Page 74 of Knot Made to Break: Part One

“Here.” He took the dressing from my fingers and unsealed it for me. Peeling off the backing, he positioned it over the wound.

“So,” I started, my voice barely above a whisper as I tried to make small talk, “you work for... for Dimitri?”

Enzo’s lips quirked into a half-smile. “Yeah, you could say that. I technically work for his dad, but D will be in charge of everything before long.”

Deep down, I knew that. But hearing it out loud was a different experience. Dimitri—my Dimitri—was going to lead thefamilysoon. It was mind-boggling trying to reconcile the man I’d come to know with the big, scary mafia boss he was outside these walls. Not that I hadn’t seen his ruthless side, because I had. He’d shot Antonio point blank, right in front of me, but it was hard to view him as a murderer when he’d saved my life with his very next breath.

“I’ve been best friends with the Cristenello brothers since we were kids, runnin’ around causing nothing but trouble,” Enzo continued, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Isn’t that what you still do?” I teased him.

He chuckled. “You have us pegged already, huh?”

I shrugged with a small grin. “Men don’t change much from the boys they once were.” I busied myself with placing the muffins on a cooling rack, then piling the cookies onto plates.

“Would you like some? They’re chocolate chip.”

A genuine smile spread across his face. “Wouldn’t say no to that. I haven’t had homemade cookies since I was a kid.”

I threw my hand over my heart. “That’s a travesty.” I filled a plate with towering stacks of treats I was sure he and Lonnie could clear in a matter of minutes, then held it out to him. “A little thank you for standing watch for me.”

I knew they did it because Dimitri had ordered them to, but just because they were working didn’t mean I couldn’t show them my appreciation. Knowing they were there had helped me feel safer throughout the afternoon, especially with the sun going down, making the world darker and scarier.

Enzo took the plate and snatched a cookie, popping the whole thing into his mouth in a single bite. “Fuck, these are delicious. You might be stuck with me now.”

I froze. Blinking at him. Unsure how to respond.

He shifted on his feet like he’d surprised even himself, then shrugged with a nonchalant smile. “What? I’m a good friend to have in your corner.”

“Having a friend would be nice…” I admitted, catching myself completely off guard. But I recognized how true it was. My whole life I’d been alone. First as an only child, then as just another foster kid. Even the other Omegas at my local OMA hadn’t been more than passing acquaintances.

“It’s a done deal, then,” he said, as if making friends was that simple. Maybe it was.

“Enjoy the cookies.”

“Oh I will,” he promised at the same time Lonnie called out, “There are cookies?”

“Yup, and they’remine. Go find your own friend who bakes,” Enzo scolded around another mouthful.

I listened to them bicker through the door, shaking my head at their antics before crossing to the kitchen to clean up while I waited for my Alphas.

What even was my life these days?

twenty-eight

TOMMAS

The secondwe walked through the door, Dimitri turned straight back around and stalked toward Enzo with murder in his eyes, my brothers flanking him. The enforcer backed up, hands lifted in surrender.

“Hold on, guys. Lemme explain.”

I didn’t wait for Enzo’s explanation as to why his scent was all over our home. My Alpha was full of pent up energy from having been away from my Omega for fuckin’ hours, and having another males signature in our goddamn living room only amped up my need to see her.

Following the sound of music into the kitchen, I froze in the doorway, a smile tugging at my lips.

Kitania was piping filling into hollowed-out chocolate muffins, dancing to the beat with an enticing shake of her hips. I watched as she popped her finger into her mouth and sucked it free of frosting, humming appreciatively at the taste.

Ho-ly fuck.

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