Page 1 of Tangled in Knots

PROLOGUE

ADIRA

I’ve always known my father wasn’t a good man. I’ve seen his late nights, the whispered phone conversations, and the bruised cheekbones. It’s hard not to notice the increased security at home, and when I asked, he’d merely smile and tell me that it’s for my own protection.

Protection from what though?

The men he employed dress all in black, guns in holsters, that they don’t bother hiding, eyes black as night. Whenever I left the house, their gaze tracked me across the grounds, searching for any possible danger, whether to me or by me.

Who are they kidding? I couldn’t be a threat to anyone. I’m the perfect pampered omega.

It was always super creepy to have those dead eyes on my body, and I always felt as if there were black, poisonous bees, crawling down my body wherever their gazes fell. Omegas are very sensitive creatures, but I learned to block that ability early on, so that I wouldn’t feel as much.

It’s unwise to feel the intentions of men who could as easily save you as snap your neck.

It’s safe to say that I stopped spending much time outside of my fortress. It was safer in my room with my books, computer, and blankets. I was the princess in this house, but I never realized how coddled and vulnerable I was until later.

I should have looked harder, maybe things would be different, or maybe I would still be right where I am now: hogtied in the back of a car with three delicious alphas. They smell like strawberries, leather, and danger.

Wait, no. They’re evil. Evil alphas. Maybe it’s my incoming first heat, or maybe they really are that yummy, but this is not what I asked for this Christmas. I wanted a new laptop, maybe some quality time with my dad, but not this.

Santa, I want a refund.

CHAPTER 1

JED

I’m staring at the mansion with pretty sparkling Christmas lights. It looks idyllic with the large willow trees that line the driveway, making me feel out of place in my black tactical clothing and mask sitting up on my forehead.

The clothes are lined with weapons of every kind, and my brothers Kane and Damon stand nearby, waiting for instructions.

The house would be a fairytale place if I didn’t know the truth about the man who lives here.

Jeremiah Firestone is a bad man who sells guns for my boss. He also owes him over a hundred thousand dollars for stealing an arms shipment. Jeremiah had a sweet deal as the head arms distributor for Missouri and our territory, and he was really good at it until he fucked it all up.

He squealed like a sweaty pig, instead of a beta, when we tortured the information from him, begging us to leave his precious baby girl alone. It was almost sweet. I could almost imagine that he actually loved someone other than himself. It’stoo bad he’s dead now, leaving his pretty little omega daughter alone in the world.

I’m surprised he could love anything with a greed as large as his.

Signaling for my brothers to follow my lead, I lower the mask down my face and begin to creep across the lawn silently. The masks hide our identities completely, and should also scare the pretty, innocent omega inside of the house. Though, I don’t think she could possibly be all that untouched by her father’s evil. She is, after all, his spawn.

There should be guards crawling the property to protect Jeremiah’s most precious asset, but they’re either dead now or have been cut loose with the news of their employer's death in the last few hours.

Mercenaries are usually only as loyal as the money lining their pockets. They can easily be bought, or they turn tail when the money runs dry.

Jeremiah was never a leader, but rather a sniveling boot licking beta. It was a mistake for my father to put any confidence in him. Now I’m cleaning up his mess.

Fucking fantastic.

As I get closer to the house, a dark smile crawls over my face as I see Adira Firestone curled up in the corner of the couch in the living room. She believes she’s safe, that there are people outside protecting her, but she’s dead wrong. The wolves are outside of her home, and we definitely bite.

“I’ll take the back door,” Kane purrs softly under his breath in my ear-com, and I grunt in response. The man has a dirty mind and a dark soul, but as his older brother, I love him anyway. I usually keep my eye on him though, because of his love of explosives.

Since I know he won’t blow us up while inside of the house, we’ll be fine for now. Later? All bets are off.

Kane moves quietly toward the back of the house, and I know that even if there was any security left on the property, they’d be dead men soon enough.

Not much gets around my middle brother or his dagger.

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