Dark Obsession

Chapter Eleven: Brother's Club

The club was a cathedral of neon and glass, pulsating with a bass that felt like a physical heartbeat. It was my brother’s territory, a place where he held court and where these five men had once stood as his untouchable enforcers. Tonight, they weren't his. They were my shadow. I walked through the VIP entrance, dressed in a gown of liquid silver that left very little to the imagination. Behind me, the five of them moved in a tight, V-shaped formation. They wore black suits that cost more than most people's cars, their expressions carved from stone. The "dark predatory glasses" were back, masking their eyes, but their focus was singular. "Wait," I commanded, stopping just before we reached the main floor. The pack stopped instantly. Five lethal men stood perfectly still in the middle of the crowded walkway, ignoring the stares of the elite.

"I want to sit at the center table," I said, pointing to the elevated booth where my brother was already surrounded by his usual hangers-on. "But I don't want to walk. Caleb, Silas—carry me." It was a blatant display of subjection. In a room full of people who knew them as hardened, dangerous men, I was asking them to play the role of servants. Without a second of hesitation, Silas and Caleb stepped forward. They locked their arms together, creating a seat. I sat back, draping my arms over their shoulders as they lifted me. Leo led the way, his presence parting the crowd like a blade through silk, while Jax and Ezra flanked us, their hands resting near their waistbands, eyes scanning for any sign of disrespect. When we reached the booth, my brother’s glass stopped halfway to his mouth. His face went pale as he looked at his best friends—the men he trusted with his life—carrying me like a trophy. "What is this?" he stammered, standing up. "Leo? Jax? What the hell are you doing?"

I didn't answer. I leaned back as Silas and Caleb lowered me onto the leather seat at the head of the table—the seat my brother usually occupied. "They're showing the room who they answer to," I said, my voice cool and carrying over the music. I looked up at the five men standing in a semi-circle behind my chair. "Leo, he’s looking at me the wrong way. Remind him of the new rules." Leo stepped forward, looming over my brother. He didn't use a weapon; he simply placed a heavy hand on my brother's shoulder and forced him back down into a side chair. The message was clear: my brother was a guest in a house he thought he owned. "The pact has changed, Marcus," Leo said, his voice a low, terrifying rumble. "If you want to talk to her, you look at the floor. If you want to stay in this room, you stay quiet." I took a sip of the champagne Ezra had already poured for me, watching the shift in the room. The test was a success. In front of the world they once ruled, they had chosen to be my pets.