Page 129 of Abundance of Obsession

“Do they know? Ryker and Theo?”

“Of course not. If they had questions, neither of them asked, and I wouldn’t have answered. We trust each other. When one of us says that man is going to end up in the morgue, we act as one.”

I look back at that spot, and then I notice Theo standing a little farther away. He’s breathing heavily. A few drops of blood show on his face, probably not his own.

Seeing us, he approaches, but he doesn’t stop in front of Eli. He stops right in front of me.

In Theo’s eyes, I see a shocking excitement. There’s a demon inside him that sometimes reveals itself, one that feeds on elaborate tortures. I see it. And what’s even stranger is that it doesn’t scare me at all.

“Zoe,” he mutters. I don’t understand what he’s searching for in my eyes, but he stares deeply into them. From what I already know, Theo’s good at reading the dark side of people. He sees it in me. He doesn’t know the details, but he recognizes it. Perhaps even much more, because after a moment he nods like we’re communicating without words and says aloud again, “He’s all yours, little one. Our fun here’s over.”

He walks past me and leaves without another word. Whatever occurred here, my gut tells me I have more support from these guys than I thought. All three of them—Eli, Ryker, and Theo—form a tight circle. A circle that has accepted me as one of their own.

Damien’s groan snaps me out of my thoughts. He raises his head with difficulty, and when he sees me, his eyes widen. He doesn’t seem to believe we would ever meet again.

It’s the two of us.

“Zoe,” he rasps my name. A dry throat makes it sound that way.

Neither of us makes a move, nor takes a step.

For a timeless moment, I stare at him. At the man who has caused me so much pain, inflicted so many wounds. And thoughts swirl in my head.

Killing a person for the first time opens a certain cycle. I’ve experienced it myself. I destroyed Nathaniel. Though that wasn’t the plan, my actions led to Jeremiah’s death. Finally, in self-defense, I took Owen’s life.

And now… Now I was living for the thought of Damien’s death. The dream of his last breath.

Will I close this circle again after killing Damien? Am I capable of stopping?

Who am I? Who will I be then?

When my thoughts finally settle, each finding its proper place, I look at Eli. I know he would love to have his fingers buried in Damien’s guts right now, but he’s giving me time. He’s handing control over to me while remaining a spectator.

I slowly approach Damien. He hangs there like a rag doll. A broken toy. A meaningless piece of the puzzle.

Our eyes meet, and he wants to say something. He opens his mouth, but he can’t. Doesn’t apologize. Doesn’t threaten. And doesn’t beg.

I already know what I should do.

His gaze is simply sad when I speak.

“For years, I lived in hatred for the four of you. For years, I clung to the hope that one day I’d see every one of you dead. And I came here precisely to finish what I started. What you did on the yacht is unforgivable. What you deprived me of—looking at you now, I think you understand. You deprived yourself of it. To some extent, I understand your revenge. But why did you hurt me so much as a child? What did that child ever do to you? I tried to be polite and nice. I wanted—”

I pause for a moment to swallow the lump growing in my throat. “I wanted you to be my older brothers. The kind who defend the younger and weaker ones, not the kind who make them wish for their own death. Why, Damien?”

Silence.

It lasts so long that I think he won’t answer.

There’s movement behind me. Eli takes a step, but stops. He wants to comfort me right now, but I have to do this alone.

Damien struggles to swallow the dryness in his throat. I doubt for a moment that he’ll be able to say anything.

“You had something… that… we were missing. All of us.”

I don’t understand what he’s talking about. “We were all in the same situation. None of us had parents; we were alone. I had nothing else.”

“That’s not true. You weren’t… alone. You had Ash. Support. Family. Someone… loved you.”