Page 38 of Knot a Tie
I take in the unfamiliar ceiling and blink.
It is unstained, clean and white with expensive, fancy coving.
I try to sit up and then groan. “Eurgh.” Slapping a hand to my side, I proceed to prod gingerly and remember the events from yesterday.
Shots were fired and a bullet grazed my side, deep, but still not that bad, straight through, Doc said. Rayne is safe, though. That’s all that matters to me. I really hope that someone called the police and Mick has gone down for possession of illegal weapons along with all the other crimes he has committed.
“Fucker.” I wish I’d never gotten involved with the Jets, but I was in a dark place, alone with a lot of pent-up aggression to let loose. It was the obvious fit. Now, I regret every single second of my time with them. Meeting Rayne has fundamentally changed me. It’s bizarre. There is no other word for it. I lived my life with an unyielding pressure until I walked out and became the exact opposite of what was expected of me. All I want now is to be good enough for the omega who crashed into my life and turned it upside down. The omega who has made me feel things, I didn’t think was possible.
But I’m not good enough.
She deserves to find happiness with a pack who can love her, adore her, treat her like a princess and worship her body like she deserves. I can do none of that.
James can give her everything.
Gritting my teeth, I make a decision. I know my twin. He is a relentless prick, and he will be back here soon. It’s still early out. I can disappear again and make sure this time he doesn’t find me.
Struggling to sit up from the too-comfy bed, I swing my legs over the side and hoist myself up. The carpet sinks under my feet and for one brief, gut-punching moment, I miss my old home. Shaking my head and taking a step forward, I ignore the head-spin and slight nausea that rises up as I reach for my jacket.
“Where do you think you’re going?” The light, cultured voice of Doctor-I-don’t-think-I-got-his-name rings out, as he appears like an apparition in the doorway. “You should be resting.”
“Places to be, people tonotsee. You get my drift?”
He nods his light blonde head and takes a sip of his coffee. “He cares about you. He will be back.”
“All you have to do, is tell him I was gone when you woke up.”
“You sure you have somewhere to go? That wound needs to be kept clean and dry.”
“I’ll take care of it.” I grunt when I take a step forward, but push past the Doc. “Thanks,” I mutter as I head down the hallway and out of the door.
He doesn’t try to stop me, for which I’m grateful. I’d hate to have to kick the arse of the man who patched me up and ruin all the hard work he did.
I open the huge wooden front door and peer out into early morning Mayfair and wonder how the hell I’m supposed to get back to my digs in Croydon. It’s not much. Actually, it’s a fucking dump, but my stuff is there and clearly, James and Spencer have no idea about it, or they would’ve found me ages ago. I’ll be safe from Mick and everybody else, and I can collapse there for a few days while I heal up and mourn the loss of the only woman I’ve ever been attracted to. Knowing it runs so much deeper than that, hurts too much to think about. All I want to do is forget. But I can’t push the feel of my teeth sinking into her flesh away. Her delectable, creamy skin that made me want to run my rough hands over, just to feel the silky smoothness before I kissed and licked every inch of her.
Closing my eyes briefly as I hobble down the street, I stifle the whimper that is bubbling up. It wasn’t a mating bite, but it was enough to latch me onto her and now I’m pining. I know it deep in my soul. I wonder if she is missing me too. Or if she has already jumped into bed with James and the rest of them and forgotten all about me as they ravage her for hours on end.
The thought makes me feel sick to my stomach.
Coupled with the pain from the wound and my face being all fucked up, it gets too much. I bend over a wooden pot full of pansies and throw up a mouthful of bile that my empty stomach complains viciously at.
Straightening up, I ignore the horrified expression of the dapper man walking his dapper dog and stagger onwards, knowing I’ve got at least a four-hour walk ahead of me, more in my current state, unless I find enough loose change on the way to pick up a bus further down the route.
My guts are telling me to go back and wait for James to inevitably rock up so I can return home with him, but my heart can’t do it. I can’t do that to Rayne. I will only drag her down when she should soar. It’s not fair to her for me to be thinking about her.
So, with every ounce of strength I have, I clench my jaw, hold my side and lift my head up. This is one day of sheer horror and then I can go back to my life as I knew it before yesterday.
Assuming Mick and his crew don’t catch up with me before then. I completely fucked up their chance to force a mating with Halstead’s daughter and they will be gunning for me if they’re still on the street.
I drag my phone out of my jacket pocket and unlock it. The first thing that pops up makes my stomach curl up in disgust. It’s the notification I sent out to let the other loose alphas know we had Rayne and to meet at the house in Southall. She thought we were on a scavenger hunt and that we would let her go. She had no idea the danger she was really walking into, and I wonder why I ever agreed to be part of this plan in the first place.
Making a noise of revulsion, I flick the screen off and bring up maps. I need some direction as I have no idea where the fuck I’m going out of this fancy neighbourhood, which is too close to Chelsea for my liking. No, I need to get back to the South side of London and the sooner the better.
I pick up my pace, pushing past the pain.
It’s only when I pause to look up so I can cross the road, do I notice the car that has pulled up just a little bit behind me.
Moving as quickly as my battered body will let me, I cross over the road and keep going. It doesn’t stop the car from swapping lanes and pulling up in front of me. Just before I can turn back, the rear car door opens, and a head pops out.
