Page 116 of Abundance of Obsession

“And in all these weeks, you didn’t find a chance to tell me about this?”

“We have everything under control,” Zoe interjects. “I always have a bug, an SOS transmitter, a tracker.”

“That doesn’t make the situation safe,” her sister replies.

Zoe snorts. “That’s exactly why you didn’t know. Because you’d do everything in your power to stop it.”

“You can bet I would have.” Then she turns back to her husband, pointing an accusing finger. “You didn’t tell me.”

“I admit it was a shitty move. You should have known, But we all knew how you’d react.” Ryker’s words do nothing to calm her.

“Theo. I heard you have a funeral home on speed dial. Is that true?” Ash changes the subject.

“Sure. Why do you ask?”

“Because I’ll be a widow by the end of the night,” she snaps. “I’ll kill you, Jackal. I give you my word that this time you’ll end up with my knife in your throat, and it won’t be just another foreplay.”

The desire etched on Ryker’s face is obvious to everyone. It turns him on…

“We’ll come back to this, Shadow,” he says to his wife. “The subject is closed. Tomorrow is Zoe’s last date.”

“What the fuck?” My eyes dart from my brother to my woman. “Abso-fucking-lutely not.”

“Calm down. We’ve been through this before, Eli,” Zoe says.

“But back then you didn’t have a target on your head.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them.

Zoe flinches. “This is the last time. I promise.”

Theo’s question is direct and sharp. His eyes are appraising. “I just don’t get why. What will this last time give us that the others didn’t?”

Thanks, bro! At least someone besides me is thinking about this.

Zoe isn’t giving up, though. “I said this is my last date with Damien.”

My gut tells me something’s off here. And judging by Theo’s expression, he senses it in the air too.

Ash can’t take it anymore. “Apparently, no one in this room cares what I have to say, but I’m against it too. If it’s not Damien, then who? Are you finally going to tell us what’s going on?”

I pull my phone out of my pocket, select a photo, and toss the device onto the table. Ryker grabs it first, then Theo, and Ash last.

A deathly silence fills the apartment.

“Someone delivered this to Zoe’s apartment this morning.” The person who delivered it already knew the address, her identity, and the truth.

“Who is Owen?” Ry asks.

Zoe’s heavy sigh begins her confession. To everyone’s astonishment, she tells the story of her childhood, her tormentors, and the horror of the foster home. Ash first turns as white as a sheet, and then, with every word her sister speaks, her eyes well up. Tears stream down her face, but she doesn’t stop; she doesn’t say a word, only clenches her jaw and fists. Ryker moves closer to her. Putting his arm around her, he offers silent support, and she accepts it.

As for me, I continue to hold Zoe’s hand, stroking her knuckles with my thumb. In a strangely low voice, she recounts everything she has carefully hidden for years. A story of torment, humiliation, and fear. Everything that led her to take bloody revenge on Owen.

Everyone else stays quiet when she finishes, but Ash doesn’t. She stands unsteadily, walks over to Zozo, and falls to her knees before her. She buries her face in her lap. “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me; I failed to notice. I’m sorry I didn’t defend you. My God, I failed you so badly when my only goal was to protect you,” she manages to say between sobs.

Zoe’s hand rises uncertainly and finally falls onto her sister’s head. She strokes her hair and tries to calm her down. “Shh… It’s not your fault, Ash. You couldn’t have known. I didn’t want anyone to know. You fought for us every day. I fought too, to make that possible for you. I’m alive because of you. You know that. It’s not your fault…”

“I’m a terrible sister. Please forgive me, Zoe.”

“I have nothing to forgive you for. I’m sorry too. I was jealous and lonely when you married Ryker. For the first time in my life, I was totally alone, and I kind of lost it. We’ll talk about this later. I promise.”