Page 103 of Believe it or Knot

“Down, vixen.”

Sylvie nods slowly. “Yeah, Sade. He knows what they did. We don’t have to rehash it with him.”

“What we did?” I say, shifting forward, suddenly furious at all of them. At this ambush. At Sorrel herself. “What the fuck did we do except let her in, open our hearts to her? She’s the one that-” Abruptly, I cut off. I don’t have to do this with them. I don’t have to defend myself or my actions to them. Taking a deep breath, I lean back again. “Just tell me why you’re here.”

Sadie and Sylvie exchange a look, and then Sylvie slides an envelope onto my desk. I frown as I pick it up and peek inside. A check. For the exact amount we paid the Stillwell pack to leave Sorrel alone.

It makes me fucking furious seeing it. I toss the envelope back on the desk. “What the hell is this?”

“Sorrel was afraid you’d resent helping her out. She didn’t want this to be a loose thread. We’re tying it up for her,” Sadie says, voice and eyes hard.

“That money was a gift,” I say through gritted teeth. A gift we gave willingly, even if she manipulated us into it. I never intended for her to actually pay us back. The payments she made were going to be routed to a savings account for her.

Sylvie shrugs. “She didn’t view it that way. She always intended to pay you back. It’s even more important to her now that you aren’t together anymore.”

The other omega leans into my brother’s chest. “And since you’ve proven to be absolute fucking assholes that Sorrel should never have to see again, we’re taking care of it for her.” Luca drops a kiss onto her temple, and I’m momentarily so fucking jealous of the easy affection between the two of them that my heart thunders.

That’s exactly what I imagined it would be like with Sorrel, before she proved herself to be a viper.

“Since you accused her of being money hungry,” Sylvie says, harshly. Jackson’s hand slides onto the back of her neck, squeezing slightly. “She sent all of that along, too.” She motions with a hand to the left, and I follow the direction she points to bag after bag of stuff.

I push away from my desk and peek inside the first one. Shoes, still in their boxes. The next is full of dresses. I catch sight of a guitar case, more than one, since Liam wanted her to have options. I don’t check every bag, but I’m pretty sure every item we ever bought her is here.

My stomach lurches, seeing it all. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Sorrel really didn’t give a shit about what we could give her. And even if she enjoyed the gifts, is that a bad thing when we enjoyed giving them to her?

But then I scan the bags again, looking for the items I know were purchased using the black card I gave her, only an hour after we found out the truth. I look for the five hundred dollar order from IndulgScents. The thousand dollar makeup order placed with Sephora. I look for the two thousand dollar purse from Harlow and the thousand dollar trench coat that matches. I look for all the items I know Sorrel bought before I blocked the card and not one of them is there.

Because she doesn’t know I know about them.

This is another manipulation.

“This isn’t everything,” I say harshly, squashing the hope that had built in my chest. “She’s trying to manipulate us into believing her innocence. Again.”

Sadie growls at me, while Vee arches her brow. “If something’s missing, that’s on me and Sadie. Sorrel had nothing to do with packing up the shit you bought her. Give us a list and we’ll get it to you.”

“A list? Here’s the list. Everything she bought on my black card after she was caught!” I shout at them. “How about that? Huh? The thousands of dollars’ worth of shit she purchased an hour after leaving without a backward glance. Like we meant fucking nothing to her.”

Sylvie stands and smooths her hands down the front of her jeans as Jackson moves to her side, his hand resting at the base of her spine as he glares at me, a low warning growl rumbling from his chest. I’m not even sure why he came since he hasn’t said a fucking word. Same with Luca.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. An hour after Sorrel left you, she was with me and Sadie at the Falcone pack house.”

“Crying her eyes out because some douchebag alphas broke her heart,” Sadie adds standing as well. Luca rises behind her, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her into his chest. “She certainly wasn’t on a shopping spree.”

Doubt creeps in, but these are Sorrel’s best friends. Who’s to say they aren’t all in on it together? The two of them have snagged two of the wealthiest packs in the country. Maybe it’s all a manipulation. Maybe my little brother needs to watch his back with a girl like Sadie in his bed.

Sadie, who’s eyeing me like I’m shit on her shoe. “And just in case you think we might be in on the manipulation, we have time stamped security footage of her arrival and she hasn’t left since.”

“Sorrel said she gave everything but the clothes on her back to one of the PAs at the interview,” Sylvie says, turning toward the door, Jackson right on her heels. “Including your precious black card. You might check with that girl for the missing items. Please pack up the clothing Sorrel left at your place, her own clothes not the high priced bullshit you bought her and send it to one of us. Do not send it to Sorrel directly. We’ll get it to her.”

“If there’s anything else missing once you’ve sorted through all that, send the list to Luca,” Sadie all but snarls at me. “Do not reach out to Sorrel. She doesn’t want to hear from you, fuckface.”

Luca chuckles and ushers her toward the door, dropping a kiss on her temple. “I’m gonna have a quick chat with my brother, vixen. Go wait with Jackson and Vee.”

She smiles up at him, before popping up to press a kiss to his lips, murmuring, “Give him hell, baby.”

She glares at me one more time and then turns to leave, letting out a squeak when Luca swats her bottom.

My brother watches her go and then turns to face me, his expression stony. “You really fucked up here, Grayson.”

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