17. Ivy #2
“I will most definitely be reprimanded for admitting two things to you…”
“He won’t find out, just tell me.”
“Actually, the young master has ways of finding out things that happen in secret all by himself without us telling him anything, so I would advise the young miss to always tell the truth.”
“Urgh, don’t call me that,” I say, waving my hand, but my mind is stuck on Ty’s words.
Emmett has ways of finding out things that happen in secret. Then that means the depth of Emmett’s cunning nature is still unknown.
“Tell me the other thing.”
“The young master made one thing clear a long time ago, one that I cannot disregard, regardless of what happens to the young master now or in the future.”
My heart skips several beats.
Of course, with the way the twins are basically Emmett’s right and left hands, it makes sense that they both know about Emmett’s heart disease.
But to hear that he put a command in place that cannot be overturned even after he’s gone makes the knot that has been in the pit of my stomach for years, tighten even further.
“And what is that?” I mutter, half wanting to block my ears and half needing to know what’s going on in Emmett’s head.
Ty suddenly looks at me with a somber expression and when he speaks, my heart leaps into my throat.
“Your protection is nonnegotiable.”
I stare at him, tongue-tied, but he’s not done.
“No matter what happens, here or elsewhere, your safety, well-being and your life are of the utmost importance. This is my life mission that I swore a vow never to shirk,” he says solemnly.
“So while we’re both concerned about the young master, as of fourteen days ago, his life is now entirely in your hands. ”
My hackles rise.
“What?”
Ty holds my gaze. “I’m not aware of any news regarding the young master, but I do know his future is in your hands, as it has always been.”
“His future?” I croak. He’s the beast that holds my life by guts and blood vessels! “That can’t be true.”
But Ty’s gaze tells me something else.
“Young Miss, it’s not my place to speak out of turn like this, however, I do feel a certain bond toward you due to the years I’ve been in the background of your life,” he says. “But you’re much smarter than you let on.”
I chuckle humorlessly. “Hardly.”
“Actually, those who pretend not to understand the point always get the full spectrum of it clearly,” Ty says.
“The young mistress used to say that years ago. I see that’s true about you.
You understand perfectly well that to the young master this has never been about power, but about something much more crucial. ”
Goosebumps form at the back of my neck and my arms.
I know exactly what Ty is talking about, but I’ve pretended not to know for years and yet, here I’m being exposed.
“I don’t know what’s about to happen, but I do know that the young master is not wrong in placing his trust in you.”
“That jerk trusts me?”
“With his life, Young Miss, which is something that he knows he doesn’t have much of.”
Pain, swift and brutal, rips me to shreds with those words.
Ty respectfully watches me silently, letting those words soak into my subconscious.
“Does he think that?” I whisper.
“The young master doesn’t think that.” Ty’s facial expression falters into a look of utter despondency. “He believes it. Just like how you believe you’re na?ve.”
Wow.
This is a lot to take in. It’s not every day I get to hear such raw, honest and accurate words of wisdom from a close outside party.
“What should I do?” I ask, that sense of urgency I’ve been feeling all night coming back with a vengeance. “What am I supposed to do here?”
“I cannot decide for you, Young Miss,” Ty answers gently. “But I do believe you will do what you know you should do. Your discernment has never been wrong.”
It’s not much of an answer, but it echoes what Grammy told me over a week ago.
My hands starting to tremble. “Am I in danger?” I whisper.
“Young Miss, you’ve always known this for most of your life.”
Of course I’ve always been vaguely aware that something’s been wrong for most of my life.
“But,” Ty goes on. “The young master will never let anything happen to you. You also know that.”
Emmett Easton, the green-eyed boy that jumped over the cliff with me years ago…
“Ty.” I wince when I hear just how messed up my throat is now.
“Yes, Young Miss.”
I want to ask him why his boss is treating me this way.
What Emmett has planned.
I want to ask everything but, in the end, I just feel defeated because Ty’s words are like a velvet touch on my back, reminding me of what I’ve always known.
I’ve been in danger most of my life and Emmett has stopped at nothing to protect me.
All this, he’s never told me about it, but I found out on my own… and I’ve never talked about it with anyone.
“Young Miss, are you okay?”
“I… I’m fine,” I mutter.
“You wanted to say something to me just now.”
“Uh… yes.”
“Go ahead, Young Miss.”
“Ty,” I start. “Your young master is an asshole!”
And with that, I go past him and march forward, my chest heated with anger and frustration, only to come to a dead stop when I realize I still have no idea where I’m supposed to be going or who I’m meeting.
“The last door at the end of the hall, Young miss,” I hear the gentle voice tinged with amusement from behind me.
I sigh.
“Thanks,” I mutter, then I go forward.
When I reach the end of the hall, there’s a set of large white double doors. I stand there and look up, wondering just what is behind the door.
“It’s okay, you can go in,” Ty says, obviously assuring me.
Taking a deep breath, I reach for the doorknob, but before I can turn it, I hear a loud, commanding voice come from within the room.
“Don’t just stand there like an idiot! Come in.”
Oh God.
From the frying pan straight into the blazing fire.