Page 4 of BounBound By Scars

“Shut up, I’m just tired,” I shot back at my brother, pushing the double doors open with a bit more zeal than necessary. Dylan’s chuckle followed me as I walked in.

Two steps in and my eyes, those traitors, zipped straight to Kabir, wearing his usual, green, oversized hoodie that I loved. The one I had bought—and stolen from time to time.

He was piling his plate high with eggs. Seriously, eggs again? What was with this guy and his relentless egg affair?

Why do I care about eggs right now?

Slinking past Zarek and Leora, who were wrapped up in each other like octopuses in a love tank, I headed straight for the buffet. Just as I reached for a plate, Kabir looked up and flashed that maddeningly handsome smile that should be illegal before noon.

“Hey, Lia. The eggs are exceptional today.” He heaped another spoonful onto his plate, the eggs practically toppling over the edge. “Scrambled?” He nodded toward my empty plate with a panty-melting grin.

Bastard.

He was acting polite, which wasnotthe Kabir Gill playbook I was used to.

“Are you okay?” I blurted out, half expecting him to confess to being abducted by body-snatching aliens.

His eyes widened for a split second before gaining composure. “I’m completely fine. Areyouokay?” He said.

I was trying to find my fineness in the deep recesses of my mind when I saw Sebastian stride towards us.

“Hey sweetheart,” his gravelly voice sounded near my ear a bit too close. “The bacon is exquisite today.”

Great!Now I had to choose between eggs and bacon—or rather Kabir and Sebastian.

I created a mental bubble around myself, ignoring the two of them, and filled my plate with baked potatoes and sausages. Feeling a gaze as I walked towards the table, I couldn’t make out whose eyes followed me, but I didn’t break my confident stroll.

The breakfast table was buzzing when Logan, Kaylan, Delara, and Zane joined us, filling out our little morning assembly to a full ten. We all crowded around the huge black marble table, only the soft clinking of cutlery breaking the quiet. Kabir, as always, snagged the seat next to me.

There was a weird vibe in the air—tense, like everyone was holding their breath. I figured it was less about our little moment and more about the whole Bitch debacle from last night.

Zane broke the ice, all business. “Kabir, the hard drive from your laptop is safe and sound. Everything’s backed up, right?”

“Got it all,” Kabir shot back, all confidence.

I couldn’t help but jump in, needing to know more. “Any chance a signal got out before we shut it down?”

“Nope, we’re clear,” Kabir assured me with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes.

I forced a smile. “Well, that’s a relief.”

Sebastian leaned forward. “So, what do we got?”

Kabir wiped his mouth, done with his breakfast assault. “We’ve got everything—the coordinates for all the Crazon deliveries. We think the Crazons are meant to be a golden ticket for a select few, ensuring they’d stay safe and off-grid.”

I raised an eyebrow. “And the bigger picture?”

Zane took over, simplifying things with his usual flair. “Imagine a high-stakes con where you make every nuclear power think they’re about to be hit. They panic, you sell them overpriced survival gear—Crazon, blast-resistant body armor, thermal-regulating survival suit, anti-radiation medication kits, customized armored vehicles, the works. And with Crazon, you control what they see and hear. You even have the global doom switch with the Crazon.”

Leora snorted, her brow furrowed. “You gotta dumb it down a bit further, Zane.”

“Okay, it’s like telling everyone it’ll rain fire, selling them expensive umbrellas, then controlling the weather,” Zane clarified with a smirk.

Leora rolled her eyes and smiled. “Manipulating global paranoia for profit,” she summarized, shaking her head. “Pretty slick.”

Kabir added his two cents. “Every activated Crazon means they’ve got another puppet on their strings. It’s not just greed—it’s a full-on power play. They’ve got thirteen active Crazon devices, as of now.”

Zarek leaned in, intrigued. “So, is this a metaphorical doom switch?”