Page 21 of Bonds of Obsession

“This is nice,” I comment, gesturing with my chin since I don’t dare disturb my grip on Dayana. “Your life here, I mean. It seems peaceful.”

Willow’s gaze follows mine, her delicate features lighting up. “It really is nice. I never thought I’d have this kind of life, but I love it more than I can say. Malice, Vic, and Ransom are all amazing fathers, and they make me feel so adored, every single day.”

She flushes a little as she speaks, and given the hungry way I’ve seen all three of her men look at her, I have a good idea exactly how they make her feel ‘adored.’ I can’t help but chuckle at that. It’s clear there’s a lot more going on behind closed doors than she’s letting on.

I can relate to that too.

“I hope you’ll have something like this for yourself someday,” Willow adds, her voice gentle. “If that’s what you want, I mean. Peace and quiet, a family… it’s not impossible, you know.”

I look down at Dayana, still nestled in my arms, and for a moment, I let myself imagine it. A life like this with Nico, Killian,and Atlas. Maybe even kids. It’s a nice dream, but I’m not sure how we’ll ever get from here to there.

I’m honestly not certain it’s possible.

“Part of me wants that,” I admit, surprising myself as the words tumble out. “With them. But we have to survive this mess first.”

She nods firmly. “You will. I believe that.”

Before I can respond, Ransom appears on the stairs, motions for us. “Vic’s got something,” he announces.

Willow quickly takes Dayana from me, and we head back upstairs where everyone is gathered around the bank of computers.

“What did you find?” I ask Victor, terrified to know but anxious to find out.

“A bit, but not a lot. I wish I had more to tell you,” he begins. “All of the DLS members seem to be incredibly good at staying off the radar. There wasn’t a lot I could dig up on Malcolm at first. He’s got all of his business interests hidden behind shell companies. But I did find something, and I was able to dig up a bit more about the Society too.”

“Whatever you’ve got, we’ll take it,” I say immediately. “Even the smallest details could help.”

He nods, scrolling through lines of text on his screen. “Last time I researched the Dark Lotus Society for you, I found out that it’s not your typical criminal organization. It’s more of a collective. Each person has their own separate interests, but they’ve banded together for mutual benefit and protection.”

“Right.” I nod, glancing between him and the computer screen. “I remember that.”

“Malcolm Mercer is definitely their leader,” he continues. “Whether in name or not, he’s the one who calls the shots. But it seems as though each member is free to pursue their ownbusiness interests for the most part, while also owing allegiance to and having the backing of the entire Syndicate.”

I frown, tugging at my lower lip. “I remember that too. But how does that work in the real world, exactly?”

Vic’s piercing blue eyes light up slightly, like I’ve asked the perfect question. “That’s where it gets interesting. Here’s a new piece of information I uncovered: each member is entitled to call in three favors from the entire Syndicate. They call it a ‘votum’—which is Latin for ‘vow.’”

“Three favors,” Nico muses. “Huh. I guess limiting it like that forces them to choose wisely.”

“And probably prevents any single member from getting too powerful, too quickly,” Killian adds.

“Anything else?” I press, hoping for more. “Did you find a way for us to contact Malcolm?”

“I think so.” Vic leans back a bit. “Like I said, he’s practically a ghost, with multiple barriers between his name and any of the businesses he controls. But I managed to track down one. He owns a place called Noctura—as of a couple of years ago, at least. It’s an upscale spa and bathhouse in the city.”

“Must be a front.” Killian crosses his arms, his fingers drumming over his biceps. “Places like that are perfect for hiding all sorts of illegal activities.”

I nod. It’s still not much, but it’s something concrete we can work with. If Malcolm owns the place, he’ll be keeping tabs on it. Which means I can use it to reach out to him.

It’s more than we had an hour ago. Hell, more than we had five minutes ago.

“Thank you, Victor,” I say, then turn to the others. “Thank you all. This is… it means a lot. We truly appreciate it.”

Nico and Killian nod in agreement, some of the tension finally leaving their shoulders for the first time since we arrived.

“We owe you one,” Killian adds. There isn’t any particular warmth in his tone, but it’s not quite as gruff as it was when we got here.

Malice shrugs, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Consider us even. Like Willow said, your father helped us out of a tight spot. Probably saved our lives. It’s the kind of debt that can’t really be quantified.”

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