All Chapters of Step Brother's Deadly Obsession : Chapter 51 - Chapter 57

Naomi’s POV Days had begun to blend together, thin as mist. The only way I could tell one from another was by the light that crept through the barred window. When the pale gray deepened to gold, I knew it was morning. When the shadows stretched, I knew the day had passed without rescue. The guards had grown bored of me. That was their first mistake. They no longer came in groups of three. Only one stood watch outside now, leaning on the doorframe, humming sometimes. The limp one, always chewing on a matchstick, his rifle slung carelessly across his back. He thought I was harmless. A girl in chains, waiting for her savior. He didn’t realize I’d stopped waiting. I’d started listening. The rhythm of the generators outside, the creak in the pipes, even the faint static hum that came from the red camera light above the door. That sound had been a background noise at first, something I ignored while counting hours. But over time, I realized it wasn’t constant, it flickered, faintl

Naomi’s Pov; I sat on the cot, staring at the mark I’d carved into the wall days ago. The wolf’s head looked rougher now, the edges darkened from the soot that drifted through the vents. I traced it with my fingertip, whispering the same promise I said every night. He’s coming. The sound reached me then. Distant at first, something metallic, a muffled pop, then another. It was sharper, faster. Gunfire. I froze, breath catching in my throat. The guard outside shouted. Boots pounded down the hall. Voices overlapped, curses, commands. And then the lights went out. The sudden darkness was absolute. I could hear my own heartbeat, the clink of my chains when I stood. For one heartbeat, I thought maybe Reyes was moving me again, that this was another trick to make me hope. But the next sound shattered that doubt: the roar of an explosion somewhere above, the ceiling trembling, dust raining down like ash. The door burst open, flooding the cell with light from the hall. The limping gu

Naomi’s Pov; The days after the rescue felt unreal, like waking up inside someone else’s dream. The safe-house was quiet, almost too quiet. Every sound seemed magnified, the hum of the generator, the shuffle of guards outside, the faint clink of dishes from the kitchen below. My body healed faster than my mind. Bruises faded, cuts closed, but my thoughts kept looping back to the cell, to the scent of iron and smoke, to the sound of Cassian’s voice cutting through the chaos. He hadn’t left my side for the first two nights. He’d sat in the chair beside my cot, half asleep, half awake, his pistol resting on the table. Sometimes I’d wake in the dark and find his gaze already on me, as if making sure I was still there. He didn’t talk much. Neither did I. Silence had become the language between us, heavy, necessary, almost tender. On the third morning, Mara brought me a tray of food and a manila folder. “Cassian’s orders,” she said. “He thought you’d want to see this.” Inside we

Naomi’s POV The drive back to the city felt longer than it should have. The wind carried the scent of rain and burned metal through the open windows, and though Cassian’s hand never left the wheel, his mind was miles away, probably tracing lines of war I couldn’t yet see. The note burned in his coat pocket like a live ember. I could almost feel its heat from where I sat. Beatrice’s handwriting haunted me, every word felt like a ghost come to accuse. When we reached the safe house, the air was thick with tension. Guards were changing shifts, radios buzzing, eyes flicking toward us for answers they wouldn’t get. Cassian handed Rubio the note’s coordinates with a terse order. “Run it through everything we have. Cross-check against Syndicate patterns.” Rubio nodded and disappeared into the operations room. Mara followed, already on her comms. That left Cassian and me alone again. He walked to the window, staring out at the skyline. Rain had started to fall, soft at first, then he