Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
IVY
T he DiLustros and my brothers wanted to leave me behind, insisting it was too dangerous for me and I wasn’t the killer type, but I wouldn’t hear it.
“I’m going,” I stated stubbornly.
“Ivy—” Christian protested while his cousins’ and Dante’s eyes cut to him, as if imploring him to leave me behind. “Your brothers and I will be too distracted to ensure your safety.”
Bren tried to grab my elbow, but before he could, I shoved it into his ribs. “I said I’m going.”
“Stay with Wynter and I promise we’ll handle it and be back before you even think to miss us.” Christian tried to nudge me back onto his yacht, but I stepped away from him.
“I’m not going back on that boat.”
I wanted to see the revenge delivered to Sofia Volkov. Besides, I hoped to question her about my sisters too.
“Ivy, let us handle it,” Aemon reasoned, stepping forward to stand in front of me. “We’ll all be distracted with your safety?—”
I sidestepped him and fixed Christian with a stare. “Either I go with you guys, or I’ll find my own way there.”
Dante’s dark gaze locked on me, something unnerving in it. “Ivy, I think you need to stay.”
“I don’t care what you think,” I snapped, knowing I sounded like a stubborn child. “I’m going.” Christian shook his head, but the remainder of the DiLustro family watched us closely, murmuring that I needed to stay. “You’ll have to kill me to leave me behind,” I whispered, locking eyes with my husband.
Christian looked back to his family and for a moment they simply stared at each other, until he said, “She’s coming.”
My brothers appeared at my side. “No weapons for her,” Aemon grumbled, while my attention was locked on the DiLustros and Juliette, something in their expressions giving me pause.
But I had gotten my way, so whatever was going on there would have to wait.
Somewhere on the outskirts of the Budva Riviera in Montenegro, I stood with my husband, my brothers, Juliette and her husband, Basilio, and Emory. All of them were armed to the teeth, except for me.
It wasn’t the smart call now that I thought about it as we stared at Alexei Nikolaev, Kingston Ashford, and a young woman who watched me warily. We’d had a run-in with Alexei during one of our heists, but unlike his brother Sasha, Alexei was standoffish. And right now, he looked none too happy to see us.
Well, too fucking bad.
My father deserved justice and, lovers or not, Sofia would pay for it with her life for fucking with him.
I let my gaze travel over the young girls who were filthy and evidently in shock, huddled around the three of them, almost as if they expected us to attack. Then the old memory sent a wave of fury down my spine along with heavy sorrow as realization dawned on me. Sofia Volkov was heavily involved in human trafficking. These girls must have been part of that ring.
I stared at the group of battered girls. My heart raced, but my mind was numb. My athair helped Sofia traffic girls, and this was the result of it. Simple as that. Goddammit . Acid coiled in the pit of my stomach that he’d willingly participate in such an event—blackmail or not.
Christian turned my head to him, his silent gaze boring into me, wordlessly asking me if I was okay. I gave him a terse nod, unable to admit out loud that my own athair could have had a role in something so grim. That these young, terrified women had been put through who knew what.
“You better have a good reason for being here.” Alexei broke the silence.
“The kingpins and Murphys together,” Kingston stated coldly, his eyes roving over us. “Something’s afoot.”
“My intel indicated Sofia Volkov would be here,” Christian responded, his voice cold and his demeanor unperturbed.
“So you brought an army,” Kingston snickered. “Sofia’s not here.”
“It appears your intel was all wrong, DiLustros and Murphys,” the young woman who looked incredibly badass snapped, clutching her weapon in one hand and holding the shivering girl protectively with the other. “Now get lost.”
Basilio chuckled. “You must have some balls on you. How about you start with introducing yourself?”
“Fuck. You.”
“It’s only fair,” Dante chimed in. “Since you seem to know who we are.”
“I’m Kingston,” the dark-haired one answered. “And this is Alexei.”
Christian scoffed. “We know who you two are. Who is she? And what’s with the girl hanging off her like she’s Mother Teresa?”
Kingston didn’t look thrilled about my husband’s reply, and I sensed a retort when the woman beat him to it. “I’m Lilith. And I’m going to kill you all if you don’t move out of our fucking way. We have somewhere we need to be.”
Their faces remained impassive masks, yet I couldn’t shake off the feeling that the woman was lying. Not about killing us—she definitely meant that—but about who she was.
“Badass,” Juliette commented. “I’m impressed.”
The woman’s jaw clenched, her eyes flashing with fury at my best friend.
“Sofia Volkov killed my father,” I chimed in, but the woman didn’t spare me a glance.
Instead, her eyes locked on Juliette. “No, she didn’t. The person who killed Edward Murphy is standing right there next to you.”
“What—”
“How—”
Every cell in me froze while my ears started to ring, her words on repeat. Who did she mean? Surely she was wrong. Then the woman smiled ferally. “Didn’t you know?”
How could a woman with such a beautiful face deliver such horrible news?
“What do you mean?” My voice shook violently, my teeth clattering.
“Juliette DiLustro killed your father, Ivy.” The chaos around us suddenly reflected what I felt inside me too. “Now, if you’ll excuse us…”
Alexei shook his head. “Listen, we have to get these girls to safety. It’s our priority. You guys figure this shit out,” Alexei said in a cold voice, but I had a hard time hearing it. My world spun and spun until it landed upside down.
The woman, Alexei, and Kingston started moving, keeping the rescued girls surrounded, when the woman who just destroyed me glanced over her shoulder. “By the way, Sofia’s not yours to kill. She’s Kingston’s.” Her gaze met mine, unspoken words swimming in her eyes. “So back the fuck off, or you’ll answer to me.”
The three of them disappeared, but the rushing in my ears didn’t.
I turned to stare at my best friend, her ghostly pale face a silent confession. But I needed to hear it. I deserved to hear it.
“Is it true?”
Everyone around us stood frozen as we watched each other.
“Ivy, please let me?—”
“Is. It. True?” Tears glimmered in her eyes. “Tell me… please.”
I stared at her, waiting. Willing her to shake my shoulders and tell me it was all a misunderstanding.
“Yes.”
One fucking word and it stomped on my heart. All these months. All the conversations we’d had and time we’d spent together and she let me believe Sofia was the killer. Was she laughing at me behind my back?
Awkward silence followed while Juliette and I stared at each other. Years of friendship and loyalty turned into dust until all I saw in front of me was fakeness oozing from her.
She shifted and I realized she was growing uncomfortable beneath my stare.
Juliette glanced away, seeking out her husband. Basilio and his sister stood emotionless while Emory’s gaze shimmered with pity, but she refused to get involved.
“I would have told you sooner—” Juliette started, but I didn’t let her finish.
I gritted my teeth as a wave of resentment crashed over me.
“Let me guess, it slipped your mind,” I spat, my gaze narrowing.
“Well, no… but I didn’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you too.”
For a second, I was reminded of all the times we’d stuck by each other, through thick and thin, her difficulty coming to terms in learning her parentage, but I refused to let her pull on my heartstrings.
I snapped, the pain and deceit blurring my vision. I moved almost robotically, like I was watching this version of me from above, as I grabbed a chunk of her dark hair and pulled, jerking her head to the side. She looked at me, shocked, and lifted her hands on instinct. Ready to fight back.
From my peripheral vision, I noticed Dante trying to cut in to help his wife, but Christian held him back. “Let them work it out.”
Basilio and Emory kept my brothers contained, though they didn’t seem too concerned with my safety. I must look feral to have earned their confidence.
She pulled at my shirt, throwing us off-balance, and we fell to the ground. Amid the wreckage caused by the destruction left behind by Sofia Volkov, I straddled her and knocked her head against the ground.
Juliette screeched. “Ivy, stop.”
“Get your hands off my wife,” Dante growled.
“Stay out of this,” Juliette and I hissed at him at the same time while Dante fought against Christian’s hold.
“I’m going to murder you,” Aemon growled at Juliette, but unlike Dante, he stood stoic, unwilling to fight against Emory—any woman, for that matter.
“You try, and I’ll end your entire fucking family,” Dante glowered at him while Basilio struggled to keep my other brothers at bay.
“I can’t believe you would keep this from me!” I slapped Juliette’s cheek. We might have all come as one force, but there was no fucking way we’d leave as one.
“If you would just let me explain,” she said, shoving me to the side with her knee. A breath left my lungs while Juliette tugged my hair so hard my scalp burned.
“What is there to explain?” I growled, digging my nails into her wrist until she released my hair. Her body shoved me away, leaving me lying on my back, trying to catch my breath.
“You killed my dad, you fucking psycho.”
She turned her head to look at me. “And he killed my father.”
Something in the tone of her voice made me falter. She let out a bitter laugh. “What? You don’t see me bitching about that, do you? Besides, your husband could have let you know.”
I froze. “What?”
“Shut the fuck up, Juliette,” Christian seethed, the fury vibrating from his every pore as he pulled me up off my best friend. Correction, ex -best friend.
“I want to hear what she has to say,” I returned, a volcano full of betrayal threatening to explode in my chest.
“He knew,” Juliette breathed heavily. “Your husband knew and he chose not to tell you.”
My chest heaved from the exertion, though the anger was long gone, leaving only a cold detachment behind. Ringing in my ears drowned out the bickering between my brothers and the DiLustro family.
They seethed, the indignation visible in their expressions. Aemon had his gun trained on Emory, but I knew he wouldn’t shoot her. Bren wrestled against Basilio while Dante kept Caelan restrained.
“I’m sorry, Ivy,” Juliette cried, like I was the one who’d torn up her heart today. Like I was the one who lied and pretended for fucking months that she was my friend, despite the fact that she killed my father. “I just didn’t want to lose you. Please believe me.”
Ignoring the nausea her words induced, I lifted my eyes and locked them with my husband. Surely he wouldn’t deceive me like that. I stood by him, never judging. He’d never betray me like that.
Yet, the answer was right there, in his blue eyes I loved so much.
“And things were finally going well,” Emory muttered under her breath.
I didn’t bother asking her what she meant by that. Instead, I stared at Christian, his touch burning like frostbite and betrayal twisting my heart in a brutal grip.
The world was spinning. I needed to get away from here. From him. From her. From everyone.
Christian turned me to face him, his chest brushing against mine, and I flinched.
“Don’t touch me,” I hissed. This pain clawing at me was too much. The people I loved—and trusted—the most, hurt me.
“Please, angel, let me—” I shook my head, and his words faltered. I couldn’t do this. I just couldn’t. I promised him forever, but he betrayed me. Lied to me. He must have seen something in my eyes because he released me.
I walked over to my brothers who stood waiting for guidance on what to do. Yeah, there’s a lot of that going around . Their eyes met mine and worry crept into their expressions.
“I want to go home with you,” I choked out.
They didn’t hesitate. Their anger took a back seat to their concern for me.
“Let’s go,” Aemon gritted, glaring at my husband and his family. “And this isn’t over.”
“Not by a long shot,” Bren added.
A coldness radiated from my chest, ready to consume me whole as I walked away from my husband and best friend.
It wasn’t until we were back in lush green Ireland and far away from the DiLustros that the tears began to fall. For the loss of my athair, my best friend… and most of all, my husband who’d betrayed me.