Chapter 26
FREDDIE
Ishould try to sleep while I’m not on watch duty, but I can’t. Seb delegated the Dukes to take turns patrolling the street throughout the night. We may have temporarily teamed up with Stephanie, but we can’t trust her fully. Being on the same side means nothing when we know how quickly the tables can turn.
I sip my whiskey, enjoying the warm burn at the back of my throat as I reflect upon today’s events. Ivy could have killed me, yet she spared me, and I can’t help wondering what it means…
I turn to face the soft footsteps coming from the hallway. The living room door opens, and Ivy looks around its edge. Her red hair is messy, piled in a bun on top of her head, and she’s wearing an oversized t-shirt that could only belong to Bram. He hasn’t left her side all evening. He can’t stop touching her; one hand is always on her shoulder, thigh, waist…
“Can’t sleep?” I ask from my armchair.
She jumps, then quickly regains her composure. “I guess not.”
I hold up the bottle. “Drink?”
I expect her to say no and return to bed, yet she lingers.
“One won’t hurt,” she replies.
I grab a glass from the nearby cabinet that’s conveniently well-stocked with an assortment of spirits while she curls up on the edge of the sofa opposite me.
I press the drink into her hands. “Here.”
“I guess we have to make the most of living if we’re going to die tomorrow, right?” she jokes.
Her dark sense of humour is a coping mechanism, but there’s fear intermingled in her tone.
“No one will die tomorrow,” I say, sounding more convinced than I feel.
Anything could happen.
“We’ll see,” Ivy says, taking a long drink and sighing.
My cock springs to life, remembering her breathy moans and how good they sounded when I filled her. Stop it. I push the thoughts away and clench my fists.
“Should we talk about earlier, or do you want me to forget that you asked me to blow your brains out?” she asks.
I almost choke on my drink.
“What?” She grins. “Too soon?”
“After what I did, I wouldn’t have blamed you for it.”
She sits for a moment, considering her words. “Despite everything that’s happened, I don’t want you dead, Freddie.”
My heart catapults, desperately hoping this is the sign I’ve been waiting for.
“I meant it when I said I’d do whatever it takes to make it up to you,” I say, keeping my gaze fixed on my glass and swirling around the amber liquid.
“I know,” she says, then smiles. A smile just for me. A smile I never thought I’d see aimed in my direction again. “Maybe that’s why I kept you alive. It’s always good to have someone ready to repay a debt.”
“Cheers to that,” I murmur.
She raises her glass and downs it without wincing.
“You’re not the only one who made bad decisions,” she begins. “You know, when we met again after all those years, I didn’t know you were a Killers Club target. It would have been easier if you weren’t a Duke.”
“Where would the fun have been in that?” I ask sarcastically, standing to get another drink. “Another?”
She hesitates, then rises. “Maybe just one more.”
Both of our hands reach for a bottle at the same time. Our fingers brush, sending a bolt of lightning racing up my arm. She doesn’t pull away. We stand frozen, the tips of our fingers still touching, and our eyes lock in a hypnotic stare neither of us wants to break.
“Ivy.” My voice drops to a low growl as my eyes trail to her lips, wanting more than anything to kiss them. To taste her.
She swallows hard, her nipples hardening under Bram’s shirt. “Yes?”
I take a deep breath. “I meant what I said earlier.”
I don’t need to provide any clarity for her to know what I’m talking about. I see the same shocked and scared expression cross her face as when I told her those three words. I love you.
She jerks her hand away, dropping her arm to her side. Maybe I should have kept it to myself, regardless of what we’re walking into tomorrow.
“If we make it tomorrow,” she says, “and you still feel the same way then, maybe we can start over and try not to kill each other this time?”
To my surprise, she takes another step closer. Her breasts are centimetres from being pressed against my chest as she stands on her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on my cheek, leaving a scorching mark behind.
I laugh. She doesn’t understand the depth of my feelings towards her. They’re not fleeting. She runs through my fucking veins. My poison and my antidote.
She frowns. “What’s so funny?”
I shake my head. “One day won’t change my feelings, Ivy. I’ve been in love with you for five years. Nothing is going to change that.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t meet her eyes, like she wants to believe me but is too scared to let go.
“Goodnight, Freddie.”
I watch her disappear.
Whatever happens, I’ll fight for her and the men I love like brothers. Tomorrow, the Killers Club is going down.