Page 63 of Knot His Beast
I have an epiphany and decide to be a better person, only to have Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumbass break into my apartment and remind me why I’ve been alone for so long.
You can’t get hurt when you’re alone, and no one else gets hurt because of you, either.
CHAPTER 21
Bentley
“So I’ll be meetingthe young man that’s twisting you up in knots tonight?” Dad asks, smirking when I blush.
Ugh, no matter how old I get, my father still has the ability to embarrass me.
“Yes,” I drawl, taking a long sip of water to cool myself off as I sit at the table with him. “Octavian is very private, so I’m sure he is currently stress cleaning.”
It doesn’t matter how well fucked he was, I know my omega.
“He’s an omega, that’s pretty normal, Bentley. I would ask if going out to eat would be better, but I don’t think it would be for the same reason.”
“People make him anxious,” I admit. “It’s easier if he can meet you at home where he can control things.”
“Okay. Then that’s what we’ll do. I’ll take that, thanks.”
“Dad,” I hiss, sighing as he drops his card on top of the bill without looking. “Thank you.”
Dad looks incredibly smug as the waiter leaves, and he has every reason for it. The ranch is doing incredibly well.
“Since you won’t let me pay you what you’re worth to maintain my website and handle most of my emails, this is the least I can do.”
I don’t play the tit for tat game with my family, and he knows it. Instead, this is his way of telling me he appreciates me, so I’ll show my gratitude in return.
“Thank you. You know it’s not necessary, but I appreciate it. Do you want me to come pick you up for dinner?”
“No, I think I’ll walk. I checked, and it’s only a fifteen minute walk. I’m old, but I do more than that on a daily basis.”
“You? Old? I don’t believe it.”
I snort for good measure as he chuckles under his breath. Dad takes care of the bill once the waiter comes back and tucks his card away, while I refuse to grumble about it anymore. I can be an adult, sometimes.
As for his claim that he’s not old, he’s right. He’s not, but even I can see the wrinkles settling in and I remember the way he used to move stiffly in the mornings while I was living at home.
Age comes for us all.
“I’ll see you in a little bit,” Dad says, waving to me as he leaves me at my truck.
The smile remains on my face even as I get into my vehicle and pull away, right until I’m a block away from the loft. A cloud of impending doom settles on top of me, and I can’t shake it even as I use my wireless headphone to call Tav.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
The call falls off into a grumpy voicemail that under different circumstances would make me smile, and my foot presses harder down on the accelerator. I’ve felt like this before, and I won’t ignore what it means.
Something is really fucking wrong, and I can only hope I’ll be able to stop whatever it is.
I’m not winning any parallel parking awards as the front wheel of my truck climbs over onto the sidewalk, and I leave the door half open and the keys clutched in my hand. If someone can figure out how to hotwire my truck without the alarm screaming, then they can have the damn thing. My boots pound along the sidewalk as I run as fast as I ever have back to my omega.
I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.These are the words being screamed into my mind like a mantra and I strong arm the open downstairs door to the loft in a panic. It doesn’t matter that I replaced it with a better model, or that this wasn’t supposed to happen.
It obviously has. Someone is here who shouldn’t be. The video cameras are recording every one who walks into this building, but I need to see it with my own eyes.
“Tav!” I yell, taking the stairs two at a time.
