Page 8 of Knot in My Wildest Dreams: Part 2
“Your uncle approved a new restroom for the adjoining meeting room. When the construction was complete, a new vent was installed. I noticed if you go into this room here -” He pushed open a door to one of the old rooms used for small events - “Then you can hear the acoustics from his private office perfectly.” He whispered. I looked at the old room. We never used it much, especially after my parents passed. Sterling motioned to the vent. I crept closer, shooting Sterling a suspicious glance as Ineared it, wondering if this was all just some plan to get rid of me. But sure enough, my uncle’s voice came through as clearly as if I was in the room with them.
“...gets paid. We have enough trouble as it is.” My uncle sounded like he was pacing. Sterling moved his hand over my mouth, securely enough that I couldn’t yell for help. I rolled my eyes at his caution. Then, another voice chimed in.
“They are going mad over it. They have the evidence, but they aren’t taking any steps to present it.” The voice said. I stopped focusing on Sterling and suddenly my attention was focused on the vent. The voice was so familiar, but I couldn't place it. I strained my ears to hear more.
“She hasn’t said anything to me so far. Which means she’s keeping secrets.” My uncle sounded angry. Was he talking about me?
“We need to change course. If they don’t follow the plan, the evidence needs to be leaked somehow. It’s the only way to keep this on track.” The voice said, and my mind swirled at the conversation and the nagging in the back of my mind as to who the voice belonged to.
“I can’t get a hold of her. She’s decided to take some time off, which is unusual for her. Did they confront her? Since they have the evidence, it's even more imperative that they act on this. What’s changed?” My uncle spat out.
My stomach churned. My uncle was talking aboutevidence- presumably the same evidence I’d found at Pack Lockwood’s house. How could he know about this? What was his plan?
“I’m not sure. She’s not the only one keeping secrets.” The voice said, and I leaned in to hear. “But something’s not right. This is going off the rails if we don’t move ahead.”
“I’ll reach out to her, create a crisis that she has to come here to handle. That will get her back here, at least. I can figure out what’s been going on. You have to get them to release the documents to the press. Otherwise, this whole thing falls apart, and we move to plan B.” My uncle said, and I heard his footsteps pace through the office, echoing through the vent. I turned to look at Sterling, my eyes wide with the question of if this was really my uncle. My own family, who seemed to be working against me, in a conspiracy that I didn’t yet understand.
“I’m working on it. Worst case, I’ll have it released myself and pin it on them.” The voice said, and I closed my eyes to try to place it.
“See to it that you do. You have a bright future ahead of you, but it hinges on this plan being successful.” My uncle’s tone of voice, which I once thought of as so stern and used for my best interest, was now stripped down to pure malice and manipulation.
“I’ll keep you updated. This will work, I can assure you.” The voice said, and then the topic switched toward speaking about profits, plans, and upcoming collaboration between Harringday and this mystery player. I turned to look at Sterling with shock,but he only held a finger to his lips to remind me to stay silent as we listened to the meeting. I could barely focus.
It was true. My own uncle was actively trying to betray me.
My mind started to go fuzzy as I fell within myself, the betrayal on top of every other betrayal like knives to my heart. I almost tuned them out completely when I heard the other voice mention Dante. Then, something clicked. The other person in the room, the person collaborating with my uncle - it was Elijah. Dante’s best friend.
Chapter 8
Sterling
Celeste was panicking. I could sense her heart racing faster, her breath coming more quickly. And even though this was only the second time I’d felt her body, I was more attuned to her than she’d ever realized. I’d watched her from afar, learning her every subtle movement, studying her as she worked, trying to figure her out. Being around my scent match without being able to do anything about it was the most painful thing in the world. Every second I had to wear a mask of indifference, while I worked to keep her safe from her uncle’s plans. Now, she was here in my arms, and acting in a way I’d never seen her act before. She was going to spiral.
“Is that enough proof for you?” I asked, and she only swallowed, her breath coming in fast and shallow. I needed to get her somewhere far from her enemies. “We need to get away fromhere now. Can you trust me?” I asked, hoping that she would finally let me help her. She looked at me with big eyes full of fear and nodded. “Alright. I’m going to have you follow me. You cannot let them hear you, do you understand? We need to get out of here without being seen or heard.” I whispered, and waited until I was sure that Gideon and Elijah were deep in conversation before I took her hand, leading her away from the corner of the room. Even though her skin was cold with fear, I savored every second that I could have her hand in mine. It was more than I ever thought I’d have with her.
“Sterling! This is insane! How can they - what were they -” Her words came out like a waterfall, and I knew I needed to get her away as soon as I could. For both of our sakes - she was acting way more reactive than I’d ever seen her, and I knew based on the tentative weeks off on her work calendar, her heat was coming soon. If she let out any perfume now, I’d lose my mind. We had to get her somewhere safe.
“I’ll explain everything soon. We need to get you someplace where no one can track you.” I said, trying to use a calm voice as I pulled her down the hall.
“I have a place I'm staying.” She replied, and I nodded back at her.
“We need to get off your property without being seen. Pack Lockwood and your uncle can't know where you are.”
“Trust me, I'm not telling either of them where I’m staying.” She said with a new anger. That was an improvement - I’drather have her angry than panicking. And now that she heard the proof herself, I could tell her everything, and she might just listen. Between the back corridors and side hallways, I managed to get her outside the home and into the yard.
“Let’s go, we can use my car.” I said, pulling her in the direction of my vehicle, but felt her resist. I turned back, and her eyes were boring into me with suspicion. “What’s wrong?” I asked, and she shook her head.
“I’m not telling you where I’m staying. I don’t trust you. I don’t trust anyone at this point!” She snapped, and drew back her hand. I tried not to let the urgency of our situation make me sound desperate.
“Look Celeste, I get that. But out of all the people in the world, you should trust me more than anyone! I am bound to keep you safe!” I replied, hoping beyond hope that she would somehow sense what I already knew and listen to me. She crossed her arms, eyeing me warily.
“How could you possibly be the person I trust the most? In what world does that make sense? You kidnapped me, held back information that could have helped me all this time. You work for the man who I just found out has been sabotaging me and setting up my downfall. Why in the world would I trust you?” She nearly yelled, and I took a single step forward, trying to keep her from getting any more agitated. It was time for the truth. I took a deep breath, hoping my next words wouldn't be like adding gas to a fire.
“Celeste, you’re my scent match.”
Chapter 9
Celeste
