Page 51 of Knot Innocent
I’m outside in seconds, jumping the parking lot fence and sliding across my truck’s hood to get to the door. The whole drive to Birdie’s house, I’m cursing myself for deleting the app that would allow me to see her location. It’s not like it’s commercially available for me to download.
Birdie still isn’t answering her phone, which only fuels the fire swirling in my gut. Thankfully, Birdie’s car is still in the driveway when I arrive at her house. I park diagonally behind her so she can’t leave and shove the door out of my way in a hurry to get to her.
There’s virtually no chance of convincing myself to take a walk to calm down before confronting Birdie. Quite frankly, I’m enjoying being good and pissed off. I take her front steps in one leap and immediately begin pounding on her door. “Birdie!”
I don’t hear anything inside and begin checking windows. She might not be here, idiot. The screen is down over her office windows. She doesn’t leave it down unless she’s using it. Birdie’s here.
Jumping right back to the door, I start pounding again. “Birdie, I know you’re in there. Open the damned door.”
Seconds later, the click of a latch sounds, and the door swings open. Birdie looks like a kid, just like she did that night in the garden. She’s holding a wet cloth smeared with makeup, and her face is freshly scrubbed.
I shove my way inside and slam the door behind me. Then, pausing just long enough to take a deep breath, I round on her and advance. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?! You promised me you’d stay safe on campus, but the minute I turn my back, you sneak off to do the opposite.”
Birdie stands her ground, though I’m toe to toe with her and leaning down. She doesn’t defend herself at all. “Answer me, dammit!”
She shoves her hands against my chest, only succeeding in backing herself up. “First of all, I didn’t promise to stay on campus. I promised to stay safe, which I did.”
“You’ll be safe because you aren’t going!”
Birdie’s lips curl into an angry smile. “I hate to break it to you, but I already did. Cooper met me right outside of the Knot Corp compound. He escorted me home to change, to the meet-up, and back here when it was all over. Mercan is already in a cell.”
“I don’t give two fucks about Mercan! The bastard that drugged you is still out there and knows where you live. You aren’t supposed to be here! You sure as fuck aren’t supposed to be alone outside of the compound. Now, I don’t know what went through your head, but you’re done hunting until this bastard is caught!”
Birdie laughs. She actually, fucking laughs. “I don’t know who you think you are, but not even Dillan Knot can exert that kind of control over me. I don’t belong to you. I don’t answer to you. You know what else? I’ll hunt as much as I damned well please, and you won’t stop me. You’ll want to, but you won’t. I could walk out that door right now, and you’d let me because you’re scared.”
“If I’m afraid of anything, it’s of you ending up in some psycho’s crosshairs and disappearing.”
“Bullshit. You talk a good game because that’s your only weapon. Look at yourself. You won’t even come near me.” Birdie skirts around me, proving her point. “You’re afraid of what you might do if you tried to stop me, but you are not your father. He was a coward, which you are not.
“Bastien, you’ve been banking your future on a theory that you might turn out like your father when I actually did cause someone to die. That makes me a real monster, not a theoretical one. Why is it that you don’t hold me to the same standard as yourself?”
“You were just a kid, Birdie.”
“Yeah? Well, so were you.”
Birdie throws the wet cloth at me and marches for the door. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?”
“Wherever the hell I want, and you won’t do anything about it.”
Birdie
My heart races as I cross the floor. This is it. You’re either about to die or break through some of Bastien’s chains.
A sharp tug on my ponytail stops me from reaching the door handle. Bastien rushes me, caging my body against the door. “You’re not leaving this fucking house. Do you hear me?” he growls into my ear.
“Yes. I. Am.”
Bastien roars and slams a hand against the solid wood door. His temper tantrum doesn’t scare me. My only reaction is to smile against the sturdy panel. “You won’t hit me. You’re not capable.”
I duck out of his arms, arms that still aren’t touching me. “See, Bash. I’m not afraid of you. Never have been and never will be, so take your snarling and gnashing of teeth and take a hike. I’ve got places to be.” Shaking out my arms, I add, “I’m feeling some pent-up sexual frustration that I need to let out.”
Bastien grabs my arm and holds it in an iron grip. Almost there.
“You’re going to regret provoking me.”
I slap him for good measure. “My only regret is not doing it sooner.”
His eyes turn feral, and his growl is lethal. “Birdie, knock it the fuck off.”