Page 145 of Crown of Lies

Atlas lets out a low whistle. “Is that what I think it is?”

I nod, unable to keep the excitement from my voice. “It’s the marker.”

I watch as Atlas and Nico lean in closer, their eyes tracing the intricate pattern revealed by the blue light. The hidden design glows eerily against my skin, casting shadows across their faces.

“Can’t believe it’s really right here,” Atlas murmurs, his fingers hovering just above the tattoo without touching.

Nico nods. “We’ve been looking for this for so long. I can’t believe it was right under our noses the whole time.”

The door creaks open, and Emmett pokes his head in. His eyes widen as he catches sight of the glowing tattoo on my back.

“Whoa, what’s that?” he asks, stepping fully into the room.

I turn to face him, careful to keep my chest covered. “It’s a tattoo my father gave me,” I explain, keeping my voice steady despite the rush of emotions that come with mentioning my dad.

Emmett’s brow furrows, and I can see the questions forming on his lips. But before he can voice them, Nico growls, “Hey, how about you don’t ogle my shirtless wife?”

A scowl flashes across Emmett’s face, his eyes darting between Nico and me. It’s clear he doesn’t appreciate the reminder of our marriage, or the fact that I’m in here with Nico and my other two men. He takes a deep breath, seeming to push down whatever retort was on the tip of his tongue.

Instead, he addresses me directly, his tone carefully neutral. “Quinn, I’m closing up the shop soon. Oh, and Chop wanted me to let you know there’s been some activity on the east side. Looks like some of our old friends are making moves again.”

I nod, grateful for the information and the change of subject. “Thanks, Emmett. I’ll follow up with you about that soon.”

He gives a nod and leaves, closing the door behind him with a bit more force than necessary.

I turn back to the Princes, my mind racing with the implications of what we’ve discovered.

“You haven’t told him, have you?” Atlas asks.

I shake my head, feeling a twinge of guilt. “No, I haven’t. Until we knew more about the marker and the Dark Lotus Syndicate, I didn’t want to tell anyone.” I look around at the three of them, my gaze lingering on each face. “The only people I trusted with it are… well, you guys.”

Something flashes in all three men’s eyes—a kind of possessiveness that does something to me every time I see it.

The intensity of their reactions catches me off guard, but there’s also a warmth that spreads through my chest. These are my men, my partners, my confidants. The only ones I trust completely in this fucked-up world we live in.

The moment passes quickly, and we all refocus on the matter at hand.

I slowly start to untangle my jumbled thoughts. “So, my dad… he must have given me this hidden tattoo when he did the visible one. Blended it in somehow.”

Killian nods, his eyes tracing the glowing pattern on my back. “Makes sense. He probably wanted to keep it hidden, only visible under the right conditions.”

“Like a secret insurance policy,” Atlas adds, his voice thoughtful. “In case something happened to him, you’d have the mark if you ever needed it.”

I understand the logic behind it, I really do. My father was always thinking ahead, always planning for every contingency. But that doesn’t stop the anger from bubbling up inside me.

“Fuck,” I mutter, clenching my fists. “Why the hell didn’t he just tell me about it? Why keep it a secret?”

Nico reaches out, his hand warm on my shoulder. “Maybe he thought it was safer if you didn’t know. The less you knew, the less danger you’d be in.”

I shake my head. “But then he fucking died. He died unexpectedly and left me with this… this huge fucking secret that I didn’t even know about. How is that protecting me?”

The room falls silent for a moment. I can feel the men exchanging glances behind my back, probably trying to figure out how to calm me down.

But I don’t want to be calmed down. I want answers. I want to know why my father thought it was okay to mark me like this without my knowledge or consent. I want to know what the hell this marker means and why it’s so important that he’d risk everything to hide it on my body.

I turn back and stare at the glowing pattern on my skin. My fingers trace the outline where the ink lies hidden beneath my regular tattoo.

“It’s crazy,” I exhale, talking more to myself than the others. “All this time, I’ve been carrying around this… key. This marker. And I had no idea.”

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