Page 51 of Knot Unwanted: Part Two

My money’s on the upper levels. It’s where Heath and Caldwell had gone before.

I start toward what looks like a main corridor, moving as quietly as my injuries allow. Each step sends daggers of pain through my knee, and the makeshift body armor grates against my dislocated shoulder with every movement.

I need to fix that before I go any further.

Finding a recessed doorway for cover, I brace myself against the wall, positioning my arm at the correct angle. This is going to hurt like hell.

I take a deep breath, then drive my body forward while pulling my arm up and out.

The joint pops back into place with a sickening crunch. White-hot agony floods my system, and for a moment, my vision swims, black spots dancing at the edges. But then comes the relief—immediate and profound as the worst of the pain subsides.

I rotate the shoulder carefully. Still damaged, but now at least functional. It’ll have to do.

As I step back into the corridor, a door opens at the far end. A beta in a lab coat emerges, head down, focused on a tablet in his hands. He hasn’t seen me yet.

I duck back into the recessed doorway, weighing my options. Kill him silently? Try to avoid detection? Or, perhaps the most useful, interrogate him?

He draws closer, still oblivious to my presence, muttering something about “irregular hormone patterns” and “need to alert Widow.”

Information about Hailey? This beta might be exactly what I need.

I wait until he’s almost level with my hiding spot, then step out smoothly, catching him by the throat and dragging him into the recessed doorway before he can make a sound. His tabletclatters to the floor as his hands fly to mine, trying to pry my fingers loose.

“Make a noise,” I growl quietly, the gas mask lending my voice an even more terrifying quality, “and I will snap your neck. Nod if you understand.”

He nods frantically, eyes bulging with terror.

I ease my grip just enough for him to speak. “Where did Caldwell take the omega?”

“I—I don’t know,” he gasps. “I just process the lab work. I don’t?—”

I tighten my grip again, silencing him. “Try again. Where would he take her?”

The beta’s eyes widen, his pulse racing beneath my fingertips. “Th-there’s a private elevator. East wing. It goes straight to the garage level.”

“And from there?”

“I don’t know!” he chokes out. “Please! I just process samples.”

I study his face. He’s telling the truth—at least partially. “But you know where he takes them, don’t you?”

“Takes who?”

I slam him against the wall, hard enough to make his teeth clack together. “The omegas. His collection. Where does he keep his stash?”

Understanding dawns in his eyes, followed by genuine fear. “I don’t know the exact location. No one does except for the boss. Somewhere in the mountains. A compound or estate. That’s all I know, I swear!”

My blood runs cold. If Caldwell gets Hailey to his private compound, I might never find her again. And time is running out—by now, he’s probably already on his way.

I make my decision quickly. “You’re coming with me.”

“What? No, please?—”

“Shut up.” I grab him by the collar, pressing the knife against his ribs. “Walk. East wing. And if we encounter anyone, you’re just escorting a security officer to the exit. Understand?”

He gives me a jerky nod, sweat beading on his forehead.

We move through the corridors, the beta walking stiffly in front of me, the knife concealed but pressed firmly against his back. Every step is agony for my injured knee, but I push through it, focusing on Hailey. On getting her back.

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