat beads on her skin.

“I’m going to fuck you now,” Jace said. “Is that what you want?”

Sofia nodded. I couldn’t help but feel a surge of jealousy at Jace’s words, but it was quickly overridden by desire. Sofia
wanted this. She wanted both of us. And as much as I struggled with the idea of sharing her, I couldn’t deny the thrill that
coursed through my veins.

Jace positioned himself between Sofia’s legs, his gaze never leaving mine. As Jace entered her slowly, Sofia’s mouth fell open
in a gasp, her body arching towards him. Unable to resist any longer, I moved closer, my fingertips tracing the curves of Sofia’s
body as she moaned in pleasure. Her skin was hot against my touch, her breath coming in ragged gasps. I leaned down and
captured her lips in a fierce kiss, tasting the lust that swirled between us. Then I slid my hand down the curve of her belly, until
I found her clit and played with her while Jace fucked her slowly.

My mind was spinning, intoxicated by the sensation of their bodies intertwined. I could hear the wet sounds of their
lovemaking, punctuated by their moans of pleasure. The room seemed to pulse with an electric energy, and I was caught in the
current.

Sofia’s body quivered under my touch, her hips rocking against my hand as I circled her clit. Her moans intensified, blending
with the sounds of Jace’s rhythmic thrusts. Jace’s thrusts picked up in intensity as her breath hitched and her body trembled. I
watched as her back arched, as her lips parted, as beads of sweat formed over her brow.

She was coming.

Hard.

Sofia’s body was trembling as she reached the crescendo, her moans growing more urgent. Jace’s breaths coming in short
bursts as he pushed into her, matching the rhythm of her climax. Sofia’s eyes met mine for a second, her mouth half-open, her
cheeks reddening as heat seemed to slowly spread through her body.

“How does it feel, princess?”

“Victor, oh God, so good,” Sofia cried out, her body convulsing under their touch.

I could feel the pulse of her orgasm, the waves of pleasure coursing through her body, and I knew I wanted to experience that
too, to feel her body trembling beneath me, her skin burning hot against mine.

Jace, too, seemed to be reaching his peak. His thrusts increased in speed and intensity, the sounds of their bodies colliding
filling the room. My thumb circled her clit as Jace thrust into her.

Sofia moaned into my mouth as Jace fucked her harder, her hips driving up to meet his thrusts. I circled her clit faster, feeling
the heat between her legs, the wetness of their lovemaking. Her scent was a heady mixture of lust and need and desire; it filled
my nostrils and made me lightheaded. My cock throbbed in response, trapped in my jeans. I ached to be inside her too, to feel
the wet heat of her body wrapped around me.

The sound of skin on skin echoed through the room as their bodies moved together like a well-oiled machine. “Goddamn,” he
murmured, his eyes rolling back in pleasure as he thrust deeper still. Her legs wrapped around his waist instinctively, pulling
him close until he was muttering her name over and over again like a prayer.

I sucked on the pulse point on her neck as she continued muttering things, the sight of her orgasm almost enough to make me
come right then and there. The sound of my name on her lips triggered something deep inside of me, making my cock throb at
the thought of her. Goddamn, she was beautiful like this - wet and panting beneath us both. I loved hearing her voice wrap
around it so sweetly as she buckled under the both of us, and despite myself, this made perfect sense.
I wanted this. Even if it was with another guy, I wanted this. I wanted her. I was vaguely aware that Jace was coming to,
thrusting his hips into her, his hands still on her waist to hold her steady as she captured my mouth and caught my tongue with
hers. Sofia arched back, her breasts straining against her bra as she gasped for breath; Jace’s chest heaved under his own
intense exertion; their bodies moving together in perfect sync. It was intoxicating, mesmerizing.

As she slowly came down from her orgasm, I felt her shiver under my touch. Jace pulled out of her slowly, his eyes lingering
on her glistening pussy. I moved my fingers toward my mouth and looked into her eyes as I licked myself clean, savoring the
taste of her. She moaned softly as I did so, her hand reaching out to brush a strand of hair from my forehead. Sofia’s eyes
locked onto mine, her breathing still ragged, her lips slightly swollen from our kiss.

“Did you like that?” I asked, my voice low. She nodded, her gaze never leaving mine.

My jeans felt so tight against my erection that it actually hurt. Sofia moved her hand down the front of my body, and I grabbed it
to still her.

“Victor,” she panted, reaching for me with lust-glazed eyes. “Do you want me to return the favor?”

The idea appealed to me, obviously, my cock was screaming for her. But the lingering pain from my injuries held me back. The
first time I was with her, I wanted it to just be the two of us.

“No, not now,” I murmured, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “I just wanted to watch you two.”

As if to show her gratitude, she leaned forward and captured my lips in a passionate kiss, her fingers trailing down her own
body to tease her sensitive clit. The sight of her pleasuring herself while Jace slowly dressed himself, her body trembling with
the aftershocks of an orgasm, was enough to make me think that I was losing my mind.

This wasn’t just about having sex with the boss’ girlfriend.

This was...something else. Something more. And that scared the shit out of me.

“Such a good girl,” I whispered against her lips, my hand stroking her hair as she touched herself. My chest tightened, but I kept
my feelings locked away, savoring the sensation of her soft lips against mine.

She laughed, her hand slowing. “Maybe later,” she said, her brown eyes shining. “That was a lot.”

Jace stepped back, zipping up his pants as he took in the scene before him. Sofia, still panting, her body glistening with sweat
and lust, looked at me. I couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

“You were amazing,” I said into her ear.

“You really were,” Jace said.

Sofia blushed, her eyes fluttering open. “You two are pretty amazing yourselves,” she said, reaching out to touch both of our
faces. My heart swelled for her, but I kept my expression neutral. Now wasn’t the time for declarations.

“Hey,” Jace said suddenly, propping himself up on one elbow. “How about I go grab us some food? We’ve worked up quite an
appetite, after all.” He winked at Sofia, who giggled and nodded.

“Sounds great,” she agreed. Jace gave her one last lingering kiss before rolling out of bed and pulling on the rest of his clothes.
As he left the apartment, the door clicked shut behind him, leaving Sofia and me alone in the half-light.

“Everything okay, Victor?” she asked as she rolled over to face me. She wrapped a leg around my body, pulling me closer. Our
lips met in a searing kiss that seemed to last an eternity, leaving us both breathless. But despite the passion, I couldn’t shake the
gnawing insecurity that held me back. It would have been so easy to just unzip my pants right there, and take her when she’d
just had an orgasm...

But I was still struggling. My stamina was nothing like it had been before, I’d be in the middle of something and my body
would seize up with pain. I couldn’t allow that to happen when it meant that I might fall short of performing for her.
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
I am sure that no unprejudiced observer of the body of men who
composed the Japanese House of Representatives in the Spring of
1892, could have failed to be greatly impressed with a certain air of
somewhat undisciplined vigour and as yet unskilled but promising
business-like quality. The first odd detail to be noticed was a
polished black tablet standing on the desk of each member and
inscribed with the Japanese character for his number. Thus they
undertook to avoid that dislike to having one’s own name ill used, in
which all men share but which is particularly offensive among
Oriental peoples. For instead of referring to one another as “the
gentleman from Arkansas,” etc., they made reference to one another
as “number so or so.” How could anything be more strictly
impersonal than sarcasm, or criticism, or even abuse, directed
against a number that happens only temporarily to be connected
with one’s Self!
It was my good fortune to light upon a time when the business of the
day was most interesting and suggestive of the temper and
intentions of these new experimenters in popular legislation; and, as
well, of the hold they already supposed themselves to possess on
the purse-strings of the General Government. What was my surprise
to find that this power was, to all appearances, far more effective and
frankly exercised by the Japanese Diet than has for a long time been
the case with our own House of Congress. For here there was little
chance for secret and illicit influences brought to bear upon
Committees on Appropriations; or for secure jobbery or log-rolling or
lobbying with particular legislators.
The business of the day was the passing upon requests for
supplementary grants from the different Departments of the General
Government. It was conducted in the following perfectly open and
intelligible way: The Vice-Minister of each Department was allowed
so many minutes in which he was expected to explain the exact
purpose for which the money was wanted; and to tell precisely in yen
how much would be required for that purpose and for that purpose
only. The request having been read, the Vice-Minister then retired,
and fifteen minutes, not more, were allowed for a speech from some
member of the opposition. The Speaker, or—to use the more
appropriate Japanese title—President of the House, was at that time
Mr. T. Hoshi, who had qualified as a barrister in London, and who in
personal appearance bore a somewhat striking resemblance to the
late President Harper of Chicago University. He seemed to preside
with commendable tact and dignity.
As I look backward upon that session of the Imperial Japanese Diet,
there is one item of business which it transacted that fills me with
astonishment. The request of the Department of Education for
money to rebuild the school-houses which had been destroyed by
the terrible earthquake of the preceding winter was immediately
granted. Similar requests from the Department of Justice, which
wished to rebuild the wrecked court-houses, and from the
Department of Communications, for funds to restore the post-offices,
also met with a favourable reception. But when the Government
asked an appropriation for the Department of the Navy, with which to
found iron-works, so that they might be prepared to repair their own
war-ships, the request was almost as promptly denied! To be sure,
the alleged ground of the denial was that the plans of the
Government were not yet sufficiently matured.
At this juncture Mr. Kojiro Matsukata, the third son of Japan’s great
financier, Marquis Matsukata, came into the gallery where we were
sitting and offered to take me into the House of Peers. But before I
follow him there let me recall another courtesy from this same
Japanese friend, which came fifteen years later; and which, by
suggesting contrasts with the action of the Diet in 1892, will
emphasise in a picturesque way the great and rapid changes which
have since then taken place in Japan. On the morning of February
19, 1907, Mr. Matsukata, who is now president of the ship-building
company at Kawasaki, near Kobe, showed me over the yards. This
plant is situated for the most part on made ground; and it required
four years and a half to find firm bottom at an expense of more than
yen 1,000,000. The capital of the company is now more than yen
10,000,000. All over the works the din of 9,000 workmen made
conversation nearly impossible. But when we had returned to his
office, a quiet chat with the host over the inevitable but always
grateful cups of tea, elicited these among other interesting incidents.
Above the master’s desk hung the photograph of a group which
included Admiral Togo; and still higher up, above the photograph, a
motto in the Admiral’s own hand-writing, executed on one of his
visits to the works—he having been summoned by the Emperor for
consultation during the Russo-Japanese war. On my asking for a
translation of the motto, I was told that it read simply: “Keep the
Peace.” Just two days before the battle of the Sea of Japan, Mr.
Matsukata had a telegraphic message from Togo, which came “out
of the blue,” so to say, and which read in this significant way: “After a
thousand different thoughts, now one fixed purpose.” In the centre of
another group-photograph of smaller size, sat the celebrated
Russian General, Kuropatkin. This picture was taken on the
occasion of his visit to the ship-yards some years before. Mr.
Matsukata became at that time well acquainted with Kuropatkin, and
described him to me as a kindly and simple-minded gentleman of the
type of an English squire. He was very fond of fishing; but like my
friend, the Russian General Y——, he appeared to have an almost
passionate abhorrence of war. He once said to my host: “Why do
you build war ships; why not build only merchant ships; that is much
better?” To this it was replied: “Why do you carry your sword? Throw
away the sword and I will stop building war ships.” And, indeed, in
most modern wars, it is not the men who must do the fighting or the
people who must pay the bills, that are chiefly responsible for their
initiation; it is the selfish promoters of schemes for the plunder of
other nations, the cowardly politicians, and perhaps above all, the
unscrupulous press, which are chiefly responsible for the horrors of
war. Through all modern history, since men ceased to be frankly
barbarian in their treatment of other peoples and races, it has been
commercial greed, and its subsidised agents among the makers of
laws and of public feeling, which have chiefly been guilty for the
waste of treasure and life among civilised peoples.
But let us leave the noise of the Kawasaki Dock Yards, where in
1907 Russian ships were repairing, Chinese gun-boats and torpedo
and other boats for Siam were building, and merchant and war ships
for the home country were in various stages of new construction or
repair; and let us return to the quiet of the House of Peers when I
visited it in May of 1892. After a short time spent in one of the retiring
rooms, which are assigned according to the rank of the members—
Marquis Matsukata being then Premier—we were admitted to the
gallery of the Foreign Ambassadors, from which there is a
particularly good view of the entire Upper House.
The Japanese House of Peers is composed of four classes of
members. These are (1) Princes of the Blood; (2) Peers, such as the
Princes and Marquises, who sit by virtue of their right, when they
reach the age of twenty-five, and Counts, Viscounts, and Barons,
who are elected to represent their own respective classes; (3) men
of erudition who are nominated by the Emperor for their
distinguished services to the state; and (4) representatives of the
highest tax-payers, who are elected from among themselves, and
only one from each prefecture. Each of the three inferior orders can
return not more than one-fifth of the total number of peers; and the
total of the non-titled members must not be greater than that of the
titled members. It is thus made obvious that the Japanese House of
Peers is essentially an aristocratic body; and yet that it represents all
the most important interests of the country in some good degree—
whatever may be thought of the proportion of representation
assigned to each interest. The care that science and scholarship
shall have at least some worthy representation in the national
counsels and legislation is well worthy of imitation by the United
States. And when to this provision we add the facts, that a Minister
of Education takes rank with the other Ministers, that the Professors
in the Imperial Universities have court rank by virtue of their services,
and that the permanent President of the Imperial Teacher’s
Association is a Baron and a member of the House of Peers, we
may well begin to doubt whether the recognition accorded to the
value of education in relation to the national life, and to the dignity
and worth of the teacher’s office, is in this country so superior to that
of other nations, after all.
 “THE PICTURESQUE MOAT AND ANCIENT WALL”
The appearance of the Chamber occupied by the Peers was
somewhat more luxurious than that of the Lower House; although it
was then, and still is, quite unimposing as compared with buildings
used for legislative purposes in this country and in Europe. Indeed,
everywhere in Tokyo, the ugly German architecture of the
Government buildings contrasts strikingly with the picturesque moat
and ancient walls of the Imperial grounds. More elaborate
decoration, and the platform above which an ascent by a few steps
led to the throne from which His Majesty opens Parliament, were the
only claims of the Upper Chamber to distinction. The personnel of
the members seemed to me on the whole less vigorous than that of
the Lower House. This was in part due to the sprinkling of youthful
marquises, who, as has already been explained, take their seats by
hereditary right at the age of twenty-five. In marked contrast with
them was the grim old General T——, a member of the Commission
which visited the United States in 1871, who asserted himself by
asking a question and then going on to make a speech, in spite of
the taunts of two or three of the younger members. The manner of
voting in the Upper House was particularly interesting; as the roll
was called, each member mounted the platform and deposited either
a white or a blue card in a black lacquer box which stood in front of
the President of the Chamber.
Here the business of the day was important on account of the
precedent which it was likely to establish. A Viscount member had
been promoted to a Count, and the question had arisen whether his
seat should be declared vacant. The report of the committee which
disqualified him from sitting as a Count was voted upon and
adopted. Then came up the case of two Counts who were claimants
for the same seat. The vote for these rival candidates had stood 30
to 31; but one voter among the majority had been declared
disqualified; because, having held a Viscount’s seat, on being
promoted to a Count, he had attempted to vote as a Count. All this,
while of importance as precedents determining the future constitution
of the House of Peers, had not at all the same wide-reaching
significance as the signs in the Lower House of the beginnings in
Japan of that struggle which is still going on all over the world
between the demands of the Central Government for money and the
legislative body which votes the appropriations to meet these
demands.
It was under very different circumstances that I witnessed a quite
dissimilar scene, when in December of 1906 my next visit was paid
to the Imperial Diet of Japan. This occasion was the opening of the
Diet by the Emperor in person. Now, while my court rank gave me
the right to request an official invitation to the ceremony, the nature
of the ceremony itself required that all who attended should come in
full dress and wearing their decorations, if they were the possessors
of decorations at all. It was also required that all visitors should be in
their respective waiting-rooms for a full hour before the ceremony
began. None might enter the House later than ten o’clock, although
His Majesty did not leave the palace until half-past this hour. This
waiting, however, gave a not undesirable opportunity to make some
new acquaintance, or to have a chat with two or three old friends.
But besides the members of the various diplomatic corps and a
French Count, who appeared to be a visitor at his nation’s Embassy,
there were no other foreigners in the waiting-room to which I was
directed on arrival.
During the hour spent in waiting, however, I had a most interesting
conversation with Baron R——, an attaché of the German Embassy,
who seemed a very clever and sensible young gentleman. The
excitement over the recent action of the San Francisco School Board
was then at its extreme height; and on discussing with him an “open
letter” which I had just published, explaining in behalf of my
Japanese friends the relation in which this action, with some of the
questions which it raised, stood to our national constitution, I found
him thoroughly acquainted with the historical and the political
bearings of the whole difficult subject. I could not avoid a regretful
sigh over the doubt whether one-half of our own representatives, or
even of our foreign service, were so well informed on the nature of
our constitution and its history as was this German diplomat.
However this may be, certain it is that a higher grade of culture is
eminently desirable in both the legislative and diplomatic classes of
our public service. In the same connection the Baron gave it as his
opinion that Japan had produced in this generation a nobler and
more knightly type of individual manhood than can be found in any
country in Europe. Such a verdict can, of course, never acquire any
higher trustworthiness than an individual’s opinion. But if we ask
ourselves, “Where in the world is another city of 45,000 inhabitants
to be found, which has produced in this generation six generals who
are the equals of Field Marshall Oyama, Admiral Togo, and Generals
Oku, Count Nodzu, and the two Saigos?” I imagine the answer
would be exceedingly hard to find. Perhaps the truth is, as one of my
best informed Japanese friends once quaintly said: “In America you
have a few big, bad men, and a good many small good men; but in
Japan we have a few big, good men and a good many small bad
men.” At any rate, the six “big men,” whose names have just been
mentioned, were about fifty years ago living and playing as boys
together in an area so small that the houses and yards of their
parents, and all the space intervening, might have been covered by
a ten-acre lot.
As soon as His Majesty had arrived, all those who had been waiting
were conducted to their proper chambers in the gallery of the Peer’s
House, where I found myself seated with Japanese only, and
between those of a higher rank on the right and of a lower rank on
the left. The members of both Houses of the Diet were standing on
the floor below;—those from the Lower House on the left and facing
the throne, and those from the House of Peers on the right. The
former were dressed, with some exceptions, in evening-dress, and
the latter in court uniform with gold epaulets on their shoulders. All
the spectators in the galleries were in court dress. On the right of the
platform, from which steps led up to the throne, stood a group of
some fifteen or twenty court officials. At about five minutes past
eleven an equal number of such personages came into the Chamber
by the opposite door of the platform and arranged themselves so as
to form a passage through the midst of them for the Emperor. Not
more than five minutes later His Majesty entered, and ascending to
the throne, sat down for a moment; but almost immediately rose and
received from the hand of Marquis Saionji, the Prime Minister, the
address from the throne inscribed on a parchment scroll. This he
then read, or rather intoned, in a remarkably clear but soft and
musical voice. The entire address occupied not more than three
minutes in the reading. After it was finished, Prince Tokugawa,
President of the Peers, went up from the floor of the House to the
platform, and then to a place before the throne; here he received the
scroll from the Emperor’s hand. After which he backed down to the
floor again, went directly in front of His Majesty and made a final
bow. The Emperor himself immediately descended from the throne
and made his exit from the platform by the door at which he had
entered, followed by all the courtiers.
All were enjoined to remain in their places until the Emperor had left
the House; the audience then dispersed without further regard to
order or to precedence. So simple and brief was this impressive
ceremony!
Nearly all over the civilised world, at the present time, there seems to
be a growing distrust of government by legislative bodies as at
present constituted and an increasing doubt as to the final fate of this
form of government. The distrust and doubt are chiefly due to the
fact that the legislators seem so largely under the control of the
struggle which is everywhere going on between the now privileged
classes, in their efforts to retain their inherited or acquired
advantages, and the socially lower or less prosperous classes, in
their efforts to wrest away these advantages and to secure what they
—whether rightly or wrongly—regard as equal rights and equal
opportunities with their more favoured and prosperous fellows. It is
not strange, in view of this so nearly universal fact, that any inquiry
as to the past and present success of legislation under constitutional
government in Japan, should receive such various and conflicting
answers both from intelligent natives and from observant foreigners.
There can be no doubt among those who know the inside of
Japanese politics that the success of this sort which has hitherto
been attained in Japan has been in large measure due to the wise
and firm but gracious conduct of the Emperor himself; and to that
small group of “elder statesmen” and other councillors whom he has
trusted and supported so faithfully. But no few men, however wise
and great, could have achieved by themselves what has actually
been accomplished in the last half-century of the Empire’s history.
Great credit must then be given to hundreds and thousands of lesser
heroes; and indeed the events of this history cannot be accounted
for without admitting that the genius of the race, accentuated by their
long period of seclusion, is the dominant factor. The one fault, which
most threatens the cause of parliamentary and constitutional
government of Japan, is a certain inability, hitherto inherent, to avoid
the evils of an extreme partisanship and to learn that art of practical
compromises which has made the Anglo-Saxon race so successful
hitherto in constitutional and popular government.
 CHAPTER II
DOWN THE KATSURA-GAWA

At four o’clock in the morning of the second day after my visit to the
Imperial Diet in the Spring of 1892, I arrived at the station of Kyoto,—
for more than a thousand years the capital of Japan. Here the
unbroken line of heavenly descended Mikados lived and held their
court; but most of the time in only nominal rule, while a succession of
Daimyos, military captains, and Shoguns, seized and held the real
power of government. Here also are the finest temples and factories
for the various kinds of native art-work; and here is where the relics
of the magnificence, combined with simplicity, of the court life during
Japan’s feudal ages may best be seen and studied by privileged
inquirers. It was fortunate, then, that my first introduction to interior
views of Japanese life and Japanese character was had in the
ancient rather than in the much more thoroughly modernised Capital
City of Tokyo.
At that time, the journey between the two capitals required some five
or six hours longer than is now necessary. The fact that there were
then no sleeping-cars, together with my interest in watching my
fellow travellers, had prevented my getting any sleep the night
before. When, therefore, I had been escorted to the home of my host
and forthwith informed that within two hours a delegation of students
would visit me, for the double purpose of extending a welcome and
of giving instructions as to the topics on which they wished to be
lectured to, I made bold to go to bed and leave word that I should be
glad to see them if they would return about noon. At the appointed
hour this first meeting with Japanese students face to face, in their
native land, came off. It was conducted with an appropriately polite
solemnity by both parties. An elaborate interchange of greetings and
compliments began the interview; and then the future speaker
listened attentively and patiently, while the delegation from a portion
of his future audience recited the subjects about which they deemed
it best for him to speak. The reply was to the effect that the subjects
for the course of lectures had already been selected and carefully
prepared: the program, therefore, could not be altered; but some of
the topics coincided closely with the program suggested by the
Committee; and a series of conversations would accompany the
lectures, at which the topics not provided for in the course of lectures
could be brought up for discussion in the form of question and
answer.
This experience and others somewhat similar, which followed with
sufficient rapidity, early taught me a valuable lesson for all
subsequent intercourse with the Japanese—young and old, and
irrespective of distinctions of classes. With full right, and on a basis
of history and racial characteristics, they do not gratefully tolerate
being looked down upon, or even condescended to, by foreigners.
But they respect, as we Anglo-Saxons do, the person who deals with
them in manly frankness, and on terms of manly equality. And they
admire and practice more than we do, the proper mixture of
quietness and politeness in manner with courage and firmness at the
heart (suaviter in modo, fortiter in re). In his admirable volumes on
the Russo-Japanese war, General Ian Hamilton tells the story of how
he asked some of the Japanese military authorities, What they
considered the most essential quality for a great field-marshal or
general in conducting a battle; and how the reply was these simple
words: “Du calme.” The private soldier—although not in accordance
with his best service of the cause—may indulge in the wild
excitement which Lieutenant Sakurai’s “Human Bullets” depicts in
such horribly graphic manner; but not so the officer in command of
the field. He must keep the cool head and the unperturbed heart,
with its steady pulse-beat, if he is going to fight successfully an up-
hill battle.
After only two days of lecturing at Doshisha, the institution founded
by Neesima, the unveiling of whose portrait has lately been
celebrated at Amherst College where he graduated some thirty years
ago, the weekly holiday arrived; and with it the time for an excursion
down the rapids of the Katsura-gawa, which was to give me the first
views of country scenes and country customs in Japan. The day was
as bright and beautiful as a day in early June can possibly be.
Nowhere else in the world, where I have been, are one’s pleasant
impressions and happiness in country excursions more completely
dependent upon the weather than in the Land of the “Rising Sun.”
Although this sun is of the kind which “smites you by day” in the
Summer months, you can easily guard against its smiting by use of
pith hat and umbrella; but you cannot so readily defend your spirits
against the depressing effect of day after day of cloud and down-
pour or drizzle of rain.
The starting at half-past seven o’clock made necessary an early
rising and an early breakfast; but this is custom and no hardship in
the Summer time of Japan. Indeed it has often seemed to me that
the Japanese in the cities at this time of the year do not go to bed at
all. The insufficiency of sleep is probably one chief reason for the
prevalence of nervous disorders among this class of the population.
It is somewhat compensated for, however, by the wonderful ability of
the coolies, which they possess in common with Orientals generally,
of falling asleep and waking up, like the opening and shutting of a
jack-knife.
It is not quite possible for the most gifted master of the descriptive
style to depict the charm of the first jinrikisha ride out into the country
surrounding Kyoto. At least, the charm experienced by me on the
occasion of this excursion will never be forgotten. The excellent
road; the durable and handsome stone bridges; the continuous
gardens and frequent villages; the perpetual stir along the highway,
with the multitude of jinrikishas and two-wheeled carts,—some
drawn by men and boys, and some by bulls, mostly black,—or of
foot-passengers, coming into the city on business or going into the
country bent on pleasure;—all these made the entire journey
exceedingly lively and interesting. Further out, in the more solitary
places, were the terraces covered with verdure and flowers, the hills
carpeted with what looked like large and luxurious ferns, but which
really was “mountain grass,” and the water-falls; but perhaps most
beautiful of all, the bamboo groves, whose slender trunks and
delicate foliage threw a matchless chiaroscuro upon the brilliantly
coloured ground below. Here was indeed a genuine chiaroscuro; for
the parts in shadow had “the clearness and warmth of those in light,
and those in light the depth and softness of those in shadow.”
What might have been a ridiculous or even a dangerous adventure
met us at the mouth of the long tunnel which the work of the
government has substituted for the ancient mountain pass. For, as
we reached the spot and were about to enter its mouth, strange
noises issuing from within made us pause to investigate their cause.
On peering into the darkness, we were able to make out that a full-
grown male of the domestic bovine species had broken the straw
rope by which two coolies were leading him, and was charging
toward our end of the tunnel with all the bellowing and antic fury
which is wont to characterise this animal under similar
circumstances. It did not seem that the issue of an encounter
between us in jinrikishas and the bull, in so narrow a passage with
high and roofed-over stone walls on either side, would be to our
advantage. We therefore laid aside our dignity, got down from our
jinrikishas, and squeezed both ourselves and them as closely as
possible against the side of the cut at the end of the tunnel.
Fortunately we had not long to wait in this position of rather uncertain
security. For either the sight of us, barring his passage, or some trick
of his own brain, induced the infuriated animal to turn about and
make his exit at the other end of the tunnel; and after waiting long
enough to place a sufficient distance between the two parties, we
continued our journey without further adventure.
On reaching Hozu, the village where the boat was to be taken for the
rapids, we found that President Kozaki and one of his teachers were
waiting for us. Some one-hundred and twenty boys of the
Preparatory School, who had risen in the night and walked out to
Hozu, had started down the rapids several hours before. The boat in
waiting for our party was of the style considered safest and most
manageable by the experienced boatmen, who during the previous
fifteen years had piloted thousands of persons down the Katsura-
gawa, at all stages of its waters, with a loss of only five lives. The
boat was very broad for its length, low, and light; with its bottom only
slightly curved, fore and aft, and toward both sides. So thin were the
boards between the passengers and the swift, boiling waters, that
one could feel them bend like paper as we shot over the waves. We
sat upon blankets laid on the bottom of the boat. There were four
boatmen;—one steersman with a long oar, in the stern, two oarsmen
on the same side, toward the bank of the river, in the middle of the
boat, and one man with a pole, in the bow. Once only during thirteen
miles of rapids between Hozu and Arashi-yama did the boat strike a
rock, from which it bounded off lightly;—the sole result being a
somewhat sharp interchange of opinion as to who was to blame,
between the steersman and the other boatmen.

“THE CHARM OF THE SCENERY ALONG THE BANKS”

The excitement of the ride did not in any respect interfere with a
constant and increasing admiration of the charm of the scenery
along the banks of the river. The canyon of the stream and the
surrounding hills were equally beautiful. The nearer banks were
adorned with bamboo groves, the attractiveness of whose delicately
contrasted or blended light and shadows has already been referred
to; and at this season, great clumps of azaleas—scarlet, pink, and
crimson—made spots of brilliant colouring upon the sober
background of moss and fern and soil and rock.
The average trip down the rapids of the Katsura-gawa occupies two
hours. But the favourable stage of the water, helped out by the skilful
management of the craft on this occasion, brought us to the landing
place at Arashi-yama in scarcely more than an hour and a half. Our
entire course may be described in the guide-book style as follows:
“Of the numerous small rapids and races, the following are a few of
the most exciting:—Koya no taki, or ‘Hut Rapids,’ a long race
terminating in a pretty rapid, the passage being narrow between
artificially constructed embankments of rock; Takase, or ‘High
Rapids’; Shishi no Kuchi, or ‘The Lion’s Mouth’; and Tonase-daki ‘the
last on the descent, where the river rushes between numerous rocks
and islets.’”
Arashi-yama, made picturesque by its hills everywhere covered with
pine trees, its plantations of cherry trees which are said to have been
brought from Yoshino in the thirteenth century by the Emperor
Kameyama, and its justly celebrated maple groves, was an
appropriately beautiful spot for the termination of our excursion. After
taking luncheon in one of its tea-houses,—my first meal, squatted on
the mats, in Japanese style,—my host and I left the rest of the party
and went back to his home in the city by jinrikishas. On the way we
stopped at one of those oldest, smallest, and most obscure of
ancient temples, which so often in Japan are overlooked by the
tourist, but which not infrequently are of all others best worth the
visiting. Here the mild-mannered, sincere old priest opened
everything freely to our inspection, lighted the tapers and
replenished the incense sticks; and even allowed us the very
unusual privilege of handling the sacred things about the idols.
Finally, putting a paper-covering over his mouth, and after much
prayer, he approached on his knees the “holy of holies,” drew aside
the gilt screens and showed us the inner shrine; and he then took
out the shoes belonging to the god and let us handle and admire
them.
From his point of view, the pious custodian of the sacred relics was
indulging in an altogether justifiable pride. For the temple of
Uzumasa is one of the oldest in Japan. It was founded in A. D. 604,
by Shōtoku Taishi, the Japanese Constantine, who consecrated it to
Buddhist gods whose images had been brought from Korea.
Although the original buildings were burned some centuries ago, the
relics and specimens of the most ancient art were fortunately saved.
Nowhere else in the whole country, except at Nara or Hōryūji—and
there only to those who are favoured with special privileges by the
Government—can such a multitude of these things be seen and
studied. The antiquarian interest in them is just now enhanced by the
fact that many of them, although called Japanese, were really made
either in Korea or else under the instruction of Korean teachers. It is
one of the shiftings of human history which has now placed upon the
Japanese the responsibility of instructing in every kind of modern art
their former teachers.
The accessories and incidents of my second excursion to the rapids
of the Katsura-gawa were of a totally different order. The day was in
early March of 1907, bright and beautiful, but somewhat cool for
such a venture. At the Nijo station—for one could now reach the
upper rapids by rail—my wife and I met President Harada and one of
the lady teachers of Doshisha, and two of the Professors of the
Imperial University. Passes and a present of envelopes containing a
number of pretty picture cards, from the Manager of the Kyoto
Railway Company, were waiting for the party. The ride to the village
of Kameoka was pleasant, although even the earliest of the plum
blossoms had not yet appeared to beautify the landscape.
I had been anticipating a day of complete freedom for recreation; but
the Christian pastor of the village, who had kindly arranged for our
boat, had with equal kindness of intention toward his parish,
betrayed our coming; and the inevitable under such circumstances
happened. The usual committee of Mayor, representatives of the
schools and others, were at the station to welcome us. “Could I not
visit the Primary School and say a few words—just show myself,
indeed—to the children who were all waiting eager with
expectation?” Of course, Yes: for how could so reasonable a
request, so politely proffered, be reasonably and politely denied?
Besides, the children were encouraged to plant and care for trees
about the school-buildings; and it was greatly desired that I should
plant one to commemorate our visit. Of course, again, Yes. Soon,
then, a long row of jinrikishas, holding both hosts and guests, was
being hurried over the mile or more separating the station from the
nearest school-building. On drawing near we found some 500 or 600
children—first the boys and then the girls—ranged along on either
side of the roadway; and between them, all bowing as they are
carefully trained to do in Japanese style and waving flags of both
countries, we passed, until we were discharged at the door of the
large school-house hall.

“TO TEND THESE TREES BECAME A PRIVILEGE”

After luncheon was finished, I assisted at the planting of two small
fir-trees just in front of the building, by dropping into the hole the first
two or three mattocks full of earth. We were then conducted to the
play-ground near by, where the whole school was drawn up in the
form of a hollow square. Here, from one end of the square, I spoke
to the children for not more than ten minutes, and President Harada
interpreted; after which the head-master made a characteristically
poetical response by way of thanks,—saying that the memory of the
visit and the impression of the words spoken would be evergreen,
like the tree which had been planted, and expressing the wish that
the future long lives of both their guests might be symbolised by the
life of the tree. To tend these trees became a privilege for which the
pupils of the school have since kept up a friendly rivalry.
The excursionists were quite naturally desirous of getting off
promptly upon the postponed pleasure trip; but this was not even yet
easily to be done. For now followed the request to visit two schools
of the higher grade and make a short talk to the pupils in them. I
compromised on the condition that the two should be gathered into
the same assembly; and this was cheerfully, and for the Japanese,
promptly done. The combined audience made about three-hundred
of each sex—older boys and girls—standing close together, one on
one side and the other on the other side of the room, in soldier-like
ranks, facing the speaker with curious and eager eyes, but with most
exemplary behaviour. Again I spoke for ten minutes; after which
followed the interpretation and the address of thanks and of promise
to remember and put into practice the speaker’s injunctions.
At the termination of this ceremony, I said—I fear a little abruptly
—“Arigato” (“Thank you”) and “Sayonara” (“Good-bye”) and started
to go. But I was brought to a halt by the suggestive, “Dozo, chotto”
(“In a moment, please”) and then asked to give the boys of the
school a chance to precede us to the river bank on foot, from which
they wished to see us off and to bid us a Japanese good-bye. And
who that knows what a Japanese “good-bye,” when genuine and
hearty, really is, would not give more than a single little moment, at
almost any juncture, to be the recipient of one? The boys, thereupon,
filed out in good military fashion; and after giving them a fair start, we
took our jinrikishas again and were carried to the river’s bank. It was
still some little time before the boat was ready; and then the party,
seated on the blankets and secured against the cold by a covering of
rugs, accompanied by the pastor and one of the teachers as an
escort, started down the river. Several hundred yards below our
starting point, the three-hundred school boys stood in single file
along the bank, and continued to “banzai” in their best style until a
turn in the river hid them from our sight.
I have dwelt at such length on this seemingly trivial incident, because
I should be glad to give an adequate impression of the influence of
the lower grades of the public schools of Japan in inculcating
lessons of order and politeness upon the children of the nation; and
in this way preparing them for fitting in well with the existing social
order and for obedience to the sovereign authority of the Emperor, of
their parents, and in general of their elders. The common impression
that Japanese babies are born so little nervous or so good-natured
that they never cry, is indeed far enough from the truth. They do cry,
as all healthy babies should, when hurt or when grieved; or, with
particular vehemence, when mad. They are almost without exception
injudiciously indulged by their parents, their nurses, and in truth by
everybody else. But from the time the boy or girl begins to attend
school, an astonishing change takes place. How far this change is
due to the influence of the teacher’s instruction and example, and
how far to the spirit and practice of the older pupils, it is perhaps not
easy to say. But, in school, both sexes are immediately placed under
a close-fitting system of physical and intellectual drill. Thus the pride
and ambition of all are called out by the effort to succeed and to
excel. The Imperial rescripts, the wise sayings and noble
achievements of ancient sages and heroes, the arousement of that
spirit which is called “Bushidō” or “Yamato-Damashii,” the appeal to
the pride and love of country, and instruction in ethics—as the
Japanese understand ethics—prolonged from the kindergarten to the
University;—all these means are employed in the public system of
education with the intention of producing citizens serviceable to the
State. They are all needed in the effort of the Government to control
the ferment of new ideas and the pressure of the new forces which
are shaping the future commercial, political, and social life of the
nation, perhaps too rapidly for its own good.
For the interested and sympathetic teacher of children there are no
more delightful experiences than may be had by visiting and
observing the primary grades of the public schools of Japan. I have
had the pleasure of speaking to several thousands of their pupils. At
the summons, the boys would come filing in on one side, and the
girls on the other side, of the large assembly room with which every
well-appointed school-house is now being provided; and as quietly
as drilled and veteran soldiers they would form themselves into a
compacted phalanx of the large style of ancient Macedonia. Six
hundred pairs of bright black eyes are then gazing steadily and
unflinchingly, but with a quiet and engaging respectfulness, into the
eyes of the speaker. And if his experience is like my own, he will
never see the slightest sign of inattention, impatience, or disorder, on
the part of a single one of his childish auditors. Further, as to the
effect of this upon the older boys when out of school: Although I
have been in a considerable number of places, both in the cities and
in the country places of Japan, I have never seen two Japanese
boys quarrelling or even behaving rudely toward each other so far as
their language was concerned. The second item of “advice” in the
“Imperial Rescript to the Army and Navy,” which precedes even the
exhortation—“It is incumbent on soldiers to be brave and
courageous”—reads as follows: “Soldiers must be polite in their
behaviour and ways. In the army and navy, there are hierarchical
ranks from the Marshal to the private or bluejacket which bind
together the whole for purposes of command, and there are the
gradations of seniority within the same rank. The junior must obey
the senior; the inferior must take orders from the superior, who
transmits them to Our direct command; and inferior and junior
officers and men must pay respect to their superiors and seniors,
even though they be not their direct superiors and seniors. Superiors
must never be haughty and proud toward those of lower rank, and
severity of discipline must be reserved for exceptional cases. In all
other cases superiors must treat those beneath them with kindness
and especial clemency, so that all men may unite as one man in the
service of the country. If you do not observe courtesy of behaviour, if
inferiors treat their superiors with disrespect, or superiors their
inferiors with harshness, if, in a word, the harmonious relations
between superiors and inferiors be lost, you will be not only playing
havoc with the army, but committing serious crimes against the
country.”