Page 108 of Knot a Thief

I shake my head. “He kidnapped me. I’ve just escaped his island. If he had anything to say to me, he had ample opportunity. And he did this.” I turn, hold up my hair and show my claiming mark.

“He claimed you!” Walker bellows.

I nod, suddenly feeling the weight of everything that’s happened. “So, as you can imagine, I’m not in a rush to talk to him.”

“I need to talk to my brother,” Walker says, his tone hard.

I turn to go inside. I pause. “Don’t tell him I’m here.”

He smiles warmly, but suddenly his lips drop at the edges. “He won’t let you go. You know that, don’t you?”

I nod. “That’s the reason I’ve avoided alphas.”

“You can’t avoid your destiny forever. Your biology won’t let you. And now he’s marked you.” He tilts his chin in the air for a moment, considering me. “Is he yours?”

“Do you think your brother would’ve claimed me if he wasn’t?” I retort.

Walker shakes his head. “He won’t let you go.”

I pat my tummy. “He doesn’t want me. He only wants what’s inside me.”

“Oh, Ava, you haven’t got a clue.”

“Walker.” I press my hands to my hips. “Max told me as much. I was there for nine months and then he was letting me go.”

Walker laughs. “I know how Max works. He’s not letting you go. But he hoped you’d want to stay.”

Chapter 32

Ava

My heart races as I slip into Garrett’s penthouse, the New York skyline glittering beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Though the plush carpet muffles each of my steps, every tiny sound still seems amplified in the stillness.

I freeze as keys jingle.

Pulse pounding, I duck behind a massive leather armchair. A clock ticks somewhere, mocking me with each passing second I hide.

The door opens, and I hold my breath as footsteps approach.

A maid hums, the rustle of her uniform growing louder, and I know she is getting closer.

She pauses right next to my hiding spot, her musky perfume making my throat itch and I hold my breath to hold in a cough.

I wish I had Seb’s eyes watching me, but I don’t.

The mere thought of him causes my heart to sink.

After an agonizing moment, she moves on, and I release a silent sigh of relief.

But I know I have no time to spare and once the coast is clear, I make my way to Garrett’s study.

This is too easy.

I close the door to his office behind me.

Minutes later, the safe clicks open under my expert touch, and there it is—the pink diamond that should have been mine.

---