Page 47 of Shadows of Obsession

The sense of dread that settled in my chest was heavy. Suffocating.

I turned to Connor, not bothering to hide the anxiety on my face.

"What the hell was that, Connor?"

I closed and locked the front door behind me, something I hadn't felt the need to do since arriving here.

Connor sat on the bottom step leading upstairs, his head resting on his crossed arms. He slowly shook his head, looking drained.

"Like everything else about Jaxon," he said, his voice low and weary, "it isn't my story to tell. But I can say this—stay away from Jared if you see him around. Don't let yourself get stuck alone with him."

He paused, then lifted his head, his expression serious.

"It's common knowledge in town that he was deep into drugs a while back. He went away for it, and there's been no contact with Jaxon since. I'm guessing he just got out recently and came crawling back, looking for support."

Connor stood and stretched, his movements stiff, then walked to the fridge and pulled out a beer.

Drugs. Prison. And now he's back… digging his claws into Jaxon.

My concern deepened as I watched Connor's reaction. This wasn't just a bad encounter, it was bad news. And Jaxon was in the middle of it. Alone.

I pulled out my phone to message him, just to make sure he was okay. But as I opened the app, I saw the earlier message I'd sent was to the group chat, not to Connor privately.

Which meant… Jaxon had seen it, too.

The realization hit me with sudden force.

His arrival hadn't been a coincidence. He'd seen my message and come running.

He'd dropped everything, left whatever he was doing, to come protect me from his brother.

The realization hit me like a wave. Something warm and complicated twisted in my chest.

I opened a new thread with just Jaxon. My fingers hovered over the keyboard for a beat before I finally typed:

[Me]:Please let us know you're okay.

His response came quickly:

[Jaxon]:I will.

Brief. Curt. But it brought a small measure of relief. I slipped my phone into my pocket and let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

It didn't erase the unease churning in my gut about Jared's return, or what it meant for Jaxon, but at least he knew we were worried. That we were here.

I curled up in the den, my knees tucked beneath me as I leaned into the armrest. I'd clicked on Netflix, letting some random movie play in the background, trying to fill the silence that blanketed the house like fog.

Connor sat beside me, handing me a beer without a word. His second of the night, by the looks of it. His eyes were on the screen, but he wasn't really watching.

The first movie came and went. I couldn't have told you what it was about if my life depended on it. My mind kept replaying the porch scene—Jared's cruel smirk, the way Jaxon had trembled with rage.

Connor and I barely spoke, trading the occasional meaningless comment about the film. The waiting stretched endlessly, like a rubber band pulled too tight, threatening to snap.

When Connor finally stood to make dinner, I realized I'd been holding onto the hope that Jaxon would walk through the door any second. That he'd return, reassure us that everything was fine.

We ate in the den, letting the next movie play in the background—just in case. But the anticipation was like a dull weight pressing down on both of us.

Near midnight, the glow from our phones broke through the stillness. We both reached for them at once, hearts in our throats.