Page 50 of Knot a Thief

“Shush, sweetheart. You need to stay calm and controlled. Get to Club Indulgence, and I’ll meet you there.”

Chapter 15

Max

I lean back in my leather chair, eyes fixed on the large screen before me. Ava is on the video, it’s playing on a loop, as she moves through the streets of Monaco. She smiles a lot. And I have to admit, she’s a vision, her grace, and beauty clear even in these long distance surveillance shots. But these are not the first videos I have of her.

My jaw clenches as I watch in different outfits throughout the day. And with each outfit, she changes her appearance. Sometimes her hair is long and wavy, flowing to where her bra crosses her back; other times she wears it in a chignon bun. I suspect it depends on the image she wants to portray. Each new ensemble is a reminder of her ingenuity, her ability to blend in and disappear at will. It’s infuriating and impressive in equal measure.

But what truly makes my blood boil is the way Seb hovers near her, his hand on the small of her back, whispering in her ear. And the way she smiles at him. The way she looks at him.

Then, there is the way he holds her like she’s his.

The mere sight of them together makes me want to put my fist through the screen.

“She is mine,” I growl as my fingers sink into the armrests of my chair.

I rewind the video, focusing now on our encounter at the coffee shop. Watching our interaction with fresh eyes, noting the sleight of hand I missed before.

There!

I stop the recording and rewind it a little. It’s such a succinct moment when she leans in close, her fingers brushing my wrist. I can’t help but smile as I catch the moment she robbed me of my watch.

“Clever girl,” I murmur, a mix of admiration and frustration coloring my tone. She swiped my watch from right under my nose, and I never even noticed.

Of course, I know she has it.

I noticed it was missing a few hours later. The moment I realized my plan was coming together.

Well, at that point I did.

The day after wasn’t so glorious.

My phone buzzes, interrupting my thoughts.

It’s Silas.

I answer immediately, my eyes still on the freeze-frame of Ava’s face.

“What have you found?” I demand, not bothering with pleasantries.

“She hasn’t contacted the Heat Hotel in Ibiza or Majorca.”

As Silas speaks, I pull up the records for the Heat Hotel in Ibiza on my computer. My eyes scan the data, cross-referencing it with Silas’ report.

I lean back, my mind already racing with possibilities.

“She’s going into her heat. It won’t be long before she is fully engaged.” My voice is getting angrier, thinking how close she is to her heat and I’m nowhere near to her. “She can’t have gone far. Find her, Silas. Whatever it takes.”

As I hang up, I turn back to the video of Ava.

My Ava.

The omega who should have been mine years ago. The one who slipped through my fingers not once, but twice.

“Not this time,” I promise the image on the screen. “This time, you won’t get away. At least until I set you free.”

I hit play again, watching as she moves through Monaco, unaware of my gaze.

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