Page 71 of Knot Your Pawn

It still makes me sick, thinking of what might have happened to so many of them, but I was in no position to do something about it back then.

Now, I do have the resources to start helping those kids. To try to make sure that no other kids will ever be harmed like that again.

While it would be great if we could get rid of the whole damn Suits Syndicate, that’s not realistic, not at the scale of organisation that Mathew has. But that doesn’t mean we can’t chip away at them, that we can’t chip away and make them just that little bit smaller.

I was impressed by the map that Mathew had of the inside of the brothel he’d been kept in. It was hand-drawn, not from any official source, but it was very accurate.

The only notes I had on it were from some renovations the Hearts had done on the place in the decade since he left, but from what I could see, not much else had changed in that time.

There were a few other things I had knowledge of, like who was in control of what part of the business model the Hearts run, or who was in charge of which buildings, but Mathew was already largely aware of them, so all I had to do was confirm that what he had was correct.

“We can’t go in without a plan.” Mathew’s voice is quiet, though with a note of frustration. We’re sitting at his temporary desk, looking at files on his laptop. “We need to do this right. We can’t take those kids out and not have a place for them to go.”

“Can’t Erika help?” I thought that was part of the reason why they were going to work together.

“She will. But we’re going to have to start setting up our own system too. We can’t just go in, take those kids and ship them off to Erika when she’s already using her system for the people her own organisation rescues.”

He sighs. “Setting up a system like that is going to take time, too much time.”

“Do you have people you trust?” Because it’s no use getting the kids out of one bad situation and straight into another one. He snorts, looking sad. “Were you aware that ‘Michael, King of Hearts’ was also Mathew Page, before you got here?”

I shake my head, not sure where he’s going with this.

“The only people who are aware of that connection, who are aware that I’m an Omega, are those who work in my organisation and those who first met me through the brothel.”

He pulls up a shoulder. “Oh, and Erika and her pack and organisation, of course, but they don’t count if we’re trying to find allies to help us without relying on her. So, to answer your question. No, I don’t trust anyone.”

I stare at him, my heart aching. That must be so hard, not being able to trust anyone. Not being able to be yourself, always having to hide part of yourself.

Then something comes to mind. “Wait, outside of your organisation, only the Hearts know that you’re an Omega?”

He nods. “The Hearts and any ‘clients’ that came to the brothel, of course.”

“But that’s still quite a lot of people, why don’t others know about it? The Hearts could just tell people, why don’t they?”

He smiles, but it’s one without joy, filled with menace. “Because they know what happens when someone tries to out me. Let’s just say that their business is generally very short-lived afterwards.”

A shiver goes through me at his cold tone, at the ice in his eyes.

I’m immediately reminded that no matter how sweet he is with his pack, this is a man who should not be crossed, not ever. He’s full of danger and very fucking scary if he ever got really angry.

Then he leans back in his chair, looking at the screen in front of him, though his mind clearly elsewhere, his voice determined. “I want to take the brothel down, hopefully before our kids are born. It would be nice if we could do more, especially in the coming years, but for now, my focus is on the brothel.”

He stands up, going over to the window that looks out over the dark fields outside. “I want to take it down, destroy the building and put a park or something else back that will actually help people. Will you help me?” He meets my gaze in the reflection of the window.

I stand up, joining him. “Yes. It would be my pleasure.”

Break the building down, make it disappear, and then create a place where good memories can be made, not trauma and pain.

Create a better future.

Perilous Action

Her Vicious Pack 9

1

Mathew