Page 30 of Crown of Lies

“Thanks for the heads up,” she murmurs. “I’ll handle it.”

Emmett gives a reluctant nod, then backs away, but not before shooting me one more pointed look. Quinn turns toward me, her face a carefully schooled mask.

“People are starting to talk,” she says in a low voice as we step off to the side, away from prying eyes and ears. “Rumors about what happened—and about my part in it—are flying on both sides, apparently. Emmett says there’s been some…unrest.”

I meet her gaze steadily. “Define unrest.”

“People are anxious, distrustful.” She folds her arms across her chest. “With everything that went down, and then me disappearing for a few days.” She shrugs. “They’re not sure what to think.”

“So we need to get out in front of this,” I say after a moment. “Show everyone there’s still solidarity between you and Nico. That we’re all on the same team.”

“Agreed.” She grimaces even as she nods, as if the thought pains her. “We’ll have to make an appearance together to reiterate our… partnership.”

Her tone makes it obvious how distasteful she finds the idea of still being allied with the Princes, even if it’s just for show. And honestly? I hate it too.

The idea of having to publicly play along with this farce of an alliance between her crew and ours makes my skin crawl. I hate it, every fiber of my being rebelling against the thought. But I know it’s necessary, at least for now.

A small part of me wonders if there’s something else behind my gut reaction. Something more petty. Like the sight of her with Nico’s ring inked onto her skin, marking her as his.

Yeah, that stirs up an unexpected flare of jealousy that I don’t want to examine too closely.

I shove down the feeling, locking it away. There’s no room for that kind of complication right now.

After making the rounds and reassuring the Enigma crew that all is well, Quinn turns to me, her expression unreadable.

“I need to run an errand,” she states flatly. “Pick up some supplies for the shop.”

I nod once, not even needing to voice the fact that I’m going with her. The look in her eyes says she knows it’s pointless to argue. With a jerk of her chin, she heads for the exit, not waiting to see if I follow.

Quinn moves with purpose, her long strides quickly eating up the sidewalk. I match her pace easily, scanning our surroundings out of habit.

A flash of movement catches my eye—a figure in the shadows of an alleyway across the street. As we walk closer, I can makeout the silhouette of a man, his face hidden by a dark baseball cap pulled low.

My steps falter for a half-second as realization hits. He’s watching us.

“Hey,” I clear my throat and give Quinn’s arm a light tug to get her attention. “That guy over there…”

But when she turns to follow my gaze, the shadowy figure has already melted back into the alley, disappearing from sight. Quinn frowns, clearly not seeing what I saw.

“What guy? I don’t see any?—”

Her words trail off as the crowd parts for a moment, and the same man hurries across to the other side of the alley with his face angled away from us. He’s trying too hard to be inconspicuous.

Quinn’s eyes go wide and she doesn’t hesitate—she moves to take off after him without a second thought. I lunge forward to grab her arm before she can get more than a couple of steps, yanking her back.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I hiss, tightening my grip when she tries to pull away. People are starting to stare at the commotion.

“Let go of me!” She fights against my hold like a wildcat, fury blazing in her eyes. “I’m not just gonna let that prick follow us around!”

“Quinn, stop!” I lean in close, my voice a harsh whisper. “Stop. This isn’t the time or place.”

“Then tell me when. Tell me where.” Her chest heaves with angry breaths. “He was watching us, Atlas. You know it as well as I do. Hell, you saw him first.”

The fear in her eyes cuts through the bravado.

“I’m sick of looking over my shoulder, of having to watch my every move.” Her hands clench into fists at her sides. “Someone is after me, you fucking know that as well as I do. Someonethinks I’mvaluableand wants to use me somehow. If I just let that asshole walk away, I’ll be proving I’m afraid. Well, I’m not. Not anymore.”

I can see the desperation in her eyes, the need to take back some semblance of control. Part of me admires her courage and refusal to duck her head and hide.

---