Page 62 of Knot Unwanted: Part Two

“Here,” Stone growls when he finally releases me, placing a hand over my holster. His eyes burn with barely restrained intensity. “You remember how to use one of these?”

I nod. Despite my earlier bravado, I can’t stop myself from shaking. This isn’t hypothetical anymore. This is real.

“Hey,” Stone says softly. “You don’t have to do this.”

I meet his eyes. “Yes, I do.”

He studies me for a moment, then nods. “Stay behind me. Shoot only if necessary.”

“What about them?” I ask, nodding toward the Ashgraves, who are conferring among themselves. All except Connor Ashgrave, who I now realize watched both Stone and Jax kiss me. There’s a strange look in his soulless eyes.

“We watch our backs,” Jax says grimly. “They want Heath dead as much as we do, but beyond that…” He shrugs. “We can’t trust their priorities align with ours.”

Connor’s lips rise with a smirk as the rest of the Ashgraves finish their discussion and approach us. Riordan takes the lead, as usual.

“Here’s how this goes down,” he says without preamble. “Ellis takes position on that ridge to provide cover. Declan and I will approach from the east side. Connor, Stone, and your omega will come in from the west. Jax, you’ll?—”

“Negative.” Jax’s voice slices through the plan like a blade. He moves to face Riordan. “We move as one unit. Ellis provides cover. The rest of us enter together.”

Riordan’s scar twists as he scowls. “That’s a bottleneck. We lose tactical advantage?—”

“I don’t care,” Jax says. “I’m not splitting up my pack.”

“Your pack is already split,” Connor points out mildly. “One of your alphas is chasing Caldwell, remember?”

The reminder stings, but Jax doesn’t falter. “All the more reason to keep what’s left of us together.” Jax meets Riordan’s gaze. “Heath’s security will be dispersed. We concentrate firepower. Break their lines faster than if we go in separated. You want Heath? This is how we take her.”

The tension between them builds again, a silent battle of wills. Finally, Riordan relents with a curt nod.

“Fine. We go in together. But when we get inside, we’ll need to move fast. Heath will have an escape route planned.”

“Agreed,” Jax says. “We neutralize security first, then Heath.”

“And if she surrenders?” I ask.

Six pairs of eyes turn to me, expressions ranging from surprise to amusement.

“That’s not going to happen,” Riordan says, his scarred face twisting into what might be a smile. “But if it does, we’ll cross that bridge.”

Something in his tone tells me exactly what crossing that bridge would entail.

“Let’s move out,” Jax orders. “That plane is almost ready for takeoff.”

Ellis disappears into the darkness with his rifle, heading toward the ridge overlooking the airstrip. The rest of us move toward the facility in a tight formation, using the trees for cover.

As we approach, I can see the hangar more clearly. It’s larger than it appeared from a distance, with a small attached office building. The private jet sits on the tarmac just outside, stairs deployed, engines still.

“Security patrol,” Connor whispers, pointing to a figure moving along the perimeter of the hangar.

Riordan signals to Declan, who nods and slips away from our group, moving silently through the shadows toward the guard.

“What’s he doing?” I whisper to Stone.

“Taking care of it,” Stone answers grimly.

I watch as Declan approaches the guard from behind. There’s a brief struggle—barely visible in the darkness—and then the guard slumps to the ground. Declan drags the body into the shadows before rejoining us.

“Clear,” he says quietly. “There are two more at the main entrance.”

---