Page 114 of Believe it or Knot

I swallow thickly, and jerk at my wrists, trying to free myself, but nothing happens. Of course it doesn’t. I’m not exactly an expert on escaping impossible situations. “Just tell me!”

The only other reason I can think why I would be kidnapped is because of… Liam. Is this guy a stalker? Trying to get Liam to come to him, using me as bait. I’d laugh at the absurdity of that happening if I wasn’t pissed off about it.

“He won’t come for me,” I say, pretending like the truth of those words doesn’t tear me up inside. “None of them will. Haven’t you seen the news? Hollis Grailess is cozied up with their pack and I’m a vile, lying, conniving woman hellbent on destroying them. They don’t couldn’t care less about me.”

He frowns, running his eyes over me. “Who?” Then his chin jerks up as understanding must hit. “Oh, we don’t give a shit about the Cordova pack. Though if I’m being honest, I’d pick you over her any day. She’s too skinny. I like a woman with a little cushion on her.” His tongue swipes his bottom lip as he smirks at me like this is a compliment.

And stupid me, I reply with, “I-Thank you? I guess?”

He shrugs. “You’re welcome.” He leans against the wall. “But no, this isn’t a ploy to get Liam Cordova to give himself over to my wicked ways. In fact, this isn’t even really about you.”

My frown deepens. “I beg to differ. If it’s not about me, then why the hell am I tied to this chair?”

His head tilts toward the door next to him, like he’s hearing something I can’t make out. “Ah, right on time.” His strange colored eyes move to me. “Don’t worry, little beta. You’ll get your answers soon.”

I strain my ears to hear whatever he heard, and when I do the blood drains from my face. The faint sound of shouting reaches me through the walls and door. A voice that I recognize all too well.

Hearing the voice, I know who this man works for. I know why I’ve been taken.

“Apex,” I breathe, and my captor laughs.

“Got it in one.” He beams at me. Then he wobbles his head like he’s considering. “Well, not in one per se, since you first thought I was with the Stillwells and then thought I was trying to seduce the Cordovas. But you get it.”

I nod slowly. “Yeah, I do.” I get that I am fucked. Just like he said.

The door opens and in walks a giant of a man, a twin to the one standing in front of me, but with slightly longer hair and wearing a horse mask. Slung over his shoulder in a fireman carry, hands bound at the wrists and ankles, is Sadie. She’s cursing up a storm, struggling like hell against her bindings, and looks like she’s trying to throw herself off his back. It won’t happen though, because his hands are laced through her bound arms and legs.

“Sadie,” I choke out and she goes still, silver eyes finding my face, a look of horror on hers when she confirms it is, in fact, me.

“No,” my friend snarls. “No. You fucking assholes! Leave her out of this!”

The one holding her just tsks and heaves her off his back, lifting her over his head before he puts her in the seat next to me, making quick work of tying her down the same way I am. She fights the entire time. I wonder why I was drugged, and she’s obviously not.

Maybe just a difference between who snagged us?

Though if they were smart, they would have drugged Sadie and left me awake. I’m not a fighter like she is. I probably would have held my hands out to be tied up just to make it easier for all of us.

When he’s done tying down Sadie, he steps back and leans against the wall next to his partner, in the same position, arms crossed over their chests, the sole of one boot pressed against the cinderblock. My friend keeps her eyes on him, her silver glare narrowed to pinpoints.

“What are you waiting for?” she asks, tone mocking.

Neither of the men in front of us rises to the bait. “One more.”

If I had any blood left in my face, it would have drained at that, because with Sadie and I already here, there’s only one more person I can think of that they would go after. And sure enough, two more men enter, both wearing. One is wearing a pig mask and the other a bunny. The second one is holding Vee in his arms, her head is resting on his chest, her eyes closed.

I have a moment of panic, where I think that maybe they’ve killed her, but her chest rises and falls with gentle breaths.

The first one stops and stares at me and Sadie, head cocked slightly. Then he turns to the two men with us. “You didn’t drug her?”

The one who brought in Sadie shrugs. “You know I like it when they fight. And this little omega had a lot of fucking fight.”

I watch as bunny mask places Sylvie in the chair on my other side from Sadie, almost reverently. When she mutters incoherently, he settles her, smooths her hair back from her face and makes sure her head isn’t tilted at an angle that’s going to give her a crick in her neck when she wakes up. He’s so fucking gentle with her that I have a momentary burst of hope that maybe he won’t tie her to the chair, but that hope is smashed when he loops a rope around each of her wrists.

Then the four of them stand in front of us, a veritable wall of muscle. It’s creepy. All of them in masks just staring at us.

“So what happens now?” Sadie asks, straining against her ropes. “You hand us over to Apex and allow them to run medical tests on us.”

I lick my lips and glance at Sylvie, still asleep, then look at the bunny, remembering the way he was so careful with her. “I thought alphas were supposed to protect omegas.”

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