Page 176 of Tangled in Knots

“Why were you in my room?” I gasp out.

Paula slams me against the wall, and the scream when my arm bangs it, is real and filled with pain. Dammit.

“A part of me is really drawn to you,” she says, smirking as she kicks my feet out from under me. Unfortunately, my hair is still in her fist, giving her the perfect way to continue to pull me to the back door.

I may have to stab her anyway. There’s no way I’m letting her drag me out of here.

“The psychotic part?” I ask her. “You laid in my sheets and soaked it with your scent. What the hell is wrong with you?”

“You must have missed my dried slick,” Paula says with a laugh. “I masturbated to your pretty face, too bad it’s so banged up now. My boss is going to be pissed you won’t make her as much money now. I’m here to find her easy marks for auction. A shelter is the perfect place for it, I told her.”

“Aisling!” I scream. Death is too easy for this bitch.

She got admittance to an omega shelter in order to pick and choose people to sell.Absolutely fucking not. All I can think of are the people like Meghan who have been nothing but kind to me, and she has a kid.

“Aisling!” I yell again, twisting to attempt to trip Paula. Punching is off the table with my arm in a sling.

“Shhh, you’re going to blow my cover,” Paula says, managing to backhand me before she shoves the door open.

“Adira? What the fuck,” Aisling says, running down the hall.

“Look what you’re making me do,” Paula says sadly.

There’s a note of mania in her voice, and I see the glint of metal as she pulls out a gun. The fact that she has a gun in a place with children makes me so fucking angry, I decide the bloody mess I’m going to make is worth it.

Pulling my knife with my left hand, I open it with a flick of my wrist and plunge it into her thigh, digging it in to fuck with her focus.

The gunshot goes wild, and I get my feet underneath me, so I can pull the knife out, twisting to shove it into her throat.

“No, I didn't make you do anything you stupid idiot,” I growl, watching as her hand slips out of my hair. Managing to pull the gun from her hand, I step back, breathing hard.

“Adira,” Aisling breathes, crashing into my back as she wraps her arms around my waist. “She fucking shot at me, the whore.”

“She’s working with someone,” I tell her, glad Aisling is holding me up, because I’m dizzy from adrenaline. “She… fucking masturbated in my sheets, Aisling.”

I’m so incredibly angry, my chest is heaving as I sob.

“Oh my God, what? I need this from the top. Did she hurt you?” Aisling asks.

“In a second. Close the door and keep the hall clear? She endangered the shelter by pretending to need help. Paula always intended to abduct someone to give her boss,” I mutter.

“Aurelia, keep the hall clear, okay? No one in or out. We have a situation,” Aisling calls out.

“But the gunshot, are you hurt? Should I call someone?” Aurelia asks.

“Shit, ah, not yet, okay?” Aisling says. “I’m also fine. Adira is quick on her feet.”

I hear Aurelia’s voice calmly herd everyone into the living area on the other side of the shelter, and I drop to my knees next to Paula. This skirt is going to have to be tossed out. Damn it, I really liked it, too. It makes me hate this omega bitch even more.

“Paula, I just missed anything really vital,” I croon softly, tangling my fingers in her hair to yank it back. “Would you like to tell me why you’re here?”

“Emilia said it would be easy,” she whines. God, are you serious right now? “The intake process was a breeze once I gave them some sob story about my pack mistreating me and needing some time to figure things out. Then, it was a matter of finding someone really pretty without anyone who gave a shit about them. You’re always in your room, a real loner.”

“You figured that meant no one cared about me, huh?” I asked.

“Yes. And you were going out with random men, the perfect little whore. I figured this was a good time to make my move, since you figured out I was in your room,” Paula says with a sigh. “It almost worked. Emilia is going to be so mad at me.”

Aisling drops next to me, her eyes blazing with anger. “She can be mad at you in hell, Paula,” she growls, pulling out my knife to push it back in, right under her chin. There’s barely any blood, and since I’m holding her hair, there’s nowhere for the omega to go.

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