Page 135 of Crown of Lies

I look up, surprised by the intensity in his voice. Killian’s not usually one for many words, but he leans forward, his gaze steady.

“You can’t second-guess what happened in the past,” he says. “All you can do is keep your eyes on what’s ahead.”

Atlas nods in agreement, but stays quiet, letting Killian speak.

“After my mom died,” Killian continues, his voice low, “I didn’t trust anyone. Probably would’ve ended up dead myself if I hadn’t met you two. Surviving this life alone… it’s a hell of a lot harder.”

He takes a swig of his beer before meeting my eyes again. “As long as we’ve got each other, we’ll be okay. That’s what matters now.”

I nod, taking in Killian’s words. Atlas leans forward, his eyes serious.

“He’s right,” Atlas says. “I saw firsthand what happens when you can’t trust the people around you.”

He takes a long pull from his beer before continuing. “When my old man was killed by one of his own crew… that moment, I knew. If that same bastard came for me, not a single one of them would have my back.”

Atlas’s gaze moves between Killian and me. “But last night? I knew I could trust you two. No question.”

His words hit me hard, reminding me of everything we’ve been through together.

“Nico,” Atlas says, catching my eye. “You did the best you could to control the fallout. That’s all any of us can do.”

I nod, accepting their words. A familiar phrase rises to my lips, one we’ve shared countless times since we were just kids scraping by on the streets.

“Born strangers,” I start.

“Brothers by choice,” Killian and Atlas finish in unison.

It’s been our mantra since those early days when all we had was each other. No matter what comes our way, I know we’ll face it together.

As I’m absorbing the weight of their words, I hear soft footsteps on the stairs. Quinn appears in the doorway, her eyes shining with emotion. It’s clear she overheard our conversation.

She pads into the room, barefoot and wearing one of my oversized t-shirts. Her hair’s still mussed from earlier, but there’s a softness to her expression that tugs at my heart.

“Hey,” she says, her voice quiet.

Atlas and Killian both nod in greeting, but I can see the shift in their posture. We’re all aware of what happened last night, of the danger we faced together.

Quinn moves farther into the room, her gaze flicking between Atlas and Killian. “I… I wanted to thank you both. For having my back last night. For everything.”

Killian’s expression softens, a rare occurrence for him. “You’re one of us now, siren. It wasn’t even a question.”

Atlas nods in agreement. “Yeah, what he said. You’re ours now, whether you like it or not.”

She moves to Killian first, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. He stiffens for a moment before relaxing, patting her back awkwardly.

When she pulls away, she turns to Atlas. He stands, opening his arms with a grin. Quinn hugs him too, and I can see the genuine affection in Atlas’s eyes as he embraces her.

“Thank you,” she says, stepping back to look at both of them. “I… I’ve never had people like this before. People I could trust. Not outside Enigma, anyway.”

She settles onto the arm of my chair, her presence a comforting warmth against my side. The room falls into a comfortable silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

Suddenly, Quinn’s phone buzzes. She reaches for it, frowning at the screen before answering.

“Yeah?” Her brow furrows as she listens. After a moment, she presses the speaker button.

“…don’t know what to do with them, Quinn,” a male voice crackles through. “They say they’re not here to cause trouble, but?—”

“Slow down, Emmett,” she interrupts. “Who are you talking about?”

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