30 Ivy
Ivy
I heard bikes approaching and jumped to my feet. It was more than just two. I went into panic mode as I rushed to the wall next to the window and flattened myself against it. I risked a glance, hoping I could tell who was coming up the long driveway.
I let out a tiny, relieved breath when I saw it was Grip and Vike.
But the relief only lasted so long because riding behind him were Ice and Bones, followed by a handful of other members.
I would have bet they were members who made up the table.
And I lost all faith that things were okay when the men angrily dismounted and stomped their way up the porch.
Grip looked confused. Viking looked… lost. And I think that killed me a little.
“Well, shit,” the Prospect said. I nearly jumped out of my skin because I hadn’t heard him step up beside me. “Looks like something’s about to go down. Shit finally catching up to you?”
I shot the asshole a look.
“Who says they’re here for me?” Oh, they were totally here for me.
He snorted before replying, “’Cause my ass knows not to do shit. And it’s only the two of us here.”
He tucked his gun away, typed in the code for the alarm, then opened the door.
Two of them took up posts on the porch, leaning against the supports like they were waiting for someone to bring them a beer.
The Prospect stepped aside while the rest of the men, all seven of them, filtered inside.
Meanwhile, I slinked back to the corner of the living room, trying my hardest not to look like I was armed and ready for shit to go down.
“We got a problem, little girl,” Ice said as he instantly locked eyes with me. That cold stare definitely made my skin prickle, and a shiver threatened to shake my entire body. “Sit your ass down and tell me what the fuck is going on.”
I swallowed, nodded, and moved to take a seat on the couch.
This was it. Honestly, even though I was scared as hell, I’d been waiting for it.
Vike instantly came to my side, sitting close enough that I was practically on his lap. I liked that he wasn’t trying to put space between us. I had a feeling I would need him for this.
He’d probably hate me after I spilled the truth.
And Grip, he would feel so betrayed.
I never meant to fall for someone here, let alone two of them.
But I had, and the thought of losing them now was tearing me in two.
I had come here with a purpose. A plan to help save my ass. Falling for them hadn’t been part of my plan.
But it didn’t seem to matter. I knew in my heart I wasn’t ready to give them up just yet.
Maybe not ever.
Oh, yeah, I was in deep.
“I got trouble in my club,” Ice said when I hadn’t spoken. “I’m thinking that trouble got something to do with you. I ain’t fuckin’ happy about it and I need to know what is going on right the fuck now.”
“I—” My mouth remained open, but no other words came out.
I looked over at Grip, who was clearly keeping his distance from me. He leaned his shoulder against the wall, too close to the door for my comfort, but he was anything but relaxed. It was almost as if he were there to block me from getting free.
“Who the fuck are you, and why the fuck did you show up at my club?” Ice spat.
“I got men from another chapter here now. They just showed up without calling first. Which sure as hell isn’t something I’m happy about.
” His gaze pierced right through me. “And I don’t like the kind of questions they’ve been asking. ”
“Did you tell them I was here?” There was no sense in playing around. I knew I’d been caught. My life was more important than… spinning more of the messy web I’d already spun.
“Not yet,” Ice said. “They’re currently havin’ a good ole night at our strip club, but don’t think that I won’t haul you in myself and hand you over.
“Who’s here?” I asked, knowing they had to be from back home. I instantly pressed my back into the couch when Ice raised a daring brow at me.
If they were here, then I needed to speed things up. I was out of time.
I guess I was pretty lucky that things had worked out so far. And my next step wouldn’t be any different. The truth was, I had an ace up my sleeve that I hadn’t been expecting. I was still… coming to grips with it all.
While it hadn’t been part of the plan, it might have been the thing I needed. The one thing that would solidify my place here.
It was a bittersweet feeling. Though now it was starting to feel more bitter than anything.
“You wanna know who’s here?” Ice asked, shifting ever so slightly, which reminded me of a snake about to strike.
I stayed silent. “Well, I’ll tell you. Seems I’ve got a handful of brothers from the Florida chapter hanging around.
Which also happens to be the mother chapter.
I’m still trying to work out if you know that much or not?
But the thing is, I don’t have to work anything out.
Because you’re going to fuckin’ tell me. ”
Wishing I had a glass of water, I swallowed thickly, trying my hardest to gather up some saliva, but my body was working against me.
I took in a deep breath and willed my racing heart to calm down. It was time.
I was sure they all knew my big secret by now, or at least part of it. So, there was no holding back. No more twisted truths, or rather, lies.
“Muffle was my best friend,” I told them, pushing the sadness away. “A few weeks before I came here, Muff came to me and gave me his pendant.”
“I told you not to lie to me,” Ice said. “That one statement tells me you left a lot of information out right from the damn get-go.”
“Everything I told you was basically the truth,” I went on. Ice’s eyes narrowed, but he appeared to be listening, so that was good. “No, I don’t have a mother, at least one that’s not around now. And no, I don’t know what the hell happened to her.” I shrugged and shook my head.
One day, my mom was there, and the next, she was gone. Five-year-old me knew not to ask questions. Even to this day, I had my speculations, but no idea how close to the truth they were. I’d probably never know, and that was something I’d have to live with.
“And my dad isn’t trying to marry me off to the sheriff,” I went on.
“So you came here for nothing?” Ice asked. I could see it in his eyes that he knew there was more.
“Not the sheriff, but...” I stared him dead in the eyes. “I am part of a deal my dad made with a cartel leader. A deal that would involve getting his hands on a lot of product to sell.”
“Product?” Bones asked, stepping up. I couldn’t read his expression, which made me uneasy. I didn’t know this club. I wasn’t sure if they would agree with any of this or not.
“Heroine,” I answered.
Someone sucked in through their teeth, but I didn’t know who.
As I scanned the scary crowd around me, my gaze landed on the Prospect, who was surprisingly still here.
His face expressed how pissed he was. Not pissed, seething.
Blood-boiling angry. All this time, he’d known there was something off about me, but he hadn’t been able to put his finger on it.
I bet that had to bother the hell out of him.
“Heroine?” Ice sounded unsure, like he didn’t want to believe me. But then, he shook his head. “Wait.” Then it was like he got the part I hadn’t exactly had a chance to spell out yet. “What do you mean you’re part of the deal?”
Oh, yeah, he’d already figured it out. For the first time since I met the man, Ice looked something other than ice-cold or bored. The man’s expression went from horrified to downright murderous. It only lasted a couple of heartbeats, but I had witnessed it.
“He’s going to trade you? Like you’re an object?” Ice asked, his mask back in place.
“Yep,” I answered, stomach turning. It still made me sick to think about.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vike’s hands curl into fists on his thighs. I wanted to reach out and offer him a comforting touch, but I couldn’t move.
“The fuck?” Grip growled.
The air in the room became thick. I was finding it hard to breathe.
Ice’s spine lengthened. A silent way of taking back control of the room.
“Muff knew all of this?” Ice asked. The pieces were falling into place for him without me having to spell it out.
“I think so,” I answered. “When he came to me, he knew something, but he wouldn’t tell me anything.” I rolled my eyes. “Yes, he was fucking loyal to the end. Even though he ended up giving his life to try and save mine, he took the club secrets to the grave.”
“Fuck,” Grip bit out under his breath. He ran a hand through his hair, looking more distraught than anything. “He didn’t deserve that.”
When Grip lifted his gaze to meet mine, I nearly lost my breath.
He looked… sad. Like he understood my pain. Like he wished Muff hadn’t had to pay the price.
A tear rolled down my cheek. I swiped it away quickly and dropped my gaze. I’d felt so alone all this time, needing to deal with Muff’s death but not able to yet. If I had let Grip in from the start, maybe I wouldn’t have felt like I was choking on the feelings every time I remembered Muff.
I fucking hated everything this situation had turned into. Well, not everything. But I knew I fucked it up, and I prayed I’d have the chance to fix it. If only I’d known before…
There was no sense in thinking like that. Sure, I’d made my bed, but I wasn’t going to lie in it. Nope. I was determined to fix it.
“Why didn’t Muffle just go to Rocky?” Bones asked. “I bet the Judgment Prez wouldn’t be thrilled about that. He could have taken care of your problem for you.”
“Wait a minute,” Ice said like the light had just gone off in his brain, but I was already opening my mouth to talk.
“Because the Prez was who Muff was trying to protect me from,” I told the room. “I’m Rocky’s daughter.”