Page 20 of Seen Knot Heard

Hands trembling, I test the handle and nearly cry in relief when it gives way.

I’ve done it.

I’m out.

Hand shaking, I ease open the door and peek into the hallway.

All clear.

On tiptoes, I creep past closed mahogany doors that hide Louie’s opulent office. My breath comes quick and shallow as I resist the instinct to run straight for the elevator. Instead, I keep my steps slow, placing each foot with care.

At the end of the hall, the elegant living room sprawls out on the right, the floor-to-ceiling windows displaying a city at night.

Stepping to the left, I hug the curve of the staircase and peek around into the dining room. Also empty.

My pulse pounds in my ears as the bronze doors of the elevator come into view. Escape is so close. I just have to cross the open space without being discovered.

I creep forward, looking over my shoulder at the second-story loft, which lies in darkness. Unable to stop myself, my steps quicken, closing the distance to the elevator.

A cold sweat breaks out across my skin as I press the call button.

An eternity passes between one ragged breath and the next. Then, with a soft ding, the doors part, revealing the mirror-lined interior.

I rush inside and crouch beneath the wall of buttons, my flushed face and braided pink hair reflecting on three walls. Terror fills me that, at any second, one of Louie’s guards will stepout of the break area, or the server will come out of the kitchen and sound the alarm.

With a trembling hand, I jab at the ‘door close’ button over and over, my breath coming in panicked little gasps.

Finally, the doors whisper shut.

I reach up and select the ground floor. Relief weakens my knees, and I collapse against the wall, the metal cool on my fevered skin.

I did it. I’m getting out of here.

But the seconds tick by, and nothing happens. The elevator stays on Louie’s floor, suspended in place.

Then the doors open again.

I shrink back in horror as expensive Italian loafers come into view, followed by the legs of a tailored suit. My heart freezes, ice crystallizing in my veins.

“Oh, Chloe, darling.” Louietsks, shaking his head in disappointment as he stands over me. “Silly little Omega. You need an access key to use the elevator.”

He crouches, bringing his face level with mine. Cold, blue eyes study me, a predatory gleam in their icy depths. His pheromones push out, filling the small space with the noxious scent of almonds and anise. It coats the back of my throat, making me gag.

Louie reaches out, catching my chin in a punishing grip, his emerald ring digging into my skin. “This is not what I hoped for when I told you to think of a way to please me. Not at all.”

I’m trapped. Caged. At his mercy.

From the dark promise in his gaze to the curl of his lip, I know that he’ll make me pay for my escape attempt. His desire is a noose around my neck that will choke me into submission if that’s what it takes to break me.

Louie releases me and stands, stepping back out of the elevator. “Bring her.”

A hulking guard I haven’t seen before strides in, his meaty hands reaching for me.

I try to dodge, but the mirrored box offers nowhere to go. He grabs my waist, and I struggle, kicking and pummeling his chest, but it’s no use. As I thrash and scream, he hoists me over his broad shoulder like a rag doll.

He carries me to the couch in the living room, where he drops me.

The plush cushions knock the wind from my lungs, leaving me gaping like a fish.

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