Page 34 of Knot All That Glitters: Part 2

Jude is already in the car behind the driver’s seat, hands curled around the steering wheel. As I slide into the front seatnext to him, he doesn’t take his eyes off the windshield as he utters one word. “Where?”

Chapter 12

You’re Leaving Me?

I’m grateful for the drugs in my system. They’re keeping all of my instincts at bay, all of my fear, all of my… everything. Somewhere in the back of my head, I know that without the injection, I would be losing my shit right now. But I’m not.

I’m just laying here in the dark, bound at the wrists and the ankles, body swaying with every turn and bounce of the car.

I urge myself to do something, to escape, but then I just… don’t. A flicker of frustration at myself sparks and then dies.

The car slows to a stop. The engine turns off and I brace myself for this to be the end. Nothing good can come of this. I’m not foolish enough to think my father doesn’t have enemies. I know he does. And undoubtedly those enemies would view me as a weakness.

Maybe I am, but only because he needs me to further his career.

He needs the facade of a loving family man, of a good father, a caring alpha in order to win over his voters. He needs me to show the world instinct suppression is possible,healthyeven.

But I have no doubt if it comes down to a choice between me and himself, he will always choose himself.

He won’t give my kidnappers what they want, not to save me.

I blink at the sudden flood of light as the trunk opens. They’ve parked directly under a security light. You know those extra bright lights at the far end of parking lots meant to discourage theft? We’re under one of those, and the stark brightness makes the two men nothing more than shadow as they look down at me. Their nondescript coveralls and the animal masks certainly don’t help.

I expect a certain amount of roughness when they loop their fingers around my upper arms. I expect them to drag me out by my hair if I’m honest, but they’re gentle as they lift me out of the trunk and then lay me on the cold, wet ground. Very cold and very wet, seeing as it’s December and I’m in that stupid flouncy dress, a wool coat and heels.

One man kneels by my head, stroking fingers over my hair. “This is where we leave you, omega. Try not to catch hypothermia, yeah? It’d be a shame if something as pretty as you perished.”

I frown up at him. “You’re leaving me?”

He doesn’t answer, just pushes to his feet and walks away. Leaving me on the icy cement. The sound of a car engine starting, doors slamming, has me lifting my head, but I can’t see anything. The car they kidnapped me in blocks my view. The car they’re apparently abandoning just like me. “Couldn’t have justleft me in the trunk?” I grumble, tugging at the zip ties on my wrists. At least then I wouldn’t have water soaking into my coat, my dress. I wouldn’t have such a bone-deep chill creeping into my body.

I mean, it would happen eventually, with the car turned off and no heat, but at least I’d be dry.

I struggle with my bonds for a bit, try to get them to loosen, ignoring the pain of the plastic biting into my flesh. I don’t really understand what the point of this is. Why the hell kidnap me and then abandon me in an empty parking lot? Are they expecting someone else to pick me up?

Maybe this is one of those times that all omegas get warned about. Maybe I’ve been sold. People do that all the time, snatch omegas and sell them to the highest bidder. Only… I think in those cases, the abductors wouldn’t let the abductee out of their sight, right? They’d want to make sure they got paid, and whoever was buying the omega would want to verify that they’re getting the real deal.

This doesn’t feel like that.

Beyond that, I’m sure there are omegas that would have been easier to snatch than some elaborate scheme involving getting my father to his office and- Oh shit. Klaus. They must have done something to him. Right? I think of how long I sat in the back of the car just waiting. At the time, I’d assumed that he was talking with my father, but now I wonder if he was being attacked… maybe killed.

This is a targeted attack. Not against me. As far as I know, I don’t have anyone who would want to harm me for anything I’ve done. Though some groups who protest my father’s actions have made threats against me, said some fairly horrible things about how I’m a shit omega and a traitor to my designation. But they’ve never done anything about it. Or at least my guards have kept them from doing anything about it.

So this must have something to do with my father. Or maybe the Calloway pack.

Though why that would be the case, I don’t know. It’s pretty clear I mean nothing to them. Though from the outside… It might seem like they were devoted to me, still are with the way they were looking at me during the engagement party was anything to go by. It’s not, but I could see someone thinking they looked heartbroken that I was getting married to someone else.

Maybe someone saw that and decided the way to hurt them would be to hurt me.

I almost laugh at the thought.

I should have pushed for more information from the guys in the masks. I should have tried harder to understand what the hell was going on.

I’m not sure how long I lay there, on my side, but it’s long enough for my fingers and toes to go numb from the cold and lack of circulation. I hardly feel the cold anymore, the sting of the wind or the water seeping into the fabric on my body.

Something wet and cold lands on my cheek and I open my eyes to peer up at the clouds that have decided now is the perfect time to release a combination of rain and snow. “Motherfucker,” I mumble to myself.

I need to move. If I don’t, I will catch hypothermia. I will die here in this abandoned parking lot. And I really don’t want to fucking die.

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