Chapter 18
IVY
My heartbeat quickens while we wait. I should feel nervous, especially after what Daisy said the last time we met, but my stomach bubbles in excitement. Sure, there’s a possibility this is a trap that Daisy cooked up with the Killers Club. At least if I’m going to die, I’ll die happy knowing that my sister is okay.
Seb paces while Callen thinks only of his stomach and scoffs crisps like usual. Bram stands behind me like an impenetrable statue. We’re not touching, but his reassuring presence lets me know he’s not going anywhere. Freddie sits on his own in the corner. He looks terrible, but his eyes sparkle with determination. He grips the chair arms tightly, alert and ready for action.
“How much longer will they be?” Callen complains. “They’re late.”
“They’ll be here,” Freddie says.
“I want it on record that I think this whole meeting is a stupid idea,” Callen says.
“No one asked for your opinion, dipshit,” Seb hisses.
The minutes tick by. Another ten. Twenty. Forty. They’re a full hour late. Daisy always used to be punctual, exasperatingly so. She hated being late for anything. What else has changed over the last five years? Does any of the old Daisy remain? I know I’ve changed, but I’m still me… I think.
Callen strolls to the mini-bar. “I need to toast this failure.”
As soon as he picks up a bottle, a knock on the door makes everyone jump into action.
“Remember what we agreed,” Freddie says. “We?—”
“We’re not hurting anyone,” Seb says, taking over. Freddie’s momentarily taken aback, then lowers his head to yield. He’s not their leader and shouldn’t be firing off orders. Seb looks pointedly at Callen. “Do you understand?”
“Understood,” Callen mutters reluctantly.
“Freddie, you get the door. Bram, stay with Ivy, no matter what.” The big man already made his intentions about not leaving my side clear. “And Callen?” Seb runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “Just be on your best behaviour.”
Yeah, fat chance of that.
Freddie peers through the peephole. I half-expect his brain to be blown out, but a bang doesn’t come.
“She’s come alone,” Freddie says. His hand rests on the door handle cautiously, waiting for Seb’s approval to proceed.
“Open it,” Seb says.
He opens it slowly, edging inch by inch, keeping the chain in place.
“Are you going to keep me waiting forever?” Daisy snipes from the other side.
I bite my lip to contain a laugh. She’d never have dared speak to anyone like that before, no matter how much I encouraged her to speak her mind. I’d be proud if it wasn’t for knowing how she’d developed her new no-bullshit attitude.
Freddie undoes the chain for her to step inside. He closes the door behind her, triple-locking it like we’re in a high-security prison.
Seeing her is like staring at a ghost. Her blonde hair has been smoothly straightened out. It looks like an expensive dye job, but I miss her wild red curls. Her tight black jeans and top show off her sculpted figure. Her legs are muscular, and her arms are defined, showing she’s no stranger to working out. She’s powerful.
“Do you want to sit down?” Seb gestures to the comfy sofa.
She crosses her arms. “I’ll stand.”
She still hasn’t made eye contact with me.
“Thanks for calling,” Freddie says.
Her eyes narrow. “Let’s make one thing clear. I wouldn’t have come to you if I had any other choice.”
“What do you need, Daisy?” I ask.
“Most people call me Dove or Lotus now,” she says, meeting my gaze for a second before looking away as if she’s too afraid to look at me for long because of what she’ll see.
“Dove…” It’s a strange nickname that feels weird in my mouth. Usually, when Killers Club agents get new identities, they pick something spunky and venomous. Dove sounds gentle. “You’ll always be Daisy to me. What do you need?”
I resist the urge to scream, shake her by the shoulders and tell her to snap out of it, but I restrain myself. My hands curl into tight balls, and my nails dig into my palms. I have to be patient. Five years of brainwashing is a lot to overcome.
“I didn’t come alone,” she says.
There’s another knock on the door. Callen bristles, cracking his knuckles as he marches to see who our newest visitor is.
“Motherfucker,” he curses. “It’s the guy your sister was with and Stephanie.”
“Stephanie?” I gasp. Maybe this was one big mistake. This has to be a set-up. “You brought her here? She’s a monster. She’ll kill us all!”
“There’s a lot you don’t know,” Daisy says. “All of you need to hear what she has to say.”
“How can we trust you?” Callen butts in. “If I’m not mistaken, you’ve already tried to kill two of us at least once.”
I study her body language. I used to be able to detect whether she was lying from a single look, but it’s hard to tell what she’s thinking now. This woman looks and sounds like my sister, but we’re strangers. We share blood, and I love her unconditionally, but I can’t forget what the Killers Club is capable of.
“Let them in,” Daisy orders. “We only want to talk. That’s it.”
Freddie’s jaw tenses, fighting his desire to answer, but it’s down to Seb to make the final call. We all wait with bated breath until Seb eventually nods.
“Fine,” he agrees. “Open the door.”
The guys’ hands rest on their weapons, hidden in various pockets, and brace themselves for a fight.
When the door opens, we’re all surprised when a little girl comes rushing inside first.
“I thought you were leaving her with Maria,” Daisy growls through gritted teeth.
“Stephanie insisted,” Hale replies. From his thunderous expression, he’s equally unhappy about the arrangement.
My shoulders relax instantly. Daisy wouldn’t kill anyone in her daughter’s presence. The others must share the same thought as they exchange bemused looks.
“Long time no see, Ive,” Stephanie says, beaming at me like we’re best friends reuniting. “You too, Bram.” She winks at him. “You look better than the last time I saw you.”
Of course he looks better than when you held him fucking prisoner for weeks in a dingy basement! Bram puts a firm hand on my shoulder to stop me from flying across the room and clawing out her eyeballs. I bite my tongue for little Ivy’s sake.
“This room is amazing,” Ivy squeals, extending her chubby arms and spinning in a circle.
Hale’s eyes soften when he looks at her, filled with love. Whatever has happened over the last five years, at least Daisy has had someone taking care of her and her child.
“Why don’t you go into another room to play, boo?” Stephanie ducks down to Ivy’s level. “I’m sure there’s something fun to do that our friends can show you.”
Ivy sticks out her bottom lip. “Won’t you play with me, Auntie Stephie?”
Auntie Stephie? Now, I really want to tear out her hair extensions. I saw Stephanie as a friend. She was there for me throughout the grieving process. She watched me go through many sleepless nights and held me when I cried, yet she knew Daisy was alive and I had a niece.
Bram squeezes my shoulder to ground me. Don’t rise to her. Not yet.
“Cal, take her into the next room,” Seb says. “There are some books you can read.”
“Me?” Callen’s jaw drops in outrage. To the outside eye, he seems like the least likely choice of a babysitter. “Why me?”
Hale’s chest puffs out like an angry peacock. “Not with him.”
Ivy doesn’t seem scared by Callen’s rugged biker appearance. She lollops over and throws herself at him, hugging his knees like they’re besties. She looks up at him with wide doe-like eyes. “Can we make a blanket fort? Pleaseeee!”
Callen’s gaze softens instantly. Perhaps he’s transported back to when he had Tilly to look after.
“Sure we can,” he says. “I know just the place.”
“She’ll be safe with him,” Seb promises.
Hale opens his mouth to argue, and Daisy dares to look at me again. I nod, a slight incline of my head. I don’t know whether she noticed or whether she was searching for my opinion, but she plasters on a fake smile seconds later.
“You go along and make a blanket fort with the…” She grimaces. “Nice man.”
“Yay!” Ivy squeals and takes Callen’s hand. “Let’s go!”
He has no choice but to be hauled away, glaring at Seb over his shoulder. It’s a good thing he’s out of the way. Cal’s our loose cannon, the one who could make everything blow up.
With Ivy in the next room, the tense atmosphere reaches a boiling point.
“So…” Stephanie sashays over to the sofa to make herself comfortable. As usual, she looks like a movie star. Her tight red dress cuts off above the knee and pairs with her strappy matching stilettos perfectly. She crosses her long, tanned legs and flashes Seb a pearly white smile. “Are you going to offer me a drink, or does royalty usually have servants for that?”
“Why don’t you stop wasting our fucking time and tell us why you’re here?” I spit, unable to contain my anger any longer.
Stephanie laughs, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “So you’re still mad at me, huh? I don’t know anyone who can hold grudges like you do.” She winks. “Have I made it onto your list yet?”
“You’re quickly moving to the top of it,” I reply.
“You said you needed our help,” Freddie cuts in to end the back-and-forth word-slinging match. “What is it you want to talk about?”
Daisy looks at Stephanie to continue.
“You’re always so quick to jump straight into business,” Stephanie says, wagging her finger at him. “All business and no play!”
“Not everyone likes to fuck with people’s lives for fun like you do,” I snarl.
“I’m sensing tension between us,” she says. “Look, I know you’re pissed about the dungeon thing, but I had no choice. You know what Alaric’s like. I knew you wouldn’t die when you were locked up with Mute Muscles over there. He’s a gentleman.”
“So you were counting on the goodwill of a stranger not to kill me? I’m so glad our friendship meant that much to you,” I reply bitterly. “During all the years we’ve known each other, why didn’t you tell me about Daisy and Ivy, or did you just get a kick out of seeing me suffer?”
She sighs. “It’s complicated.”
“It doesn’t seem complicated,” I say. “You turned us both into monsters.”
“I helped make you strong,” she says. “And now you both know the truth—well, most of it, anyway—the time is right.”
“For what?” Seb asks.
Stephanie’s face lights up. She looks like she should be a Vogue cover model, yet there’s a murderous edge to her perfect smile.
“To kill Alaric, of course.”