Chapter 1
Chapter One
Ivy
I’m nervous. So freaking nervous, I think I might hyperventilate. Today’s my first day at my new job, and I’m a little more freaked than I should be. Probably because I’m technically new to town and starting a life for myself after losing my daddy four months ago in the line of duty.
Being a cop’s daughter is never easy. Harder when your dad is a single parent, thanks to your mom running off, unable to handle the life of being married to a man who put his life in the line of danger.
I don’t know. I don’t talk to the woman.
She used to send letters and birthday cards, which I might add were always months late.
My mom had never wanted to be a part of my life, is what I think.
My dad was great, though, and I loved him more than anything. He taught me so much growing up. It’s why I can fix my own vehicle without a man’s help.
“Always know how to do something for yourself, baby girl. This way, you know you’re not being ripped off,” he always said to me. The two of us had restored my first ever vehicle that is actually still running and sits in my garage next to my purple Jeep Wrangler I customized myself.
Releasing a harsh breath, I look around the room I’m sitting in.
It’s filled with all of the books I love to read.
Some older from when I was a teen starting with Harry Potter and Twilight up to some of my newer ones like J.R.
Ward’s The Black Dagger Brotherhood series.
I have all the books she’s released so far.
I swear there are well over a thousand books on my shelves.
And I’m not exaggerating about the amount.
I rarely watch TV, and when I do, it’s only to watch Supernatural or even Stargate SG-1.
Because hello, O’Neil was hot in that show along with Daniel.
I’m not a typical chick. I don’t do all that girly stuff.
I prefer to be in the woods on four-wheelers or out with my Jeep, rock crawling.
My friends Josephine, Everleigh, Isabelle, Juniper, and Sutton, are all the same way.
We would rather be out in the woods having fun rather than going to the mall.
Honestly, if I need something, I’ll go get it, but I normally wear a pair of jeans until I’ve worn them out.
Now when it comes to my shirts, I typically pick out t-shirts; however, I have a few tops that are meant for going out clubbing like I did Friday night.
My girls took me out to celebrate moving to town and finding a job at the SKMC Bikes and Cars Garage.
We went out to Keeper’s Pub, a bar in town that’s owned by the same motorcycle club I’d been hired by.
Of course, we took shot after shot, danced, having a great time.
Then the night got even better when the most gorgeous man came up to me.
I lost myself looking into his eyes and ended up following him out of the bar.
We got on his bike, and for the first time, I got to experience what it’s like to ride on the back of a motorcycle.
The ride was short, but still, it was fun.
My nameless man and I ended up in a motel room where he spent hours upon hours ravishing my body in a way I’ve never felt before.
I woke up Saturday morning, embarrassed to find I’d been stranded. He’d left me there, and I knew I shouldn’t have been shocked. It was a one-night stand. And even today, I can still feel the effects of what he did to my body.
Leaning back in my moon pod bean bag chair, I turn my attention out my floor-to-ceiling windows while I drink the rest of my coffee.
This place used to belong to my grandmother, and I would spend my summers here.
I decided after losing my dad, I would move from Fort Worth to Palestine.
I needed to get away from the area and my uncle.
He’s angry and constantly calling me with threats.
It doesn’t help the man’s trying to contest my father’s ironclad will that leaves me everything that was his and my grandmother’s.
My grandfather’s family was part of the whole big oil boom, while my grandmother’s family made money mining gold.
When my grandmother died, she left everything to my father, not trusting my uncle since he was disowned years ago for something he did.
I don’t know exactly what it was, but he’s been bitter about it ever since.
She used to say he was a bad egg that never should have been born.
That’s harsh for a mother to say, but it must be true because my grandma was one sweet lady.
Dad doted on her until the day she died. Then he died.
Closing my eyes, I snuggle deeper into my bean bag. My mind wanders to thoughts that are better left as a memory buried deep in the back of my mind.
“Daddy, I’m fine,” I giggle through the phone.
I’d just finished telling him about a date going horribly wrong.
I always called him after I had a date to ease his mind.
And this time, like many other times, he would threaten to go arrest them or get one of his buddies to write them a ticket for something.
He never actually did this, but it always made me laugh.
“You sure, baby girl. I have no problem wreaking havoc if some asshole upset my little girl,” he chuckles.
“I’m sure, Daddy. It’s okay. I’m going to get ready for bed now and erase the past few hours from my mind,” I say, giggling even more.
“Okay, Ivy, love you. Tomorrow we’re still on for dinner and game night, right?
” Being Sunday night, of course, we are.
Every Sunday, we always did dinner and watched whatever game is on.
During football season, we watch football.
Baseball season, we do baseball. The same goes for basketball and even NASCAR, though that one isn’t my favorite.
“Wouldn’t miss it for anything, Daddy.” I definitely wouldn’t miss it.
“All right then, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Telling my daddy bye, I headed to the bathroom to soak in the tub while I listen to an audible book.
After about an hour, I finally climb out of the tub, dry off, and moisturize.
I might not be a girly girl, but I do love my rosebud lotions.
That and my hair products. My dirty blonde hair comes down nearly to my ass and needs to be kept healthy, so of course, I use only the best products I can for it.
Those are the only things that are remotely girly I do. Even my makeup is minimal.
I walk out of the bathroom into my bedroom and dress in a pair of comfy shorts, a sports bra, and a tank top.
Grabbing my kindle from my nightstand, I slide in under my covers and pull up the latest book I started to read about werewolves and fated mates.
It’s quite interesting, and I’m loving it.
I even bought the next two in the series.
Engrossed in my book, I’m startled when there’s a knock at my door.
I live in a two-bedroom apartment in a quiet complex.
Normally if someone is coming by, they call me first, and it’s never this late at night.
Wondering who it would be at this hour, I throw the blanket off of me and head for the door.
I grab a zip-up on the way and slip it on over my arms.
I peek to see who it is and frown at the sight of Saxton, the chief of police and a man who seems familiar, but don’t recall his name. “What in the world is going on?”
Slowly I open the door, my gut tightening. “Is everything okay?” I ask, keeping my focus directed on Saxton.
“Ivy, can we come in?” Saxton’s voice is filled with remorse, but his face doesn’t give anything away. It never does. It doesn’t have to, I already know. I know, because otherwise, they wouldn’t be here this time of night.
I step back and allow them to come in. Saxton has worked with my father for as long as I can remember. They’re good friends and a lot of the time, he joins us on Sundays with a few other cops my daddy’s friends with.
Saxton steps toward me, “I’m sorry, Ivy, but I have to tell you that your father was killed in the line of duty.”
My knees weaken underneath me, and I would’ve fallen to the floor if not for Saxton moving quickly when he did. “How?” I whisper, tears clogging my throat. I just talked to him not even two hours ago, and now he’s gone.
Tears spill down my cheeks as I blink away the memory of the worst night of my life—finding out my father was killed. Saxton wasn’t able to tell me the logistics of the case. All I knew was he’d been gunned down when responding to a murder that had already happened.
I give myself a little shake and push my darker thoughts to the back of my mind.
I check the time to see it’s time to get ready for my first day of work.
Ghost, the guy who had hired me, told me I’d start in the middle of the week so he could train me on what I needed to know for the office.
I already knew it for the most part, because I’d worked in a garage in Dallas while going to school to get my degree.
I could easily run the SKMC Bikes and Cars Garage with my eyes closed and my hands tied behind my back.
Next week, I’m sure Ghost will release the reins to me, and I’ll be able to get the papers organized better than what they are right now.
I saw the mess I would be working with, and it’s definitely going to take me three days to prepare for next week while I learn from Ghost what they need me to do for them.