“Me, too,” Carter agreed. “I think you’re terrified of him. You don’t need to be, though. He’s nothing more than a big bully, and do you know the best way to deal with a bully? You yell right back. Bullies can’t stand being called on the carpet for their bad behavior and they back right down.”
“Oh, Bart never backs down.” Lily shook her head. “He likes to fight.”
“With you?” Vanessa asked. “I mean ... does he pick fights with you?”
“Oh, no.” Lily was solemn. “Fights are for the boardroom, not the bedroom. When he visits my bedroom, it’s always quick and respectful.”
Ivy took a moment to run the statement through her head. “Are you talking about ... sex?” She was almost afraid to hear the answer.
“What? No!” Lily grew animated, which Ivy found welcome despite the rather uncomfortable conversation they were mired in. “Every night, before bed, we go over the to-do list for the next day. He usually comes to my bedroom for that.”
“Wait ... you have separate bedrooms?” Carter’s lips curved. “Why would you have separate bedrooms when you’re married? Doesn’t that sort of defeat the purpose of being married?”
Lily turned defensive, which was to be expected given Carter’s judgmental tone, Ivy rationalized. “I got to decorate my room. He got to decorate his. The most important thing for health and wealth is a good night’s sleep. It’s easier to sleep soundly when you have your own space.”
To Ivy, she sounded as if she was reading from a brochure. “Oh, well ... if that’s what does it for you.” She couldn’t imagine not having Jack next to her to curl up to every night. “You guys don’t have children, right?”
“Bart doesn’t want children. He says they’re a distraction.”
“What do you want?”
Lily’s face was blank. “I want what Bart wants.”
“Yes, but ... are you afraid of him? You seem to be.” Ivy blurted it out. She was getting exasperated. Whether Lily had always been like this or Bart had beaten her down mentally over the years, she couldn’t say. All she knew was that Lily was like an empty shell of a person and it made her distinctly edgy.
“Why would I be afraid of him? He’s my husband. You’re not supposed to be afraid of your husband.”
“Right.” Ivy grabbed the bag of marshmallows. “Who wants another s’more?”
Carter’s hand shot in the air.
“Let’s see how wired we can get, huh?”
Carter bobbed his head. “Absolutely.”
AFTER ANOTHER GRAHAM CRACKER SANDWICH, Ivy excused herself from the fire — Lily and Eleanor were having evening White Claws before bed — and went looking for Jack. The area surrounding the campsite was dark, so it wasn’t easy for her to find him because hints of movement were hidden in the shadows. Unfortunately for her, she did stumble upon someone ... and it wasn’t the man she was looking for.
“Oh, hey.” She offered Nate a weary smile as she pulled back. “I didn’t see you there ... hiding behind the tent.” Like a big stalker, she silently added.
“I’m hiding from Bart.” Nate made a face and shook his head. “He caught me over there on the other side of your tent and explained why I was wasting my time and should get in the oil business. He says they’re always looking for investors and I should put all my money into that and leave sports doctoring behind because it’s not like I’m a real doctor.”
Sympathy rolled over Ivy as she patted the man’s shoulder. “He’s a douche.”
“I hate him,” Nate agreed. “I mean ... I can’t stand him. I have to deal with big egos all the time because that’s how it works in my line of business, but he makes an overpaid NBA player look like Miss Manners in comparison.”
Ivy found the statement absurdly funny. “I never thought about it, but I’m betting you’re right. It sucks that he’s such a tool, huh?”
“It blows,” Nate agreed. “I like to think I’m a relatively easygoing guy, but Bart is ... a butthead.”
“I think that should be emblazoned on his business cards,” Ivy agreed. “Where is he, by the way?”
“Over there.” Nate vaguely gestured. “I think he’s talking to Harold and having cigars.”
“Not by our tent I hope.” Ivy craned her neck. “I hate the smell of cigars.”
“I think he was closer to the woods. Your husband was over there at one point, although I think he moved in that direction.” He waved toward the opposite side of the camp. “He couldn’t wait to get away from Bart either.”
“Oh, I have no doubt.” Ivy chuckled as she rolled to her tiptoes and searched for Jack. She wasn’t keen on wandering over there by herself, but the notion of heading back to their tent alone didn’t appeal to her either. “I don’t get why Bart even came on this trip,” she said. “He’s clearly not having a good time.”
“No, and the other people I’ve seen on these trips who have been trying to save their marriage at least pretend that they’re into the process,” Nate agreed. “He doesn’t care about his wife’s feelings at all. She might as well be dead for all he cares.”
Ivy absently nodded ... and then frowned. “You’ve been on river kayaking trips before?” She’d seen him on the river, and while he seemed capable, she would hardly term him an expert. “Where?”
“Here.”
She waited for him to expand. When he didn’t, she decided to push him for answers. “You’ve been on this river before?”
“Oh, yeah.” He laughed at her baffled expression. “I’ve been down this river three times now.”
“With the same group?”
“No, the group is always different. I’ve never been on a trip with the same people.”
“I don’t mean the guests. I mean the company.”
“Oh.” Nate screwed up his face in concentration. “Actually, the first trip was with a different company. I didn’t like their setup, though, and this outfit had rave reviews so I switched to them the following year.”
“You’ve been three years in a row?”
“Yup.” His grin widened. “I absolutely love it out here. That’s why I insisted we take our honeymoon on the river. Vanessa thought it was a bad idea ... well, right up until I told her that she could use it for her YouTube channel. Then, suddenly, she thought it was the best idea ever. She’s all about getting attention.”
Ivy had figured out that on her own. “Who do you usually come with?” She was honestly curious, and maybe a little suspicious. Why hadn’t Nate mentioned his previous trips before? Also, why wasn’t he better at navigating a kayak? He certainly wasn’t terrible. He showed no signs at being adept, though, and that seemed weird to her.
“The first year I came with a bunch of friends,” he replied. “We were all in medical school together. The curriculum for sports medicine is different. It’s not as intense and more specialized, so after our mid-terms, we came out here to relax.”
“And obviously you had fun.”
“Well, I didn’t particularly like the tour company we were with all that well. We still had fun, though. Glamping with a group of guys is way different than doing it with your wife. We were still pretty rowdy back then, though, so it was fine.”
Ivy pictured the campground setup. “How did it work with multiple men? Did you all sleep in the beds together or were you spread out?”
He chuckled. “All the camps aren’t like this one. This is the couples camp. The other campgrounds are designed for different group configurations. We had a huge tent with one big sitting room and smaller bedrooms. Our tent easily fit four of us without a hitch.”
“Huh.” It made sense, and now that she thought about it, Ivy realized they’d passed several different camps during their trips down the river. “They probably have multiple trips set up on the same day. That allows them to better utilize their kitchen and cleaning staffs.”
“Oh, totally.” Nate bobbed his head. “I like these tents for what they are, but it’s much more fun when you have a good group. One
year, for example, there were four of us guys and four girls about the same age in the same group. We had a lot of fun on that trip, if you know what I mean.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“I know what you mean.” Ivy forced a smile, jolting when a twig cracked to her right. She was relieved to find Jack emerging from the darkness. “There you are. I was looking for you.”
Jack reached out and snagged her hand, frowning when he realized how cold her fingers were. “I was just coming back to the fire to get you. I figured you were still grilling Lily regarding her jackhole husband.”
Ivy smirked. “I love that you’ve started using that word, too.”
“Of course you do.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss before nodding at Nate. “Thanks for keeping her safe.”
“Oh, no problem.” Nate began to backtrack. “I was actually looking for an excuse to avoid Bart. I was happy to have someone to talk to.”
“Well, thanks anyway.” Jack waved as the man disappeared and then started herding Ivy toward their tent. “I think it’s time to use that sugar buzz of yours to our advantage.”
“Totally,” Ivy agreed, although her mind was elsewhere. “Did you know Nate has been down this river three times?”
The conversational shift threw Jack. “I did not but ... huh ... I guess that’s weird. Why didn’t he mention it?”
“I have no idea, but this is his third year in a row. He’s never been with Vanessa before — he usually comes with a group of men — but he’s used this tour company twice now.”
“So?” Jack was legitimately confused. “Are you thinking that means he’s somehow involved in this, whatever it is?”
“No.” Was she thinking that? Ivy couldn’t be certain. “He mentioned other campgrounds. They’re all over the place, up and down the river, and designed with different groups in mind. Jack, we’re not the only people out here. They stagger the river trips. That feeling that someone was watching me, it could’ve been someone from a different group.”
That was something he hadn’t considered. “You’re saying that someone else could be watching us.”
“The camps aren’t all that far apart from what I’ve seen on the river. They’re definitely close enough for someone to hike in ten minutes or so if they know where they’re going.”
“Why would someone from another group be spying on us?”
“I don’t know. Why would someone from this group have something nefarious planned?”
“I ... don’t ... know.” It was a conundrum. He felt as if he was on a tiny lifeboat in the middle of the ocean and there was no hope of rescue in sight. He had no idea what they were swirling around, but it had to be something big for Ivy to get this worked up and not understand why.
“Let’s go to bed,” he said suddenly, gripping her hand tighter. “We both need some sleep and to think about this.”
“I think you want to do something else,” Ivy groused, although she didn’t put up a fight.
“That, too. I want to romance you and then crash. We’ll start making a plan in the morning.”
“A plan about what? We still don’t know what’s going on.”
“No, but tomorrow is do or die time ... maybe literally. We’re going to have a plan before we leave here in the morning no matter what.”
“Okay, but I can’t help but think we’re missing something big.”
On that one thing, they could both agree. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“You always do.”
“Not always, but it’s going to happen this time.” Jack was determined. “We’ll figure it out. We’re good when we put our heads together.”
“You’ve got me there.”
“I’ve got you forever.”
Her smile was impish. “Okay, Mr. Romantic, you’ve worn me down. We’ll frolic tonight and plot in the morning.”
“Finally something I want to do.”
16
Sixteen
Ivy’s dreams were a convoluted mess of light and dark figures. She stood next to the riverbank and tried to figure things out. Unfortunately for her, she got nowhere because none of the figures would talk to her.
“I knew you would be here,” Jack said as he appeared behind her, his hands automatically going to her shoulders to keep her steady so she wouldn’t jump out of her skin. To his surprise, she remained immobile.
“And I knew you would find me here.” She sent him a pretty smile over her shoulder. “You always find me.”
“That’s because I’m tragically co-dependent.”
“Or just a really good husband.”
His smile matched hers. “I like being your husband.”
“That’s because you’re new at the job but already a professional.”
He laughed. “You’re pretty good in the wife department, too.”
“It doesn’t feel that way. I must be driving you nuts.”
“Not particularly.”
“Oh, come on.” Ivy had to laugh. “I dragged you camping when all you wanted to do was lounge on a beach and now I’m insisting there’s something wrong when we haven’t a single shred of proof that anything bad has actually happened. I’m definitely driving you crazy.”
“No.” He was adamant. “This is who you are. You care to the point of no return, even when you’re being grumpy and gruff. That’s why I love you. Well ... it’s one of the reasons I love you.”
She frowned. “I’m not grumpy and gruff. That’s you ... especially before you have your coffee in the morning.”
“Oh, no way. You’re way more grumpy than me. I think it’s because you sleep with your feet poking out from beneath the covers.”
She rolled her eyes. “You need to get over it.”
“I didn’t think you would do it on this trip because of snakes and stuff, but you still do.”
She snorted. “What sort of snake do you think can jump up onto a bed?”
“The really frightening kind.”
“The kind that would hang out with your bear?”
He extended a warning finger. “Stop with the bear.”
She shifted closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re my snuggle bear.”
“Oh, that is ... really cute and I don’t want it to be.” He hugged her back and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re my snuggle bunny.”
She pulled back far enough to study his face. “How come I can’t be a bear? It’s because I’m a girl, right?”
“It’s because you remind me of a bunny, with your twitching nose and cute little bottom.”
“I still think that should probably be sexist.”
“That’s because you’re you.” He shifted his attention to the water, to where the light figures moved back and forth, almost as if conducting a dance and the dark shadows in the woods watched with glowering distaste. “What do you think this means?”
Since it was a serious question, Ivy adjusted her mood. “I have a theory if you want to hear it.”
“Always.”
“The white lights are the women who died — and I don’t think we’re just talking rafting accidents here. As far as I can tell, all the forms are female. None of them have faces so I can’t be absolutely certain, but that’s how it feels to me.”
Jack focused on the light forms and nodded. He could see them clearly in Ivy’s dreams because it was what she saw. In the real world, he was limited. “They do look female.”
“It’s sexist when you say it.”
“Ha, ha.” He rested his hand on her hip before shifting his eyes to the tree line. “What about them?”
“I think they’re the evil that killed the women.”
“Does that mean we’re looking for more than one killer? I mean ... that’s what you’re suggesting, right? We’re looking for a murderer … or murderers if those shadows are to be believed.”
“I don’t know that we’re looking for more than one killer. It could just be representational, what the women see. It’s like
they’re surrounded by evil, but it doesn’t have a face.”
“They don’t have faces either.”
“I’m well aware.” Ivy scratched her cheek. “I don’t know what to make of it, Jack. I think it’s something bad, though.”
His heart momentarily constricted. “We can leave. We don’t have to do the final day on the river.”
“How do you think you’re going to wrangle that? It’s not as if we can walk out.”
“There are roads, honey. The cleaning and food workers come in from the back. I think the parking lots are behind the tents, hidden by trees. We can force them to take us out.”
“I didn’t think about that.” Ivy cocked her head as she regarded the white forms. They seemed to be staring at her, imploring. “We can’t.”
Jack made a growling sound deep in his throat. “How did I know you were going to say that?”
“We can’t just leave them.” Ivy was firm. “Somebody loved them. I know that something bad is happening out here. Maybe that’s why, when I saw the brochure, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. Maybe we were supposed to come here ... for them.”
He wanted to argue — the terror threatening him felt insurmountable — but he knew there was no talking her out of this. “We’ll stay. You’re going to be my shadow, though.”
“I guess I can live with that.”
He smirked at her impish grin. “I’m also going to be doing the steering.”
“Because you’re manly.”
“Yup.” What he didn’t say was that he didn’t want her tiring herself out steering if the need to run should arise. “I like being manly. If we’re going to do this, you need some sleep. Come away from this place with me. Let me hold you. Rest that busy brain of yours.”
“Okay.” Ivy cast one more look at the shimmery forms on the river. “The real world will beckon soon enough.”
“That it will.”
IVY WOKE BEFORE JACK, WHICH WAS a rarity. She took the few minutes of silent peace to watch him sleep. He was unguarded when unconscious, and absolutely breathtaking. She never thought it was possible to love another human being as much as she loved him. She couldn’t imagine her life without him.
Wicked Honeymoon (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 19) Page 16