Chapter Ten
Ileft Jack’s bedroom and collided into Cairo’s chest. I bounced off without moving him an inch.
“What were you doing in there?”
“We were talking.” I sidestepped him and found Cairo in front of me again.
“Talking about what? Why was the door locked?”
“Was it?” I said, tone light. “I didn’t notice I locked it. Kind of an automatic thing.”
He grasped my chin, lifting my gaze higher than the pecs I was lying to. “What were you talking about?”
“Jack was just giving me tips on what to say at the town meeting today. You know—from his experience as sheriff and a longtime resident. Bedlam has a low crime rate and mom-and-pop shops thrive here. We’ll lose all that if we let Ellis turn us into Hunter’s Crest.”
His eyes narrowed to slits. “And...?”
“Cairo, I don’t know what you want me to say. They’re giving time for us to voice our concerns, and I wanted to make sure I’ve got the best speech to sway people. The only thing we have in our favor is that Ellis can’t swing his wrecking balls at homes and businesses with people inside. Our last hope is to stop oblivious people from selling to him.” I tapped my phone and the speech on it. “That’s what I’m going to do.”
He didn’t move. Cairo’s green orbs swept my face, searching for a hint of deceit. I gazed back steadily.
“You come back here straight after.”
“Where else would I go?”
Brushing past him, the back of our hands skimmed each other’s. I hooked my pinkie around his—just for the barest second—and Cairo... curled around mine.
Letting go, I hurried downstairs and out the door before the urge to stop and think about what I was doing caught up to me. What had to happen next was out of my hands. Their fate was sealed like mine was now.
Fate is what breaks us.
I passed people on the walk to town hall—all of us headed in the same direction. Except for Ruckus Royale, this was going to be the most attended event of the year. Steven Ellis was going to tell everyone how many piles of money he would heap on them for selling up and moving out of this stagnant small town, while the other speakers tried to explain why an overflowing retirement fund was a bad thing.
Yeah, everyone likes watching a lost cause.
They don’t know what they’re in for. Today will not go down how they think.
The barn-sized, steepled building rose over the horizon, beckoning into its overflowing space. Town hall was actually a cozy little space with seating below and above. They softened the clinical white walls by mixing in a little warm, brown earth tones. In addition to fancy reddish-gold carpet, the town hall was perfect for formal events like prom—which they held there every year.
Not that I’ve ever been to prom. That life wasn’t an option for the de Souza sisters because decades ago, a corrupt judge tossed a few acres of farmland at my great-grandmother and told her to be grateful to eke out a living from the soil, while said judge got rich off her property.
My lips curled at Mayor Creed, Judge Stone, Dean Banks, and Cynthia St. James all standing off to the side, talking about something that wrinkled their manicured brows. As if on cue, Nora left her seat beside her husband and inserted herself in the group.
I forced myself to look away from them and find a seat. Wouldn’t do any good to draw attention to myself too soon.
Up front, a long table had been set out, covered with nice linens, and prepared with water and little cookies for Ellis and all of Foundry’s board. We’d finally get to see the people behind Ellis, who helped him carve up our town to make themselves rich.
Sliding my bag off my shoulder, I found a spot in the third row and sat down. Paris said she wasn’t coming, but a scan of the crowd showed me Zara, Elise, and Amy made it. Actually, a good number of university students were in the crowd. Jeremy Ellis promised them clubs, restaurants, theaters, high-end shopping, and a never-ending party on and off campus. No doubt they were here to listen to Senior repeat more of the same lies.
“Hello.” A woman stepped to the podium. She wore a clean-cut gray pantsuit, stylish thin-framed glasses, and her hair in a tight bun. I didn’t recognize her, so I guessed she was with the Hunter’s Crest crew.
“Evening, everyone. We’re due to begin soon, so if you could take your seats. My name is Judith and I’m one of the employees representing Foundry tonight. Allow me to take this chance to remind you that we’re hosting a small reception after the meeting. There will be wine, cheese, and finger foods. Thank you all so much for joining us tonight.” She beamed. “We’re happy to have you.”
A snort sounded to my right. “Love how she’s speaking to us like we’re the guests instead of the other way around.”
I bobbed my head. I didn’t recognize the short, grizzled man next to me, but I liked him already.
The speaker stepped away from the podium as the side door opened. One by one, Steven Ellis and the Foundry board members filed out. My brows shot up my forehead at the last two people to enter.
Jeremy and Micah Ellis.
They smiled and waved at the crowd, then plopped down on seats on either side of their father and helped themselves to cookies.
It was bold as hell having two of the guys who were out on bail for beating Roan into a hospital bed, strut in here like nothing happened. That was all the proof I needed that this whole meeting was a show. Ellis believed he won. Why not parade his spawn around the town that violently rejected them? They were the kings of Bedlam now.
Eventually, chatter ceased and everyone settled into their seats, looking upon Steven Ellis as he took his place at the podium. It was picturing him howling on the floor, clutching his crotch that cooled my rage enough to keep me in my seat. Everything in me screamed to wipe that smirk permanently off his face.
“Good evening, everyone, and thank you for joining us.” Ellis paused for clapping, and got a smattering of it from random people around the room. “Now, we all know why we’re here. We’ve begun the revitalization of Bedlam, and as your partners in this project, Foundry wants to keep the lines of communication open and give you all a chance to share your worries, fears, and hopes as we move forward.
“Before we launch into that portion of the meeting, I’d like to share our hopes for Bedlam’s future and the projections for the town after the project is complete.” The projector screen dropped behind him. “You can see here, bringing new blood into Bedlam will bring in new jobs and...”
I tuned out his speech. Why listen to his fabricated numbers or waste a look at his fictional pie charts? Ellis’s plan for Bedlam was to steal every drop of wealth from its soil, then sail off on a five-story yacht with his millions.
“I know change can be unsettling,” he was saying, sweeping that charming smile over the crowd. “You hold on to your traditions tight in Bedlam and there’s not a thing wrong with that. We should hold on to what makes us great. What makes us unique. But we cannot do so at the expense of progress. I see too much potential in Bedlam to let it remain stagnant.
“A few miles east is one of the top-ranked universities in the country. An achievement that’s due to your young people. You are raising the best. They are achieving the most. Then, they are leaving their homes to search for more opportunities. I say enough,” Ellis cried, slapping the podium. “Their opportunities are here. Their futures are here. So, let’s give it to them.”
The audience burst into applause—louder and much more enthusiastic this time. Ellis stepped back, beaming and waving his hands at the crowd. He did an excellent job using all the right trigger phrases and playing on all the right fears. Now anyone who steps up and opposes the “revitalization” is a jerk who hates jobs, money, and wants all the children to grow up and move away.
Nicely played, asshole.
“Wonderful, wonderful,” Judith said, retaking her spot at the mic. “At this time, we’ll open the floor to questions and concerns—”
“Ahh, no concerns, Judith,” one of the board members piped up. “We’re all sold after that presentation.” He laughed and half the room joined in.
“Right you are, Mr. Conway. What I meant to say is we’ll open the floor to questions and praise.”
More laughter.
“Please form an orderly line down the row. When it’s your turn, step up here and— Oh.”
I marched directly up to Judith, smiling pleasantly into her owlish eyes. “May I?” I asked, firmly grasping the mic. “I have a few questions.”
“Uh... yes, of course.”
Judith moved aside, gesturing me on. I spared a glance at Steven and his sons, and was gifted three hostile scowls. It put a smile on my face.
“Hello, everyone. Many of you probably don’t know me. I’m Abigail de Souza’s granddaughter.” Murmurs and nods rippled through the crowd. I sought his face, sweeping over the audience, and found him posted up in the back.
Our eyes met, and he nodded.
“I don’t want to take up too much of your time. My main question is why did you choose Bedlam for this project?”
Conway opened his mouth. “Because Bedlam—”
“Bedlam is a wealth of untapped potential,” Ellis sliced in. “With the local university, there will be no shortage of patrons and renters in the new restaurants and student apartments we plan to build.”
“I’m so glad you used the word wealth. That brings me to my next question—”
“Only one question per person.”
“That wasn’t one of the rules,” I breezed. “Besides, this one isn’t for the board. Mayor Creed, why were the strict no-development policies lifted for Foundry when every other company has been shot down?”
Dozens of heads swung to her, awaiting an answer. Wiping away the initial surprise, Arsenio’s mom cleared her throat and stood. “I have gotten that question a lot over the last few weeks. I’m glad I have this chance to address it with all of you. The policies were lifted because I too see a brighter future for Bedlam. One where we’re not held back by the past.” She smiled at the board. You had to be looking closely to see her mouth was tight around the edges. “I welcome Foundry as our partner in that endeavor.”
“Thank you, Madam Mayor. We’re honored,” said Ellis. “And thank you, Miss de Souza.
“Sir, I believe you’re next.”
“Before I go, I’d like to give the real answers to those questions.”
“Your time is up, Miss de Souza.”
“The real reason that Foundry invaded our town has nothing to do with restaurants or rentals—”
“That’s enough.”
“Matter of fact, I’d be shocked if a single Burger King went up before they all cut and run, leaving us in the dirt pit that used to be Bedlam—”
“I said that’s enough!” A chair toppled behind me, hinting that Ellis jumped out of his seat. “Security, escort her out.”
“Hey, leave her alone,” shouted the same grizzled man I sat next to. “I want to hear what she has to say.”
“Forgive us, sir, but we have a lot of people waiting to ask their questions.” Ellis tried to regain his charm. “We have to be fair to everyone.”
My new best friend turned to the line of people. “Is there anyone here who isn’t interested in what she has to say? Or why this guy is so desperate to shut her up?”
Ellis spluttered. “I’m not...”
He trailed off for the same reason disbelief silenced me. One by one, everyone in the question line moved off and took their seats. I was wrong. Looks like they weren’t completely swayed by those pie charts and pretty speeches.
“Thank you, everyone,” I said. “I’m going to do something that no one has done in this town for over a hundred years: tell the truth.”
Mayor Creed stepped forward. “Miss de Souza, I have to agree that this isn’t appropriate. There’s a proper time and place to air your grievances. This is not it.”
“I agree,” said Eileen Stone. “And if no one else has a question, I would like to know more about Foundry’s plans for community outreach.”
“Yes,” Conway said quickly. “I’d be happy to answer that for you, madam.”
Eileen bore down on me fast. “Miss de Souza, if you would—”
Sometimes a girl has to get to the point.
“The real reason Foundry is invading our town and the mayor can’t stop them is because”—I dumped the contents of my bag on the podium—“of these.”
Raw, uncut diamonds tumbled onto the wood—knocking and rolling and half spilling onto the floor. Confusion spread through the crowd as people craned their necks to see. The Sisters were having a completely different reaction.
Shock stopped Eileen in her tracks. She looked at me in horror—a look that spread from Marjorie to Cynthia, Nora, and Josephine.
“What are these?” I asked. “These are diamonds. Raw, uncut diamonds mined right here in Bedlam—the town that used to be called Crystal Canyon.”
“That’s enough,” Ellis bellowed. “Security! Get her out of here now. Damn this, where are they? Where’s Walsh and Moore?”
Wherever Dante and his friends put them.
“Those can’t be diamonds,” someone cried.
“Look for yourself.”
I lobbed it at the lady in the front. She let out a little scream when it dropped on her. Fumbling, she flung it at her neighbor who recoiled at the half a dozen people who descended on him.
“What is that?”
“A diamond?”
“Can’t be true.”
“Must be fake.”
“They’re not fake,” I stated. “This is what Dante has been hinting at every day for over two weeks. There’s a reason why Foundry is so desperate to buy your land, that they’re paying way above market value. It’s because they know they’ll make it all back and more when they dig up your flowerbeds, and rescue these from underneath.”
Holding up a diamond, I raised my voice over Jeremy’s, Micah’s, and Steven’s shouting for their incapacitated security. “I busted these out of one of the locked crates on the demolition site. They cleverly have them labeled ‘explosives.’”
“Rainey,” Nora screeched. “Stop this. You have no idea what you’re doing!”
“I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m helping the good people of Bedlam ask the right questions of Foundry. Like, for example, since the land they’ve been paying you two hundred grand for is actually worth about two million, will you be getting a check for the difference today, or is it already in the mail?”
“Dammit, bitch. Shut your mouth!”
Hands seized me from behind, wrestling me away from the podium. I’d know Jeremy’s gorilla hands and overly sweet cologne anywhere.
“Everything she said is pure nonsense,” Ellis rushed, hurrying to the podium. The man shoved the diamonds back in my purse as fast as he could. “These are cheap crystals she found in a shop.”
I bucked in Jeremy’s grip.
“We know nothing about—”
“Holy shit, it’s real.” A short man in glasses and suspenders had gotten hold of the diamond I threw at the crowd. “She isn’t lying. This is real!”
“How can that be?”
“How much is it worth?”
“Liars!” My grizzled friend leveled a shaking finger on the board. “Thieves!”
Steven looked from him, to the board, to the bag of diamonds in his hands...
...and ran.
“Boys,” he shouted at his sons. “Go!”
“Stop them!”
Jeremy dropped me. The three of them beat it for the door. I shot to the side, rolling out of the way of the ten, thirty, fifty stampeding townspeople giving chase.
“They’re in the crates,” I screamed. “Take back what’s yours. Bedlam now!
“Bedlam forever!”
I thought I knew chaos the night Cavendish lit on fire, and the entire party ran screaming in every direction. I had no idea.
Bodies collided in the entrance—all of them pushing, straining, fighting to get the fleeing Ellises.
I crawled under the table, beating it to the other side door. I escaped into the hall and stumbled outside to the most beautiful sight.
Foundry, in their wisdom, decided to live stream the meeting for everyone who couldn’t attend in person. Just in case, I had Dante tap into the feed and broadcast it as tonight’s show. Almost everyone in town heard the truth... and the streets were filling fast.
“Diamonds?”
“My land is worth millions?”
“Where are they hiding them?”
“That girl said they’re at the construction sites!”
“Con men!”
“Liars!”
“Cheats!”
Those last shouted insults were for the board members who followed me, thinking they were wise to go in the opposite direction of Ellis.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out, ripping screams from everyone—including me. “They’re shooting at us,” I shrieked. “Foundry’s shooting at us!”
“What? No!”
“Beasts! Monsters!”
Missiles flew through the air. Hairbrushes, glasses cases, shoes, bottles—pelting the panicking bunch of suits.
I ran before it got ugly. There was no need to see which Man of Honor—Lincoln, Thea, Jackson, or Everett—fired the gun. I just applauded their perfect timing.
Running around the building, I skidded to a stop before the parking lot. Steven, Jeremy, and Micah made it to the car, but that was as far as they got thanks to four popped tires and no spark plugs.
“Thieves!” A dozen people rocked and pummeled the car, rattling the shouting occupants inside. “Give us back what you stole!”
“The diamonds are at the construction sites!” I called. “They’re taking what’s yours! Get it back!”
Part of the mob broke off, racing across the street. Foundry really had moved in on every inch of our town. There were two sites just in my eyeline, and another one a block behind me.
Bang! Bang!
More gunfire. More screams of fear... and outrage.
Townspeople were flooding in from everywhere—shouting, screaming, running, demanding. The sun was setting on Bedlam, nurturing the kind of savagery that could only come out at night.
But not enough.
I crossed the street, ducking into The Last Call. No one was in the bar, not even the bartender. Bold as ever, I hopped the bar top and started taking down bottles.
“Where are the—? Ah,” I said, grabbing the bin of washcloths. “There you are.”
With steady and clear focus, I popped the tops and put the rags in their new proper place.
The doorbell chimed, snapping my head up. A young brown-haired woman in jeans and a band shirt stared at me. I smiled.
“Hello, Thea. I believe these are for you.” I handed her my Molotov cocktails. “Don’t hit any Bedlamites.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
She walked out, already clicking the flames of her lighter.
Sighing, I shut my eyes—taking in the moment. They took everything from me, thinking that the little orphan farm girl was too weak and stupid to fight back. They should’ve known—
“The blood of revolutionaries runs in my veins.”
I found a booth, kicking back to relax while the shouting, car horns, and crashes got louder outside. My phone buzzed five minutes in.
Paris.
“Ivy? Ivy, where are you? Are you okay?”
I dropped my voice. “No! Bedlam has gone mad, Paris. I just wanted people to know the truth. I didn’t realize they’d lose their minds!”
“This isn’t your fault. It was Ellis running off like the con man criminal that he is that did it! Talk about an admission of guilt. I can’t believe this.” Paris was talking so fast, I could barely keep up. “We’re sitting on diamonds? How did Foundry know? How did you know?”
“Jack told me. That’s why my grandmother was k-killed,” I cried. “The whole time, the truth was worse than I could have imagined.”
I wanted to be honest with Paris. I truly did. Maybe after all this was over, I would, but right then, I couldn’t make her complicit in what would happen that night.
“Are you inside?” I asked. “Are you safe?”
“Yeah. I’m at Marshall’s place, but the dumbass isn’t. We were supposed to hook up after watching the meeting, but he took off two seconds after hearing diamonds. His parents also sold to Foundry,” she said. “I want to go after him but—”
“Don’t. It’s dangerous out here, P. I heard gunfire when I was running out of the square, and someone’s throwing Molotov cocktails.”
“Fucking hell!”
“Just stay where you are,” I said, casually rising and stretching my back. “This will all be over soon. Stay safe.”
“You stay safe. Where are you?”
“I found a bar to hide in. No one else is in here. I’ll be okay.”
Paris fussed some more but I finally eased her off the phone.
Smiling, I stepped out to my new favorite sight. Fires burned in different places on the square. Cars were overturned. Mobs ran through the street.
I followed one group, guessing where they were going.
The demolition crew was still working under high-powered lights and lamps. A fact they had to be cursing their bosses for.
“Are you people insane!” Hard-hatted, orange-vested men formed a line, pushing back against the growing mob. “Those are explosives!”
“Yeah, right. Sure they are.”
“Open the crates.”
“Show us what’s inside if they’re only explosives!”
I really had to stop grinning. It was highly obscene at a time like this, but I was loving how easy all this was. Saying the diamonds were in the explosive crates would naturally force the construction workers to defend them and force people away. As a result, Bedlam would fight harder—convinced that’s exactly where their riches were.
“Back off!” A worker lashed out, shoving a woman off her feet.
“Keep your hands off my wife.”
He was socked across the jaw, snapping his head nearly all the way around. A vicious fight broke out quick and brutal.
I continued on, leaving them to it. My work was done.
From that point on, no one connected to Foundry would have a second’s peace in this town. No one else would sell to them, and their sites would constantly be raided for the treasures they tried to hoard.
Something a smart man like Ellis realized when he found himself before a bunch of angry townspeople holding a bag of diamonds. In his hands was the only payout he was destined to get from this project, so he tried to run with it.
I’m just glad Jack was willing to part with his stash.
Jack told me his family had been stealing from mine since his grandmother’s generation. I asked him on the off chance he had any diamonds stashed away that his wife didn’t get in the divorce. He said yes, he kept those in the floor safe that no one—not even Cairo—knew about. He kept those back to give to his son after he died. I convinced him that it was a better idea for him to give them to their rightful owner instead.
The Sisters were no doubt emptying their stashes right about now too. In twenty-four hours, Bedlam would be trending on national news. Everyone would know about the diamonds. People would come in to stop the fighting. Even more people would come in to see if it was true. A spotlight would be thrown over everything they tried to hide.
I left the square behind, dodging the hooting, hollering rioters running in the opposite direction. My work was done here. Might as well go back to Cairo’s and see what’s for dinner.
The porch light was off when I arrived. I knocked a few times and rang the bell twice.
“Cairo? Cairo, it’s me. I know you’re in there because you can’t be anywhere else. Let me—”
The door flew open. A hand grabbed my wrist and tugged me inside.
“What the fuck did you do?”
I looked up into furious, fiery greens. All of a sudden, madness not unlike the fervor gripping everyone outside overtook me. I rose up and captured his lips—kissing Cairo wildly, passionately, dangerously.
Tangling in my hair, he ripped me off, growl leaking through his teeth.
I had woken the wolf, and my rising pulse knew it. But I didn’t care.
It was the wolf who loved me.
“I came back like you told me to, baby.”
“You did more than that.” Cairo forced me back and against the wall. I gasped as he tipped my head back, baring my neck. “You started a fucking riot. How? Why?”
“I did what I had to do,” I rasped. “Bedlam is mine. If I can’t have it, no one else can either.”
“Who helped you?”
“Why do you think someone—?”
A warm, calloused hand closed over my throat. “Who helped you?”
My swallow bobbed against his palm. “Dante and the Men of Honor helped me. They proved their loyalty.”
His lips peeled back from his teeth, leaking a sound even worse than his growl. “You lied to me.”
“I had to! I was ending this once and for all, Cairo, and you couldn’t be a part of it.” I shoved his shoulders. “I wasn’t going to let you think this was the one. This was your last act of penance, and then your family’s debt is paid. Now you get to leave me. It will never be paid, Cairo! I will never let you go!”
“Ivy!”
“You promised that I would decide when fate broke us. Well, it’s not done with us yet.”
“I promised you too many things if you believe that’s how this works.”
“You—”
Bang!
The front door flew in and busted a hinge crashing into the opposite wall. Cairo and I flew apart.
“Oh my...”
A broken, bleeding wreck of a man staggered over the threshold.
Gone was his expensive gray coat and one of his shoes. The clothes that were left were torn and covered in blood—hanging off him like rags. His mouth bled heavily. Patches of his hair were torn from his scalp. A nasty wound on his leg turned his pants scarlet. But none of that raised the hairs on the back of my neck.
It was the gun Steven Ellis trained on my face that did.
“Where are they?”
“What? Who?”
“Where are they!” he roared.
Cairo shoved me behind him. “Where is who?”
“My sons. My boys.” Ellis dragged his bad leg over the mat. “Your savage friends busted the windows. Pulled them out of the car. I tried—tried to get to them—” The gun shook. “They took them. You know where they are.”
“I don’t—”
“Don’t lie to me!” He fired at the ceiling, rocketing my heart into my throat. “You planned this. You wanted this to happen! Where did you tell them to take my boys?” He swung the gun back on us. “Stand aside, Sharpe.”
Cairo’s fingers dug painfully into my hip, keeping me behind him. “I’m not going to do that.”
“Stand aside!”
“She doesn’t know where they are! Fucking look outside. Does it seem like anyone has control over what’s going on out there?”
Mania twisted Ellis’s face—even more terrifying for the streaks of blood running down his forehead. “I won’t tell you again.”
“She doesn’t know where they are,” he shouted. “But my father’s the sheriff. He’s not here right now, but I’ll call him.” Cairo moved us both toward the phone. “He’ll get the whole station out looking for Jeremy and Micah—”
Ellis pulled the trigger.
“Ahh!” My scream echoed through the house.
Cairo dropped like a stone, collapsing at my feet.
“Cairo, no. No, no, no,” I cried, dropping next to him.
“Get up.”
“He needs help! I have to call Doc Nash.” I lurched for the phone and found myself staring down his barrel.
“I said get up!”
I screamed as he yanked me up by the hair, throwing me against the wall. Ellis fell on top of me. I froze when he pressed the gun muzzle over my left eye.
“This bullet goes right into your brain, you little hick bitch, unless you tell me where Micah and Jeremy are right now.”
“I don’t—”
“Tell me!”
Spittle showered my cheeks, mixing with salty, stinging tears that weren’t for me.
Cairo. My Cairo.
All he wanted was his own life, free of people’s lies and manipulations, but I couldn’t give him that. I had to own him like the Sisters. Like his obligations as a Bedlam Boy. Like his duty to his broken and drunk father. And in the end, I let him pay the price for my war.
Heavy, shuddering sobs ravaged my chest. “Cairo...”
“Give me back my boys.” His finger twitched on the trigger. “Right now.”
“I s-swear, I don’t know. I don’t know!” I exploded. “I didn’t tell anyone to kidnap your twisted monster spawn. What the hell would I want with them? It’s you who destroyed the only thing I had left of Gran and Rainey.”
“So you’re getting your revenge by destroying what’s important to me.”
“No!” My teeth gritted as he pressed the gun harder. “I had nothing to do with the mob snatching your sons. You can shout and threaten all you want, but my answer is not going to change.”
“No?” His voice went flat, dropping the temperature twenty degrees. “Then, what good are you?” Ellis drew back on the trigger.
“Nooo!”
“Uh.” Ellis jerked—his hands suddenly going slack and dropping by his sides. The gun clattered to the ground as he tipped over, falling face-first on the hardwood.
I gaped at Cairo, and the hard glass bowl he bashed over his head. “Oh, baby.” I threw myself in his arms, ripping out a shout. “Are you okay?”
“I’ve been better,” he gritted. Cairo doubled over, clutching his arm under the fading surge of adrenaline. “Fuck it, woman. That’s the second shoulder I’ve messed up for you.”
“Cairo, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I kissed his mouth, nose, cheeks, eyelids, everywhere. “You’ve fulfilled your penance. If you want to go, I understand. I won’t stop you. I love you,” I cried. “I just want you to live. Even if you don’t live that life with me.”
Beads of sweat coated his forehead. “Thanks for the permission, but if you could stop kissing me for a minute and get me a doctor.” His legs gave out, dropping him on his knees. “That would be great.”
On the longest night of my life, I drove Cairo to Doc Nash—his ankle monitor beeping at us the whole way. That night I held his hand while the fires and fighting raged outside.
I haven’t lost everything, I thought, tracing his sleeping face. Fate brought me five guys who ate my pain and soothed my soul.
“And one day it’ll bring us all back together, Cairo. I know it will.”
“IVY. IVY, WAKE UP.”
I cracked a lid open. Where was I? What—?
It all came back to me. The town hall meeting. The riot. Ellis’s attack.
“Cairo!” I shot up, nearly falling off Doc Nash’s worn, squashy couch.
Doc Nash’s practice was pretty much the first floor of a residential home. He converted the living room into a place to see patients, and the den was where he kept overnighters that weren’t going anywhere unless it was into an ambulance to take them to the hospital. A gunshot wound was an automatic ride to Hunter’s Crest Hospital, but Doc Nash was worried no ambulance drivers would risk themselves in the riot.
“What is it?” I croaked. A glance out the window told me the sun was just beginning to rise. “Is the ambulance here?”
“No.”
“Do you need something?” I went to his bed and lifted his blankets, checking him over myself. “Are you in pain?”
“Did you mean what you said?” Cairo broke in. “I’m released from my penance. The debt between our families is paid.”
My chest squeezed. “Yes, Cairo,” I forced myself to say. “It’s paid. I hope that you do find out who you are away from Bedlam. Its secrets have hung over your life since before you were born. It ripped your family apart, and forced you on a different path. You deserve to find your own way, and you can’t do that with a constant reminder by your side.”
I was proud of myself. I got all of that out with dry eyes.
“Just be happy, my wolf. Heal your wounds.”
“Hmm.” Cairo gave me a long, measured look. “Bullshit.”
I blinked. “What?”
“Everything you just said is bullshit. You don’t want me going anywhere. You want me chasing you through the woods for as long as I can pounce and mount you like the tasty little prey that you are.”
“No, I—”
“So, fine. I will.”
My heart. My breath. My mind. All of it stopped.
“What?”
He heaved a sigh. “I’ve decided I’m not giving you up. All the shitheads you named have screwed up and knocked my life off track. You’re the first thing I’ve had that’s mine. That I chose for myself. I won’t lose my mate so soon after finding her.”
This couldn’t be real. He wasn’t saying what I thought he was saying.
“Besides, I’ve taken an arrow and a bullet for you. By my calculations, it’s you who owes me penance. Start with making up for lost time.” He smacked his thigh with his good arm. “Climb on.”
A smile teased my lips. “Okay, but one thing first.”
I leaned over, and socked him in the jaw.
“Agh! What the hell?”
“That’s for cheating on me.” Temper coated my good mood fast. “If you ever mess around on me again, I’ll kill you.” I stuck my face in his. “Look in my eyes and tell me if I’m lying.”
Cracking his jaw, Cairo chuckled. “Oh, I believe you. Lucky for me I didn’t cheat on you the first time, so there definitely won’t be an again.”
“What do you mean? That girl—”
“My lab partner,” he finished. “I kept blowing her off that week because I was focused on getting my dad back. I finally told her I had time to work on it that night. It got late and she doesn’t live on campus, so I let her crash.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “She was going to sleep on the couch, but then I heard you in the hall, and decided to piss you off instead.”
“Why would you do that to me?”
“Because you weren’t Rain, and I couldn’t stop punishing you for it.”
I was quiet, letting that sink in. “And now?”
“Last night I almost lost you too, and it woke me the hell up. I chased Rain through the woods, but I pounced on you. You’re the one who fights me. Who bows before my domination but never surrenders. You’re the one I love, and none of those things changed after you did.”
Tears prickled behind my eyes.
“You’re everything I wanted in a mate and more.” He caught a droplet on my cheek and gently brushed it away. “Past time I stopped bitching about losing the side of you that was never real.”
“Goodness, Cairo.” My throat choked up. “I’m definitely going to ride your cock in this doctor’s office now.”
“Don’t wait for an invitation. Drop your pants.”
Giggling, I hastily shed my clothes in a pile and hopped on the rising mound beneath his sheet.
Cairo was my mate. The one who claimed me and brought me into my new pack and family.
Arsenio—whose dark side danced with mine.
Roan—who pushed me past every comfort zone and made me laugh the whole way.
Legend—who closed himself off completely, except at night when he held me in his arms and told me things he never told anyone.
Jacques—who challenged my thinking as much as I challenged and pushed his.
We were only ever meant to be with each other.
I bounced on Cairo’s cock, making him wince with each buck, but damned if that wasn’t making him harder. His fingers were mercilessly twisting my stiffened nipple. I was trying my best not to make noise, and failing spectacularly.
I didn’t know what was next for the six of us, but I trusted there was a better life for us away from Bedlam and the hold it had on everyone who set foot on its soil.
It was time we found out who we truly were outside of a Bedlam Boy, an orphaned farm girl, or a secret heiress.
I threw my head back, spine arching as my orgasm gripped and wrestled me under. Pleasure shuddered my body—turning my muscles to jelly as hot ropes of Cairo’s cum burst inside me.
I collapsed on his chest, totally spent. “I swear we’re going to start our new life together soon,” I huffed, “but there’s one more thing I’ve got to do first.”
I RECLINED ON THE OLDrickety steps, munching on an apple. They came out of the shadows like vapor, lining up before me.
“Hyde. Wood. Everett. Lincoln,” I said, nodding to each Man of Honor in turn. “Thanks for coming.”
“Where else would we be? We struck Foundry a fatal blow. Literally fatal in the case of a few board members and Steven Ellis,” said Lincoln. “Found out this morning that he bled out from his injuries.”
“Shame,” I said, voice flat. “At least he didn’t take this place before he went.” I looked around Westchester Drumlins—where my journey with the Bedlam Boys, and the journey back to myself—truly started.
“Any word on what happened to Jeremy and Micah?”
“They were found tied naked to a tree in the woods,” Thea said. “They got the hint. Those two won’t set foot in Bedlam again. Why? Should we kill them?”
“There’s no need.” I crunched another bite. “Foundry is dead in this town. The diamonds are all over the news. From here on, no one can dig up a rock in Bedlam without the real and only half as corrupt government knowing.”
“All the officials, agents, assessors, and investigators they sent in, have to leave sometime,” Roberts said. “When that happens, it’ll be time for the Men of Honor to step up and protect Bedlam as it once did. We’ll get rid of the Sisters and the Bedlam Boys for good, then there’s no one left to interfere.”
“This town will be a better place under us,” said Jackson. “We’ll punish those who take advantage of the weak. What the Bedlam Boys were supposed to do if they weren’t too busy making their mommies rich.”
“No poverty. No crime. No mercy for those who disobey us,” said Everett—a tall, square-jawed guy who had strands of premature gray in his dark hair. “Thanks to the riot, the world has already seen what we’re willing to do.”
“Thanks to Ivy,” Lincoln corrected. “I told you she was the one meant to lead us.” He turned to me. “Just tell us what to do first.”
“Ah, yes.” I sat up, wiping off my hands. “First thing and most important”—my face changed—“this is for my sister.”
Four figures emerged from the living room and grabbed each Man of Honor from behind. They sliced their necks in one smooth arch before the shouts left their lips.
Their bodies flopped on the floor. I stepped over them, kissing Arsenio, Jacques, Legend, and Roan.
“Thank you, loves. Did everything go okay the other night?”
Jacques looked down at his silent ankle monitor. “Stupid fools thought a man with a genius-level IQ couldn’t hack into their little toy. Yeah, everything went down like they knew the entire plan,” he said, looking down at the bodies. “I disabled the monitors and we followed the Men of Honor through the riot, getting video of them throwing Molotov cocktails, flipping cars, and firing gunshots in the air.
“The cops will be looking at them, not you for inciting a riot. Of course, they’ll never find their suspects and everyone will believe they’re on the run.”
“Love it.” I wrapped my arm around Legend and reached for Roan’s hand. The red-haired imp bypassed my hand and grabbed my ass instead. “That’s a happy ending if I ever heard one.”
“Not quite. We haven’t dealt with our mothers yet,” said Legend.
“After we do, what do you think about transferring out of Bedlam U?”
“Huh. I wouldn’t hate that.”
“It’d be nice to fuck you all over a different campus,” Roan mused.
“Be just as nice to get out of Bedlam,” I said. “Find out who we really are.”
“I can save you a pointless trip of self-discovery,” Arsenio replied. “Who you are... is ours.”