Page 67 of Knot All That Glitters: Part 2

Then I can examine why along with the anger and the disgust I have the faintest thread of jealousy twisting through my veins, like I want to rip apart those poor omegas who were forced into having sex with the Calloway pack due to circumstances outside of their control.

I shake my head at myself as I stumble down the stairs, pausing at the bottom to once again try to pull myself together. A few deep breaths and I feel moderately more in control. Enough so that I think I can make it back out the way I came.

Though maybe I should just leave my coat and purse and find a back exit.

No, my phone’s in there and although Jude gave it to me and undoubtedly has enough security on it to stop most hackers from getting in, a place like this will probably have someone capable.

I do not need anyone who runs this place to track it back to me. To them.

Another deep breath and I slip back into the hall of the main employee area, turning to catch the door and help it close softly.

“There you are!” a smooth female voice calls down the hall to my back. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. New girls aren’t supposed to be back here.” Heels click on the floor toward me, and it feels like my demise is inching closer, like this will be the end of me. But it’s not, it won’t be. I just have to play the part of a new employee for a bit longer, make an excuse and slip away.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I say, forcing a smile and turning to face the woman. Tall, brunette, elegant up do, slinky sheath dress, sky high heels, diamonds at her neck and on her ears. Whoever she is, it’s obvious she’s well off, high up in the club hierarchy.“I’m Holly. It’s my first day. I was just looking for the restroom. I’d like to use it before I get started.” If I’m lucky, she’ll just show me where it is and I can slip out and back to Ren’s car.

Only she’s staring at me like she’s seen a ghost. Her red lips move but no sound comes out, until I hear faintly, “Elise?” And I understand the shock and awe on her face, the ‘I’ve just seen a ghost’ look, seeing as she just called me by my mother’s name.

She blinks and seems to come back to herself, straightening those statuesque shoulders of hers, straightening her spine. “No, you must be Haven,” she says, reaching for me.

I’m so astounded that she knows who I am, knows who my mother is, that I let her curl a hand around my upper arm, her fingers biting a little too hard into my flesh. “What are you doing here? It isn’t safe.”

I frown up at her as she drags me down the hall away from the office where I found evidence. Not against my father, against the Calloway pack. Evidence that I’m not sure I can ignore, even if part of me wants to.

No, I need to talk to them, ask them about it. See how truthful they are and if they even think of lying to me about what they did here, I’m gone. Leaving them for good.

Because I definitely still want to do that.

Yes. Definitely.

“Excuse me?”

She glares down at me, those red lips of hers pinched in a tight line. “If your mother knew you’d willingly walked into this place, that you applied for a job here.” She tsks and shakes her head. “Not on my watch, missy. No fucking way. You’ll have to find employment elsewhere. She would never forgive me if I let you stay here.”

I dig in my heels at that and pull back against her forward momentum. “You know my mother?” That doesn’t make any sense. My mother left fifteen years ago. And before that, shespent every moment she could with me. She didn’t leave me alone at night, she didn’t have any friends. She told me I was her entire world until I wasn’t.

“Iknewyour mother,” she corrects. “About ten years ago.” Disbelief slams into me at her words, at the callous way she delivers them, with little to no regard for me or my emotional state.

The woman takes advantage of my shock and begins dragging me forward again. “I don’t have time to tell you the whole sordid story, but I will. I can. Just not right now. Right now, we need to get you out of here before anyone sees you.” She peers down at me sharply. “No one saw you, right?”

I swallow and answer dazedly. “I came in through the front door so everyone saw me.”

She swears, her free hand coming up to press her fingers to her forehead. “When did you get here?” I blink up at her, not understanding the question. She gives me a little shake when I don’t answer fast enough. “When did you get here, girl?”

“I don’t know, maybe twenty minutes ago?”

She gives a tight nod. “Okay, not much time then. The loss of the security footage could be just a glitch,” she mutters to herself, like she’s already forgotten I’m with her. Though how that could be, I have no idea. Her nails are all but digging into my skin.

“Here we are,” she trills, pushing open a door and tossing me out of it. I stumble into the snowy night, arms wrapping around my chest to ward off the chill. She eyes me for a moment. “Did you check your coat, your purse when you came in?”

I nod and her lips tighten even further. “Wait here.”

Before I can say anything else, she’s gone. The door slamming shut and I’m left out in the cold, literally.

I should have worn more clothes. At least the dress has long sleeves, but its plunging back and short skirt are doingabsolutely nothing to keep me from catching hypothermia. I stand there shivering, looking around the alley the intimidating woman abandoned me in. How long should I stand here? If she doesn’t come back, should I just call my belongings lost or should I head inside and try to collect them from the coat check myself?

My fingers have nearly gone numb by the time the door creaks open again. My coat is draped over the woman’s arm, my purse clutched in one hand, my phone in her other. She thrusts the phone at me first. “Unlock that.”

“Excuse me?” I ask, totally dumbfounded by the demand.

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