Page 70 of Rot In Knotty Pieces

It takes us until midnight to get clear of the forest and into the town that Kestrel knew about. Merle is fronting, we keep her in the middle of our group, but as we pass a street, she turns down it, away from the rest of us. I grab her hand and guide her back in the direction of the hotel. I glance at the street sign, memorizing it, but Daega gives me a sharp look.

“What?”

“Pretend you didn’t see that.” His voice is low and full of threat that he hasn’t directed at me in weeks.

I turn my head so I can look at him fully. He’s serious, deadly serious.

“What’s down there?”

“Nothing that concerns you or her.”

I glance at Merle, who is walking away, then back at the dangerous omega. “Is it a secret that will get us killed?”

“No.”

“Is it one that will hurt her?”

He hesitates for a long moment. “No.”

“All right. I’ll leave it alone. For you.”

We’re almost at the hotel when his phone rings. I glance at him sharply. I’ve taken to keeping my phone turned off unless I need it and forgetting to turn it back on. It’s not like anyone calls me. I have…no one. Well, now I have these people. But there is no one else.

Daega smiles and puts the phone to his ear.

“Hey, babes.”

“Don’t fucking hey me, you little shit.”

“Oh, are we in one of those moods?” he teases, and I hate that smile that he’s giving someone who isn’t us.

“Do you have any idea how fucking boring this little town is, but I really gotta give it to you, you lucked out with the alphas. They are fine, with a capital F.”

She’s freaking here? I covertly look around, but I can’t see anyone.

“You won’t see Sari,” Daega says, amused by my movements.

Sari…who the fuck…oh, this is the missing RIP Alpha member. Sariah Spring, the black widow.

“He’s kinda adorables, babes.”

I groan. I hate her already. The smug, the confidence, the posturing. Villains like her are a dime a dozen. I’ve met so many of them I’m immune to their charms and strange, tough personalities.

“Just so you know, I might have a tail. He’s a pretty tail, fucking unhinged as fuck, but he’s here all the same.”

Daega stops walking, letting out a sharp sound.

Rolly reacts the fastest, dragging Merle into his arms and pressing her up against King’s broad chest.

I’m focused on the phone call.

“Is it that serious? Are you safe, Pix?”

He hesitates. “I’m safe.”

“You fucking liar. You know how I hate to be lied to.”

“We’re safe enough.”