Page 4 of Knot Their Soldier: Part One
“You don’t want to go where Official Gould is taking you. I promise you.” Her words are hurried but firm.
I squint and then nod slowly.
All of my instincts are screaming at me that whatever the Companionship Program is, it’s not good. I don’t like the sudden change of plans or not knowing where I’m going. The colossal sum of money being paid to my family seems like hush money.
The Beta holds my gaze, forcing me to focus on her every word. “I’m going to give you a chance to save yourself, okay?”
Save myself? Surely there’s nothing I can do. My father is taking the money. I’m bought and paid for.
“There’s somewhere you can go. Somewhere you’ll be safe and protected by the law. Legally, no one can touch you once you get there. Do you understand?”
I don’t understand, but I nod anyway, caught up in her demanding energy.
“Do you have a phone?”
I shake my head. No one I know has a mobile phone. They’re reserved for the upper classes.
“What about a tablet?”
I shake my head again. We barely have electricity.
“Shit!” she hisses under her breath, but quickly collects herself. She digs in her pocket and pulls out what appears to be her personal phone. Tapping quickly, she pulls up a map and types in an address.
Barkrood Military Base.
It’s an eight-hour drive away.
“I don’t have a car,” I squeak. My mind is racing.
If she’s right, I can make this nightmare end. With each passing second, my inner instincts are screaming louder.
Do. Not. Go. With. Official. Gould.
I’m not a rebel. Frack, I feel guilty when I sneak an extra slice of cake. I’ve lived a small and humble life, hidden from society to protect my future. A future that just blew up in front of my eyes.
This is the big leagues. What this stranger is suggesting is tantamount to treason. Omegas are a tightly controlled asset from the moment they have their first heat. I’ll be hunted down like a criminal.
“Okay, okay, okay,” she chants as she scans the yard. It’s littered with rusting farm equipment and scrap.
“How about that truck?” She points to my father’s pickup he uses to get to and from work. It’s clunky and old, but carefully maintained. It’d make it eight hours to Barkrood Base. Probably.
I nod at the Beta. “The keys are always in the ignition.”
The assistant presses the phone into my sweaty palm. “Follow these directions. If you need to stop, pull off the road and hide somewhere remote. They’ll be looking for you.”
My deep, shaky breath fans around us. I can hear the low voices of Official Gould and my father negotiating a term of my contract.
Hurt squeezes in my chest. How can he so casually sell my freedom? I’m his daughter. Isn’t he supposed to want me to be happy and safe? He knows nothing about where I’m being sent or what will happen to me.
“When you get to the base, say these words exactly. ‘I seek sanctuary in The Omega Division.’ Ask for General Stone. Don’t take no for an answer. They have a legal requirement to enlist you.”
My father lets out a booming laugh of joy, and it’s the final knife in my gut. The stab of betrayal shoves me into action.
I don’t let myself think. If I do, I’ll chicken out, and I don’t have the luxury to waste time.
I’ve decided. I’m not anyone’s possession to sell.
The assistant’s grip tightens, and I meet her steady gaze.
