Page 10 of Bound By Obsession

“What the hell is going on in here?!” I shout, my voice cutting through the chaos like a knife. The scene inside the room is a mess of tipped furniture, a lamp lying shattered on the floor. Huxley and Garrett are nose-to-nose, fists clenched, while Axel stands to the side, his face flushed with irritation. They all turn to look at me, the tension in the room palpable.

For a split second, there’s silence. Then they all start to speak at once, a triad of voices dripping with venom and frustration.

“I was just suggesting we should visit the spa downstairs and this meathead punched me in the face!” Garrett points to a red welt on his cheek.

“This asshole thinks he can keep distracting us from the fact that we’re not doing anything. Wyatt is out there somewhere, missing, and we’re playing ball and-” His hand is thrown in my direction. I hear what he refuses to say as if he screamed it in my face.And screwing around in stock rooms. Reeling himself back, focusing on the anger burning in his eyes, Huxley’s fists tremble. “Wyatt is missing, and no one cares enough to look for him.”

“Wyatt left of his own accord!” Garrett shoves his shoulder into Hux’s midsection, the pair of them slamming into the wall. Punches are thrown towards kidneys until Axel pushes his way between them.

“That’s enough, both of you,” he growls. His face is tense, his posture on the edge of snapping. Keeping the struggling menapart, his biceps and shoulders ripple but Axel doesn’t falter. “We all love Wyatt. When he wants to be found, he’ll let us know.”

“Of course you’re siding with your delusional boyfriend,” Huxley roars and successfully earns himself a busted lip. I let Axel have that one. Looking over my shoulder, I nudge my chin towards some chairs in the hallway, either side of a thin table. Dax retrieves them for me, placing them in opposite corners of the room.

“Huxley, Garrett, take a seat. Axel, on the bed. If asses leave perches, Avery leaves the room - got it?” A grumble of acceptance rings out, reluctantly slumping onto the bed and chairs, still simmering with barely contained anger. The distance between each of them allows me to pace in the free space at the foot of the bed. Dax attends to picking up the lamp’s porcelain pieces so I don’t step on them.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. “Now, Axel, please explain to me what’s going on.”

Huxley looks away, his jaw clenched as Axel speaks up. “Gare found out there’s a spa in the base of the hotel. He was setting up a surprise for us all to go down there this evening.” Axel jerks his head towards an overturned paper bag on the bed, a bundle of swimwear spilling out. Garrett kicks a rogue piece of porcelain.

“I was going to bleach my asshole for you and everything,” he mutters under his breath. I close my eyes to find the will of patience to ignore that statement. Axel does this with more ease than I can.

“Hux wanted to head back to the police station and see if we can find out any more information about where Wyatt went. It sparked an argument,” Axel’s hazel eyes slide in Huxley’s direction. I twist to face the bulky man hunched in his seat, his blond waves falling forward over his face.

Huxley raises his gaze from the floor, his voice calmer but no less intense. “No one seems to care that one of our brothers is missing. We can guess where he is and pretend he’s safe, but until I know that for sure, I can’t fuck about playing ball and sitting in a spa.”

Garrett opens his mouth to protest, but I hold up a hand, silencing him. “Not your turn.” I pretend to miss the flare of desire igniting his dark eyes. Garrett’s list of kinks is endless, and me taking the role as dominator must be pretty high on that list.

“Regardless of recent developments,” Huxley eyes me closely and my cheeks heat, “Wyatt wouldn’t leave his boys.” Shifting in his seat, he faces Garrett straight on.

“Remember that time you ran away to join the circus, and we were so angry that you’d be so selfish. Axel was in pieces and no one could calm his nightmares. Wyatt spent every waking moment hunting for you with some ex-bounty hunter he hired, and every night spooning Axel. He didn’t give up on you, yet you’re so quick to forget about him.”

Garrett’s jaw is tight, his eyes darting to me.

“You may speak now,” I nod. He exhales loudly, his words rushing out in a flurry.

“For the record - on that occasion, Axel told me to leave. We had that big blow-out fight about him hiding in the closet and I said I’d rather be bench pressed by the Strong Man than hide in it with him, and he was all ‘go on then’,” Garrett drops his voice an octave. “This is different. Wyatt left us of his own accord. He packed his bag and walked out the door without a second glance back. He didn’t even say goodbye. I left a whole note detailing my plan.”

“So you’re not looking for him out of spite?” Huxley narrows his eyes.

“I’m not looking for him because he doesn’t want to be found. His phone is always dead or off, he’s blatantly ignoring us. So yeah, I’d rather spend my time in a sauna with Avery in my lap and Axel’s cock in my mouth, because I’m going to live my damn life.” Garrett’s face splits into a smile and he shrugs. “Smoke and mirrors, baby. If you don’t like the cards you’re dealt, reshuffle. That’s what Wyatt’s done and he doesn’t give a shit that he’s lost a few in the process.”

A heavy silence settles within the trashed hotel room. A part of me feels like a fool for becoming wrapped up in Garrett’s ploy to distract us all, but another part understands why he did it. Why he always does it. Garrett is obnoxious at the best of times, but he holds our best interests at heart. He’s not the asshole he tries so hard to portray.

I pinch the bridge of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. The Shadowed Souls are a gang, created by a man strong enough to lead them. They need direction from someone who understands their trauma and quirks better than I ever could. Despite Garrett’s nonchalant appearance, theyallneed Wyatt.

“Huxley. I understand. I truly do. Wyatt is your leader, I’m not. I can’t give you guys the strict parameters like he did, so I need you to help me out. If your gut is telling you Wyatt isn’t safe, then let's come up with a way to find him.”

Huxley’s lips part, his surprise evident. He was prepared to have this fight with all of us, believing he is the only one in Wyatt’s corner. I wouldn’t put myself on Team Wyatt, but I’m not doing this for him. I’m doing it for them, the men I’ve become entwined with. They fight to keep me safe, so I’ll fight to keep them together.

Dax steps forward, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “But if we do find Wyatt and he doesn’t want us anymore, you need to let it go, Hux. Whatever happens, the five of us can still find a way.” My heart squeezes tightly.We canfind a way.If Dax realizes the weight of his statement, or how much it impacts me, he doesn’t let on. I gaze around the room, the twinge of emotion pricking the back of my eyes. It’s them. They’re my new family.

There’s a beat before Huxley finally nods. “Agreed. As long as everyone makes the effort. We’re a team, nothing has changed.” He glares at Garrett, waiting for him to reciprocate. Garrett’s expression softens slightly.

“We’re a team,” he repeats and nods. Axel shifts over the mattress, resting a large hand on Huxley’s thigh.

“Tell us where to start.”

As they start to talk, more calmly this time, a wave of relief washes over me. I lean back against Dax, feeling his steady presence behind me, and smile. We’ll be okay. Whatever happens, we will manage. Whether Wyatt is in the picture or not.

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