Page 153 of Tangled in Knots

Skating near young children is unnerving when talking about killing people. My cheeks heat as Adira notices and laughs.

“Your laughter is beautiful,” I growl in her ear, wrapping my arms around her. If she falls, it’ll be easier to catch her. That’s my hill and this is where I shall stand. “It tinkles and feels so good to hear.”

“It’s still hard to feel like smiling or laughing,” she says with a sigh, biting her lip as she glances up and then returns her gaze in front of her quickly.

“You could stare up at me, and I’ll steer us along, Adira,” I purr. My chest feels full, my instincts pushing me to show her she can trust me not to run us into anything. Small steps. “Just keep moving your feet, baby.”

“You sound very sure of that,” she says with a smile. I’m counting every one, and holding them close to me. I can’t take anything for granted with her. “Do you think I could make a podcast to counter ROWS? Ugh, what if your dad hears about it?”

“Post it under a pseudonym and find a voice changer,” I suggest. “I’m not as techie as Morris, but I think it can be done. What do you know about Emilia?”

“Cian says she’s part of ah, the auction operation,” she says mildly as we pass a family. “Emilia funnels people to them that she can’t control. I don’t know the details, but Cian told me she doesn't like Aisling and tried to have her sold.”

“That’s the wrong person to mess with,” I murmur. “It’s still so odd to hear you talking about Cian Sullivan the way you are. You seem comfortable after your dinner.”

“Talking with him helped me see that I’m not alone in this situation. He was pretty open with the flow of information too. There’s a lot I don’t know about my father and this life,” she says. I know she means the mafia community as well as life without her saying it, and I hum in agreement as we skate. “He and Cecil reminded me that I don’t have to choose between a college education and the families. I may even be able to make an impact on others, keep them safe.”

“Then you should do the podcast,” I murmur. “We’ll find a way to keep it anonymous and you safe. It wouldn’t be a bad way to continue either. Throw people off while you’re immersing yourself in other things.”

“You think?” she asks. “I have to decide on a name, see if it’s possible. I was playing with the idea of a digital media degree, but I can expand it past the podcast to create something.”

“I do think this is a good choice,” I say. “You said that Aisling had a hard time finding people who would work with her. What about a guide for omegas, almost like a search engine for services? You’d have to do some footwork to find out who works well with people in general, gives good customer service, etc. Get the site paid for with paid advertising.”

“Wow,” Adira says, her head tipped back to look at me. “Where did that come from?”

“I have no idea,” I tell her with a wide grin. “I surprised myself with it.”

“It’s genius,” she says. “I guess we have to make it happen then.”

“We?” I ask. “This is your baby, Adira. I have nothing to contribute here.”

“You have a lot to contribute, Damon,” she says gently. “So what do you want to do with your life?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s the million dollar question, little omega. I’ll work on it. Can I treat you to something warm?” I ask her.

“A hot chocolate sounds really nice,” Adira admits. “Can we drink it in the park?”

“Anything you want,” I promise her, kissing her forehead. Her answering shiver makes me smile. If I can’t touch myself, I’ll get her to beg for more.

Turnabout is always fair play.

CHAPTER 32

1 Month Later

ADIRA

Morris texted me an hour before my shift ended that he couldn’t walk me home after work, but I told him I could handle it. He sent me a photo of his soulful eyes looking serious and texted me to let him know when I got home to the shelter.

I have enough money saved that I could potentially move out of the shelter, but I want to talk about it with Aisling first tomorrow. I feel guilty filling up a spot when someone else could use it.

My tips are in my bag, and my coat is buttoned up over it, so it’s more difficult to steal from me. I want to say that by now I’ve gotten the hang of walking home alone, but I kind of miss Morris.

You can’t be dependent on other people, Adira.

The inner, bitchy voice in my head is right, though I don’t have to like it.

A lot has happened over the past month, mostly good. Cian started discussions with different mafia family leaders in favor of Jed taking over his father’s business, which has led to a lot of meetings I’ve needed to attend with Pack Dresmond.

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