Page 94 of Knot Happening

Well, the void in my chest that screams out to be filled with love, just before my mind fills it with soul deep fear, recognizes something inside Easton.

Pain, sorrow, loneliness.

“What if I said you can’t scare me away. Friends don’t abandon friends, especially when they’re in danger. I don’t know your story, but I know how you treat me. I’m not scared of your darkness,” I tell him honestly, as I consider what his uncle wanted to do to me. What he was planning for me. Assault me. Sell me.

The way Jimmy looked at me as I bathed.

What if Easton is like them? Maybe he wouldn’t let those things happen to me, but what about other Omegas just like me. The ones who came before me.

The ones those evil men “broke”. That Easton made disappear? No. I don’t believe that, but I need to hear him say it.

“Did you hurt the ones before me? Jimmy said you make them disappear?”

“I did make them disappear, that much is true. My uncle is an unsuccessful trafficker. It's the only aspect of his business that repeatedly fails. Not for the reasons he believes.” Easton’s hand clenches into a fist, and his jaw is tight with tension. “I help them find safety. Or new lives. I…” Easton glances at me, pausing as his scent spikes with fear. I look around for signs of danger, but find nothing. “This is the darkness you said you aren’t scared of. This is your chance to change your mind. Once I tell you, you won’t ever think of me the same again.”

“I want to know,” I decide, loosening my hold on his arm, so I can lean back and watch him more closely. “If you have to hide yourself from me, then I don’t deserve to be called a friend.”

“I kill the buyers.” He leaves the words hanging between us.

“Good,” I decide.

“Good?” Easton asks, and I nod.

“Yep. Fuck them. Buying Omegas? Forget that it's illegal… It’s pure fucking evil!” I shake my head. “Unless the Omega willingly, happily, and enthusiastically volunteers to besold, then it’s evil. Death is too easy. You should sell them. See how they fucking like it,” I hiss, feeling that same raging fire return from those moments when I tried to appease Jimmy.

“Well, Sweet Sparrow. I certainly didn’t expect that reaction.” Easton has a soft smile on his lips, and I shrug. The satisfaction in his scent makes me a little smug that I impressed him.

I’m smug that I impressed a murderer.

I’m concerned that I picked that, of all things, to be proud of myself for…

Ah, well. What can you do?

“I’ll tell you more, but I think for now, maybe that's enough sharing?” Easton winces, and I wonder if he’s feeling as unsteady about all of this as I am.

“I just want to know one more thing. What does all of this have to do with me?” I pause, thinking back to what Jimmy said when he first brought me before his father. “Does Jimmy have any other cousins?” I ask, narrowing my eyes on him.

“No. I’m the only one.” Easton glances at me, his scent spiking with uncertainty.

“Why were you watching me, and what does any of this have to do with Haze?”

“Right. Guess I should have seen that coming,” East grunts, as I release him and lean back to get a good look at him. “Don’t freak out, okay? I started following you when I first met you.” He flinches, possibly realizing how that sounds. “What I mean is…” he trails off, looking unsure, like he wants to explain but would also rather eat toenails than continue this conversation.

“So you were stalking me.” I pull back to cross my arms over my chest, mostly to have something to do with my hands. The knowledge that Easton was stalking me isn’t as upsetting as my reaction to gaining this knowledge. Which is that I feel a little bit flattered.

I’m seriously concerned that I’m not…more concerned!

“Okay, yes, but… Uh. There’s a history here. It’s all connected. Obviously, there are things you don’t know, but you understand that my uncle is a criminal, who does a lot of…criminal things,” Easton stammers through his excuse, looking ready to toss himself out the window.

“Can you just explain so I can maybe understand a little more clearly?Obviously,there are things I don’t know. That's why I’m asking questions. But your answers only bring up more questions!” I huff in frustration.

“Right. Twenty or so years ago, the Hayes twins took over their father’s empire when they were barely teenagers,” he starts, glancing at me. I nod for him to keep going. “The feud between my uncle and the twinsstartedwhen they killed their father David Hayes, Merzotto’s closest colleague. Business partner. Whatever.” East waves a dismissive hand in the air, glancing from me to the street and back.

“So your uncle, Keslor Merzotto, was already in control of his…organization? Crime family? Whatever you call it…”

“Correct.”

“And then Declan and Kodiak Hayes killed their own father, and took over his…business? As teenagers.”

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