Page 31 of Knot My MC
My guard grunts and moves to connect the new woman to the daisy chain. Once we’re all cuffed and chained together, the guards take up posts at the front and back of the line. The guy who took everyone from their room turns at the head and begins walking backward.
“Let’s go, ladies. Don’t cause any trouble and we won’t have problems.” He unholsters the taser. They led us out of the building and across the convention center parking lot where a nondescript white van is waiting. The head guard turns around once we reach it and opens the doors. One by one, they unhook us from the chain and shove us inside. Our cuffs are locked to the metal rods bolted to the back of the seats.
The two omegas who were crying earlier start up again. Sniffles and gasped breaths fill the space. The guards climb in and slam their doors shut. One of them glances at us from the passenger seat, his upper lip curls when he notices the crying.
“I hate it when they cry,” he says to his companion.
“They always do.” The one in the driver seat cranks the radio up, blaring some rock music to drown out the sobs.
I turn and study my fellow omegas. No one has spoken, no one has tried to fight back. Are they biding their time too? My eyes land on the omega who’s the most visibly upset. Her shoulders shake and her nose runs, the snot and tears blending together and coating her face. She’s not biding her time. She’s already admitted defeat. Pressing my lips together, I face forward.
It’s not that I don’t sympathize. I do. Part of me wants to join her, but honestly, none of what’s happening can compare to losing my dad. The circumstances have put a temporary pause on my grief, but the sadness tightening my chest lingers. A hollowness fills me, something intangible missing from the core of my being. A puzzle piece that’ll never be found. It’s different from what I feel about my mom. I know I loved her and she loved me, but I don’t know that love like I did with Dad. He was my rock. He was there for me through everything.
Maybe they’re finally together again. Morbid as that may be, I smile a little at the thought. Losing a mate is supposed to be the worst sort of loss anyone could ever experience. How Dad made it through the pain and managed to be a good parent is beyond me, but it makes me miss him even more. He deserves to finally be happy. I don’t know if Heaven is real, but if it is, I doubt Dad is there. I don’t know what to think about where people go when they die, but for Dad’s sake, I hope wherever it is he’s with Mom.
Heat rushes up my neck and sweat trickles down my spine. I shift in my seat. “Can you turn up the air conditioning?” I shout to be heard over the music.
“It’s on.” The beta in the passenger seat doesn’t bother to look at me.
“It’s hot back here.”
No response. Assholes. The van stops a while later, and only one of the guards leads us inside of an old warehouse that’s been repurposed for the auctions. As we enter, I notice a woman standing against the side-wall, hands already chained to the railing. Her sparkling dress shimmers even under the crappy lighting. Her bare feet are planted on the concrete, her tall high heels lying on the ground beside her. The closer we get to that wall, the more that one omega begins to panic.
The omega waiting at the railing stares at us, her big blue eyes unfazed. Something about the way she watches tells me this isn’t the worst thing she’s seen. This woman has been through some shit.
“Against the wall.” The guard gestures with his taser gun.
As one unit, we shift closer to the railing. No one wants to get tased. He begins the slow process of hooking us all to the railing. When he gets to me, I consider lashing out but think better of it.
Wait for the right time, Kiki.
“Please, you have to listen. It wasn’t my fault.” The frantic omega swings her head in every direction, desperate to find someone to believe her. “It wasn’t my fault.”
“I’m only going to tell you this once,” the guard says. “Shut up or you’ll get zapped. You can still be sold off if you’re unconscious, got it?”
The omega sniffs and shrinks back, too innocent to know that most tasers won’t render someone unconscious. The only way that’s possible is if the voltage is turned up to a cruel level. The threat does what it was meant to though and the beta grins.
“That’s what I thought.” He slips his gaze down the lineup. “The auction will start soon.” As soon as he leaves and the door slams shut behind him, whispers erupt around me.
“If we can get the cuffs off, we can escape.” The omega who was threatened starts to jerk her hand, failing to yank it out of the cuff.
“Where would we go?” another asks.
“I don’t know, but I don’t want to be sold off.”
I sigh and lean against the railing. They’re wasting energy.
“It’s no use,” the one that had been here when we arrived says. “I’ve been here all day, and I haven’t found a way out. You’ll only hurt yourself.”
“I don’t belong here.” The crying omega shakes her head, tears splashing onto her shirt. “This is all a mistake.”
Maybe, but unlikely. Camila always has her reasons, even if it is as petty as her not liking an omega. Everyone who gets sent to the auction is sent for a reason.
“I belong here.” I arch an eyebrow and look at the omega’s tear ridden face. “I hurt an alpha, but I’d do it again.”
Her face scrunches. “But I didn’t do anything wrong. My ex—”
“You had a boyfriend?” the omega in the shiny dress asks. “Omegas aren’t supposed to date.”
