Page 158 of Rest In Knotty Pieces

Are they caught or not coming?

I don’t do uncertain. It’s not something I am good at, so sitting here in the bitterly cold night, with those thick storm clouds rolling in, wondering if I’ve been betrayed or if the people I care about most in the world have been murdered is starting to freak me out.

Panic crawls up my skin, pulling my hairs on end. I fight to control my breathing, tightening my grip around the knife in my hand, glaring into the black windows of the factory.

If I go in there, I will get hurt.

Raven tries again to break through, but we shove her back, refusing to let her out. I love these alphas and our omega. and I’m going to fight for them. She doesn’t even know them.

Why aren’t they here?

“No, I’ll be the one doing the hurting. They clearly didn’t want to help us.”

My rage gets stabby, and I flex my fingers around the knife I’m holding.

Fine, I’ll do it myself another day.

I turn to leave, but I hear a voice that I recognise. He sounds like he’s laughing, which is just not possible, and yet, I can’t turn away. How did he get inside without me seeing him?

“Pix?” I hiss quietly.

Raven shoves into our body, making my head ache.

Pix says something and laughs.

I push her down, force her away. Pix is here. I get tunnel vision. I have to go down and get him out.

With uneasy steps, I slide down the hill, into the massive dirt yard. I look this way and that, slowly scanning for danger. The warehouse door is open, yawning wide as if in invitation.

I go into the warehouse, as if I had another choice, searching the dark. I won’t abandon our omega. One slow, measured step after another, the dark encloses me, and still, I hear his voice. He’s talking to someone. I can’t make out what they are saying, but they don’t sound upset.

He shouldn’t be here.

Why is he so loud?

This is a trap. Of course, it’s a trap, but I have to check it out anyway, just in case. It’s Pix. I can’t ignore it.

Sweat runs down my hairline and along my spine. The tight black top is suddenly too revealing. I should have worn a bigger hoodie, something with morematerial. There’s a maze of machinery in here, lots of rooms. I don’t know what kind of factory it used to be, but it’s not an empty shed. At all.

I pause.

This feels like a trap; I’m almost a hundred percent sure it is now. Which means I’m walking towards Father, and he knows about Pix and me. That is not a good thing.

But if it is Pix, I might be able to save him.

Indecision holds me still.

It’s almost certainly not, but what if it is?

Merle and Kestrel like him. I like him.

I lick my lip, torn between waiting for help and rescuing him now.

In the end, I keep moving forward, step after step, heading towards his voice. Kill Father. Stab him. Cut his throat. Get us free.

I get into the room where I find a phone on a chair. It’s the only thing in the room. On it is a video of Pix and Bonnie.

I crouch in front of the phone, refusing to touch it. They are standing in a hotel restaurant, laughing. I can see more of the family wandering around. It looks sunny, and he’s in shorts and an open shirt. He looks like he fits in.