Page 102 of Cohesion

“I’m sorry, did you just say that Seb is bangingfourguys?” She muttered something under her breath that Quinn didn’t catch. “I can’t even find one decent man, and the fucker snagged four? Four.Four.”

“I heard you the first time you said four,” Quinn said, managing to crack a small smile. He gripped his knee to stop it from bouncing.

“You definitely have to bring him back now because I need to talk to him about leaving good eligible hotties for his sister. There’s no need to hoard them.”

“I’m sure he’ll be waiting eagerly for that conversation.” Quinn would give anything for Sebastian to be in that uncomfortable situation. It would mean he was here, and safe, and where Quinn could see him,touchhim.

“He doesn’t have a choice. And neither do you. When this is over, you come see me, and my kids, Quinn. Claire Quinn Devlin needs to meet her godfather, and I have two little twin boys whowould love to meet you. They’ve only heard stories about the man in the pictures on my wall.”

Fuck. Quinn put a hand over his eyes as the heat intensified, and he lost the fight, tears spilling free. “I’m sorry,” he choked out, unable to find other words. He hunched forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and trying to suck in a breath. He couldn’t process any of this right now.

“Sebastian isn’t the only one who lost someone when the two of you imploded. We all deserved better.”

“I know. I’m sorry,” he repeated. The words could never fully heal the hurt.

“Don’t apologise. Just do better. He loves you so much, Quinn. And you know he never stopped. He never will. So you make it right, and then you spend the rest of your life making him happy. Allfourof you.” Then quieter, she said, “Four. That fucker.”

Quinn’s stomach convulsed as the next sob threatened to override his entire system.Please hold on, Seb, I’m coming for you.“I promise.”

“I’ll talk to Eli and Jay for you,” Charlotte said. “We’ll interrogate your soldiers when they get here and sort it out. Just bring him home.”

“Stay safe, Charlie.”

“You too. He’d want you safe more than he’d want to be rescued. You’re everything to him.”

Suddenly, the phone clicked off before he could respond. As if he had any more words left.

He didn’t know how long he stared at the screen. Long enough for it to go black. Long enough for the tears to dry on his face.

The phone was plucked out of his hand, and then a wall of warmth surrounded him. Will and Jericho. Will buried his head in Quinn’s shoulder, and Jericho held Quinn’s hand on his knee, stilling it. Quinn wrapped his hands around both Jerichoand Will’s upper arms, keeping them close, needing their unwavering strength.

He lifted his head and met Peyton’s gaze across the room, where he stood frozen on the threshold.

Peyton’s bottom lip trembled and he hesitated.

“I love you,” Quinn mouthed.

Peyton crossed the room in two quick strides, taking the empty space between Will and Jericho, his lips meeting Quinn’s. The kiss was wet, and messy, and Quinn couldn’t stop the tears from starting anew, a Sebastian-shaped hole in his heart that was breaking him from the inside. The three men nurtured and held tight to it. Not filling the space but keeping it warm for when they brought Sebastian home.

Back to all of them.

“I love you,” Peyton whispered. “Him. You. All of you. We’re going to find him.” They kept repeating it to each other as if saying it enough times meant it couldn’t be anything but truth. Quinn was happy to hold onto that with both hands.

Having them around him helped settle the turmoil in his heart. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on Peyton’s shoulder, soaking them all in and letting them ground him.

He wasn’t alone in this. They all cared about Sebastian, and they were going to do everything they could, as a collective, to get him back. They were a team, and they needed Sebastian to complete them.

Chapter Fourteen

Jericho automatically slipped onhis shoes as soon as he swung his legs over the side of the bottom bunk. He did his best not to jostle Peyton, who had crawled in with him despite the single bed barely holding one of them.

“Six?” he whispered, rubbing his eyes. “Did you find something?” It felt like it had only been minutes since he’d fallen into a fitful sleep. Given the darkness spilling in from behind the curtains, it had to be at least two or three hours.

“We found the car,” Six replied quietly.

Any lingering sleepiness disappeared. “What? Where? Was—”Was Spencer in it?He couldn’t bring himself to ask.

“Don’t know. Hunter is still up, and he’ll keep watch while we go check it out.”

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