Page 76 of Knot Unwanted: Part Two

“Yes.” Ren's voice is grim. “Heath’s work. It’s the real thing, and it’s strong.”

“Fuck,” Stone mutters. “We’ll meet you at the cabin. How far out are you?”

“About forty minutes, if the roads are clear.”

Forty minutes. The thought makes me sob, my fingers working desperately between my legs again. I can’t wait forty minutes. I’ll die. I’ll literally die.

“Hailey?” Jax’s voice, more commanding than the others, worried. “Are you there, sweetheart? Talk to us.”

I try to respond, but all that comes out is a needy whimper. It’s too much—their voices, Ren’s scent, the constant thrum of need pulsing through me.

“She can’t really talk right now,” Ren says tightly. “The heat…it’s consuming her.”

There’s a moment of silence as they process this.

“Ren,” Finn says finally, his voice careful. “You’re driving?”

Something passes over Ren’s face—pain, maybe, or determination. “Yes.”

The line goes silent for a beat. But they don’t mention it. Instead, Jax says, “You’re doing great, brother. Almost home.”

A convoy of police cars and emergency vehicles suddenly races past us, heading in the opposite direction. Sirens are wailing, lights flashing blue and red in the pre-dawn gloom.

Ren’s gaze slides to the side mirror, watching them go.

“That’ll be for Heath’s facility,” Finn says, a note of satisfaction in his voice.

“What?” Ren’s gaze slides to the phone and even with the trauma to his face, I can see his surprise…and his worry. “What are you talking about, Finn?”

Finn breathes out a short breath. “I made sure the location and what’s happening there got to every major news outlet, police department, and federal agency in the region.”

“What?” Ren sounds genuinely shocked. “How…”

“I also set up a phone livestreaming from the property before we left,” Finn continues casually. “It’s all over the internet by now. Their entire operation—the trafficking, the experiments, all of it. It’s out in the open.”

Ren is silent for a moment, processing. Then, “Finn...”

“What?” There’s a hint of defensiveness in Finn’s voice, like he’s expecting criticism.

“You did good,” Ren says simply. “Really good.”

The praise seems to catch Finn off guard. “Oh. Thanks.”

Another wave of heat crashes through me, stronger than the last. I cry out, unable to stop myself, my back arching off the seat.

“Shit,” Jax mutters, picking up on my distress even through the phone. “Ren, I can hear her. If you don’t stop the car right now and help her?—”

“I can’t,” Ren cuts him off. “Not here, not like this. She needs somewhere safe. Clean. Comfortable. And…” He swallows hard, gaze shifting to me for a moment. “And not me.”

Jax makes a sound like he’s losing his patience. “She needsrelief. You can smell her, can’t you? How bad it is?”

“Of course, I can,” Ren snaps. “Why do you think I’m driving ninety miles an hour?”

The thought of Ren stopping the car, of him coming to me, touching me, makes me whimper again. Yes. Please. Now.

His gaze meets mine in the mirror, dark with something that might be desire, might be restraint. “We’ll be at the cabin soon,” he promises, as much to me as to the others. “You all should head out. Meet us there.”

“Already on our way,” Stone assures him. “ETA about an hour.”

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