Page 52 of Knot a Bad Idea

He’s dead.

The man who held me captive is no longer on this earth.

“How do you feel, April?” Devyn asks sweetly, her bright eyes earnest. “Are you okay?”

I swallow a bite of macaron, looking at her incredulously.

“Am I okay?” I repeat quietly.

Am I okay?

Devyn doesn’t deserve my anger. It’s a question that comes from a genuine place of concern, and she’s only nineteen.

Butam I okayis the stupidest fucking question I’ve heard in a minute.

“It’s a lot to process, Devyn,” Skylar interrupts helpfully. “I’m sure she doesn’t have the answer to that question.”

Everyone stands around the kitchen, their eyes on me, waiting for me to say something.

I’m being treated with kid gloves again, and I hate it.

So, instead of answering Devyn’s question, I fix my gaze on Vincent, who keeps his expression neutral instead of worried. Whether it’s because he knows I don’t prefer to be babied, or because he genuinely doesn’t care that much, I don’t know.

But I appreciate he didn’t keep the news from me.

“Do you have any idea why this might have happened?” I ask him.

There’s a small part of me thatmighthave an idea as to why this occurred, but I’m probably wrong.

Vincent scowls. “The three inmates that jumped him suddenly had money put on their books. The most an account can hold at one time. Once they’re out of confinement, they’ll be eating good for a while.”

Nausea churns in my gut and Skylar shoots me a look.

“So, it was a hit?” River asks.

Vincent shrugs. “The prison doesn’t care and neither do I. My guy gave me a heads up as a courtesy, since it relates to you.” He nods at Skylar, then turns back to me. “Do you want us to look into it?”

I swallow.

“We got all we could out of that asshole, anyway,” River mutters. “Good riddance to that piece of shit. He ratted on everyone; I’m not surprised his ass got jumped.”

“It could have been anyone,” Vincent adds, giving me a knowing look. “He had a lot of enemies. If you want us to look into it, we can. If not…I would sleep a bit better knowing that fucker is in the ground.”

I start to spiral.

There’s no way that Pack Axton could be involved, right?

They wouldn’t be complicit in murder, right?

Vincent has a point, though.

I will sleep better knowing he’s in the ground.

So, I shake my head. “No need to look into it. Thank you for telling me.”

Skylar lets out a sigh of relief, but Devyn frowns as she looks at me, worried.

But instead of screaming at all my friends, I keep my frustration inside.