Page 48 of Hard Knot

Felix is many things, but frivolous isn't one of them. This operation isn't just about finding any Omega – we have more pressing concerns than satisfying governmental quotas.

This will either lead to our salvation or our destruction and knowing our luck, probably both.

I press the accept button, putting the call on speaker.

"Get to the point."

"The Omega and Carter are on their way to the mansion," Felix says without preamble. That gives me pause. Carter, bringing an Omega to our territory without discussion?

That's...unexpected.

Before I can voice my concerns, Felix continues.

"You need to understand her current living situation. Elizabeth Abercrombie, twenty-two years old, five-foot-seven. Primary focuses are dance and fitness, specializing in ballet, but also proficient in kickboxing, cycling, swimming, and bare-knuckle fighting."

Interesting combination.

"Despite her outcast status, she's exceptionally intelligent," Felix adds.

"Define exceptional."

"Perfect scores across the board. Harvard dropout, but not due to academic performance. She was top of her class before..." He trails off meaningfully.

“Before?”

"The courtyard incident?" Felix admits. “She went into Heat it seems amid the courtyard. I tried to find more but it seems like everything has been wiped.”

Omega Heats without a pack can be life and death in some scenarios, but dealing with that at one of the busiest universities around far too many Alphas to count…

What happened to her?

"Look into her family connections," I say, though knowing Felix, he's already done exactly that if not more.

A low chuckle interrupts my thought.

"Check your email. You'll find the Abercrombie family...fascinating."

"You're already on site, aren't you?"

"Fifteen minutes out," he confirms. “I’ll check into the gates any minute now.”

I huff out a laugh.

"Always a step ahead, aren't you?"

"Someone has to be."

After ending the call, I pull up my encrypted email. Felix's report is comprehensive, as always – detailed dossiers on every member of the Abercrombie family. But it's her father's file that catches my attention.

Well, well. What do we have here?

Behind the facade of a simple janitor lies a complex web of underground connections. Cage fighting, drug distribution networks, and – most intriguingly – intellectual property theft disguised as maintenance work. The man's brilliance lies in his ability to appear completely unremarkable while orchestrating some of the most sophisticated operations I've seen.

Like father, like daughter, perhaps?

But there's something else – a name that appears in her emergency contacts from when she was sixteen.Jessie.The entry is sparse, almost suspiciously so, as if the information has been deliberately scrubbed.

I frown, making a mental note to investigate further. Felix is thorough, but even he can't find information that's been professionally erased.

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