The warehouse reeked of oil and revenge. Dim lights flickered as Don Vico paced, a pistol tucked into his belt, flanked by two armed guards. Hope sat in silence—lip swollen, one eye nearly shut—but her spirit? Unshaken.
"She won't break," one guard muttered.
"She doesn't need to," Vico said. "Her father will."
---
Back at the apartment, Kelvin stood by the door, dressed in nothing but a simple jacket, holding his cane tightly.
Ella clutched his arm. "You can't even see them."
"I don't need to see. I need to *finish* this."
She placed a small tracker in his pocket, whispered a prayer into his ear, and kissed him—short, full of fear.
Kelvin nodded, then stepped into the night.
---
Guided by memory, whispers, and the faint audio from Ella's phone planted in Hope's shoe, Kelvin made his way across town. Cars honked. People brushed past him. But his mind was steel.
He reached the warehouse gates.
Knocked once.
Then again.
They opened.
Don Vico smirked. "Look what the darkness dragged in."
Kelvin entered slowly, cane tapping with each step.
"I'm here," he said calmly. "Let her go."
Vico walked up close. "You ruined me, Hart. Left me to rot while you climbed to the clouds."
"And you think taking my daughter will fix that?"
"No," Vico grinned. "But killing you in front of her might."
A guard raised his gun.
Then—*a sharp crack*.
Kelvin swung his cane fast, hitting the man's wrist. The gun dropped. Hope screamed. Another guard lunged, but Kelvin ducked. Years of boxing training returned—not with sight, but with instinct.
Hope kicked her chair over, crashing to the floor. The tracker beeped.
Suddenly—*sirens*.
Ella had alerted the police.
Vico panicked. "Finish him!"
But Kelvin had the gun now.
He didn't shoot.
He turned toward Vico and said, voice shaking, "You want to end a monster? I already did that. The monster died the day my daughter called me *Mr. Blind*."
Vico rushed him—only to be tackled by arriving officers.
Hope, breathless and wide-eyed, crawled to her father.
"You… came."
Kelvin collapsed to his knees, blind eyes filled with tears. "I would die a thousand times to keep you safe."
Hope held him. For the first time—*she held him*.
Not with hate.
But with something close to… forgiveness.
---