Page 60 of Knot Their Safe Haven

"Dubai?" I frowned. "I don't know anyone in Dubai."

Each word was a carefully placed cut, designed to bleed slowly.

I watched her face crumble, watched the moment she started to question everything.

"The text," Knox said suddenly. "Before the accident. You were texting someone about regrets, about the past. You remember that, don't you?"

If he knew about the text, that had to mean they looked into who I was conversating with before the accident, but maybe they had no clue who it was because they weren’t a contact. Even so, for them to be roaming in my business but seemingly not giving a fuck about everything I had been requesting prior for years was grinding my gears.

I made a show of thinking, then shook my head slowly.

"I remember being stuck in traffic. My driver left to make calls. Then... nothing until waking up here."

"This is bullshit," Knox's voice had gone dangerous. "Whatever game you're all playing?—"

"Knox, was it?" Alessandro's voice had dropped to something lethal. "You're distressing my Omega. I'm going to ask you once to leave. The next request won't be verbal."

"Your Omega," Malcolm laughed, but it was bitter, broken. "She doesn't even know you. You're taking advantage of a medical situation?—"

"Like the way you took advantage of her unconscious state on multiple occasions?" Alessandro's words were precision strikes, the lowball completely unexpected because I don’t need to feign my surprise because I was genuinely shocked.How did he find out?"Yes, I know about that. Amazing what people tell you when you're paying for premium security review and consistent surveillance care for our new Omega."

Malcolm went as white as a ghost.

"What?" Knox turned to look at him. "What is he talking about?"

"Perhaps this conversation should happen elsewhere," Alexis suggested, her tone making it clear it wasn't actually a suggestion. "Our Omega needs rest, not drama."

"I'm not going anywhere," Knox stated flatly.

"Yes," Dante —or was it Damon? —said pleasantly, "you are."

"You want to try to make me, pretty boy?"

The twins smiled in unison, and it was all teeth.

"Oh, please. Please give me a reason."

As “hot” the display of authoritative confidence and guaranteed violence was, this was getting a lot and I’d actually be lying if I pretended like it wasn’t making my head throb painfully.

"Stop," I said softly, injecting exhaustion into my voice. "Please. I don't...I can't handle this right now. My head is killing me."

Alessandro immediately turned to me, his face shifting to concern.

"We’ll get the doctor and nurse in here so we can see what can be done about that headache,” he says to me so tenderly before he’s glaring at our obvious intruders. “Everyone out. Now."

"Velvet—" Knox tried one more time.

I looked directly at him, putting every ounce of blank non-recognition I could muster into my gaze.

"I'm sorry, but I really don't know you. Can you please leave. I’m tired of repeating myself."

I really wasn’t lying when about that part. I was tired of repeating myself.

Only difference now was it didn’t matter like it could have back then.

Repetition proved I wasn’t being listened to.

I watched him stagger slightly, Malcolm catching his arm. They looked at each other—twenty years of rivalry suddenly meaningless in the face of shared loss.