Page 82 of Knot All Is Lost: Part 1

thirty-three

Gruntingundertheweight of the bar I was bench pressing, I shook away the sweat that was rolling into my eyes. The past four days had been hell, my body begged me to go back to that house and claim what was mine. Her scent had been intoxicating, calling to me like a siren. My grandmother, the superstitious old bat, kept telling me that when I met my soulmate it would be like this. They would invade every part of your mind leaving you utterly useless until you gave in and accepted it.

Accepting wasn’t my problem. It was the fact she already had a pack she fit with, and I was the outsider. No one ever talked about what happens when you fall head over heels for an Omega you can’t have. With a roar I shoved the bar up and racked it as I heard my phone ring. Unfortunately, with my assignment with the government falling through, I didn’t have another lined up to drown myself in for distraction.

Not bothering to see who it was I slid my thumb across the screen and growled. “What?”

“Fuck Savo, you have to stop doing that. You’re going to make me shit my pants with how scary you can sound,” Rick, my boss, muttered.

I grabbed the towel I’d hung to the side and wiped my face. “Did you need something?”

“Let’s not forget who the boss is here,” Rick warned.

He was a good guy, he gave me work without questioning my past or how I came to be here. All Rick cared about was that I was fucking good at my job and kept out of trouble. While we had our moments of butting heads about certain approaches, he was willing to let me speak my peace before telling me to go kick fucking rocks.

“Yeah, yeah boss man, what you got for me?” I grumbled, knowing when not to push the boundaries.

“Seems that the old job you had is back on. They need a specialized bodyguard who can keep his mouth shut and questions to himself while keeping the charge alive and safe,” Rick answered. “You still the man for the job?”

“Do I have a choice? Last I heard, it was take the job, or I would regret it,” I countered.

Rick let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, this job is coming directly from the top of the food chain, so if you want to remain here in the city when they say jump, I’d ask how high. I’d really hate to lose my best guy over something stupid like this.”

“How long is the job for? They never said,” I asked as I shoved to my feet and headed for the shower.

“Until they don’t need you,” Rick stated, which translated to they didn’t tell him either.

“Send me the info. I’m assuming they want me over there ASAP?”

“You know the type, never fast enough or good enough for them. I’ll text you the address they are expecting you,” Rick said as a ping sounded in my ear, letting me know I got the information.

I pulled the phone down to double check and grunted as I saw it was on the outskirts of the city. “Got it, now I’m gonna clean up and head out. Anything else I should know?”

“Just one, if it’s any of the CoF who is behind this, that is a fight you do not want. They will ruin you faster than you can blink. I guess what I’m trying to say is be fucking careful.” With that, the call ended.

Fucking hell, this is the last thing I need.

I’ve managed to stay under the radar for so long.

Why does it have to go to hell now?

Rushing through my shower I got dressed in the typical bodyguard uniform of a simple black suit with a white shirt. I double checked my gun was secured in the holster under the jacked and headed out. My truck rumbled to life under me, and I smiled. It was one of the things I’d dreamed of owning when I finally got out. Let’s hope I could do this job without ruining everything I’d worked for.

It was a forty-five minute drive outside the city straight north. Once upon a time this area had been filled with affluent families and their children. Then when things got more dangerous they moved closer to the city and the safety the government had to offer them in protected communities. They gave up backyards and pools for security. While I couldn’t blame them, things had calmed down considerably. They could move back out here freeing up some space for everyone else.

The house I pulled up to was a massive old mansion with marble pillars holding up the awning that covered the front door and part of the circle driveway. It screamed old money, like ancient old money that came from the blood, sweat, and tears of others. That was a world I knew all too well back home. Everyone was always fighting tooth and nail to survive, throwing others under the bus just to get ahead. It didn’t look like anyone had lived here for quite some time but I’m sure they had staff looking after it, that’s what money can buy you.

Rapping on the door it was yanked open a few moments later by a man dressed as a butler. Or at least pictures that I’d seen of them or how they were portrayed in books. “We’ve been expecting you, Mr. Bakal. Right this way if you please.”

Not bothering to see if I was following, he shut the door and took off at a speed that didn’t make sense for how old he was. Most people assumed with how big and muscular I was I couldn’t move quickly but I was light on my feet. The life I led, you’d be dead if you couldn’t get out of the way fast enough. The butler took me up a flight of steps and down a long carpeted hallway into a sitting room where a man stood in front of a fireplace. The flames flickered casting shadows over his face making it hard to decipher who it was.

“Please have a seat,” the man said, gesturing to a pair of armchairs near the fire. “Care for a drink?”

“No thank you, I find it’s best to keep a clear head while on the job,” I answered as I sat.

He nodded and turned to face me. “Wise of you, it seems all the talk of your skill wasn’t just hot air. Do you know who I am?”

“Yes, Official Dubois, I do,” I stated as my gut warned me to be incredibly careful with anything I said to this man.

“I need a bodyguard for someone extremely important, but what I need more than that is discretion. You see, no one knows about her, and I intend to keep it that way. Which is why I keep her here in this home away from prying eyes. There is a whole security team that watches the grounds and the staff aren’t allowed to leave. If they do or manage to get information out they are killed,” Yoram informed me without batting an eye. “While that might seem extreme, it’s not, you see this child holds the key to what we need to survive. She managed to slip through my fingers and was taken from me years ago, and now I have her back, I won’t let that happen again.”

“Sounds pretty straightforward to me,” I answered, knowing that refusing would mean I too would be killed now that I knew about this place.

Yoram nodded after he studied me for a moment. “In case you have any grand plans to go behind my back and do something foolish just know I know exactly who you are, Savo Bakal. To betray me would be your demise and any hope you had of living a free life. You will be able to live freely here ensuring the future of our kind doesn’t come to any harm. If she does, you will be held personally responsible. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal clear,” I answered.

“Good, Arthur will remain here with you, tending to your needs. My people will pack up all your things from your home and deliver them here tomorrow. Welcome to my staff, your country thanks you for your service.” Yoram drained the last of his glass and then chucked it into the fire. “Oh yes, her name is Cambrie.”

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