Page 94 of Knot Made to Break: Part One

The asshole laughed while pure, red hot anger radiated from Gio in waves. My mate stalked forward, feral and dangerous, his hands curled into lethal fists.

“Whoa, now.” The guy held his palms up in mock surrender, but his expression remained jeering. “You know the rules, you big fucker. You can’t do shit here. Seems to me you’ve got better things to do with your time, anyway. You should enjoy your little bitch while you have her. Time’s ticking.”

He laughed, and Gio lunged.

A scream tore from my throat as the two men collided. They crashed into the wall, fists flying. The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed in the narrow hallway, punctuated by grunts of pain and snarls of rage.

I watched in horror as they grappled, their movements a blur. Gio’s fist connected with the man’s jaw, snapping his head skyward. But the guy retaliated quickly, driving his knee into my mate’s stomach.

My heart raced, and I couldn’t catch my breath. What if this asshole had a gun? The thought sent a bolt of terror through me, and I was seconds away from racing off to find the rest of my Alphas when they appeared at the entrance to the hallway.

Dimitri’s eyes narrowed, instantly reading the situation. Storming forward, he headed for me with the singular focus of a heat-seeking missile. Just in time, he dragged me further from the brawl, narrowly saving me from being crushed by Gio and his opponent, who suddenly crashed to the ground right where I’d been standing.

“Marco, get her out of here!” Dimitri commanded as more men converged on the scene—some of them clearly in the Valentinos’ pocket.

Marco didn’t waste a second. Before I could protest, he had scooped me up and tossed me over his shoulder. I gasped, the air rushing from my lungs as my world tilted.

“No! Wait!”

“I’m sorry, Angel. Hold on tight,” he growled, and then we were moving.

I clung to him, my fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt as he carried me away from the chaos. The sounds of the fight faded, replaced by the pounding of Marco’s feet on the asphalt when he pushed out a side door and left the warehouse behind.

thirty-five

MARCO

“Put the helmet on, Angel,”I ordered, holding the motorcycle helmet out to her the moment I set her on her feet.

Kitania’s gaze darted toward the warehouse, and I swore she was debating how far she’d make it if she started running back to where we’d left my brothers. Truthfully, I hated leaving them behind just as much as she did, but there were too many variables, too many Alphas in one place, too many enemies intent on stealing her—or worse, causing her harm. With or without Dimitri’s orders, I would’ve scooped her up and gotten her the hell out of there.

“Don’t even think about it,” I warned, hoping she would make this easier on me.

This was the first time I wouldn’t be there to fight alongside my brothers, but our Omega was more important. And D, Gio, and Tommy would absolutely fucking agree.

Her lower lip trembled as she glanced up at me. The vulnerability in those ice-blue eyes made my chest ache. I couldpractically feel the war raging inside her—the urge to flee back to help the others versus the instinct to do what I’d asked of her.

“But... but what about them?” she whispered, throat tight, voice strained.

I softened my tone, trying to push as much reassurance into my words as possible. “They’ll be fine, Angel. My brothers are the toughest sons of bitches you’ll ever meet. Right now, we need to focus on getting you somewhere safe.”

Out here, we were sitting ducks. Alphas could come pouring out the side doors any fucking second. The urge to get her away from this place had me twitching with nervous energy.

Her delicate hands twisted together, nails digging into skin. The scent of her distress hit me like a punch to the gut.

Fuck, I hated seeing her this way.

“Hey,” I murmured, gently tilting her chin up until our eyes locked. “I promise you, they’ll be okay. But we need to go. Now.”

Kit’s gaze searched mine, desperation yielding to her trust in me. Because deep down, she knew I was right.

After a heartbeat that stretched for an eternity, she gave a tiny nod and reached for the helmet. Relief flooded through me as I helped her secure it, my fingers lingering a moment too long against the soft skin of her neck.

“Hold on tight,” I instructed as I swung my leg over the bike and felt her slight weight settle behind me. Her arms snaked around my waist, hesitant at first, then tightening as I revved the engine. Vibrations coursed through both of us, and I had to consciously banish the inappropriate thoughts that surfaced.

As we peeled away from the warehouse, Kitania pressed against my back, squeezing me even tighter. Wind whipped around us as I sped up, putting as much distance between us and danger as possible.

My mind raced almost as fast as the motorcycle. Where the hell could I take her that would be safe? Returning to ourpenthouse wasn’t a good idea until I could confirm it hadn’t been compromised. Any of our regular sanctuaries or hangouts were usually crawling with Alphas too, and while they were mostlyfamily members, there were very few people I trusted around an unbonded Omega, especiallymyunbonded Omega. Her scent blockers were nearing the end of their effectiveness, and I refused to risk her safety by letting them wear off in public.

---