Page 3 of Knot All That Glitters: Part 2

My already chilled blood runs cold. “No. No, she wouldn’t go there. Not even if she was pissed at us. She wouldn’t.”

But I see what he means. The few security cameras he’s hacked show Haven taking a steady path toward her old neighborhood.

“Maybe she’s banking on Hale’s command to keep her safe from him being able to control her.”

But we both know there are other ways to control a person. Physical ways. Ways that might hurt her so badly, we won’t be able to bring her back from it.

“Fuck.” I hiss, spinning on my heel and heading toward the garage. “I’ll go to Frederick Bell’s. You keep looking to see if she changes course, see if she pops up anywhere else.”

I hope like hell she’s smart enough to know going to her father would end badly for her. Very badly. “While you're at it, check with the omega help centers in the city and see if they’ve had any calls tonight.”

“On it. I’ll also set up alerts with the hospitals.”

The thought of that has my chest tightening and my stomach roiling. Haven might end up in the hospital because of us. Because we fucked up.

If she does, I’ll never forgive myself.

I drive every route between our house and the Bell estate that I can think of, praying that I’ll come across a lone figure trotting along the side of the road, ponytail swaying with each stride. But I don’t.

I pull to a stop in front of the closed gate to Haven’s old home and stare up at the house. There are no lights on inside. It’s still relatively early for club goers, and so it’s possible that Frederick is still where we left him before we came home and found Haven huddled in our backyard, soaked to the bone and shivering, lips blue, unresponsive, nearly catatonic.

We should have known then it was something more than an email from her father, should have known she discovered something about us.

Already knowing Haven won’t answer, I press the button to call the guard on duty. Maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll at leasttell me if she’s there. But I doubt that too. It doesn’t make any sense for her to come here, not after what we learned about how Frederick Bell treats her. But I’m desperate enough to try.

The speaker on the box buzzes faintly and then a gruff voice comes over the line. “What are you doing here, Calloway?”

Surprised, I blink, momentarily caught off guard. I wasn’t aware Bell security knew who I was, who we are. I lick my lips and say with confidence, “I’m here to see Haven Bell.”

There’s a long pause on the other line, no answer, then the guard is back, sounding worried as hell. “What do you mean, you’re here to see her? Isn’t she living with you?”

Ah, so they know where she’s been all this time. Sure, we told Haven her father had shown up demanding to talk to her, but he never actually did. Smart of him, since we never would have let him speak to her. Ever.

It would be too great a risk and she doesn’t need to deal with her abuser. That’s what we’re for. To handle all the bullshit for her.

I don’t know what to say to the guard’s accusatory question, so I remain silent. He curses on the other side of the line. “Are you telling me you don’t know where she is?”

My jaw tenses and I sigh. “Look, man, can you just tell me if she’s here or not?”

“She’s not here. She hasn’t set foot in this house for over a month. We all thought she was safe with you.”

I blink at that, surprise catching me off guard, but in the next moment, I’m furious. The guards knew. They knew how shitty Frederick Bell was treating his daughter and did absolutely nothing to stop it, to help her.

“She’s safer with us than she is with him,” I grit out.

“Yeah, sure. Except you lost her.”

I don’t have time for this bullshit. It’s possible I shouldn’t trust this faceless voice on the other side of the security speaker,but he seems genuinely worried and pissed off at us for losing Haven. I feel the fucking same.

Already throwing my car in reverse, I spout off my phone number. “If you hear from her, please call us. Please. We want to keep her safe. IT’s the only thing we want.”

Before he can either agree or deny my request, I’m backing out of the driveway and hurtling down the road.

I drive for hours, up and down side streets and main roads, searching for any sign of a tiny omega with a swinging ponytail and tears on her face.

I check in with Jude to see if he’s found anything.

I chase sirens, hoping and dreading in equal measure that they’ll lead me to my girl.

---