Page 136 of Crown of Lies

“Carnage members,” he replies. “We caught about half a dozen of them sneaking into our territory. They’re saying they don’t want any trouble, but we’re not sure whether to trust them.”

Quinn’s eyes meet mine, a silent question in her gaze. I nod, understanding passing between us.

“Bring them here,” she says into the phone. “To my place.”

“You sure?” he sounds understandably hesitant.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” she confirms. “We’ll deal with it.”

She ends the call and looks around at all of us. “Well, looks like we’ve got company coming.”

Atlas leans forward, elbows on his knees. “You think they’re telling the truth?”

I shrug. “Guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

The wait isn’t long. Within twenty minutes, there’s a knock at the door. Quinn answers it, and I hear muffled voices before she leads a group into the living room.

Six people file in, their hands raised slightly to show they’re unarmed. Behind them, I spot two of Quinn’s gang members, eyes sharp and wary.

One of the Carnage members, a woman with close-cropped hair, steps forward. Her gaze locks on to me, then flicks to Killian and Atlas.

“We’re here because of you three,” she says, her voice steady. “We don’t agree with what happened, with you being cut out.”

I stand slowly, studying each face. Some I recruited myself, others are still familiar, but less so. They all wear the same expression—part determination, part uncertainty.

I feel my chest tighten with emotion as I look at these familiar faces. These people chose me, trusted me, even when everything went to shit. It’s a powerful feeling, one I hadn’t expected.

“Thank you,” I say, my voice rough with sincerity. “It means a lot that you’re here.”

The woman who spoke nods. “We couldn’t just stand by and watch everything fall apart.”

“What happened after we left?” Quinn asks, her voice gentle but firm.

Another member, a guy with a scar across his cheek, steps forward. “It was chaos at first. No one knew what to do. Then Zoey and Stefan started taking charge.”

My brow furrows. “Stefan? He’s never shown interest in leading before.”

The first woman shakes her head. “He’s not. It’s all Zoey. She’s basically pulling his strings, telling him what to say and do.”

Atlas’s jaw clenches, his eyes flashing with anger. “Zoey’s behind all this?”

The scarred man nods. “Yeah, she’s been egging Stefan on, whispering in his ear. It’s like she’s using him as a puppet to take control.”

I can see the rage building in Atlas. His fists are clenched at his sides, knuckles white with tension.

“This is all because she’s jealous?” Atlas spits out. “She tore everything apart because she couldn’t handle me moving on?”

The room falls silent, the weight of his words hanging in the air. I place a hand on Atlas’s shoulder, feeling the tension thrumming through him.

I watch as Quinn steps forward, compassion in her eyes as she scans the group of Carnage members.

“I know you’re taking a big risk coming here. But I want you to know that you have a place with us if you want it.”

The woman with the close-cropped hair furrows her brow. “You mean… join your gang?”

Quinn nods. “Exactly. We can offer you safe harbor, protection from whatever’s going down with Carnage right now.”

I can see the hesitation on some of their faces, the uncertainty. One of the younger members, a guy barely out of his teens, speaks up.

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