Page 126 of Knot Made to Break: Part One

My friend became slightly defensive. “You win some, you lose some.”

“Tell you what, you keep my Omega safe tonight and I’ll forgive your debt.”

“Already on it, boss,” he promised.

“How’s everything at the penthouse?” I cut to the chase. “Kit doing okay?”

Enzo paused, and for a heartbeat my chest tightened, my mind racing through worst-case scenarios. “All good here. Kit’s fine. She’s with Tommas. Lonnie and I are guarding your personal floors. We have guys patrolling the perimeter, and the entry points are all locked down. Nothing’s getting past us. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Nothing to worry about… If only it were that simple. “Good. Keep it that way. Let me know if anything changes.”

“Will do. And D?” he paused for a beat, growing more serious. “Kick their asses, okay?”

“We will.” I clicked to end the call, staring at the phone for a minute as I contemplated calling Kit on the new phone we’d gotten her earlier. Talking to her might calm this storm inside me, but what would I even say? I couldn’t reassure herof anything, and the last thing I wanted to do was add to her already heightened anxiety over this entire evening.

I’d spotted her tears when we’d left tonight, and they’d just about killed me.

No. It was best if I waited until I had good news to report. Until I could call her and tell her I was heading home, safe and sound. That all of this was over. That she wasfree.

I surveyed the scene again, my eyes tracking the movement of our men. Everyone had their place, their role. This wasn’t our first operation, but it was for damn sure our most important.

The Valentinos had been a thorn in our side for too long, and tonight we had the chance to pull it out for good.

My gaze settled on Marco, who was working the ground floor. He was talking to one of the men, giving instructions, but then he glanced up and caught my eye. The look we shared stretched on, weighted, full of all the things we couldn’t say out loud: the fear we’d never admit, the doubt we tried to hide, and the hope that everything we’d worked so hard for would pay off.

It was just a waiting game now.

MARCO

Standing still wasn’t in my DNA, especially not tonight, when my mind refused to stay in one place for more than a few seconds. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, then back again, like a boxer warming up before a fight. The warehouse was a symphony of noise—the beep of loading equipment, the low din of our guys as they moved crates from the ship, the distant clang of metal on metal. The sounds blended together into a single, overwhelming roar.

I could feel Dimitri and Gio’s tension alongside my own. It was a sixth sense. A palpable, heavy cloud that hung over each of us. We were all wound so tight that one misstep could set us off like a pack of firecrackers. All of it added to the endless loop of distractions pulling at my mind.

Fuck, I needed to move. I started to pace, making a slow circuit around the stack of crates in front of me while I oversaw the operation. My thoughts were scattered in every direction, as aimless as leaves caught in the wind, while the urge to check on Kit burned deep inside me, smoldering like hot coal.

I pulled out my phone, stared at the screen, then shoved it back in my pocket. Tommy had texted us earlier to let us know she was fine. But was she really?

Goddammit, I wish I’d bonded her already; that I’d just lifted her wrist and sunk my teeth in, leaving a perfect crescent-shaped mark behind that would make her mine for all eternity. But biting an Omega outside of heat was wildly more painful and lacked the intimacy such an act merited. And after everything Kit had been through, she deserved the most wonderful bonding we could possibly give her.

Still, I wished, more than anything, that I could feel her emotions and get a read on her wellbeing

Reaching for any semblance of calm, I reminded myself that we’d left our best guys behind to guard our place—and thus, my Omega. And yet, I couldn’t shake the niggling anxiety.

The Valentinos were ruthless, and if they made a move on Kit while we were out here playing war…

No. They fuckin’ wouldn’t.Walking into that building would be death on a stick, and Rocco and Vincent were too smart for that. Like cockroaches, they found a way to survive, and they hadn’t gotten this far in setting up their territory and being such pains in our asses by making stupid decisions—much as I wished I could say otherwise.

It required brains and respect—whether earned or demanded—to raise an organization from nothing, and that made them a formidable adversary.

But tonight, we had the upper hand. Everything was in place as long as they took the bait.

I stopped my pacing and pulled out my phone again, fingers hovering over the screen. One quick text wouldn’t hurt. It might even help me focus if I knew she was okay.

Marco:

Hey, Kit. How are you holding up?

I waited, staring at my cell like I could will a response to appear faster. The cold from the docks seeped into my bones, but it did nothing to cool the anxious heat that had settled in my chest.

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