Page 77 of Knot All that Glitters: Part 1

“So, this is our new plan?” Creed asks, sounding pissed off. “A fucking stakeout?”

“We can’t just go burst in there with guns blazing,” Hale says, shutting off the car and leaning back against the headrest.

“I don’t see why not. They’re keeping her locked in there against her fucking will.”

“We don’t know if she cares about anyone in there,” I say, staring hard at the gates, willing them to open and our girl to step through. “We might shoot the wrong person and she’d hate us for it.”

“She’s going to hate us anyway,” Creed murmurs. My heart sinks because he might be fucking right.

“Only if she finds out about it.” Hale twists his head to peer at Creed sitting next to him. “Which she won’t because none of us are going to fucking tell her, right?”

Creed’s jaw tightens and releases. I think he might argue that Haven deserves to know everything, but then he gives a jerky nod. Hale blows out a relieved breath.

“It’ll only hurt her, Creed,” he whispers.

“I thought that was your whole plan. To hurt her.”

“And now I’m saying we aren’t going to fucking do that. You should be happy. You got what you wanted.”

“Right.Thisis what I wanted.”

Hale groans. “Jesus, Creed. What do you want from me? I’m trying here. Legitimately trying to see a way forward without hurting her. Without destroying her. That is what you wanted, right? To still get revenge on Bell, but to save Haven the pain of knowing we used her?” Creed gives a jerky nod. “Then this is the way forward. We can tell her about Janie and about her father, what he’s really like. We can even tell her it’s the reason we approached her to begin with, but…”

“We won’t tell her about the game,” Tic finishes. “Right? None of that bullshit. I don’t want her to think we used her like that.”

God, the very idea of her every finding out is like a knife to my gut. Creed glances over his shoulder at me. “Delete the spreadsheet and all the proof off your laptop.”

My brows jump. “Everything?”

“Yes, fuckingeverything.”

Hale nods his agreement with Creed. “I don’t want to risk her finding it.”

“She won’t. You know how complex my passwords are. She’ll never guess it. And she has her own computer. She’s not going to need to borrow mine.”

The back of Tic’s hand hits my chest, hard. “Just fucking delete it.”

I don’t even know why I’m arguing with them about it, trying to keep from needing to get rid of the evidence of our crime. It would be devastating if Haven found out. Beyond devastating. She would literally never forgive us. Ever.

“Ow.” I rub at my pec. “I’ll delete it when I get home. Okay?” The three of them exchange a look. “What?”

“Really delete it, Jude. I swear to fuck if I find out you’ve kept it because of your voyeuristic bullshit, I’ll end you.” Creed’s tone brooks no arguments.

I sniff, offended. “Don’t yuck my yum, asshole. Sue me if I enjoy watching you fuck our girl, watching as she lets go and submits to the pleasure we give her.” Shit. Just the memory of it is enough to get me hard.

“Jude.”

I throw up my hands. “Fine. Fine. I promise I’ll delete every file I have of us fucking Haven.”

“And the scoresheet.”

“And the scoresheet.”

Creed pins me with a hard look before turning back around to stare at the gate and the house beyond it. Haven is so close and yet so fucking far. I need to see her, need to know she’s okay. I need to get her safe and sound. My alpha has been low key panicking ever since she left our house, but Tic’s news that her father has been controlling her via alpha barks has sent him over the fucking edge, I swear.

“Oh, here we go,” Hale mutters as a car we recognize all too well approaches the gate. Without hesitating, Hale hops out of the car and jogs after it. The rest of us are right on his heels. Ihave no clue what the plan is here. Our prime didn’t tell us, but whatever it is, I have to trust that it’ll help us get to Haven.

As the gates swing open, the car slows to a stop. We slow our steps when the driver’s door opens and a man wearing a black suit, white shirt and black tie steps out. He’s wearing sunglasses even though it’s not sunny, and he looks like an off-brand Man in Black. He smooths a hand down the front of his jacket and pops open the back door. A moment later, Frederick Bell unfolds his big body from the car, turning to face us with that charming smile I hate so much on his stupid fucking face.

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