34. Thorne
Chapter 34
Thorne
Ivy hit her head…
It could have been worse.
She could have died, and it’s all my fucking fault.
I don’t even know if I was already too late to heed the warning from the message. The guy last night told me I’d already lost.
So maybe I was already too late.
Maybe I’d lost the game the moment I stirred the nest and started looking for the scar-faced guy— Salvatore .
Clearly I’m way in over my head again.
I’m sitting next to Ivy’s hospital bed. We’ve been here for the last four hours. She woke up briefly and spoke to me before she fell asleep again.
The doctors have been running tests to check for any more damage.
Ivy has a concussion. She hit her head badly, so the doctors want to keep her overnight for observation. I don’t know when it happened but it must have been as we were going over the bridge.
When I looked at her in the water, I thought she was dead. I thought she got shot, and my world ended. It wasn’t until I got her out of the water that I realized she had a head wound.
A bullet grazed my arm. I was lucky, too, but I’m not worried about myself. I’ve been shot before. This is nothing in comparison to the past.
Right now, I just want Ivy to be okay.
I told Lucian what happened. And I had to call Ivy’s parents, too. They got on the first available flight so they’re on the way here now. I don’t know how I’m going to face them.
The doctors wanted to call them, but I felt it was more appropriate for me to do it.
It was strange speaking to her mom. All the guilt in the world rested on my soul as she cried. I never imagined that my first words to Ivy’s mother would be: ‘ Sorry, your daughter is in the hospital. She got caught in a drive-by shooting.’
Fuck my life. Nothing is going right. Even the good things are a struggle.
I don’t know where to begin, but I’m going to fix this.
Things have just become more dangerous than I ever imagined. I always know what to do but I feel like my wings have been clipped.
Ivy wakes up an hour later. She looks more alive in her face but the terror is back in her eyes. I don’t have to explain to her what happened. She remembers.
She bursts into tears when she looks at the bandage wrapped around my arm.
“This is all my fault,” she chokes out. "I shouldn’t have told you anything.”
I touch her cheek. “Don’t you dare say that.”
“It’s true. I should have known how dangerous this could be and kept my mouth shut.”
“I would have found a way to make you talk.”
“It’s still my fault. I feel like I should never have gone to Raventhorn.”
“I wouldn’t have met you.” I stroke the side of her cheek.
“Maybe that would have been better.”
“No. It wouldn’t have.” I shake my head and give her a small smile. “You’re mine, remember that. Now I’m going to keep you safe.”
“I need to keep you safe, too.”
“It’s not your job to do that.” I smirk. “Stop worrying. Your parents are on the way.”
Her breath catches. “I have to tell them the truth. I have to.”
“It’s probably best. Try to get some rest.”
She relaxes against her pillows. The lost look in her eyes tugs on my insides.
Her parents arrive just before nightfall, and it’s awkward as fuck.
Ivy’s mom walks in first, catching me just as I kiss her daughter. I was about to go out to get Ivy some chocolate.
Ivy’s mom looks surprised while Levgen casts me a knowing look. The kind that says he knows his daughter is in the hospital because of me.
I decide to give them some privacy and wait outside. I’m not leaving, though.
I head to the waiting room nearby.
Half an hour later Levgen comes in to find me.
His face shows the same stern expression as before, but there’s also wariness in his eyes. I don’t know if that’s because of who I am or because Ivy must have told him I know their secret.
I stand when he gets close.
“How’s your arm?” He glances at my wound.
“I’ll live.”
“Ivy told me what happened. She told me everything. And I’m aware of what you know.”
“I see.”
“Thank you for keeping her secret. Given who your uncle is, I would have never expected that of you.”
“I love her.” I would have said something safer, like I care about her or something along those lines, but now isn’t the time to tread softly. I want him to understand that I didn’t mean for anything to happen to Ivy.
Levgen looks surprised by my confession but his prior sternness returns. “If that’s true, then you can’t put her in danger ever again.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“This was a drive-by shooting, Thorne. You both could have been killed. I could have been flying here to identify my daughter’s body in the morgue. Please think about that.”
The image of Ivy lying on a morgue slab devastates my soul. “I won’t put her in danger again.”
“Ivy told me about the man with the scar on his face. She said you’re investigating him. If he truly belongs to the group she told me about, then it won’t end here.” He swallows and his jaw clenches. “They will keep coming for you. So you cannot keep going as you are. This is above you.”
“But I have to do something.”
“Let me take over. Send me everything you have. I’ll get my team to look into it. My guards are here and I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to my little girl.”
I want to resolve this situation myself. But… maybe I should listen this time, to keep Ivy safe. I remember the moment when I thought she was dead.
Her body was limp in my arms and she’d gone ghostly pale. I can’t allow that to happen again.
“Okay. I’ll send you what I have tonight.” I nod, feeling defeated.
“Good. We have to do whatever we can now to find this guy. I know what finding him means to you, too. Is Ivy’s secret still safe?”
“It’s safe.”
“We owe you for that, Thorne Ivanov. You have given us a lead we never thought we’d find. We may even be able to get Ivy’s father out of prison. We owe you for everything.”
I dip my head respectfully to acknowledge his gratitude, but I feel like a failure.