Page 76 of Knot All that Glitters: Part 1

The hug isn’t like how it is when I hug Haven. This feels an awful like how I imagine hugging a sister would feel. Warm with affection, but none of the lust. Which is… strange considering I’m an alpha, and she’s an omega, but then… not every alpha and omega are compatible. Beyond that, I’m so fucking tangled up in Haven that there isn’t room for anything else.

She wipes her nose and tears on my shirt and leans back, multi-colored eyes red rimmed and puffy. Her cheeks are flushed, and I don’t know if it’s because she’s embarrassed or just from crying. She licks her lips and clears her throat. “Sorry. I just… It’s such a relief. I want her to be safe. To be away from him for good.”

I nod and swipe my thumb over her cheek. “We’ll do that. I promise, Flo. We’ll take care of her.”

I mean it. I really do. Haven doesn’t deserve what her father is doing to her. No one does. I just hope my pack mates don’t make a fucking liar out of me.

She gives me a smile and leans back, gaze flicking around the cafe, taking in the curious stares. “Get off your knees, Tic, or someone’s going to think you’re proposing to me.”

I smirk at her. “Not a chance, Flo. Not with how you’ve been blubbering like an idiot. They’re more likely to think I’m breaking up with you.”

A reluctant laugh falls from her mouth as I push to my feet and return to my chair. “You should call me Ren,” she says as I settle into the seat. Her nose wrinkles. “I hate Florence. And Flo just reminds me of a period.”

I blink at her, not getting what she means. She tilts her head. “You know, like ‘my Aunt Flo is coming to town’. Beta females say that when they’re on their periods.” It takes a moment, but I get it. My cheeks flush a bright red and Ren bursts out laughing, a dramatic change from how she was just crying. She points at my face and chuckles again. “Oh my god, that’s cute. I’m going to delight in telling Haven how uncomfortable you get while discussing periods.”

I grin right back at her, liking that she’s back to joking, though there’s still that underlying tinge of sadness. She takes a sip of her hot chocolate. Whipped cream dots the tip of her nose when she sets her cup back down.

Her brow furrows again, face growing serious. “I want to help. Whatever way I can. I want to help you get her away from him. I’ll tell you everything I can. Whatever you need.”

I nod and pick up my Americano, sipping it even though I don’t need the caffeine. Or maybe I do. I have a feeling we have a long night of planning ahead of us.

Chapter 19: She has little slip ups

“She’s not here.” The flat reply meets our request to see Haven. Hale growls at the speaker box next to the front gate of the Bell residence.

“Yes, she fucking is,” he snarls back. I wince at his tone and his language, even if I can’t entirely blame him for it. We’ve been sitting here for five minutes arguing for the right to see Haven. “Look man, just tell her the Calloway pack is here to see her. She’ll tell you to let us in.”

“I would, Mr. Calloway, but Miss Bell isn’t currently here. You’ll need to come back later.”

The line cuts off and Hale curses louder, before stabbing at the call button again. A weary sigh filters through the speaker. “Sir, if you don’t remove yourselves from the premises, I’ll have to call the police.”

“Oh, yes,” Creed growls out. “Let’s call the police so you can explain how you’re keeping a woman prisoner.”

“Jesus Christ,” the man on the other end of the line sounds really frustrated now. “She’s not a prisoner. She lives here. They’ll arrest you. Please remove yourselves from the premises before I have to take action.”

I swear as the line cuts out on his side; I hear the sweet sound of Haven’s voice come over the speaker. “Chuck? What’s going on-”

“Not fucking here, my ass,” Tic mutters, running a hand down his face. We’re all exhausted. We’ve been up for nearly twenty-four hours, hashing out the best plan to get our girl safe, everything from breaking in to kidnap her, to moving up the timeline of our revenge plan, which would be difficult, since it has so many moving pieces, but not impossible.

We’d decided to try this approach first, though. Just showing up to see her, hoping against fucking hope that Frederick Bell wouldn’t have thought to bar us as visitors, but it seems that he has.

Hale is readying to jab the button again, but the static buzzing sound of it being activated on the other side comes first. “Please, sir, I urge you to remove yourself from the property. Miss Bell wouldn’t want you to be arrested for simply trying to see her.”

That twists up my heart. He’s right. But more than that, I’m pretty sure our girl is standing next to the guard, telling him to make us go. Not because she wants us to, but because she has to, guided by her father’s commands.

Hale must think the same thing. He glances at us, reading our expressions, the determination in our eyes. His mouth tightens, and he turns back to jab the speaker button again. This time when he speaks, his voice is softer, so much softer. “Haven, I know you’re there, listening like the quiet little mouse you are. We’re leaving, but we aren’t going far, okay? And we’re coming back. I promise you. We’re coming back.” He releases the buttonand we all wait, holding our breath in case she presses the button on the other side of the line and says something, but just like with our calls and texts, there’s only silence in response.

Hale sighs and rolls up his window, before turning on the car and carefully backing down the drive.

“So that’s it?” I can’t help but ask. “That’s as far as we’re pushing it?”

“She’s scared, Jude,” Tic says, staring hard out the window, hands fisted on his thighs like it’s the only way to keep his rage in check.

“And under her father’s control,” Creed says. “She can’t do anything but what he wants her to right now. And right now he wants her to cut all communication with us.”

Hale backs onto the road and then pulls across the street to park. He wasn’t lying when he said we weren’t going far. I expected him to head back to our pack house so we can regroup, figure out the next step.

But apparently our next step is sitting here waiting for Frederick Bell to come home. Because while we know Haven hasn’t left the house, we also know that Bell left early this morning, and he plans to return home for a ‘private’ meeting this afternoon.

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