Page 3 of Bonds of Obsession

“Emmett,” I whisper under my breath, more to myself than to Nico or Killian. Even saying his name out loud feels wrong, like a curse.

Nico’s jaw clenches as his own rage starts to boil over. “That slimy fucker. Goddamn traitor.”

Killian nods. “We shouldn’t have trusted him. Not with something like this.”

He’s right, of course. They’re both right. But how could I not trust Emmett? He’s been with me since the beginning. He’s my—was my—second-in-command. My right fucking hand.

Even now, the thought of him selling me out feels almost inconceivable. But that’s exactly what happened. What other explanation could there be?

Fuck this.

Fuck all of this.

I surge out of bed, ignoring how wobbly my legs feel beneath me. I don’t know where I’m going, but I can’t just sit here anymore. I have to do something. Anything.

Every part of my body is protesting as I stumble toward the door. Every muscle is aching and weak, but I have more than enough anger and adrenaline built up to overcome such petty things as unsteady legs and sore muscles.

“Quinn, wait!” Killian calls out, but I ignore him.

I’m halfway down the hall when strong arms wrap around my waist, stopping me in my tracks. I struggle against the hold, my fists pounding against whoever is restraining me.

“Let me go!” I scream. “I’m going to fucking kill him!”

“Quinn, stop!” Nico’s voice cuts through my rage. “You can’t just run out there!”

Somewhere in my head, I know he’s probably right. But I’m way past the point of reason. All I can see is red. All I can think about is getting my hands on Ambrose and making him pay for everything he’s done.

“I’ll kill him!” I yell, still fighting against the arms that are like a vise grip around me. “I swear, I’ll fucking kill him!”

Killian moves in front of me, his hands on my shoulders. “Quinn, listen to me. We can’t just charge in there blindly. We need a plan.”

I try to shove past him, but he doesn’t budge. “Fuck the plan! He has Atlas! We can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

“We’re not doing nothing,” Nico insists, his voice firm but somehow gentle at the same time. “But getting yourself killed isn’t going to help Atlas.”

Their words are finally starting to penetrate the red haze, but I’m still shaking with anger and fear. The frustration is forming a lump in my throat as I finally stop struggling.

I collapse against Nico’s chest, my anger finally giving way to despair. The fight drains out of me as quickly as it came, leaving me feeling hollow and weak.

“We can’t just leave him there,” I whisper, my voice breaking. “We have to do something.”

Killian’s hands move from my shoulders to cup my face, forcing me to look at him. His eyes are intense, filled with the same determination that I can feel coursing through my veins.

“We will do something, siren. I promise you that. But we need to be smart about this. Running in there half-cocked is only going to get us all killed, and then who’s going to save Atlas?”

His logic is on point, but that doesn’t make it any easier to hear. My chest, my heart, feels like it’s being squeezed and squeezed until I can hardly breathe.

“He’s suffering,” I choke out. “Right now, while we’re standing here, Atlas is suffering. Ambrose is torturing him.”

Nico’s arms tighten around me. “We know, mia cara. And it’s killing us too. But we have to trust that Atlas is strong. He can hold on until we figure this out.”

The dam finally breaks. All the fear, anger, and helplessness I’ve been holding back comes rushing out in a flood of tears. I turn in Nico’s arms, burying my face in his chest as sobs wrack my body.

“It’s okay,” Nico murmurs, holding me tight while his hand strokes my hair. “Let it out. We’ve got you.”

Killian moves in closer, sandwiching me between them. These two men are the only things in my life keeping me from completely falling apart, and I don’t even have the words to tell them how much they mean to me.

As I cry, my mind can’t help but conjure up images of Atlas. Is he scared? Is he in pain? The thought of him suffering alone, wondering if he’s going to die there, makes my chest tighten even more.

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