Page 4 of Abyss

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 wasleaning 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.

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