Chapter 24: Sofia
Nate gets up to make coffee, and I can hear him moving around the kitchen, the sound of mugs clinking and the hiss of the coffee machine filling the air. Leo excuses himself for a shower, leaving me alone with Riley and Danny. They’re sitting close, and I can feel the warmth of their presence, a comforting reminder that I’m not alone here.
I take a breath, curiosity getting the best of me. “How old are you guys? And how did you all end up here? In this… life?”
Riley exchanges a look with Danny, as if asking permission, and then he begins. “Leo's 22, Danny is 23, and Nate and I are 25. As for our lifestyle... we didn’t exactly choose this. It’s a long story, but I guess it started with loss. All of us have been through something that broke us, in one way or another.” He pauses, as if weighing his words. “For me, it was my family. Lost them when I was a teenager, and after that… I just wanted to survive. That’s how I met Danny. He had a similar story.”
Danny nods, his face thoughtful. “I grew up on my own after losing my parents. We had no one else, so I did what I had to. You do a lot of things you’re not proud of when you’re trying to survive. That’s when I met Riley. We were both struggling, and somehow we found each other.”
“We met Nate and Leo later on,” Riley continues. “They’d been through their own hell, and we realized we were stronger together. Made sense to stick around.”
I can see the pain in their faces, the ghosts of their pasts haunting them still. “But why this lifestyle?” I ask, glancing between them. “Why not try to do something else?”
Riley sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. “By the time we realized we wanted out, we were in too deep. It’s not easy to walk away from something like this. Once you’re in, it consumes you. It’s all we’ve ever known.”
Danny nods, his expression darkening. “We’re tired of it, though. Tired of hurting people, of seeing the worst in ourselves. It’s like… we’ve been living in this cycle of violence and crime, and it wears you down.”
I can feel the heaviness in their words, the weight of lives spent doing things they wish they hadn’t. Just then, Nate and Leo return, and I watch as they sit down, their faces softening as they listen to the conversation.
“We don’t want to scare you,” Danny adds, looking genuinely concerned.
I take a moment to gather my thoughts, feeling a rush of emotions I hadn’t expected. “From the moment I grew up, I guess I’ve been surrounded by bad people. Since I was about fifteen or sixteen, my parents started getting involved in shady things, and it didn’t take long for the physical stuff to start.” I swallow, trying to keep my voice steady. “I know I should be scared of you all. I know what you’ve done, but… I’m not.”
They all exchange glances, something unspoken passing between them. Riley leans forward, his expression soft. “We don’t want to keep you here against your will, Sofia. If you really want to go, we’ll find a way to make it safe for you. But we’re asking you to stay, just for now. Until we know how to deal with Moretti and his men. We’ll keep you safe, and we’ll respect your boundaries. You don’t owe us anything. We just… we need to keep you out of harm’s way.”
I take a deep breath, considering their offer. Despite everything, I believe them. I know I’m not out of the woods yet, but for the first time, I feel like I’m not alone in this fight. “Okay,” I say finally, meeting their eyes. “I’ll stay. But I don’t have any of my stuff. None of my clothes or anything.”
Danny and Leo perk up, looking relieved. “We can fix that,” Leo says with a grin. “Just tell us your sizes. Clothes, shoes… anything else you might need.”
Danny pulls out his phone, ready to make notes. “Any specific colors or things you like?”
I chuckle, caught off guard by their enthusiasm. “Well, I’m a size seven for shoes, and I usually wear small or medium for clothes. I like blue and grey. Something comfortable.”
They both nod, exchanging a determined look. “We’ll take care of it,” Danny says, standing up. “We’ll head out now, get you what you need.”
Leo joins him, giving me a reassuring smile before they head out the door. As they leave, Nate and Riley settle back in, looking a bit more at ease. There’s a comfort in their presence, and I find myself relaxing as they sit beside me.
“Do you want to watch a movie?” Riley asks, nodding toward the TV. “It might help take your mind off things.”
I nod, grateful for the distraction. “Yeah, that sounds nice.”
Nate grabs the remote, flipping through the options until we settle on something lighthearted, a comedy that draws a smile from me despite the circumstances. Riley and Nate make themselves comfortable, and I find myself nestled between them, the warmth of their presence easing some of the lingering tension in my body.
As the movie plays, I feel my eyelids growing heavy, the exhaustion of the past few days catching up to me. I fight to stay awake, but the warmth, the safety of being here, lulls me into a peaceful drowsiness. My head leans back against the couch, and before I know it, I’m drifting off, my body sinking into the cushions as sleep claims me once again.