Page 25 of Knot Unwanted: Part Two

But I know what lies beneath that polished facade. We all do now.

Jax parks the SUV in a dense copse of trees half a mile from the main gate, out of sight of the security cameras. The night is cool, the moon occasionally visible through gaps in the cloud cover. Not ideal conditions for stealth, but we work with what we have.

Jax checks his weapons one last time. “Remember the plan,” he says quietly. “In and out. No fireworks, like you said.”

I don’t answer. Now that I’m here, now that I’m so close, my pulse thrums in my teeth, the familiar rush of adrenaline narrowing my focus to a laser point. Somewhere in that building, Hailey is fighting for her life.

And I’m coming to burn it all down.

“Ren,” Jax tries again, his hand landing on my arm. “I need to know you’re with me on this. That you’re not going to go off-script the moment we’re inside.”

I glance at his hand, then at his face. “There is no script, Jax. There’s just us, them, and Hailey in the middle.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting.” I pull away from his grip and open the door. “I’ll disable the perimeter sensors. You cover me.”

The night swallows us as we move through the trees toward the fence. Every step brings me closer to a past I’ve tried to escape, to a world I swore I’d destroy. Every breath is a reminder of what’s at stake.

Hailey. Finn. Our pack.

They’re my family.

If they’ll have me after this.

The thought stops me in my tracks. After this…

What happens after this? Do we just go back to normal? Impossible.

“Ren?” Jax whispers from behind me. “What is it?”

I shake my head, pushing the thought away. “Nothing. Just…planning our approach.”

We reach the edge of the tree line; the fence looming before us. Beyond it, the facility’s windows glow with soft light, a beacon in the darkness. Deceptively peaceful. Deceptively normal.

I pull out a pair of wire cutters and begin working on the fence. The metal parts easily under the sharp blades, creating a hole just large enough for us to slip through.

“Security cameras?” Jax murmurs as we crouch by the opening. “We’re novices, Ren, not a fucking SWAT team. We haveoneshot at this.”

I point to a small black box mounted on a nearby pole. “Motion sensors linked to those cameras. Give me two minutes.”

I hear him murmur something about apparently not all of us being novices as I move quickly. I approach the pole, keeping low to the ground. The sensor is a standard model—easy enough to bypass if you know how. And I do. I’ve been studying these systems for years, preparing for this moment.

My fingers work almost on autopilot, disabling the sensor. When the small light on the box blinks from green to red, I give Jax a thumbs-up.

He shakes his head at me, and I see the awe and respect reflected in his eyes in the moonlight.

We’re in.

The journey across the open ground to the building itself is nerve-wracking. It’s too exposed. Too vulnerable. But the sensors are down and we make it to the service entrance without incident.

The door requires a keycard. I pull out a small electronic device—another tool from my arsenal of secrets—and press it against the reader. It takes thirty seconds for the light to turn green; the lock disengaging with a soft click.

And then we’re inside.

The corridor is sterile, lit with the same harsh fluorescents I remember from my…previous visits to places like this. The walls are white; the floor polished to a high shine. It smells of antiseptic and something else—something that makes my alpha bristle with rage.

Fear.

---