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44

Penulis: Ona Hearts
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-10-14 00:26:38

Cassian’s POV

The war room was lit like a crime scene. Maps spread across the long oak table, red string tethering photographs of men who had once been my allies, pins stabbing paper until the walls themselves looked wounded.

Smoke curled in the air, sharp from too many cigarettes. The men around me spoke in low voices, but all I heard was silence, Naomi’s absence ringing louder than any words.

I hadn’t slept. I hadn’t eaten. The only thing steady in my hands was her pistol, which I kept beside me on the table as if the steel might speak her name back to me.

“Three safehouses already checked,” Rubio said, breaking the silence. He shoved a folder forward, paper sliding against wood. “Nothing. Just empty beds and men too scared to look us in the eye.”

“They’re hiding her,” Mara muttered. She was leaning against the far wall, arms crossed, her dark eyes watching me too closely. “This isn’t about ransom. It’s leverage.”

Her words stabbed deeper than she knew.

I rubbed a hand acro
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  • Step Brother's Deadly Obsession    103

    Naomi’s Pov The shadow disappeared behind a tall stack of crates, leaving only silence in its wake. Too quiet. Too sharp. Cassian raised a fist for everyone to stop. We froze instantly. He angled his body in front of mine, just slightly, his arm brushing my stomach as he blocked my path without even realizing he’d done it. “Something’s here,” he whispered. His voice wasn’t afraid It was focused. Controlled. But underneath that control lived a tension I felt more than I heard. Rubio whispered through the comms, “Boss, the outside camera just caught someone circling the back door. Hoodie, mask. Lone figure.” Mara cursed under her breath. “Inside and outside. Perfect.” Cassian didn’t move his eyes from the shadows ahead. “Naomi, behind me.” “I am behind you.” “No,” he whispered. “Closer.” My breath tripped. I stepped closer until my front brushed his back. His muscles tensed under me, but he didn’t push me away. He exhaled softly, almost in relief. “Just like that.”

  • 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

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