Page 49 of Knot Her Cowboys (Big Sky Omegas #2)

“ I think I’m finally figuring out a proper groove here.” I snuggled down between Cash and Dakota on the couch with a hot chocolate, my brain mellow and my body exhausted after a long day in the kitchen. “I wouldn’t say no to a couple of sous chefs to help me out, though.”

“I already talked to the staff and put up a job listing for someone with a little more experience,” Cash told me. “We’ll get you as much help as you need, and in the meantime I’ll be your kitchen buddy.”

My purr erupted. Cash might be a distraction in the kitchen, but he was a cute one, and when he could wrangle himself into focusing, he was very helpful.

Cooper arrived with our popcorn but frowned when he saw where I was sitting.

He passed the popcorn to Cash and my hot chocolate to Dakota before scooping me up, spinning, and sitting back down with me on his lap.

If Cooper wanted me close, he was going to get me close.

I wedged myself right under his shirt while he squawked, trying to keep me from getting anywhere near ticklish spots.

“Riley, what the fuck is happening?” He laughed, grabbing hold of my hands through the fabric.

“Extra special cuddles.”

“Pass me the food and drinks,” Levi ordered. “You guys are going to spill on Riley’s couch.”

Cash and Dakota adjusted Cooper’s shirt so I could wedge myself deeper. “It feels criminal I can’t do this to all four of you at once. Whoever designed omegas should’ve allowed for replication by mitosis as needed and let us come back into one body the rest of the time.”

“You think we could survive that many Rileys?” Cash asked with a laugh. “You’re already a force of nature. Could you imagine four of you?”

“I could run my own kitchen all by myself if I wanted to, but that would probably get boring.”

I closed my eyes, happily nestled, but then tension shot through the alphas around me. I blinked, trying to get a sense of what was wrong, but everything was dark.

“Power outage?” Levi asked. “There’s no storm. I wonder if someone hit the pole? Is it out on the whole property?”

I wiggled free from Cooper’s shirt, trying to get my bearings. It wasn’t fully dark yet, but it was close. Dakota opened the curtains, letting the dim light of evening into the space.

“Holy shit,” Dakota gasped. “One of the barns is on fire!”

I flung myself toward the window, seeing the small barn where I’d helped Levi with Bluebell’s birth being consumed by a blaze. “Bluebell and Buttons!”

I bolted. My only concern was to make sure the horses got out safely. My pack thundered down the stairs after me and I sprinted out the door without even pausing for shoes.

Seconds counted in situations like this.

An alarm cracked through the air. The whole ranch looked dark as I ran except for the faint glow of emergency lights in the guest properties, and the solar lights lining the paths.

Cooper and Levi got ahead of me, slamming through the barn door, and Dakota jumped the fence, wrenching open the larger door for the horses to flee into the corral.

I was just about to cross the threshold when an arm wrapped around my waist, and I assumed it was Cash stopping me from entering a burning building, at least until the acrid smell of sweat and lawn clippings filled my nose.

Not my alpha.

Darrell fucking Decker.

A leathery hand clapped over my mouth. I kicked, struggling hard, and arms wrapped around my legs too. Wildberry and cigarettes overwhelmed Darrell’s alpha scent.

No!

I screamed and flailed as Darlene and Darrell dragged me through the trees. Every step pulled me further away from my pack, and had more of the barn consumed by the flames, the roar and crackle of it drowning out the sounds of my panic.

“Quit your fucking squirming.” Darrell’s harsh grumble washed over me. “Stupid little cunt making me come all the way here to get you.”

I snapped my teeth onto his fingers, wincing at the taste of dirt and god knew what else on his skin. He dropped me hard onto the ground and pinned me with his knee to my spine.

“Just for that, I’m going to make sure it hurts.” I yelped at the sharp stab of a needle in my skin. “Do you think two days of an unattended heat before I claim you will be enough to calm down that shit attitude of yours? Hmm? Nothing to say?”

“She’ll keep her mouth shut if she knows what’s good for her,” Darlene snapped.

Except I knew for damn sure that letting myself be taken wasn’t going to be good for me. I screamed as loud as I could and grabbed onto Darrell’s legs before he could kick me.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” He tried to wrench me free and failed miserably. “Darlene, how’d you birth such a bitch? I don’t have time to train her to be docile.”

“Don’t look at me. I told you to add a sedative to the suppressant neutralizer.”

Fuck.

No sedative meant I could fight, and a suppressant neutralizer was better than a heat stimulant. It gave me time before I’d fall into the haze.

I grabbed the leg of Darrell’s jeans with both hands and walloped my forehead straight into his family jewels.

He doubled over with a groan. Before I could leap away, Darlene was on me, yanking my hair to get me back under control, but I screamed and kept screaming, striking out with every limb.

My mother and her horrible ideas had already cost me too much.I wasn’t going to let her take my future too.

I’d watched enough true crime over the years to know not to let them get me to a second location. If they got me off the ranch property, we could end up anywhere while Darrell waited for my heat to kick in.

“Stop being such a fucking hassle. Goddamn.” Darrell picked me up by the scruff of my shirt and got me in a headlock, forcing me to stumble along with him.

Away.

I had to get away . Now.

Grabbing the front of his jeans, I squeezed as hard as I possibly could, digging in my nails for good measure until his grip on me released and I took off through the field.

I went straight for the paddock and rolled under the fence.

Darrell got hold of my feet and I kicked him square in the face.

Rewarded with his bellow of pain and my blood buzzing with adrenaline, I yelled out, “Grizzy!”

My beautiful angel mule came trotting over, and she quickly realized I didn’t have any treats for her, but once Darrell came charging at us like a huffing bull, she leapt into the role of guard mule I’d jokingly dubbed her.

Grizzy put herself between me and Darrell.

He looked about ready to collapse. Darlene wasn’t much better as she ran over, nearly coughing up a lung as she stopped to catch her breath.

“Fu—fucking Christ, girl.” Darlene reached for me but Grizzy swung her head around, teeth going straight for Darlene’s arm. My mother shrieked and stumbled backward, hitting the ground and staying down.

When Darrell tried to go around the other way while Grizzy was distracted, he earned himself a swift kick to the chest that knocked him on his ass.

“Grizzy, I’m going to get you a whole bag of apples after this.”

“Fucking creature.” Darrell wheezed, getting to his feet. Grizzy kept going for him, forcing Darrell to dodge and curse, evading her teeth, but just barely. “Get your ass in my truck, Riley, or I’m going to turn this thing into glue.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you. Go suck a cactus, Darrell.”

“All right.” He pulled out a pistol and aimed for Grizzy, but I flung myself at him, forcing the shot wide.

“Don’t hurt her!” I hung my entire body weight from his arm so he couldn’t even aim in Grizzy’s direction.

Grizzy didn’t react quite fast enough to my presence, but her bite meant for Darrell wasn’t as hard as it could have been.

Darrell held me in front of him, using me as a human shield to protect him from Grizzy, which only seemed to piss off my mule savior more.

“Get in the fucking truck.”

I gave in to the surge of fear that washed over me, letting my tears flow and my body shake. “Promise you won’t hurt her.”

“She deserves to be dog food for kicking me,” Darrell growled.

“ Promise! ”

“Jesus, fine. If you’ll shut up and stop being such a cunt, I won’t shoot the fucking animal.”

I let him hoist me to my feet, refusing to let go of his arm so he couldn’t go back on his word. With Darrell untouchable, Grizzy took out her ire on Darlene, chasing her screaming into the trees.

What the hell was I going to do? I should’ve sprinted into the woods instead of the paddock. I should’ve tried to outrun him like I had in the past. The odds of his cardio having improved in the last decade were slim, so I probably would’ve gotten away.

With me hanging onto his wrist, he grabbed a handful of my hair and navigated us, shoving me in Grizzy’s direction when she came barreling toward us.

Grizzy let out a distressed bray, edging to one side and back, trying to get around me to Darrell.

He dragged me to where his truck had busted through the security fence. That explained the siren, at least.

My whole body heaved with sobs.

Darrell wrenched open the passenger door. “Get in.”

I forced my shaking limbs to obey.

“Don’t even try to open the door. It’s busted anyway and can’t be opened from the inside.” Darrell slammed it shut and circled the truck at a sprint when Grizzy broke free from her paddock to follow us. He shot into the driver’s seat and slammed the door before he got bitten.

From where I sat, I could see the barn still blazing. Were Buttons and Bluebell okay? Was my pack safe? How long would it take them to notice I was missing?

Darrell started up the truck and whipped backward, narrowly avoiding Grizzy, who danced away with another panicked bray.

A cloud of dust kicked up as we spun around and headed for the road.

I pressed my hands to the window, as if I could will the glass to vanish so I could tumble out into the gravel.

Grizzy charged after us. She wouldn’t be able to keep up forever, but I was glad she was here for now, that I had someone who cared nearby as I was dragged to this horrible fate.

“I like you better when you’re quiet.”

“I’d like you better if you were dead.”

Darrell barked a sharp laugh. “I’ll give you to Paul after we’re bonded. He’s good at training out a smart mouth.”

I shuddered.

Either I was going to die in the compound or Cooper would storm it and then he would die, and I’d never survive being the reason he was taken from this world. My pack wouldn’t just let me go. They’d follow. They’d fight for me, and that would be the end of them.

I needed them to survive this.

I’d gone twelve years without Cooper and Cash, and I’d made my way home eventually.

If I did it once, I could do it again. Darrell couldn’t be vigilant all the time.

One day he’d let his guard down and I’d take the chance it offered.

It might be the equivalent of crawling through hell over broken glass to get out of that compound, but I’d get back to my pack one way or another.