Knot All is Crystal (Lunarcrest City Omegaverse #3)

Prologue

PROLOGUE

Grief makes you smaller. In the days since my brother-in-law, Joseph, died, my sister Eve has become a shell of her former self. This is especially apparent as I watch her shake hands with people who give their condolences, offering dull platitudes about what a great man Joseph was.

How great a man could he be to die of a drug overdose while his wife is seven months pregnant?

Were the drugs more important than Eve and his unborn daughter?

I know addiction is more nuanced than that, but I cannot be empathetic when I just watched my sister waddle to his coffin with tears dripping down her face.

I can’t take my eyes off her massive belly wrapped in a black dress.

Why do they make black maternity dresses?

Logically, I know that black dresses have so many other uses than at funerals, but on her, it looks garish. It churns my stomach.

Stumbling to the bathroom, I lose my lunch in the small half-bath by the garage.

How am I supposed to be there for her through this? How do you support the person who’s always held you through the worst moments of your life?

It was always just me and Eve. When our parents died in a car accident when I was eleven and she was nineteen, Eve stepped up. She gave up college, her freedom, and her youth to become a surrogate mom to me.

And did I thank her for it?

Oh, of course not. Grief messed me up, and I took that out on her.

When I presented as an Omega, she took out giant loans to pay for me to attend the Omega Academy, in the hope that I would find a kind pack.

A better life than she could offer me is what she would say.

And did I appreciate it? No.

I haven’t met a pack yet, and now I don’t know if I will ever go to another social or make the effort to find one.

I have to be strong for Eve. I have to be there for her in the way Joseph couldn’t.

She needs me now and will need me even more when my niece is born in two months.

I swish some water in my mouth before leaving the bathroom to stand in the receiving line with my sister. But before I get there, my eyes stutter over a pair of men hanging out in the back of the parlor.

They were both at the gravesite, and I assumed they were Joseph’s friends at the time. But something about them makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Both are in solid black from head to toe, with nothing to identify or make them memorable. They must be Betas because I’m not picking up on any Alpha pheromones.

One of them catches me looking, and his mouth rips open in what he means to be a smile, but it turns out more like a grimace. Before I can turn and leave, the other is by my side.

“Crystal, right? Joseph was your brother-in-law?” His voice is gravelly, like he smoked too many cigarettes last night, and a shiver runs down my spine. A prickle of awareness in the back of my mind makes him feel familiar, even though I’m sure I’ve never seen him before.

“Did you know him?” Years of ingrained politeness rise to the surface despite myself.

The man nods sharply as his partner comes to stand behind him. “We were …associates. We were looking to speak with your sister, but she is a hard lady to get alone.”

My internal alarm system is blaring like I just burnt the bacon, and my nails dig into my palms from how I clench my fists. “Well, she would be at her husband’s funeral,” I nearly spit. “This is about the drugs, then.”

A startled laugh comes from the creepy one who smiles at me. Up close, I can see a scar on his cheek. I don’t know why I focus on it. “Straight to the point. I like that in a woman.”

His partner, the one with the gravelly voice, is a handsome Black man with a shaved head who rolls his eyes. “Joseph owes our employer significant money, and we’re here to collect. Nasty timing, I know, but he is a businessman.”

“It was his product that killed him, you mean,” I hiss, gesturing for them to follow me outside. I don’t want my sister to hear this. She has enough on her plate without realizing that her husband not only left her daughter without a father but also his family with a debt that they may be unable to repay.

Scarface shrugs, leaning against the side of the funeral home. “It’s not the boss’s fault that he can’t handle his drugs, dollface.”

As the handsome man steps towards me, my eyes are drawn to the bulk of a harness under his arm, hidden beneath his black blazer.

My stomach bottoms out.

A gun.

He has a fucking gun at a funeral.

I need to end this conversation as quickly as possible before someone gets hurt.

Or worse, Eve finds out what this is about.

“How much does he owe you?”

“Ah, see, that’s the rub.” The handsome man manages to look a little sheepish, and unfortunately, it’s endearing. “He was in deep, sweetie. He wasn’t just using, you understand what I’m saying?”

I rub my hand down my face in frustration. Tension has grown between my shoulder blades, and I want to run and hide. “No, I don’t. Was he dealing?”

“He was gambling, little Omega,” the scarred one quips. “This isn’t about the drugs. He bet the farm and lost. Or rather, the house. Boss bailed him out in exchange for his service. It seems he took the easy way out before he could collect.”

My head aches as it spins with their words, and I rub the bridge of my nose. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

The leader reaches out and puts his hand gently on my shoulder, dropping his gaze to look me in the eye. I shiver at his touch, his proximity leaving me wobbly-kneed. “Your brother-in-law was bailed out of significant debt by Kieran Cobb.”

I roll that name over my tongue. It’s familiar, but I don’t know from what. Before I can ask, he speaks again.

“He owed Kieran a few years of service, and then he died to get out of it. Someone has to be responsible for that debt. I don’t suppose you have, oh… one point two million lying around, do you?”

“What? Of course not.” My head spins. What the fuck was Joseph thinking? How could he get so far into debt?

“I figured as much.” His voice is very calm for a large, imposing man, and he manages to quiet my internal freakout. “Now, Crystal, you’re going to get your sister so we can discuss this.” I nearly melt at the gentleness of his tone.

Why am I reacting like this to this Beta criminal?

I swallow my fears.

“No.”

He grimaces like that was the last thing he wanted to hear from me. “Excuse me?”

“No.” My voice is stronger this time. “We don’t need her. I’ll do it.” I don’t know where this confidence is coming from, but I know I don’t have any other choice. My sister has given up so much for me, and it’s my turn to return the favor. The last thing she needs right now is to have the image of her husband shattered and to wonder how she’s going to get out of this trouble before my niece is born.

My stomach clenches, and I wonder if I would hurl again if there were anything left in my stomach. “Whatever it takes. I’ll take on the debt.”

Scarface sneers. “You don’t know what you’re agreeing to, Omega.”

The leader holds his hand up, silencing his partner. “Are you sure about this, Omega?” he says softly. “This isn’t something you go back from.”

I cross my arms over my chest. What does he expect me to do, hand my sister over? Just walk him right up to her and say, “Hey, Eve, I know your husband just died, but you need to go work for the fucking mob?”

No. This is the only option.

“I’m sure.”

I catch a flash of some unnamed emotion in his eyes. “Looks like you’ve made your decision. I’m going to call the boss.”

He steps away to make a call and only says a few words before he’s back, handing me a business card. “He accepts. Tomorrow, you’ll report here for work. Wear something sexy, Crystal. Kieran can’t wait to meet you.”