Page 123 of Seen Knot Heard

I shrug, not trusting my voice.

Uncertainty flickers across his face, but he sets the laptop on top of a stack of folders to shoot himself the email.

When he closes the computer and hands it back to me, his earlier excitement dims. Concern furrows his brow as he takes me in, his eyes moving over the messy bun on top of my head and the rumpled onesie hanging off my frame.

“Chloe, are you okay?” The question comes out gentle, but with an undercurrent of worry.

I paste on a cheerful expression, shoving down the panic trying to claw its way out of me. “I’m fine.”

Not buying it, Dominic’s frown deepens. He studies me for a long moment, seeing straight through my flimsy facade. “Do you want me to fetch Nathaniel? Would you rather talk to him about this?”

The thought of facing Nathaniel right now, of knowing that my being here will cost him all of his dreams… I can’t bear it. “No, that’s okay. The offer was a bit of a shock, that’s all. I’m still processing.”

It’s as close to the truth as I can manage.

Dominic hesitates, still radiating doubt, before he hands back my laptop, his fingers lingering on mine a moment more than necessary. “All right. If you’re sure. I’ll review the contract as soon as possible. Will you be down for dinner later?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there,” I promise, clutching my computer to my chest like a shield. Like it can somehow protect me from having to make the coming choice.

Dominic hesitates as if he wants to say more before he sighs. “Okay. I’ll see you then.”

I mumble a goodbye and flee the office, my heart racing. I stumble down the hall to my bedroom, desperate to be alone. To process the inevitable. To figure out my next step when the one weapon I had has proven useless. When the thing I’ve poured my heart and soul into can’t save the people I love most.

I shut my door behind me and lean against it, pressing my face into my hands to fight back the burn of fresh tears.

Lost. Helpless.

Afraid.

My legs tremble, threatening to give out beneath me, but I force myself to keep moving, one foot in front of the other, until I reach the bed and collapse onto it, burying my face in the quilts that no longer hold Holden and Blake’s scent.

For a long moment, I lie there, trying to breathe around the knot of dread in my chest. My mind races, searching for another way out, but I keep coming back to the same inescapable conclusion.

Louie holds all the cards, and if I don’t play by his rules, the pack will pay the price.

With shaking hands, I pull out my phone, the screen blurring in front of me. I blink back tears as I scroll through my contacts, finding Louie’s name at the bottom of the list. My thumb hoversover the call button, every instinct screaming at me to throw the phone across the room, to run far and fast.

But I can’t run, not from this. Not when the lives of the people I love hang in the balance.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself. Then, before I can lose my nerve, I press the button and lift the phone to my ear.

It rings once, twice, each one feeling like an eternity. “Darling, I’m so happy you called. Are you ready to come home?”

I swallow hard, my mouth dry as sandpaper. “I have conditions.”

The silence stretches for a heartbeat, two, before Louie speaks again. “I’m not an unreasonable man. What, exactly, are these conditions?”

I close my eyes, fighting back the wave of nausea that threatens to overtake me. “I’ll return to you. I’ll do whatever you want. Just leave the Misty Pines pack alone. Call off your men and let them finish their project in peace.”

Louie hums in consideration, the sound sending a chill down my spine. “I suppose I can be generous this once.”

I release a shaky exhale, hating myself for the gratitude coursing through me. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet, darling,” Louie purrs. “I’ll be at the dock within the hour. Be there ready to go. And don’t think about trying to run. You know what will happen if you do.”

Without waiting for a response, he hangs up.

I lower the phone, my hands trembling so hard that I nearly drop it. This is happening. I’m really going to do this.

---