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Penulis: Ona Hearts
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-11 22:17:09

Naomi’s POV

The house was too quiet.

Even with guards posted outside, even with security lights glowing faintly over the pool, I felt the silence pressing in. It wasn’t the silence of safety. It was the silence of a stage before the curtain rose.

I sat on the edge of my bed, pistol in my lap, eyes fixed on the ceiling. I had told myself I wouldn’t sleep tonight, and I hadn’t. The storm had passed but the air was still heavy, sticky against my skin. Each creak of wood, each sigh of the pipes sent my heart lurching.

At some point, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I rose, tucked the pistol under my sweater, and cracked my door. The hallway beyond was dark, with only the faintest spill of light from the sconces.

Something felt wrong.

The guards rotated in pairs every half hour, their boots usually a steady background rhythm. But tonight…nothing. No footsteps. No low chatter. Only the faint hum of the generator.

I slipped out, barefoot, each step cautious on the carpet. I should have g
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  • Step Brother's Deadly Obsession    102

    Naomi’s Pov The warehouse loomed over us like a giant holding its breath. The metal walls were streaked with rust, the windows blacked out with grime. Even the moonlight seemed afraid to touch it. Mara finished looping the cameras and gave a tight nod. “We have three minutes before the system overrides. Move fast.” Rubio crouched low, slipping ahead to check the corner. Cassian stayed right beside me, not behind me, not in front, right there, close enough that our shoulders almost brushed. I could feel the tension humming off him. It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t impatience. It was fear quiet, controlled, and directed entirely at me. I whispered, “Cassian, I’m fine.” “You’re not leaving my sight.” “I wasn’t planning to.” “You say that now.” I almost smiled. “You’re impossible.” He looked at me with a quick glance, soft and warm enough to break something inside me. “And you’re reckless,” he murmured. Rubio whispered through the comm, “If you two start flirting during a missio

  • Step Brother's Deadly Obsession    101

    Naomi’s Pov The night felt too still. Not peaceful just… waiting. The kind of stillness that presses into your skin and makes every breath feel louder than it should. The kind that warned me something could happen at any second. We stood outside the safehouse, the cold air brushing against my face. The van was ready, engine humming quietly while Rubio triple-checked the tires like as might betray us. Mara loaded the last of the equipment in the back. She moved with her usual calm, but I saw it the way her eyes flicked between Cassian and me. Observant. Knowing. Quietly amused. Cassian stood a few steps away from everyone, staring down the dark road ahead. He’d been silent since we geared up, body tense, jaw locked in that way that meant he was thinking too much and trusting too little. I approached him slowly. Not wanting to startle him. Not wanting to break whatever fragile thing was holding him together. He didn’t look at me at first. But when he did, it wasn’t the hard,

  • Step Brother's Deadly Obsession    100

    Naomi’s Pov The gear room in the safehouse was cramped, lit by a single hanging bulb that flickered every few minutes. Metal shelves lined the walls, stacked with vests, ammo, radios, and a mess of equipment that only made sense to people who lived in Cassian’s world. Rubio sorted through a crate on the floor, cursing under his breath at tangled wires. Mara checked her guns on the small workbench, cleaning each one with practiced ease. And Cassian… Cassian didn’t take his eyes off me. Not directly he wasn’t staring but every time I looked up, every time I reached for something, every time I shifted my weight, his head turned, his gaze flickered, his attention locked instantly. It wasn’t protective anymore. It was deeper. Worried. Focused. Afraid. I grabbed a vest from the shelf. It was heavier than I remembered, smelling faintly of metal and something chemical. When I struggled with the straps for half a second, Cassian appeared beside me like he teleported. “Let me,” he

  • Step Brother's Deadly Obsession    99

    Naomi’s Pov The safehouse office was small, barely big enough for a desk, two chairs, and the map Cassian had taped on the wall. The blinds were half-broken, letting in slivers of light that made dust float in the air like tiny secrets. Cassian stood with his back to the door, staring at the map. Not studying it. Not marking anything. Just staring. His hands were braced on the table, head bowed slightly, shoulders tight. He looked like a man fighting with himself. I stepped inside quietly. He heard me instantly. He always did. He straightened, but didn’t turn around. Not yet. “Close the door.” I did. For a moment, the only sound was the generator humming outside and my own heartbeat. Finally, Cassian turned. He looked exhausted not in the physical way, but in the emotional way. The kind that fills your eyes and stays in your posture no matter how much you try to hide it. “You came,” he said softly. “You told me to.” He nodded, but something in his face said he didn’t

  • Step Brother's Deadly Obsession    98

    Naomi’s Pov The kitchen was warm, lit with the soft yellow bulbs that flickered every few seconds. The safehouse wasn’t built for comfort, but something about the morning light made it feel gentler than it had any right to be. The three girls sat at the table tired, stiff, blinking into their cups of warm tea like they didn’t trust anything in front of them. I understood that feeling. Cassian stood near the counter, watching them with a tightness in his jaw he didn’t bother hiding. His shoulders were tense, but not in the same way as last night. This was… different. Protective. Careful. Like he didn’t want his presence to scare them. Rubio placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of the youngest girl with a soft smile. “There you go, sweetheart. Careful, it’s hot.” The girl didn’t touch the bowl. Her small hands tucked into the sleeves of her borrowed sweater. She kept staring at Cassian like he was a storm she didn’t know how to predict. He noticed. Of course he noticed. Cassian’s

  • Step Brother's Deadly Obsession    97

    Naomi’s Pov I woke up before the sun. Not because I slept well, I didn’t, but because something warm sat heavy in the room, like the air itself refused to let me drift too far from reality. My eyes opened slowly. Cassian was sitting in the wooden chair across from the bed, elbows on his knees, head tilted slightly forward. His hair was messy, the kind of messy that comes from running your hand through it too many times. The lamp was off now, but a faint gray light seeped through the small window behind him. He wasn’t asleep. He was watching me. Or… maybe watching over me. The realization hit slowly, soft as a heartbeat: He hadn’t slept. Not even for a minute. My voice came out rough. “Cassian?” His eyes snapped up instantly. Too fast. Too alert. “Did I wake you?” he asked quietly. “No. Were you… sitting there all night?” He didn’t answer immediately. His jaw worked once, like he was choosing between honesty and hiding. Finally, he sighed. “I couldn’t sleep.” “Because

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