The Bedlam Boys: Complete Series

Chapter Two

Cairo did drive me to Paris’s place. And he did lift me bodily out of the car and carry me thrashing to the gate where Paris yawned on the other side.

My argument that he needed help with the search for his father fell on uncaring ears. My comment that none of us should be out alone right then earned a laugh. In the end, I fought him a fraction less hard than I wanted to. He lost Rainey and his father in the span of two days. Some space wasn’t an unreasonable request. As long as he accepted at some point while we were apart... that he was mine.

“Are you okay?”

I shook myself, returning to reality and the breakfast tray Paris carried inside.

“You’ve been quiet all morning.”

“I’m fine.” I gazed down at the scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, and sliced avocado. Tears pricked behind my lids.

These were all Rainey’s favorites. Gran’s breakfast plates for me had fried eggs, fried bacon, and no green in sight.

We’ve always been so different, baby sister. That didn’t stop you from being my best friend. Of course my mind went so far to hold on to you. I couldn’t stand for everything you were and everything you loved to disappear with you.

“Rainey?” Paris asked, making me flinch. “What’s up? You’re not hungry?”

My lips parted, and common sense grabbed hold of my tongue.

I couldn’t tell her I was really Ivy de Souza without explaining all of it. “Rainey” had been telling people for two years that her sister was living happily in Chicago. To say that I was actually Ivy and the real Rainey was gone, would lead to questions I couldn’t answer.

“Starved,” I finally said. “It’s hard to do something as normal as eating and chatting with you after everything that’s happened.”

Blowing out a breath, she flopped back on her pillows. “Tell me about it. My attack. The video of Roan’s beating. The Crows strung up and branded in the square. To think I wanted to leave Bedlam because it was the most boring place on earth. Now I would give anything to rewind back to the sleepy, peaceful town where nothing ever happened.”

I thought of her mother downstairs. “That’s what so many people fought for Bedlam to be over the years. A home. Our home,” I said. “Where we’re safe to live and raise our families without being harassed and exploited by people like the Crows and Steven Ellis.”

“Ugh. They are reason enough for why we don’t need Bedlam to be like Hunter’s Crest. We could use some updates around here, but none that those fucks have had their grubby hands on.” Shaking her head, she threw out her hands. “Enough. I don’t want to talk about those guys anymore. Let’s do something fun today. Get our minds off everything.”

“I really want to do that, but would it be okay if we went to visit Roan? A lot’s happened and I want to tell him in person.”

“Of course, I should’ve thought of that. Is he doing better? Last I heard they had him on so many drugs, he sleeps all day.”

“I don’t know if he’s better,” I confessed. “That’s why I want to see him.”

She squeezed my arm. “Let’s do it. Afterward, we can grab lunch at a theme café. Maybe do some shopping for a get-well gift.”

I said yes to it all, thankful she was willing to drive me. The whole being-without-a-car thing was quickly becoming inconvenient. It made it way too easy for the Bedlam Boys to leave me places and take off. It also meant that in all these dark, wooded, secluded places that called my town home, I’d be trapped.

After breakfast, we showered, dressed, and took off for Hunter’s Crest Hospital. Nora stopped us at the door, demanding to know where we were going. I couldn’t know exactly what she knew, but I had to assume it was more than me at all times.

The Society had been operating to keep people out of Bedlam for a long time. Decades upon decades, passed down from daughter to daughter. I didn’t need to tell her Steven Ellis and Foundry were a threat. And maybe I didn’t need to tell her Dante and his followers were threats too, but if we could ever have a real conversation, I’d bet there were quite a few things that she could tell me.

Like, why Gran? Why our farm? Why her ex-husband?

I slipped past her, leaving my questions on my tongue. She had no reason to reveal her secrets to me, not unless I revealed a few of my own.

Paris blasted music the whole way. I appreciated it since it gave me a reason not to talk. The guys noticed the change in me right away. For as long as possible, I had to delay that revelation for Paris. The truth would come, but any decent person would insist we go to the police and start the hunt for Rainey’s killers. Neither one of us could walk into that station with Davidson in charge.

Paris turned into the visitors” parking lot, pulling me out of my musings. Seeing the three-story, state-of-the-art facility in front of me and comparing it to the small office in the middle of town with a single doctor, I understood why Cairo was working so hard to get Bedlam its first real hospital.

We wasted precious time rushing Roan to Hunter’s Crest. We would’ve wasted even more if we hadn’t been able to get ahold of Doctor Nash. My boys were making Bedlam better in their own way.

But what were Foundry’s plans? A thriving city center to rival Hunter’s Crest?

My ass.

He’d raze the town to the ground to extract every drop of wealth hidden beneath it. When he was done, what was his incentive to rebuild the pile of dirt and rubble? He’d just take his precious stones, return to his mansion, home, and headquarters, and count his money.

“I’m glad those bastards are in jail,” Paris said. We paused before the front desk to get visitor passes. “I just hate that it took this for them to finally be put behind bars.”

“Their first mistake was attacking you, Paris. They were never going to get away with what they did. The Crows underestimated Bedlam. Big-time.”

“There’s a plaza across the street,” she said. “I’ll go up and say hi, then I’ll leave you two alone. Give you some privacy. I should be able to find a nice gift for him in one of the shops.”

“Thanks, Paris. Thanks for driving me and thanks for... everything. You’ve been such a good friend to me.”

She let out a gusty sigh. “There goes that girl crush. Keep it in your pants, de Souza, we’re about to see your boyfriend.”

A few days ago, I would’ve laughed. I wasn’t that person anymore.

As it was, I tried for a smile. It was gone as quickly as it spread across my face.

“Yeah, I know,” she said, side-hugging me. Understanding passed between us, nearly tugging a real smile to my lips. She truly was a good friend.

“He’s on the third floor. Room 312. I hope he is awake and recovering,” I said. “It’s not the same without his Roan-ness around.”

She laughed. We made it to the elevator, stepping inside. “I know exactly what you mean. He can be such a dick, but you still can’t help but like him.”

“Something about someone who is so unapologetically themselves. No masks. No games. No faking. He’s just Roan.”

“Huh. I never thought of it like that, but you’re right.” The elevator dinged on our floor. “I guess you can’t say that about many people. Roan lets the world see all of him—good and bad. Maybe we’re the dicks for always walking around pretending.”

I inclined my head. People like Zoey and Cavendish would’ve saved the world a lot of trouble if they revealed their evil and got locked up in a facility where they belonged.

Roan’s room loomed ahead of us. We went in, interrupting a conversation between Legend and Josephine Banks.

“Rainey. Paris.” Dean Banks stood and hugged both of us. Over her shoulder, I locked eyes with an alert and watchful Roan. “Thank you for coming.”

“Is now a good time to visit?” Paris asked.

“Of course it is. The doctor says he’ll be here for a few more days, but look at him.” Josephine went over and smooched her son’s cheek. “He’s getting stronger every day.”

“Hey, Roan,” I said.

“De Souza.” His voice was little more than a thin rasp. The third in our Legend-Roan-Me sandwich looked like a limp and battered piece of lettuce. Faded bruises covered every part of him I could see. His chest and head were bandaged, and the pillows held him up more than he held himself. But he was awake, and watching me with piercing eyes.

Legend told him everything.

“I thought there’d be security on the door,” I spoke up, just for something to say.

“I sent them to grab a bite to eat,” Josephine explained. “We’re here. No one’s getting to my boy.”

“I’m so spoiled,” Roan said, that ever-present smirk hanging on his lips. “They’ve got the nurses giving me sponge baths with gold-flecked soap. Carrying me to tests on a cushioned litter.”

“They call that a gurney.”

The smirk widened. “Yeah, it’s still her.”

I broke his gaze, knowing what he meant.

Paris claimed Legend’s seat. I hung back while they talked. Suddenly, everything I came there to say went out of my head.

Legend moved to my side. His shoulder brushed mine leaning against the wall. “What happened with Cairo’s dad?” he asked under his breath.

“Did you talk to him?”

“He’s not answering his phone.”

I flicked to Josephine. I didn’t let my voice carry. “Sheriff Sharpe was taken. We found a black letter on his doorstep last night. They said they’re keeping him until the Bedlam Boys get rid of Ellis and Foundry for good. The letter was signed by Dante.”

The lines around his mouth hardened. “How? When?”

“We don’t know. It was two a.m. before we gave up waiting. We didn’t see anyone deliver the letter, but Davidson works with him. It would’ve been all too easy to invite the sheriff for some after-work beers and then...”

Legend nodded, following my thoughts to the natural conclusion. “Where did Cairo go after?”

I just shook my head.

“This isn’t good. They’ve got us running around, chasing after shadows. And those shadows are giving us orders like we fucking work for them.”

“The letter mentioned that. They took the sheriff so you’d get over your hang-ups about taking orders. They won’t give him up unless we do what they say.”

“Do you care?”

“No,” I said flatly. I didn’t pause to think about it. “They can do whatever the hell they want with Sheriff Jack Sharpe. But I would care if they didn’t stop there. I believed I didn’t have anyone left to care about, but... Rainey... made friends.

“Frankie, Paris, you guys. You were there for me while I was lost. I’ll do what it takes to drive Foundry out, because Ellis has it coming anyway. He’s behind AgriProspects and what Clein did to Gran. While we’re bringing him down, we’ll take the others from my old group down with him.”

Legend stepped in front of me, presence bearing down. “Are you sure you don’t know who any of the others are? Mariner or Cavendish must’ve let a name slip. Or you saw them hanging around someone? Think, de Souza.”

“What do you think I’ve been doing since I was pulled out of that water,” I hissed. “I’ve done nothing but rack my brain. Those bastards murdered my sister and left me for dead. No one wants to find them more than me!”

He held up his hands. “Okay, you’re right, but... Is it possible there are still gaps in your memory? Did everything about the night they attacked come back? Do you remember how many there were at least?”

“I... yeah.” Familiar pressure built between my temples. “It was Zoey and five others. Cavendish wasn’t there.”

“Are you sure?”

I bobbed my head. “I knew his build. His voice. He wasn’t there. With him and Zoey gone, that leaves five.”

“Unless they recruited more people in the last two years,” he reminded. “But five is a good place to start. What else do you remember about them? Height, build, anything.”

I eyed him. “Why are you so okay with this, Legend? Cairo is pissed. I can’t guess what Jacques is thinking. But you’re not looking at me any differently.”

He made a frustrated noise, carding his fingers through his hair. “I’m not going to pretend I understand what’s going on with you. Masquerading as your dead sister for two years. That’s way the hell beyond me. But...”

Tensing, my breath trapped in my throat.

“I can’t think of a single thing you’d gain by doing that. Can’t even say you did it to get close to us, since we came after you. Something terrible happened to you and you didn’t deal well. You’re fucked up, de Souza. Just like the rest of us. I’ll cut you some slack until you prove you don’t deserve it.”

“Slack?” I whispered. “I want more than slack from you. Tell me things haven’t changed between us. That me, you, and Roan are still... me, you, and Roan.”

Dark locks shadowed those light-brown eyes. “I wouldn’t expect more than the slack.”

He loped off, joining Paris and Roan’s conversation. I hung back, not nearly as stung as I should be. Legend may feel that way now, but he’d change his mind. He’d change it a lot easier than Cairo and possibly Arsenio, because he said the entirely wrong thing if he wanted to break up with me.

“You’re fucked up, de Souza. Just like the rest of us.”

That’s what always bonded us. That’s why their revolving door of girlfriends would end with me. The Bedlam Boys had to hide their true selves with everyone else, but they never did with me. You don’t walk away from that kind of bond.

“Would you guys give us a minute?” Roan asked. “I sense the lovely wallflower in the corner wants a private conversation.”

Legend didn’t move. “Roan.” Warning laced his tone.

“I’m good, Legend.” He probed his eyes—a silent communication passing between them.

“It’s all right.” Paris stood up. “I’m off to get that list of contraband items for you. Hope you’ve got a good stash spot.”

Roan clutched his heart. “Paris.” Already a pretty name, but there was something seductive about it when said in Roan’s smoky rasp. “If you weren’t my friend’s sister... Eh, I’d still give it a shot.”

Paris laughed. I did not.

“Careful,” I said.

Roan’s brows shot up. He looked way too amused for someone plucking my nerves. I would accept a breakup as easily as I’d accept them flirting with other people in front of me. As in not at all.

“Come, Legend.” Josephine linked through his arm. “Let’s grab a bite ourselves while they talk. Paris, you’ll come with us and forgo buying any such contraband.”

Felt like an eternity before they were gone, and it was just us.

I claimed an empty seat beside his bed. “How are you?”

He shrugged and paid for it with a wince. “Look worse than I am.”

“Did they tell you the Crows were arrested? They’re in hospital beds too. But unlike you, they’re cuffed to them.”

“I heard.” Dropping his head back, wavy reddish strands brushed his pale forehead. “Doesn’t mean much though. Why do you think they rolled into our town acting like they already owned it? The Crows have been doing whatever the fuck they want, and buying themselves out of trouble since Daddy stopped wiping their shitty bottoms. I wouldn’t expect any judge in Hunter’s Crest to do more than slap them on the wrist.”

“The Crows aren’t doing whatever they want now.” Slowly, I slipped my hand across the sheets, resting my fingers on his. Roan didn’t pull away. “You guys put a scare in them that has the Crows wishing their daddy still wiped their shitty bottoms, because they’re shaking too hard to do it themselves.”

He chuckled softly. “You still sound like you.”

I dropped my gaze. “I was always me, Roan. You can copy someone else, but you can’t really become them. In the end, that’s all I w-was.” My throat constricted. “A cheap copy while the real Rainey needed me.”

“Hmm.”

I waited him out. “Roan, please, tell me what you’re thinking. Cairo dumped me yesterday. Legend pretty much dumped me ten minutes ago. Have your feelings changed about me too?”

He pulled a face, tugging on his cut brow, split lips, and swollen eye. “Is your pussy any less delicious than it was three days ago?”

“Roan, I’m being serious.”

“Do I not sound serious?”

“No, you don’t.” I moved up onto the bed, drawing us closer. “Say flat out and plainly that nothing changed between us. You still love and want to be with me.”

That pixie grin would never leave his lips. “Okay, I’ll say this flat out and plain: I am your sex toy for now until the end of everything. I wouldn’t give you up even if you were hiding a sixty-year-old man with a golden shower fetish in that split personality of yours.”

A sharp, barking laugh slipped through my teeth. I did ask him to give it to me straight, and this was straight Roan.

Leaning down, I carefully rested my head on his chest. His heart beat beneath my ear. Steady. Strong.

“How can you be so cool about this?”

“Because what’s really changed, Ivy?”

My name on his lips stunned me.

“You still lost your family. You’re still being targeted by these crazy, black-letter shitheads. You still know the truth about us and don’t care. And I assume you still know all of Rainey’s sex tricks.”

I rolled my eyes. “Shut up. I can’t believe the things we got up to. If things were different, I wouldn’t have looked twice at a bunch of guys who were younger than me and still in college, but then I would’ve missed out on the best sex of my life.”

“That’s right,” he hummed. “Technically, you are an older woman. Not my first, but I’m glad you’ll be my last. This opens up a whole new world of role-playing for us.”

I buried my smile in his chest, amazed it was there. How was he so good at making me do that?

Because he has me under his spell. Another guy who will not use his powers for good.

“The point is nothing’s changed for me. So if you rushed up here worried you were going three for three with the dumping, we’re good.”

I sighed. “I wish Cairo and Legend felt the same way. Plus, I haven’t really gotten to talk to Jacques or Arsenio. I know they’ll make it difficult for me, but if those fuckers think I’m giving up the hearts I fought so hard to win, they’re in for a surprise.”

“Mmm. Can’t decide if that’s crazy or sexy. Either way, we haven’t fucked in days. Climb in.”

I picked up my head, goggling at him. “Climb in? Roan, you just survived a severe beating. You were pretty much in a coma, and you can’t even shrug without pain. Not to mention we’re in a hospital,” I stressed. “We’re not having sex.”

He looked at me like he genuinely couldn’t see why anything I said was a problem. “What else are we supposed to do?”

“We could talk. A lot more happened on that bridge.”

Roan drew my head back on his chest. “Legend told me everything that happened on the bridge and what you talked about yesterday morning.” He scoffed. “We thought we knew everything that goes down in Bedlam. We didn’t have a fucking clue.”

“Cavendish was smart. He played me like a drum. It never even occurred to me to betray him until he overplayed his hand and pushed me too far. The charm he cast still has a strong hold over the others—dead or not. They’ll carry out whatever his purpose is, and they killed Zoey to make sure of it.”

“Wait, they killed Mariner? How do you know?”

“Oh, Legend and Cairo didn’t have a chance to tell you.” I explained everything that went down since we found that black letter on the sheriff’s welcome mat. “You know the saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Foundry has gotten a lot of families to sell to them.

“All they need is the vote to swing their way, and they had that locked up before the Crows went too far. They’re gone now, but we both know Steven Ellis is going to ride back in with more sweet talk, better offers, fancier promises, and then everyone will start dreaming of those chain malls, clubs, music venues, theaters, and all the rest we’ve been missing out on.”

“What are you saying?”

I looked him in the eyes. “I’m saying Foundry’s going to win, Roan. They’ve all but won already. You guys tried, but you couldn’t stop people from selling their homes. And you can’t stop a bunch of college students from wishing the only real fun around here didn’t only happen on Ruckus Royale night. Everyone wants Bedlam to become more modern, but no one knows that we’ll lose everything if that happens.

“We’ve got to do something drastic to get rid of Foundry for good, and Dante and his Men of Honor won’t risk losing that fight because they got caught up in one with the Bedlam Boys. They’re happy to stay in the shadows while you guys—I’ll just say it—break almost every law getting rid of Foundry. Then when it’s over—”

“We’re the only enemy left standing,” he finished. “That is until their pet cop arrests all of us for the exact laws we broke. We don’t have Sheriff Jack covering for us anymore.”

My lips twisted. “It’s neat, isn’t it? They play our allies until the war destroys us and Foundry. Then they step in and take over.”

“Do we know they want the same thing as Foundry and Ellis? Did Cavendish ever give a hint?”

“He said a lot of strange, cryptic stuff about reclaiming what was stolen from us. The only thing I know that was stolen in Bedlam is Bedlam itself.”

“The Men of Honor want to be running things again. Take it all back from the Society. We—”

“Ooh. Hope we’re not interrupting.” I shot up as three guys entered the room. “Damn, it took forever for Mommy and your security to leave, and still we couldn’t get you alone.”

The guys fanned out—each one taller, stockier, and smirkier than the last. Two of them wore leather jackets and jeans, while the one standing between them opted for a tight, white shirt and ripped-up, paint-splattered pants that were once jeans.

I put them down as our age. Dark-haired and handsome, they didn’t look a thing alike but there was something similar about all of them.

My gaze honed on their necks, and the inky crows flying on their skin. “Who are you?” I flicked to the remote on Roan’s nightstand. One push of a button and it’d alert the nurse. “What are you doing in here?”

“There’s no need for you to hit that call button you’re eyeing. We just came to talk.”

“The lady asked you a question,” Roan said. “Who are you?”

Middle Guy smiled. “Let’s just say we’re friends of Jeremy.”

“Ah. Did you come here to finish what they started?”

“Like hell they did,” I cried, snatching up the remote. “Turn around and get out. Now.”

He threw up his hands in mock surrender. “Easy. Like I said, we just came to talk. Jeremy made a mess of things down here in Crystal Canyon. That’s what happens when you make business personal.”

“It’s called Bedlam.”

His smile widened. “For now.”

The guy on his left stepped forward. “I’m Adriel. That’s Nathan. And he’s Ethan,” he said, going down the row. “Jeremy, Micah, and the other guys are taking a break right now while they sort out some legal matters. On top of the little issue of their being expelled. Since we’ll be transferring in at the start of the new semester, we thought we should clear the air before you Bedlam Boy guys saw our tattoos and assumed we have beef with you too. We don’t.”

My thumb hovered over the button. “So, you lay in wait outside Roan’s hospital room like a couple of stalkers just to tell him that? It didn’t occur to you to send a text?”

The middle guy, Nathan, grinned. “Rainey de Souza. Heard a lot about you. No, we didn’t send a text. An apology should be given in person, don’t you think? We’re sorry for everything those guys did while bearing our tattoo. Jeremy Ellis doesn’t run the Crows. He only thinks he does because of Daddy’s money.” He thumped his chest. “I’m in charge. We’re looking for things to be a lot more civil from here on out.”

“Civil,” Roan drew out. “You said he thought he was in charge because of Daddy’s money. Is that money going to you now?”

His grin widened. “Why would it be? Never even met the guy.” Nathan jerked his chin at his boys. “We said what we came here to say. I’m sure you’ll pass it on to your friends, because we’re not interested in continuing the war. So don’t come for us... or we’ll have to respond.” Turning their backs, they filed out as silently as they came in. Neither of us tried to stop them.

“You heard the subtext in that loud and clear, right?”

Roan nodded, eyes fluttering shut. “They’re going to roll into our town, playing innocent. Anything we do to them is going to look like we’re taking out our shit with Jeremy and his buddies on anyone with that damn black pigeon on their neck. In the meantime, they’ll keep on trying to turn students to voting Foundry’s way.”

“That tactic isn’t going to work as well as they think,” I said. “I mean, I’m sure they can turn students, but playing innocent won’t protect them. If you do strike, Davidson won’t do a thing about it.” The truth burned my tongue. “Just like Dante wants.”

“We’re not his puppets.” Roan’s speech was slowing. His eyes closed and looked fit to stay that way. “He doesn’t tell us how to handle our business. And damn sure he doesn’t get to install his pet cop in Sheriff Sharpe’s place and think we’ll let him stay there long enough for his ass to warm the seat. After what he did to you and your sister... he’s gone, Ivy,” Roan said, drifting. “They’re all gone.”

“If we move against Davidson, they’ll kill Sheriff Sharpe.” I inclined my head. “More reason to do it.”

Roan chuckled under his breath. “Oh yeah. You’re still... you.”

Just like that, he was out. I let him be—content to stroke his cheek while he slept. Cairo may have given up on me. Legend may close off his feelings for me like he closed his true self to the world. But my Roan was so unapologetically himself, he was drawn to the same. This is me in my screwed-up, damaged glory, and he loved it.

Seemed like minutes later, Paris, Legend, and Josephine strolled in with gifts for Roan and a turkey panini for me. I took it and Legend’s hand, tugging him out into the hall.

“We need to talk,” I said before he pulled away. “We just had visitors...”

JACQUES

I stood in Henry Gold’s office, cataloging everything from the worn carpets to the man. He scrubbed his haggard face, sitting down hard in his desk chair.

“This is a lot to take in.”

“You knew, did you not? That’s what you called to tell her.”

“I called to tell Rainey that there’s no trace of her sister. No credit card usage, leases, accounts in her name. Anything. I had to tell a young woman who lost her grandmother and was under siege by a psychopath, that her sister was missing and she should assume the worst. I never thought...”

He trailed off, and I picked up the thread. “That the real Rainey de Souza was murdered by said psychopath. Ivy had a mental breakdown and began believing she was, in fact, her younger sister.”

“Yes,” he rasped. “I don’t think anyone could’ve made that leap. But how?” Gold reached into his desk drawer and came away with a bottle of whiskey and a glass. “How could she just become her sister and no one know?”

“The sisters were homeschooled on a farm until college. Ivy enrolled in Bedlam University and did two years. When she lost her grandmother, she dropped out to take care of the farm and her sister. She also focused all her time on finding out the truth of what happened to Abigail de Souza. When she became Rainey and reenrolled at Bedlam—”

“Everyone who knew Ivy de Souza had already graduated,” he finished. “Fuck’s sake. All that time she needed help, and no one knew. She’s been suffering alone for years. That poor girl.”

My jaw clenched. Yes, by every logical way you looked at the situation, Ivy wasn’t at fault. She was young, alone, manipulated, betrayed, and the loss of her only family sent her over the edge. It wasn’t rational for us to blame her. To look at her and feel like she stole something from us.

“Sure, but everything doesn’t have to be logical, does it?”

Said to me by the woman I thought she was, and only at that moment did I accept it as the truest thing she ever said. Nothing about my anger, betrayal, or grief was logical. The Rainey I knew never existed, and the woman I did was the victim of tragedy—not its architect.

These feelings should not exist, and moreover, they shouldn’t be taken out on her but...

“I find myself growing attached to you.

“I would not appreciate it if you left,” I said. “Don’t.”

“I won’t, Jacques.” She rested in the crook of my neck. “I’m not going anywhere.”

I asked her not to leave, and she did anyway.

“Mr. Stone?”

Raising my head, I withdrew from the memory of her on my lap. Under my claim. “It’s quite unfortunate,” I said simply, “but my focus is on what we can do now. Ivy told me you hired someone to track the IP address of Dante’s website. What did they turn up?”

“Right, of course. She sent me a report.” Setting down his drink, Gold booted his computer. I waited with patience I didn’t feel. “Here it is. All right, she was able to track the computer to—”

I bolted upright.

“—132 Chestnut Grove. I’ll look up the location—”

“There’s no need,” I said, sinking back. “132 Chestnut Grove is Bedlam University. Was she able to pinpoint where on campus, at least? A dorm building? A frat house?”

Gold typed something in and then turned the screen to me. Squinting at the map, I made out a building I knew well.

“The computer lab.”

He sighed. “I apologize. This doesn’t help you.”

“No need for apology. Confirmation of a theory is useful in and of itself. We rationalized that the person was nearby and likely a student. You cannot get into the computer lab without a student pass, so now we know. We can exclude the townspeople and focus our search on the university.”

“You’ll need surveillance equipment in the computer lab. Mine is available to you free of charge.”

“The computer lab is five floors with private study rooms on each one. We’d be going through hours of footage waiting for him to come in and update his site. We don’t have that kind of time,” I said. “He puts on his show much more often. Can your hacker track the broadcasts?”

The look he gave me said it all. “I will ask, but I assume she’ll have as much luck as everyone else who has tried to track down the Dantes of your town. It’s different with a podcast. He can record from a safe location, and then upload it anywhere else.”

“Have her do it all the same. I will pay her fee.”

Gold inclined his head. “She is one of the best. I’ll get her on it immediately. I hope whatever she turns up brings you closer to finding the Letter Man, but you should know, at this point, I’m passing everything I turn up on to Ribecco. We’re dealing with a murderer who shot an innocent kid through the chest in front of dozens of people. This isn’t a situation Ra— Ivy is equipped to handle alone. Honestly, she needs to focus solely on her recovery, not all of this ugliness.”

I nodded to appease him. There wasn’t an argument I could make to convince the man six college students should be in charge of tracking down the new leader of a death cult, instead of an entire police force. Especially because I could not explain that the person who put an arrow through Binari’s chest and sent those second round of letters was dead.

It was a good thing our girl thought Zoey/Dante was the same person when she put Gold on Dante’s trail. Now he could continue the search for him even though Zoey Mariner was dead. Dante had to be found. The leverage he had over Cairo with the sheriff under his grip was unacceptable.

“There’s another matter,” I began. “How much do you know about Bedlam’s history?”

“I assume you mean how it was founded.”

“I mean how it got its name changed. The Men of Honor,” I said, leaning forward. “Have you heard of them?”

“I have.” He mimicked my movement. “They were a group of men who let privilege turn into savagery. It’s said they held hunts and captured innocent young women to do what savage, awful men do.”

“Yes, that would be the men I’m speaking of. During the revolt, the townspeople rounded up the Men and their families. Anyone who wasn’t quick enough was killed, but a few were spared,” I said, thinking of the niece and ancestor to Ivy and Rainey. “Either they weren’t in town when the fighting broke out, or some members of their family survived. Can you track down their descendants?”

“Ah. Tracking down heirs and missing family members is work I take on, but when we’re talking about lines of descent that go back a hundred years, it’s a different matter. Especially taking into account that I’m beginning my search with a massacre. That kind of forensic genealogy would take me months—maybe longer.” He reached into his desk drawer again. “I can refer you to a colleague who specializes in this. She’s local and might’ve begun the work of tracing the old families of Crystal Canyon on her own.”

I accepted the card. True enough that someone has already begun the work. They found those descendants for Steven Ellis. I had little chance of finding whoever did that for him. As much of a chance of finding someone who could do the same for me quickly, but I had to try. The more people searching for Dante and the acolytes he commanded, the better. Ivy/Rainey had been feeling their unseen eyes on her for years. Now it was their turn to feel the walls closing in.

IVY

My bare feet padded across the hardwood, retreading familiar steps. From Paris’s place to Legend’s place to the Crows’ old place, I’d been everywhere except the only home I found outside of the farm.

I paused in front of the newly replaced window, recalling the doghouse that once sat beneath it. Micah threw a rock through the window that night, waking us all up to what he and his brother did to Arsenio’s last connection to his father. They made their vendetta personal, and that’s what took them down. These new Crows didn’t give a shit about me or the Bedlam Boys. This would be all business to them, and no matter what they claimed, they were here on business.

How much more dangerous did that make them?

“What’s wrong, Jacques?” I asked without turning around. I didn’t need to. His gaze was drilling a hole in the back of my head. “Arsenio is in the hospital. Legend is camped out by Roan’s bedside. And Cairo just up and disappeared. I wanted to go out looking for him, but you listed every reason why it was foolish to drive around aimlessly. Cairo will show his face when he’s ready and not before.

“We came back here instead, but I get the feeling you’d rather be anywhere else than with me.” I turned to him. “Do you want to search for Cairo without me? It’s okay. I’ll stay here and get started writing down everything I remember about—”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

An entire barrier of wood and stone separated us. Jacques stood in the kitchen, enigmatic eyes watching me from the other side of the island.

“Okay,” I said softly. Slowly, I moved toward him. “I’m glad actually. Of course I’m worried about Cairo, but this gives us a chance to talk. Just the two of us.”

“We have nothing to talk about.”

“That’s not true. You forget, Jacques, how well I know you.”

His eyes flashed. “But I don’t know you. I never did.”

I paused for a second, choosing my words carefully. “I don’t know that you did even when I thought I was Rainey. Things happened so quickly between the six of us. Our connection was so strong that we fell hard and fast into obsession. The thing with that is obsession always gets a smack in the face when life gets real.”

“Real,” he repeated like the sound tasted strange on his tongue. “How are any of us to know what’s real, de Souza? A few days ago, you didn’t know yourself.”

My nails pierced my palm. “I had hoped you of all people wouldn’t hold that against me.”

“I don’t— I’m trying not to!” Jacques’s fist smashed the countertop. “But she’s gone! I told her not to leave, and she did!”

I blew back, eyes huge. I only heard Jacques yell once in all the time we’d been together, and that night his mother was poisoned.

“Don’t tell me I didn’t know her. Rainey spent her time researching and cooking healthy meals for me. She traded expensive clothes for used sneakers and sweatshirts. Her favorite shampoos smelled of fruit. She loved a ridiculous, implausible show about a time-traveling alien. Nothing scares her other than losing the people she cares about. She’d walk into any dangerous situation.”

He barked a laugh. “She lived with us after framing the Bedlam Boys for murder. We were never beasts, monsters, mysteries, or tools to her. But what are we to you, Ivy de Souza? How far out of obsession did reality pull you?”

“Nothing’s changed for me,” I cried, rushing the island. “I don’t feel any differently for you guys than I did before we stepped on that bridge. I love you!”

“You can’t,” he snapped. “You’re not the same person.”

“Why are you so sure of that?” Suddenly, I was shouting too. “Okay, maybe I won’t watch the same shows or eat the same foods, but I’d still make you healthy breakfasts because those shakes are disgusting, and I love cooking. I’ll still massage Cairo’s temples because it was me who had those tantrums after losing my parents, but Gran always knew what to do to make me feel better. Cairo didn’t have love like that growing up, but he does now—from me.”

I thumped my chest. “I’ll still tell Roan things I thought I couldn’t tell anyone, because he trusted me even before I gave him reason. I’ll be the only one Legend shows his true side because even though he doubts it, there’s nothing he can do or say to drive me away. My love isn’t conditional like his parents’. And Arsenio...” I tossed my head. “That night with Alex Verlice would’ve sent my sweet, sheltered sister running far and fast, but not me. Arsenio doesn’t scare me. He never could. He’s my soul mate. You all are!

“Nothing that matters has changed. Why can’t you see that?!”

Slowly, rigidly, Jacques moved out from behind the island. “So what has?”

“Excuse me?”

“What has changed, de Souza? We may have to start over, but I’m not doing it at the beginning. Tell me who this woman is who expects to sleep in my bed, serve my meals, and fight a fight with me that she’s somehow the center of. Who are you, Ivy?”

I was quiet for a spell, observing him with the same look he gave me. Breaking free, I went to the window.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m answering your question, baby.” I drew the blinds and curtains shut. “For some reason, you and I are never closer than when I’m naked and vulnerable before you. Something that was easier for... who I used to be. So, help me get there.” Facing him, my fingers skimmed my shirt hem. “Ask me what you want to know, Jacques. Get me there.”

He eyed me warily. “Why play games? Just speak.”

“Because you never have to figure people out, Jacques. You answered the question of who they were a long time ago, then you filed it away in that storage room and never revisited it. You don’t get to take the shortcut with me, and I don’t get to keep my walls up with you. That’s why we make sense, Jacques Stone. So let’s not mess with what works.”

He took a step, then another. “I do not understand what you base this theory on.”

“I know, but there’s no harm in trying it, is there? It’s me opening myself up to you. What’s the harm?”

Studying him, I read in his expression that he couldn’t think of one—which was always my genius love’s undoing. His drive to take the logical course of action worked in my favor. And he once said I didn’t know him.

Fixed on me, he moved to the couch, slowly setting himself down. I pushed the coffee table aside as he did the many mornings he alternated between spanking my bottom raw, and fingering me to countless orgasms.

“Okay,” I said, nudging his legs apart as I positioned between them. “What do you want to know?”

Jacques pointedly grasped my hips and moved me back, edging me out of his space. “What did you study when you went to school here as yourself?”

Of all the things I thought he’d start with, I wasn’t expecting that. It took me a beat to answer. “I... studied marketing.”

He nodded, expression unreadable. “So, you never wanted the farm.”

“It’s not that simple.” Keeping to my promise, I slowly parted the buttons on my blouse. “I loved growing up on my farm, and I loved my life. But my parents moved out of Bedlam after Rainey was born. I remembered our life in Chicago. Weekend trips to the zoo. Movie theater nights. Strolling with a hot dog in one hand and little Rainey’s in the other.

“We were visiting Gran on vacation when that stupid, idiot drunk crashed into Mom and Dad. The entire course of my life changed in one moment, and it was always in my head that one day I’d get it back,” I whispered. “I’d go back home to Chicago and leave the place that took my parents.”

My top fluttered to his feet.

“I wasn’t worried about the farm because Gran was strong as an ox, and Rainey planned to take over for her. Raise her family there like generations of de Souzas. When I was lost, I just kind of...” I shrugged helplessly. “Tried to give us that dream. It didn’t work, of course, because Gran was still gone.”

Jacques silently took in my explanation. “The mind can go to incredible lengths to protect itself.”

I grabbed a sliver of hope trying to get through, and shoved it back down. That sounded like understanding, but Jacques was a closed-off man. He gave nothing easily.

“What else do you want to know?” I inched closer to him, and was put right back where I was.

Nothing was easy with him.

“We were your first.”

I stilled with my fingers on my pants button. The Bedlam Boys were massively, pathologically, and at times adorably, possessive. They’ve made threats against imagined lovers more than once.

“Cairo can confirm that you were. He said he was too sentimental to wipe my virgin blood from his cock the first day.”

“But...” he growled.

I wiggled my pants over my hips, noting his gaze followed its path for all that he wanted to appear unaffected.

“But that was the only first of mine left to take.”

Jacques’s lips peeled back from his teeth.

“You can’t blame me for things I did before I met you guys.”

“Can’t I?”

A tiny grin teased the corner of my mouth. “No, that would be illogical.”

“Give me their names.”

“They’d have graduated by now,” I said, kicking my pants on his lap. “Lucky for them.”

“Then, there’s no harm in giving me their names.”

I chuckled. “How about I move this along so we don’t get stuck on this one? What’s my favorite color? Blue.” I loosed the clip from my hair, letting it rain around my shoulders. “What’s my favorite show? Stranger Things.” I took off a sock. Just one.

“What’s my favorite book? The Book Thief.” That got Jacques the other sock. I was down to nothing but my bra and panties. “Do I like to be spanked?

“No.”

Jacques cocked a brow. “Tough.”

“At least not for the same reason,” I said, chuckling.

I nudged his legs apart again. Jacques didn’t stop me. I straddled his lap, and still, he didn’t stop me.

“Before, I happily put my ass up and accepted punishment because I was riddled with guilt. You guys both eased my pain and replaced it with pleasure. But I didn’t remember what Scott did to me at the time. I also forgot that grief changed me into the hardest version of myself, and I no longer had any mercy for bullies who pushed me around because they thought I was just another faceless farm girl.

“The true me would’ve hunted down Scott Cavendish a long time ago, Jacques, so why would I feel an ounce of guilt over the man begging me to kill him? As for framing Cairo, the guy made both a terrible and arousing first impression on me. He screamed bully, and he’s the son of the man I hate most in this world.”

I splayed my fingers across his chest, heart picking up speed. Jacques would toss me off him any minute now. I’d better get in my delight before he did.

“I admit, things would’ve gone very differently the night that bound us together. I wouldn’t have attempted suicide, and I would not have gone back after giving you guys the slip in the woods.” Jacques went rigid beneath me. “I know you don’t want to hear that, but I’ve always been honest with you, Jacques. Even when I didn’t know who I was, all I’ve ever told you was what I believed was true.”

My hands left his shoulders and found mine, peeling my bra straps down. “If I was Ivy back then, we’d never have gotten together. Maybe in some strange way, all this pain and tragedy brought me to you.”

“And that’s a good thing?” he asked. “Sounds like you expect the rules to change.”

“Things will change in some ways.” My boobs sprang free. “I couldn’t give less of a shit about Scott Cavendish. Why should any of us pretend you’re still punishing me for killing him and framing you? No, from now on...” My lips pressed to his ear, breasts flattening on his chest. “You’ll spank, paddle, and fuck me like a wild animal because that’s how we like it. Hot, dirty, and nasty.” His cock twitched beneath me. “That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?”

“We can’t keep going like nothing’s changed.”

“Okay.” I shoved up, walking off. “I don’t have much stuff. It won’t take me long to pack it.”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

I tossed my response over my shoulder. “Going back to Paris’s until I can arrange a place to stay. If it’s really over between us, it wouldn’t be fair to any of us to force ourselves to live together.”

“Stop.”

“Who knows?” I hit the bottom step. “Maybe some distance will be good for us. When you’ve all accepted that this is who I am now, we can start over and try—”

“Stop,” he barked, breaking his even tone for the third time since we met. “That’s one. No one gave you permission to leave. Turn around and get back here.”

I wiped the victory off my face before climbing off the steps. Giving me a number was the most hopeful thing he’d said to me all day. Spankings were foreplay for Jacques Stone.

Returning to him, Jacques grasped my hips and placed me on his lap before I could squeak. I bit back a hiss as his fingers dug into my ass.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

“Absolutely,” I said, “as long as you answer a question for me. Do you want me to stay because you don’t trust me, or because you still love me?”

“This little game made no difference. I do not know you, Ivy de Souza, so the answer must be the former. Because it can’t be the latter.”

“Yes, it can, Jacques.” I glided over his prickly, sexy stubble. “Because everything doesn’t have to be logical.”

I couldn’t stop myself tracing his lips, framing his nose, and sinking in cold, dark eyes. The man I loved both held me in possession and looked at me like a stranger. “I’m still me, Jacques, and you know I am. You can feel it.”

“I feel noth—”

Swooping down, I crashed our lips together. Jacques grabbed the back of my head—fisting my hair like he was going to pull me off. Throwing my arms around him, I deepened the kiss.

Our tongues collided in a battle of fury, frustration, and a feeling I couldn’t and had never been able to name when I was with Jacques. He was rude, arrogant, cold, but when I was with him, I felt like we were both with the person who’d never judge us.

Jacques knew I looked at him and saw more than an oddity with a high IQ. He looked at Rainey and just saw her—no prejudices or preformed opinions about the fresh-off-the-farm homeschooler that was clueless about life in Bedlam. I knew he could look at me and just see me. I just had to get through the walls he was fighting to build back up.

I broke from him gasping and head spinning. “Was that real, baby? If I’m someone else, why do I kiss like the woman you love?”

“Argh!” Jacques pounced. Twisting me, he spread me on the couch and crushed me under his weight. His hands were everywhere. Running down my thighs, finding where they parted, sliding them open, and grinding his middle between my legs. I snagged his hands and brought them between us, placing them over my breasts. He didn’t need encouragement to tweak them mercilessly, drawing heated moans into our kiss.

Of all of my guys, I didn’t think Jacques would be next to fall after Roan. They were all mine. They would have to accept that this was me, and the real Ivy was still the woman they needed... because she was just as ruthless and possessive as the Bedlam Boys could ever be.

I scrabbled at Jacques’s belt, half expecting to hear a number. His mouth was too busy plundering mine to deliver.

The belt came free, making the most delicious sound clattering to the floor. “I won’t leave, Jacques,” I gasped. “I’ll never leave you again.”

A deep, feral noise rumbled in his chest. “That wasn’t an option.” Slipping under my thong strap, he tore it clean off me. Heat prickled my skin anticipating what was coming next.

Roan, Legend, Cairo, and Arsenio had their way with me often and every chance they got, but Jacques and I were together one time, and that time I drove him over the edge—basically making it clear he wasn’t leaving the living room without ending the tease.

It was right that our second time would be as myself. Jacques was there when I needed to heal. Now he’d be mine as I rose from the ashes, and burned everything else down around me.

“Is my kiss different, Jacques?” I slid between his waistband. “Are my hands?”

Fisting his cock, I stroked him quick and rough—ripping the yummiest groans from those deceptively soft lips.

“Is this different, baby?” Freeing him, I positioned him at my entrance.

Jacques looked almost dazed. Glassy pools reflected my swollen lips and red cheeks. I sensed his internal war of mind and body. Logic said I wasn’t the woman he fell for, but this woman had the same wet pussy and firm breasts, and his body wanted that bad.

“Don’t hold back, Jacques—”

Thud!

“Isn’t this nice?”

My neck snapped in half, looking upside down to see our new arrival.

“My father’s been taken by a death cult who is conspiring to take over our town, but at least the impostor is keeping my best friend’s dick wet.”

We didn’t spring apart like two sixteen-year-olds caught under their parents’ coats. That was for people who felt shame, and I felt none for being with my boyfriend in front of my other boyfriend.

“That’s not what this is, Cairo.”

“Oh?” There was more ferality in his snarl than normal. “You telling me you two were consoling each other out of worry? Or more likely celebrating”—he narrowed on me—“because the man you hate most is likely dead.”

“Neither,” I said, swallowing my disappointment as Jacques climbed off me and picked up his belt. “Why would I want your father dead before I get the answers I’ve been waiting years for? I want to help you find him, Cairo. Were you able to find anything out? Where were you?”

I wished the state of him gave me a sign. Besides the red rimming his eyes, giving away that he hadn’t slept, he looked no different than he did the night before when he deposited me at Paris’s house. No scratches, blood, or swollen knuckles, so my love hadn’t gone out and picked a fight. Or he picked a fight that he won.

“You first. You’re giving a great impression of someone who cares. What did you find out about our missing sheriff?” He flicked to my fallen clothes. “Before you turned your attention to making sure we keep you around.”

I bristled. “Is my leaving an option? Because I told Jacques the same thing I’ll tell you. If you want me gone, say the word. I’ll pack my stuff and be out tonight. Consider us broken up.”

His face changed, making me shoot to my feet. I was wrong... this was the most feral I’d ever seen Cairo Sharpe.

He stalked toward me, handsome face in mine. “This isn’t the time to test me, de Souza. You’re not going anywhere.”

“Glad to hear it.” I reached for his temples and he was out of reach in the space of a blink. I dropped my hands. That reaction wasn’t a surprise, even if it still stung.

Cairo abandoned me and tugged Jacques into the kitchen. I listened in on their conversation while I dressed.

“—asked Andres where Dad went after his shift. He said he told him he was going home, so they must’ve grabbed him on the walk. Spent all fucking day asking everyone in the stores and houses along that route if they saw something last night. Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Jacques said. “The man is six feet tall, over two hundred pounds, and trained law enforcement carrying a weapon. He didn’t go anywhere quietly.”

I inched closer.

“Doesn’t make any sense,” Cairo agreed. “Someone should’ve seen or heard something. I’m thinking he didn’t go home like he told Andres. He was lured somewhere.”

“On foot?”

“Andres said Davidson left the same time as Dad.”

They shared a look that said everything I was thinking. The sheriff’s traitorous deputy had his grimy hands all over this disappearance.

“We have to pick Davidson up. An hour with me, he’ll spill everything.”

“Why tell me? Why aren’t you out there chasing after him?”

Cairo swore, punching the cabinet. “Bastard called out sick today. Why do you think I was able to have that chat with Andres uninterrupted? I swung by his place but no one’s there. Sat in front for hours until I busted in around the back.”

Of course he did. My Cairo didn’t know a law he wasn’t happy to break.

“He’s not living there,” Cairo said. “Sure there’s furniture, electricity, cable, and shit, but there’s no food in the fridge and dust is covering everything. These guys aren’t stupid. During the day, Davidson is sitting pretty in a sheriff station with cameras, guns, and witnesses. He knows we can’t grab him there. And at night, he’s sitting at who the hell knows.”

“We’ll find out where he goes. Tail him.”

“A cop will know how to lose a tail.” Two heads swung to me. “Especially when he’s expecting one.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Cairo said, “and you don’t get a vote.”

“Wait.” I darted in his path as he made to leave the kitchen. “I know you don’t believe this, but I really do want to help you find your father. I may not know who Dante is, but I know what he and his followers do to people. They don’t give a shit about innocent people. They’re just sacrifices for a greater good.

“If you take a swing at Davidson and miss, Dante will find out and punish you for it. That punishment will be taken out on the sheriff. All I”m saying is your plan has to be foolproof. It has to work fast, the first time, and Dante has to stay in the dark.”

“She’s not wrong,” Jacques said. “Davidson is the one member of their group that’s known to us. They know we want him, and they know the consequences if we get our hands on him. A decoy house? They will not make it easy to get him.”

“Do you think I came here to listen to you bleat that we should give up!”

“No,” Jacques replied in that even, lazy way of his. “I’m saying I will assess the issue from every angle, and create that foolproof plan. Fast, the first time, and with Dante none the wiser.”

“Wonderful.” Cairo mockingly bowed. “You have twelve hours.”

Jacques said nothing to that improbable deadline. He just cast me one final unreadable look and left us alone. I watched Cairo as his footfalls faded up the steps.

“There’re some other things you should know,” I began.

“Then I’ll find out from someone else.” He brushed past me.

Teeth gritting, I followed hot on his heels. “Roan and I got a visit in the hospital today. Three guys with crows on their necks came in to tell us they’re enrolling at Bedlam U for the new semester. They claim they come in peace and have nothing to do with Steven Ellis or Foundry.”

Cairo didn’t slow his stride.

“They also said they don’t have beef with us, but they will if we come at them.”

I could’ve been talking to the wall for all the response I was getting from him.

“I had a thought while you guys were talking about Davidson.” Cairo burst into his room. I threw myself inside despite his attempt to slam the door in my face. “Jacques wants to track down the descendants of the Men of Honor. Cavendish told me that’s how Ellis made contact with him.”

Cairo riffled through his closet, ripping out clothes. He was about to slam another door in my face. I got comfortable on his bed all the same.

“I don’t think that was a lie. It makes perfect sense that descendants of the Men would join in with Ellis. Technically, they are the rightful heirs of the land and the riches that go with them,” I said. “But at some point, Cavendish split from him to do his own thing with his little cult. When he started preying on the bullied and vengeful Blake Jensen, was that because she was descended from the Men or because she was easy to control?”

“What’s your point?” he snapped.

I loved him too much to smirk at my victory. I forced him to acknowledge me, and Cairo didn’t make that easy for anyone.

“What I’m saying is Davidson is a grown, middle-aged man. He took a job that’s high stress, but not for the cowardly. I don’t see him bawling his eyes out on Cavendish’s shoulder while he whispers in his ear that he can give him the strength to stand up to his bullies.”

Cairo shifted to me, frowning. “Okay...?”

“I’d bet anything that Davidson is just one of the descendants. He’s in this for the money and doing whatever it takes to get it. But Zoey?” I shook my head. “It’s way too much of a coincidence that one of the descendants would be someone Cavendish was already grooming. I think she proved that too by going rogue and offering to kill you guys for Jeremy. She’s not about Bedlam or the Men. She just likes hurting people.

“What I’m saying is tracking down the descendants will take a lot of time, and if I’m right, it’ll only help us find some of them. But if we want to find the kind of people who’d throw in with a man like Cavendish. Who’d k-kill innocents like my sister, and stand by while Zoey murdered Bella and shot Binari with an arrow, then... you need to be looking for people like me.”

Cairo beheld me, his expression changing as he got it. “Young, vulnerable, alone. People who were bullied or denied justice. People filled with hate who are primed for someone like Cavendish to come in and do exactly what you said, whisper in their ear.”

I nodded.

“Just like the original Men of Honor. They weren’t all wealthy landowners. A good many of them were just violent, sadistic beasts who enjoyed terrorizing a town. Cavendish was the same, and he wanted all the members of his little clubhouse to be like him.” His gaze locked with mine. “But he underestimated you.”

“And I him,” I said softly. “Rainey paid for it.”

“That’s why Ellis and Cavendish split. Ellis wanted a group of heirs salivating over a big check. They’d sabotage, bribe, and cheat to help clear the way for Foundry.”

“But Cavendish didn’t want the Men’s money. He wanted their power. He wanted to bring back the days of fear and control they had over Bedlam. Bedlam wasn’t meant to be run by the Society. It was meant to belong to the Men.”

“And if Ellis gets his way, Cavendish would’ve ruled over a pile of dirt,” Cairo said, dropping by my side. “If the bastard kept his word, they’d have gotten some money out of it. But they wouldn’t have gotten the town, or the glory of ripping it from the Society’s grip. All of them Men of Honor, but two groups chasing after different legacies.”

“Yes. Yes, exactly.” Again I loved him too much to show my relief at him engaging with me.

Cairo made a noise in his throat. “Begs the question, why did Cavendish develop a sudden death wish?”

“That day outside his house, he said he didn’t want to die. He had to sacrifice himself because of me. I’m a hypocrite and he’d prove it even if it cost his life. I have my memories back, and all that stuff still doesn’t make sense. I have no idea what his death was supposed to accomplish, other than clearing the way for Zoey to take over torturing me.”

“Can’t believe that was the endgame.” Cairo stretched back on the sheets. His shirt rose up, drawing my eyes to his sculpted abs. Before, Cairo didn’t go a day without touching me. Every morning I was sliding over his sudsy body in the bath. Right then, I was inches from him and a few feet from the bath, but I never felt further away from that couple who couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

“Cavendish didn’t have to die for Zoey to play her sick games with you,” he continued. “His death was supposed to set off something else. The question is, did it?”

Gingerly, I joined him, curling up close to his side. “At this point, I don’t know how we’d find out without questioning Dante and whoever is left of their group. I know Jacques is figuring out a way to get our hands on Davidson, but we can come at this from the other side. Find out who in town was in Cavendish’s orbit, and ripe for his grooming.”

“You mean that little after-school club he volunteered at?”

“I mean my love Roan’s highly unethical and illegal access to Bedlam U’s therapist’s records. That’s how we found out Blake Jensen existed in the first place. It’s how we’ll find a bunch of young, vulnerable loners who are pissed at the world.”

A slow, feral smile stretched his lips for an entirely different reason. “Ivy de Souza,” he said. “You may just grow on me.”