Page 128 of Crown of Lies

Then chaos erupts.

37

QUINN

Fuck.

My heart stutters to a complete stop as Zoey’s accusation rings out. Around me, I feel Nico, Killian, and Atlas go rigid, coiled springs ready to snap.

“What the actual fuck, Zoey?” Nico spits out, his voice strangled and gravelly, whether from surprise or anger or both.

The room erupts into a flurry of voices, some sounding confused, others already laced with anger.

“That’s a lie!” Tyler yells, his face a mask of disbelief as he looks at me. “Quinn couldn’t do something like that right under our noses. She wouldn’t?—”

“I saw her,” Zoey interrupts, her voice dripping with venom. “I saw her with my own eyes. She was at the clubhouse. I watched her spread the accelerant, watched her light the match and throw it. The whole damn place went up in flames, and she started it.”

Jesus.

This woman really fucking hates me.

Muttered curses mix with shouts of betrayal. Fingers point in my direction, some members of Princes turning to Atlas, Killian,and Nico, demanding answers. Their faces are hard as they close ranks around me.

Nico’s jaw clenches, his eyes flicking to me for just a second before he addresses his people. “Listen, everyone. Just calm the fuck down for a second, okay? This shit is… it’s complicated, but I promise you, I’ve always had your best interests at heart. Everything I’ve done has been to protect this gang, to make us stronger.” His voice is steady, firm, the voice of a leader. But the doubt has already taken root.

Shouts erupt from the crowd, voices overlapping in chaos. It’s hard to make out individual words, but the sentiment is clear: they’re not buying it.

“Seems like you’ve been more interested in fucking that Enigma whore you married!” A distinctive voice rings out, bitter and accusatory.

Something dangerous flickers across Nico’s face, and for a second, I see the beast lurking beneath the surface, the one he usually keeps caged. His eyes narrow, and he takes a menacing step forward, his voice low and threatening. “That’s my wife you’re talking about. Show some damn respect or get the hell out.”

A tense silence follows, the crowd holding its breath, waiting to see if the challenger will back down or double down.

“I just want some damn answers, Nico!” The guy yells, his face red, whether from too much alcohol or anger, it’s hard to tell. “You’ve been keeping things from us, and now we know why! She’s been playing you, and you fell for it, and now?—”

Nico moves lightning-fast, and I see the flash of a blade. The man stumbles back out of the way just before getting sliced.

“Enough!” Nico roars, the beast unleashed now, his eyes wild. “Anyone else wanna question me? My loyalty?” He glares at the crowd, daring anyone to step forward. “This ends now. Wehave bigger problems than whatever grudge you have against my wife. We need to focus on our enemies, not each other!”

The crowd surges closer like a wave driven by mounting rage. I feel Nico shift beside me, tense and coiled, like he’s about to strike. Killian and Atlas move in sync, creating a protective circle around me, but the crowd of increasingly furious faces is closing in.

“Lying bitch!” A woman’s voice cuts through the noise, her lips curled in a snarl as she turns to Nico. “You dragged our enemy right into our home. Put her in your fucking bed!”

Her words ignite the crowd, and it’s like the whole room explodes. Anger swells, their fury at losing their clubhouse now magnified and aimed right at me. I feel it like a force, pushing against me, threatening to swallow me whole.

Nico holds his ground, his face draining of color. “Stand the fuck down!” He yells, his voice reverberating through the room. “She’s my wife! Anyone touches her, they answer to me!”

But his voice is drowned out by the crowd, their mistrust of me now deepening into something more insidious.

Fingers point, accusations flying. I feel exposed, vulnerable the way I would in enemy territory, despite the protective wall of Nico’s men around me.

“Traitor!”

“You burned our home, you cunt!”

“Get her the fuck out of here!”

The room is practically shaking with their anger, and I feel it too, their hurt. These are loyal, protective people, and their sacred space has been violated. The clubhouse was their haven, and they’re displaced now, seeking something—someone—to blame. And that someone is me.

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