8. Chapter 7
Ivy
“Ivy, once you’ve done the Ford cambelt, can you do a full service on Ms. Hannah’s Camero?” Gary shouts from his office door, and I look up to see him grabbing his tow truck keys.
Gary Winders is an alright boss. Though I have only been working here for about two weeks, he’s done nothing but make me feel welcome. It helps that he’s basically a silver fox, so he’s good to look at.
“No problem, boss,” I reply with a grunt as I tighten up the belt.
He says, “I’ll be about an hour. Tanner broke down again.”
I wince but wave a hand at him.
Tanner is his grandson, and he is adamant he can keep his rust bucket on the road, wanting to prove Gary wrong.
When he brought it to the garage five days ago, bragging that he got it for a steal, Gary said it wouldn’t last the month. Since then, the man has been adamant about proving his grandfather wrong, but this is the fourth time in five days he’s had to go out and get it running again.
Shaking my head, I quickly finish my job, knowing it’s going to take me an hour and a half to do the service on the Camero before I take a look at the Harley Davidson 1962 that has a brake failure, not willing to stop for anything.
I need to work and keep my hands busy because I’ll probably fall apart if I stop.
It’s been a week since I saw Misty follow Psycho out of the officer’s hallway and I ran out of their like my ass was on fire, coming up with conclusions which would most likely hurt Psycho because I know him inside and out and there is no way he’d sleep with her after confessing his love for me.
It’s been a week since I found Mama being held at gun point.
A week since she begged me not to get Dad involved.
It's been a week since I found out she had breast cancer and is currently in remission.
I’ve ignored everyone’s calls, including Venom’s, and I’ve blocked Psycho. I need a fresh break from the club, especially if I have to go through what I now need to go through while silently hoping Psycho proves to me exactly what I mean to him without me breaking Mama’s stupid trust.
Taking a deep breath, I walk over to my rag and quickly wipe my hands.
“I want you!”
His nasally disgusting voice echoes in my mind.
That was his only request, me, but not for a night.
“Hey girlie, where on earth have you been?” a voice to my right says, and I turn and make eye contact with Raya. Her icy blue eyes narrow at me, and I swallow hard.
The club isn’t the only one I’ve been dodging.
“I slept with Psycho,” I blurt out, knowing she’s about to grill me, which I cannot handle right now, and she freezes, her eyes widening in shock. I continue, “Then three days later, after telling me he loved me, but we can’t happen, he slept with Misty, or I-I think he did.”
“That slimy mother–” She begins but cuts herself off and asks, “Wait, what do you mean think?”
I ignore her question because I’m already second-guessing myself with that part or more like seeing the bigger picture and not what my scared heart wanted to see, my word vomit not stopping, and I add, “I ran home only to find Mama being held at gunpoint...”
Oh god. My breathing picks up, and my tears fall as I place the back of my hand to my mouth and choke back a sob, my resolve breaking with just one look at my best friend, my reality drowning me.
Raya snaps out of it and rushes over to me, some of her blonde hair falling out of its clip with her movement. Quickly, without a care for her clothes, she takes me into her arms, and I finally fall apart.
This is why I’ve ignored her and haven’t stopped working. I’ve been trying to hold everything in, trying not to think about the shit show that is my life right now but it’s all coming out.
She pulls back first and cups my cheeks, and her eyes race between mine as she says, “Okay, one Psycho is an idiot if he did sleep with her after sleeping with you and an even bigger one if he doesn’t fight for you like I always thought he would.”
I sniffle because yeah, she’s been his biggest cheerleader.
“And two, why in the hell was Mama Clara held at gunpoint for?” she asks in shock, and more tears fall.
I admit, “She has breast cancer, or had, she’s in remission,” Raya’s eyes widen, and I choke out, “She didn’t want to call dad, and her job wouldn’t pay for her insurance, so she went to the Hyena Gang.”
Raya pauses, her whole body freezing, and more tears fall as I grab her wrists, holding them tightly as her past washes over her, a past my big brother has no clue about.
Her father was on shift at the fire station when there was a call of a house fire. The parents and two of their children managed to escape, but the dad couldn’t get to the littlest kid’s room, so Chase ran in without a second thought to save the little girl.
Both never came back out again…
The father admitted to being in debt to the Hyena group, that he borrowed money and believed they were the ones who set fire to the house with the whole family inside but the police never gained any evidence proving they did it.
Neighbors, however, were very aware just not willing to speak up and while Grace Averie has found love again, she’ll never be able to fully process and mourn her first true love knowing his killers are still roaming the streets.
The same killers who were in my mother’s living area holding her at gun point.
“The Hyenas?” she confirms, and I nod, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut as she chokes, “They’ll kill her and everyone she’s associated with, Ives.”
I swallow hard, knowing she’s right.
That family, the one her dad tried to save, is gone. They disappeared. People thought they skipped town until the mother’s body was found in the river, bloody, bruised, and used.
The rest are presumed dead.
I admit, “They weren’t aware of me or my family because she changed back to her maiden name.”
Raya opens her eyes, locking them with mine, and whispers, “They know who you are now, though?”
“They do,” I confirm, “they also know the link with the club.”
She sighs with relief, knowing the small group won’t try something with the Dark Angels, but tenses when I admit, “Mama refuses for the club to know, even though they want their money. Ray, she borrowed five hundred thousand, meaning she owes seven.”
“No,” she rasps, and her tears fall, already seeing where I’m going with this, she shakes her head and takes a few steps back.
“I offered them my savings and to make up a payment plan, but they wouldn’t hear of it,” I continue, and she shakes her head and pleads, “Please, Ivy, no…”
“The new leader wants me,” I finish, and she turns away, gripping her hair before she turns and snaps, “One night will never be enough, Ivy, never, you know this, you know what they are capable of!”
I flinch at her words because, yes, I know what they are capable of.
I was the one who found her that fateful night when she tried to get her revenge for her father.
She was seventeen at the time, and Skylar, Blade’s half-sister, and I were walking home from the library trying to get a hold of her when we saw everything go down.
Skylar did what she had to do while I tried to save my friend.
Her mother was inconsolable when she met us at the hospital. She’d lost her husband, and her daughter nearly died wanting to get revenge for her father, to get rid of the whole gang, something Venom is not aware of.
“He doesn’t just want one night, Ray, he wants a wife,” I admit, and she shakes her head in denial.
“I-I, oh god, I won’t be able to be there for you, Ivy, to fight this for you, you know this, they’ll recognize me!” she snaps, full of horror, and I nod again.
After Skylar did what she had to for Raya, we made a pact to make it look like the two guys had killed the person who attacked them before they had their lives taken from them, and so far, none of them know that she’s the reason they are dead.
After getting Raya to the hospital and calling for help, Skylar went back to the scene with her mama while I stayed with Raya.
I’m not one hundred percent sure how they did it but what I do know if that I managed to wipe away the footage with some of the knowledge Venom taught me and years later, everyone is none the wiser but they know a firefighter was killed in that fire.
They knew he had a family but because Grace remarried they never touched her, believing she sent her daughter away, or that is what the guy that showed at the Grace’s house was told.
The tattoo on his neck showed the Hyena symbol, even though he was dressed in a suit.
Grace acted quickly, knowing they would want to tie up loose ends.
It just took them a while to find where Raya and Grace lived and it helped she re-married a lawyer that was attached to the Dark Angel’s meaning they couldn’t touch her.
Raya can’t stand by me without outing herself because if she sees the man who ordered the house fire, the bald guy – Talen – then she’ll try to kill him, and as much as she loves Gregory like a father figure, no one can replace her father, her best friend.
She wants revenge, and I won’t put her in danger.
“I have to do this,” I whisper, and she sobs. “Mama doesn’t want the club to know, and this is the only way to pay off her debt,” I finish.
“She’s being selfish, Ivy!” Raya snaps, and I flinch.
She shakes her head and states, “You are her daughter, and I get it, she’s been through hell because of Glock.
She’s gone through cancer, but surely Glock knowing that, is a lot better than her daughter selling her soul.
She is selfish and your allowing her to get away with it, with your life. ”
I look down, not able to say anything because she is right.
Mama has basically sold me.
When the asshole said he wanted me, Mama looked almost relieved, like her secrets could be safe for a little while longer.
Honestly, I don’t know how to feel about that just yet.
But when he said marriage, she panicked because all it would take was Dad to have Venom search Hayden up.
He’ll know who he is and what he does, and questions will be asked, and her secrets will be spilled.
Mama was conflicted, but in the end, was selfish and asked this of me believing the brothers would think I fell hard and fast for a gang leader.
“She deserves to be selfish,” I whisper, and she scoffs, “At the expense of her daughter? She knew the stories of the brotherhood, Ivy, yet she chose one. She knew what could happen, yet she stayed.”
I flinch because again, she is right.
“What about Psycho?” she asks, and we lock eyes.
Hers race between mine and she reminds me, “He declared his love. Whether he slept with Misty or not still remains to be seen, something I find hard to believe after he finally had you but a brothers love is all consuming. You know this and you know he will fight for you, you know his fear of hurting you because of the brotherhood but don’t underestimate him, he’ll do everything he can to stop you from marrying someone else meaning your mothers secret will still come out. A secret that doesn’t need to be one.”
I blink several times, trying not to wipe my hands on my face, knowing I still have some grease on them. I admit, “I’m hoping he will step in so I don’t have to break Mama’s trust Raya, I’m kind of banking on it, but right now, this is something I need to do. It is the right thing to do.”
Raya looks at me sadly and says, “You are punishing him for not fighting for you,” she shakes her head, “This will kill him and you know it and it’s just cruel.”
“I’m not,” I deny then admit, “not intentionally,” as more tears falling, “but I also don’t know what else I can do without breaking Mama’s trust and yeah, I know she’s being selfish but she’s still my mother.”
Raya’s tears fall before she takes me back into her arms, and I sob, “I don’t know what else I can do.” And she holds me tightly.
This is a side of Mama we haven’t seen, but it makes me wonder if this is what happens when a brother claims you.
Do you change?
Do you become heartless, a liar?
Maybe Psycho did me a favor by turning me away, yet my heart disagrees. He’ll always be my one and true love, and knowing I’ll never find anyone else is probably why it was so easy to accept Hayden’s deal.
Mama’s debt for my hand…