Page 134 of Abundance of Obsession

“What the fuck?” Ryker loses his temper. “What did she want?”

“She already knew I’d killed Damien. All along she knew we had him. She gave me a choice: either I give up my position and someone from her side takes it, or Zoe pays for what I did.”

Finally, I said it. I thought I would feel better once I did, but that’s not happening at all. The heavy feeling is still there. Inside me.

“I don’t get it.” Theo doesn’t hide his irritation. “What the hell is she after? Revenge? Why is she on Veirix’s side?”

“She said at the end to say thank you to the person who shot Nico. We made it easier for her to reach the top. Ricardo’s head is her doing, not Aiden’s. Now we know for sure she’s leading Veirix, our enemy.”

“I’m speechless. I—” Ryker rises from his chair and sweeps the screens off the desk in one motion. A sound escapes him—the roar of an animal not so much wounded as preparing to attack. Finally, he slams his fist down on the desk.

Once he straightens up, he stares at us with burning eyes. Each heavy breath strains his chest.

“I’m sorry, Ryker,” I breathe. “To both of you. I couldn’t refuse her demands. Zoe—” I shake my head. “I love her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and I couldn’t let her get hurt. Please forgive me.”

“You couldn’t have made any other decision,” Theo reassures me, placing a hand on my shoulder. Squeezing it, he offers comfort.

“That’s true,” Ryker says. “None of us holds it against you. If it were Ash, I’d do exactly the same thing. You made the right choice.”

“But—”

“There are no ‘buts,’ Eli. We all need to cool off, and tomorrow we’ll talk about our next moves. Go back to Zoe.”

I nod but don’t move.

“And I’m sorry, Eli. If I’d known… I’m apologizing even though I know it won’t help anyone. And don’t worry. No offense, but you can replace a general, but never a woman like Zoe.”

I head home with a lighter heart. It’s not like I’m going to leave the guys to deal with this mess on their own, but I won’t be acting as general anymore.

The door closes behind me, and I make a mental note to talk about a new home. It’s time to find something bigger for us, for our new family.

The aroma of something Zoe is cooking in the kitchen reaches me. It smells heavenly.

Just as I suspected, she’s standing at the stove, stirring something in a pan. Stooping behind her, I wrap arms around her waist and peek over her shoulder.

“What smells so good, sweetheart?” I ask, kissing her cheek.

“It’s just chicken in salsa with pasta,” she replies, flashing me a smile.

Warmth spreads through my heart. I can’t remember the last time anyone cooked for me.

“Nothing you do for me is ordinary. Speaking of ordinary things, I thought we could do something simple tomorrow.”

“What do you mean?”

“We could go for a plain old walk.”

Zoe turns in my arms and wraps her arms around my neck. She watches me through half-closed eyes, with a small but charming smile. Her cheeks flushed.

“I’d really love that.” Her lips find mine.

I’m finally home.

And now, I know what that means.

My arms tighten.

If only I could protect her from everything that’s coming.