Page 67 of Crown of Lies

Two men stand at the bottom, deep in conversation. One is Nico, his tattooed arms crossed over his chest. The other takes me a moment to place—he’s definitely a member of Carnage, but I can’t remember his name.

I only have half a beat to wonder what he’s doing here before he looks up and spots me, his eyes widening in obvious appreciation as they roam shamelessly up and down my body.

My naked body.

Shit.

Belatedly, I turn toward my bedroom, extremely conscious that I’m being watched every step of the way now.

Nico’s voice cuts through the tension like a whip crack. “Keep your eyes on me if you want to keep them in your head. That’s my fucking wife.”

Wife.

I still cringe when I hear that word, but at least the lie comes in handy every once in a while.

I’ve barely made it to my room and closed the door behind me when I hear someone thundering up the stairs. I don’t need three guesses to know it’s Nico, just like I don’t need to see the expression on his face to know he’s pissed when he opens the door and sticks his head inside my room.

“What the fuck are you doing, Quinn?” he hisses, low enough that our visitor can’t hear.

It’s a fair question, but I don’t like his fucking tone. I lift my chin, meeting his glare head-on. “Last I checked, I can walk naked through my own damn house if I want to.”

His nostrils flare, but he doesn’t back down. “This isn’t just your house anymore. You can’t?—”

“Who is he?” I interrupt, nodding toward the stairs. “And what’s he doing here?”

Nico’s jaw clenches, but he steps into the room and closes the door behind him. “He’s one of my guys. I brought a few of them to keep an eye on things.”

I frown, resting my hands on my hips. “What do you mean, ‘keep an eye on things’?”

He runs a hand through his hair, frustration evident in every line of his body. “After yesterday’s break-in, we called in some reinforcements. There are Princes stationed around the perimeter of the house.”

I blink, trying to process what he’s saying. They’ve brought in extra protection… for me?

“How many?”

“Six, including the guy you just saw downstairs.”

I sink onto the edge of the bed, my mind reeling. The idea that they’ve gone to such lengths, pulled in so many resources, just to keep me safe… it’s surprising, to say the least. A part of me wants to be touched by the gesture, to believe that maybe they actually care.

But I can’t let myself go down that road. I force a smirk, even as my heart races. “Well, I guess you’ve got to protect your investment, right?”

Nico’s eyes narrow, and for a moment, I think I see a flicker of hurt cross his face. But it’s gone so quickly, I’m sure I imagined it.

Nico’s gaze drops from my face, and suddenly his expression shifts. His eyes widen, then narrow as he notices something on my chest. I glance down, realizing he’s spotted the tattoo Atlas gave me. Probably noticed more than a few of the marks Killian left last night too.

His nostrils flare as he reaches out, fingers skimming over the still-irritated skin. Goosebumps spread across my body at his touch, and I can’t help the small shiver that runs through me.

I look up, trying to read his expression. Is it jealousy flickering in his eyes? Anger? Or maybe he’s turned on? I can’t tell, and it’s driving me crazy.

He opens his mouth to say something, but before he can get the words out, the door swings open. Another one of his men bursts in, clearly agitated about something.

“Nico, we’ve got a—” He stops short, eyes widening as he takes in my naked form.

Nico whirls around, cursing in rapid-fire Italian. I can’t understand any of it, but I can tell by his tone that he’s pissed.

He turns back to me, muttering under his breath, “Dannazione. Se continui a girare svestita in questo modo, dovrò cavare gli occhi a tutti i miei uomini.” Then he switches to English as he adds, “Go and get dressed. Now.”

His tone doesn’t allow room for any arguments, and for once, I don’t feel like pushing back. I nod, waiting for them to leave so I can find some clothes.

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