Page 31 of BounBound By Scars

Holy. Fuck.

I exhaled a shaky breath and followed him out.

But not before catching the look of pure devastation on Kabir’s face.

And it destroyed me.

???

The moment Seb and I stepped into the other Blackthorn building, Zarek’s purposeful stride pulled our attention instantly.

“Seb,” he said with a nod, calm but firm. “I was just coming to talk to you.”

His gaze flicked to me for a brief second—something unreadable flashing in it—before Seb redirected the moment.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Zane told me about the Romlinson Signature find. How can I help?”

Seb offered a small, appreciative smile. “Yeah. Kabir connected the dots for us. He’s looking into it now.”

Zarek nodded, thoughtful… before his expression shifted.

“I’m glad Cipher’s proving to be a good asset for your team.”

A frown crept onto my face.

What the actual fuck?

An asset?

Seriously?

“Yeah… an amazing asset. Sure,” I muttered, sharper than I intended.

Zarek’s eyes narrowed just slightly. “Amelia, you know what I meant.”

“No, I don’t think I do,” I shot back.

“Alright,” Seb interrupted, cutting through the tension with just enough ease to make it feel intentional. “We’re heading to bed.”

As we walked past Zarek, Seb paused and turned back. His voice was calm, but the edge in it was unmistakable. “Kabir will keep you posted. He’s leading this.”

Zarek opened his mouth, maybe to say something more—something to justify himself.

But I cut him off.

“See you later, Ghost,” I said with a tight smile and kept walking.

Only once we were out of earshot did the thought really hit me.

I hadn’t noticed it before. Not really. Not until now.

The way Zarek always saw Kabir.

Not as a brother. Not as a friend. Just… an asset. A tool. Someone to rely on when shit needed fixing. Someone to throw into the fire and expect results.

And maybe that was the real problem.

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