17. Ivy
Ivy
I have no idea where Ripley is taking me, but I follow silently with Ty right behind me.
My mind is abuzz with so many questions, chief among them is Emmett’s whereabouts but for some reason, I don’t think I can ask now. Not with Ripley present.
That is until an opportunity appears.
When we get to a crossroads of sorts in a large foyer, Ripley turns to look at me and bows again.
“Young Miss, please proceed. I have other matters to take care of.”
“Uh, thank you, sir.”
“Oh, no need to call me that. Just Ripley will do.”
“I… I don’t feel comfortable with that,” I hesitate. Grammy will pinch me for being disrespectful to an elder like that. “How about Sir Ripley?”
At this, Ripley’s stoic face transforms into some sort of smile, then he looks at me with a fond gaze.
“The young mistress used to call me that,” he says in a soft tone. “I never thought I’d hear that again.”
The glint of melancholy in his eyes is so sincere and sad, I feel it in my heart.
“Do you mean Emmett’s mother, by any chance?” I ask quietly.
Ripley smiles genuinely this time, the corner of his eyes crinkling. “You’ve met her before, yes?”
“A long, long time ago,” I whisper. “I’m afraid I’ve forgotten what she looked like.”
“Oh, I believe you’ve been seeing her eyes all your life,” Ripley says gently, then he bows his head one more time before he leaves.
While I’m in a buzz of curiosity over what Ripley just said, Ty comes forward and gestures for me to follow him.
I nod and then walk behind him, thinking.
If Ty is here, could it be that Emmett is here somewhere, likely watching me?
The flutter of excitement I always feel whenever I know I’m about to see Emmett is all but nonexistent.
In its place is an entirely different feeling… and intention.
Determination, after all, is its own form of power.
Ty leads me up two flights of stairs, then down a long hallway before we go down another flight of stairs, like a long march to hell.
“Ty?”
“Yes, Young Miss.”
“Are we almost there?”
“Just another flight of stairs and we’ll be there, Young miss.”
“Good. Now tell me, where is he?” I demand. “Where is that jerk and why wasn’t he downstairs with his kinfolk?”
Okay, so I’m acting like a petulant child, but this mysterious absent act of his—not to mention what Vaughn told me earlier about Emmett losing his power—it has been chewing at my nerve endings all evening.
“What game is he playing? This is all part of his plan, isn’t it?”
“In a way, Young Miss,” Ty responds respectfully, but his answer leaves me confused. It’s either this is part of Emmett’s plan or something else is happening.
“Is he safe?”
Ty doesn’t answer, but I sense him tense in front of me.
“Ty?”
“Yes, Young Miss?”
Ty comes to a full standstill and then he swiftly turns around to face me, but not directly.
Ty is different from his twin. He’s laid-back, smiles a lot, and has an easygoing aura about him, while Kai has an air of ruthlessness and is definitely in the bowels of the uglies of Emmett’s world—if all the Mafia romance books I’ve read are anything to go by—but the way Ty dealt with Giovanni just now shows me the people around Emmett are not as simple as they appear.
Will Ty give me the answers I need? Might as well give it a try.
“Is your boss safe? Did something happen to him?”
Ty looks at me, then his jaw clenches. “I’m not sure, Young Miss.”
My heart tightens in my chest. “Where is he?
“I’m also not sure, Young Miss.”
“Then what about me? I…” I trail off. If he’s not here, if he’s in danger, then what will happen to me?
“Don’t worry too much, Young Miss. I’m sure the young master will return to you soon.”
I look up at him so fast, my neck almost snaps.
If Ty is saying that, maybe he knows something that he can’t tell me? Or am I being delulu all over again?
“Did he really lose his position of power or whatever? Vaughn is now the heir?”
Ty holds my gaze seriously. “Young Miss, do you really believe that?”
Oh, wait! Could it be…
“Ty, can I ask you something?” I say that as if I wasn’t grilling him with a slew of questions just now.
“Anything you ask of me, any request or command you have, I will fulfill it,” he says solemnly.
I’m so stunned by those words that for a moment, I have no idea what to say.
“Isn’t that a bit too much?” I mutter, my heart thundering in my chest.
“Not at all, Young Miss,” he answers simply, as if this is common knowledge.
“Let’s backtrack here,” I start. “You don’t even know me. Why would you say such serious words like you swore your life to me in a martial arts movie or something?”
Ty smiles a bit, that easygoing nature coming back.
“Actually, I am vowed to you, Young Miss, so I know everything I need to know,” he says simply. “You don’t have to worry. Please tell me what you need.”
I stare at him, completely confused now. Where is this coming from?
“I don’t have a command or anything sinister like that,” I whisper, looking around. “I’m not going to ask you to assassinate someone, for goodness’ sake!”
“Either way, I will do anything you ask.”
Jesus Christ.
“Why?” I whisper.
“Because it is my vow to protect you at all times, no matter what.”
It’s like a bucket of ice-cold water has just been dunked over my head.
“W-what do you mean?”
Ty looks at me for a moment. “It means exactly what it means, Young Miss. I am your shadow.”
“You know, huh?” I ask sheepishly.
“That you refer to my brother and I as shadows? Not if you don’t want me to know, Young Miss.”
Oh please, he obviously knows!
But… wait. I think back to all the things Emmett knows about me and my family.
Elaborate information that my brother has made a point to bury deep, but Emmett has known everything, which means he had someone consistently watching me and my every move.
Kai is always with Emmett and the only times I see Ty is when I’m around. Does that mean…
“Hold on, how long have you been my shadow?” Ty falls silent then and looks hesitant. “Hey, you promised that any request I have, you will fulfill it.”
“That goes without saying,” he says seriously.
“And I’m requesting for an answer.”
Ty squints his eyes as if he’s wincing from an invisible blow.
“Are you loyal to Emmett?” I ask directly.
“Without question.”
“But you’re vowed to me?”
“Yes, Young Miss.”
“So, who exactly are you loyal to? Me or that jerk?”
At this, Ty starts scratching the back of his head and shifts on the balls of his feet, looking uncomfortable. This is the most animated he’s ever been.
“Young Miss, you’re putting me in a tight spot here.”
“Oh?” I fold my arms, watching him. I raise an eyebrow. “How so?”
“It’s not as easy as it appears.”
“Then make it simple.”
“Young Miss,” Ty looks around, as if making sure we’re alone, but he still drops his voice to a low whisper. “Are you asking me to choose between you and the young master?”
“Well, your words, not mine,” I whisper back, as if we’re going to get caught at any second.
Ty takes a step back almost immediately and brings his palm up and places it over his heart.
“Young Miss, I am the young master’s person and I’m also vowed to you, so there’s no demarcation to whom I’m loyal.”
“Seriously? There’s no one that serves two people at once!” I whisper-yell. “You know that, don’t you?”
“That’s true for other people, but you and the young master… you’re both…”
“What?” I hiss, but Ty clamps his lips shut. “Hey, let’s be clear, that bastard and I are not anything at all! So you have to choose one of us, Ty!”
Ty winces like he’s in excruciating pain.
“Young Miss,” he starts in a whiny voice, his hands flopping at his sides, making me almost chuckle.
“The truth is, my brother and I, we’re both sworn to be loyal to you and the young master.
For us, you’re both one unit and so we’re one unit as well.
Please don’t ask me to choose. It’s literally impossible. ”
There’s a steely-like sincerity I see in Ty’s eyes as he says that, which shows me he’s not fibbing at all. Even his thick accent is more pronounced now that he’s in distress.
I can see he genuinely respects Emmett and is loyal to him to a fault, but the twins’ loyalty to me is something I wasn’t expecting at all.
In fact, it makes zero modicum of sense.
Is this all because of Emmett?
“So you’re telling me your brother is also loyal to me?” I ask.
“Yes, Young Miss,” Ty answers quickly. “He’d say the same thing too.”
“Then why are you the one who’s always with me?”
“Because it’s easier for me to blend in around you, Young Miss.”
“Uh-huh,” I point between his eyes. “So you have been watching me for a long time, haven’t you?”
At this, he looks sheepish again.
“Since when?” I demand, tapping my foot incessantly. “Since when did that jerk make you weasel yourself into my life to collect information about me to use against me?”
Ty remains silent, obviously struggling internally.
“You see? You can’t even answer me because you’re wondering if telling me would be in breach of your so-called young master’s freakish orders.”
Ty smiles. “Well, I’m more worried about my life, to be honest.”
“Why?”
“Well, Young Miss,” he starts with an uncertain look on his face. “I’m perfectly aware of how good you are in mixed martial arts.”
It doesn’t surprise me that he knows. Emmett also knows this.
“Yes, and?”
“And… I’m pretty sure you won’t hesitate to use any one of those killer moves you have perfected over the years to take me down once you find out how long I’ve been your shadow.”
His words end in an echo.
The long brightly lit hallway is empty save for the two of us, but he might as well have just shouted the answer with those words.
“Years! You’ve been watching me for years?”
“Yes, Young Miss.”
“Why? Is it because of Emmett?”
Ty looks up at me, holding my gaze silently, and I see the answer.
I scoff. “Well, tell your young master to fuck all the way off from now on! I don’t need him to monitor me.” Ty apparently finds this amusing and that ticks me off. “What’s so amusing?”