Page 120 of Hot Knot Summer
“Oh my God,” I breathe, my hand flying to my throat.
“Emma?” Atlas straightens immediately, his Alpha senses picking up on my distress. “What is it?”
“I know where I’ve seen that pattern before.” My voice comes out hoarse, shocked. “It was Megan Sloane. Chad’s new girlfriend. She was wearing a scarf with that exact design when I bumped into her at the grocery store.”
The silence that follows is deafening. My heartbeat thumps in my ears.
“When did you last see her?” River finally asks.
“At the grocery store.” I’m already pulling out my phone from my pocket, my fingers trembling as I navigate to her social media profiles. “She was wearing it on the day I checked into the cabin. A silk scarf around her neck. I remember thinking it was beautiful, even though I hated her guts.”
I find her Instagram and hold up my phone, showing them a photo from just two weeks ago. There she is, dark brown hair, perfectly made up, wearing that same scarf with the gold moths dancing across blue silk.
“This is her,” I say, my voice gaining strength as the pieces start falling into place. “But why would part of her scarf be in that cabin?”
Atlas leans forward, studying the photo intently. “Do you have any other information about her?”
“Megan’s from Moonshell Bay. She works at the Tideline Tribune, sent here to cover the Summer Festival.” The memory tastes bitter in my mouth.
River suddenly goes very still, his eyes widening with recognition. “Wait. Hold on.”
He pulls out his own phone, scrolling through what looks like photos then pauses. “Holy shit. Guys, look at this.”
He shows us a picture that makes my blood run cold. It’s clearly taken at the burned cabin, showing the crime scene tape and investigative equipment. But in the front yard is a figure, Megan, seeming to search for something on the ground.
“That’s the woman who was snooping around thecrime scene the other day, and was in the restaurant with Chad,” River states. “She claimed to have just lost something on the grounds when I questioned her, but something felt off. I thought nothing more of it at the time. There are weirdos everywhere.”
“She was there as well?” I stare at the photo.
“Gets better,” Atlas says grimly, pulling out his own phone, staring at River. “I got a message this morning from my contact about that sedan, the one you saw her leaving with at the scene.” He reads the email. “Rental vehicle, hired three days ago by one Megan Sloane of Moonshell Bay. Still on rental for a couple more days.”
The world stops spinning. Everything goes silent except for the rushing of blood in my ears.
“She broke in,” I whisper, the words feeling foreign on my tongue. “She actually broke into the cabin and tried to... tried to… What was she doing? To start a fire and kill me?” My stomach churns with nausea and fear. “Am I still going to get sued? Even with this evidence?”
Before anyone can answer, my Alphas approach. Atlas crouches in front of my chair, his hands settling on my knees with gentle firmness. River moves to stand behind me, both hands on my shoulders now. Levi settles on the arm of my chair, close enough that I can feel his warmth.
“We’re going to find out the truth. And now we know it has something to do with Megan, the fire is connected to her.
“River,” he continues without taking his eyesoff me, “call the police station. Get the investigating cop on the line and tell him about our discovery.”
“On it,” River says, already dialing.
Levi’s hand finds my back, rubbing slow, soothing circles. “It’s going to be okay,” he murmurs. “You see? We have contacts, legal resources, and we’re going to fight this every step of the way. You have us in your corner now.”
The gentle certainty breaks something loose in my chest, and tears burn behind my eyes. My whole body is shaking, the full magnitude of what we’ve discovered crashing into me like a freight train.
I stumble to my feet, needing to move, needing to do something with the adrenaline coursing through my system. But my legs are unsteady, and I barely make it to the small couch before collapsing.
Atlas and Levi follow, flanking me on either side like bookends. I curl up between them, pulling my legs against my chest in a defensive ball.
“If she really did this, if she actually framed me...”
“Hey.” Levi’s arm comes around me, pulling me against his side. “This sort of thing happens more often than you’d think, especially in our line of work. We’ve been sued multiple times—occupational hazard of being first responders. Our lawyers have won every single case.”
“But this is different,” I protest, even as I let myself sink into his warmth. “This is criminal. This is someone deliberately trying to destroy my life.”
“Which makes it even easier to fight,” Atlas saysfirmly. “It’s clear that Megan did something. The evidence is right there.”
