Page 99 of Knot The Only Onee
Noah's hand settled on my leg and squeezed. He remained seated on the bed at my feet. I wished he'd come closer and join the cuddle pile.
A yawn made my jaw split as I fought the overwhelming exhaustion.
"Sleep, baby. We'll be here for you in the morning." James kissed my forehead, and I drifted off to sleep with a smile tilting my lips.
CHAPTER47
Bridget
The next morning, I woke up surrounded by the comfort of the blankets and secure in my mates’ arms. Lucas must have already gotten up because I only scented Noah and James here with me. My belly twinged, and I laid a hand over it, hoping to quiet it down.
Probably just super hungry, considering I didn't eat much for dinner last night.
My phone flared to life, the smooth tones ofHeaven’s a Lieby Lacuna Coil signaling a call from a number not in my contacts list. A glance down at my watch confirmed it, and I crawled over James to retrieve the device from the nightstand.
"Hello?" I sensed someone in the background. There was a slight shift in the air, an inhalation of breath. My instincts were on high alert. This was no ordinary call.
After a few seconds, I pulled the phone away to check if the call had disconnected.
It hadn't.
"Is anyone there? Answer me, please." I hated how desperate I sounded, but something was off about this whole thing.
Noah and James sat straight up in bed, their eyes wild as they took in my posture.
"Oh, Bridget, Bridget, Bridget. When are you going to learn? Where you go, I'll find you." My blood turned to ice in my veins as the familiar voice took me back to a past I wished I could forget. "You and the cunts helping you have caused me a lot of trouble. Now, I think it's time I put you in your place."
James yanked the phone from my hand and snarled as he brought it to his ear. "Listen here, Aldridge. You'll never get your hands on her again, do you hear me?"
If I weren't so terrified, I'd be thrilled to hear James defending me so adamantly.
My brother laughed, the sound like nails on a chalkboard as the memories tried once again to flood back into my consciousness. "Say hi to Bridget, Claudia."
My breath froze in my lungs, and gaped like a fish. Claudia? No. No, no, no. He couldn't have found the Rossi's. It wasn't possible. Simon had hid me too well.
"You bastard! Let my grandbabies go, or I'll?—”
"Shut up, bitch," my brother—Mike—cut her off. There was the slap and a loud crash. Nonna cursed in Italian, her voice growing distant as Mike left her.
"Oh, poor little omega bitch." Mike clucked his tongue. "Did you really think I haven't known exactly where you were all these years?"
Lucas came bounding up the stairs and burst through the door. One look at my face, and he gathered me into his arms.
"You slimy little worm, I'm going to squash you," James bit out through clenched teeth. "I'll enjoy watching the light fade from your eyes after I spend hours showing you the meaning of the word 'pain.'"
Mike chuckled. "You don't seem to understand the situation. I hold the power. If you want dear Nonna Rossi and her little bambinos to survive the next twenty-four hours, then you'll get your rich little friends to wire me ten million into an offshore account. You'll let me go and never see me again. I'll text further instructions. In the meantime, watch your backs."
The line disconnected and my legs gave out from under me.
Lucas caught me and helped me back onto the bed. Tears were streaming down my face as I fought to breathe. They all whispered soothing words, but through the haze, I couldn't make them out. There was a buzzing in my head that rang in my ears, and it was the only thing I could concentrate on.
Something warm was shoved into my hand, and then Lucas assisted me with bringing it to my lips. The strong, pungent aroma of coffee filtered through the buzz, and I took a sip, almost gagging at the bitter flavor.
"Why did you give me black coffee?" I asked and wrinkled my nose. I stuck my tongue out, willing the bitterness to lift from my tastebuds.
"To get you back to us." James knelt before me, his hands on either of my legs. Lines of worry were etched into the corners of his eyes and mouth. His skin was pale. If he looked like that, I couldn't even imagine how horrid I looked.
"Can I have something else to drink, please?" I asked and sniffled.
