Page 52 of Knot For Keeps

Without taking my eyes off the screen I pulled out my phone and speed dialled Gage.

“Yeah?” He answered after a single ring.

“Detective Rouche of all fucking people is outside.”

“Shit. Where’s Lavender?”

“Not with me, maybe Archer?” Of course she wasn’t with me. She had been avoiding me ever since I’d accidentally barked at her, and while I didn’t blame her, it still stung.

“Find her, I’m going to go outside and deal with him. Don't come out if you’ve been near Lavender—I don’t want to risk him smelling her on you. I just showered so I should smell pretty neutral ,” Gage ordered.

Throwing my phone down without even a goodbye I strode out of the room, on a mission to find the pesky little omega.

Archer was in his office, and had been most of the day so I knew Lavender wasn’t with him. I headed for the kitchen, I could hear the faint sounds of cupboards banging and pots scraping.

Theo was standing next to the microwave, a sleepy, happy look on his face.

“Is Lavender here?” I asked. Theo looked confused.

“No, I think she’s in the sun room. Our feral beastie wanted some space to rest and read. Why?”

I cursed under my breath. The sun room was made entirely out of windows.Of courseshe would be in the most open room of the entire compound right when Detective Rouche was snooping. Couldn’t we catch a fucking break?

“Detective Rouche is on the property, gotta make sure she’s hidden,” I growled as I stalked out of the room. I ignored Theo shouting something behind me and the clatter of his dishes.

Lavender was indeed in the sun room, curled up in a ball on the green sofa, a soft sherpa blanket thrown over her legs. She looked cosy and content, focused on the screen of her e-reader, basking in the sunlight of the fall afternoon.

At my not at all quiet entrance, she turned her head to me.

“Oh! Kane, how—”

I didn’t slow my approach, and instead of greeting her, I simply leaned down, grabbed her and tossed her over my shoulder. She was tiny and it was easy enough to do. She let out a small yelp of shock before shouting my name as I strode out of the room. I had just entered the hallway when we passed a startled looking Theo.

I didn’t care if she was mad. I needed to get her to safety. We couldn’t have another omega in danger under my roof. I refused.

Even though I still felt like shit for barking at her, her safety came first.

“Are we playing kidnappers? That could be hot!” Theo followed us with a lazy grin.

“What’s happening?” Lavender asked in an exasperated voice from over my shoulder. There was no fear in the air, despite me having grabbed her.

“We have company,” I growled, turning to Theo. “Basement,” I ordered.

“You have a basement?” Lavender asked in astonishment. We had never shown her the cavernous space that served as a giant panic room. It was well hidden. “Why are we going there? Answer me!” A sharp smack landed on my ass. I suppose Lavender was face to face with it, but her hands were tiny, and made little impact.

Theo laughed from somewhere behind me. “Oh Lavender, you don’t want to do that. Kane does the spanking around here!” He paused a second, his footsteps still following me before saying, “I’ve texted Archer to let him know what’s going on.”

A loud metallic door clanged and the hardwood floors gave way to stone and metal. “Where on earth are we going?” Lavender asked, still confused.

“The basement is kind of a fortress,” Theo admitted, following us down the stairs. Lavender didn’t have a chance to reply before I hauled her off my shoulder, placing her on her feet in the middle of the room. She stumbled slightly as I released her, but Theo was by her side in a heartbeat, keeping her steady. Despite the fact I’d just been touching her, I was jealous of Theo for how he handled her with such ease.

She looked around curiously. Grey walls were adorned with CCTV screens and several guns on a wall rack, with a table and a set of chairs filling up the rest of the space.

“A detective that’s been a pain in our asses for a while has probably got wind that we were near the Haven the night you went missing. He’s been nosey, but now he’s on our property.” Theo did his best to explain to Lavender.

“He’s gone too far, this is private property. I’ll kill the bastard,” I growled.

Theo frowned at me. Was he shocked at the lengths I was willing to go to? “He came right onto the grounds—and Lavender was in a room made of windows,” I explained.

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