Instead I glare at Connor. Every nasty look he’s ever given me I’m now mirroring back at him ten times over.
“If you’ve got something to say to me, just say it. I don’t need dirty looks right now,” he says emotionlessly.
“This is your family’s fault,” I accuse.
“Yeah, it is,” he agrees.
“You’re okay with this?” I sweep my hand over her. “You are not fucking dying inside right now?”
He looks up at me but doesn’t say anything.
“I almost lost the only two women I’ve ever loved today,” I reach over and grab the collar of his shirt forcing him to stand with me. We’ve never seriously fought before, but I am on another level right now. “They shouldn’t be paying for your dumbass corrupt family.”
He glares at me now, “You aren’t the only one who almost lost the women he loves today. My fucking sister was kidnapped, and I care about Ivy, too.” He grabs my wrist and squeezes. “Get your fucking hands off me, Levi, while you still can.”
“What the fuck is going on in here?” Griff says as he barges in, pulling us apart.
“Lilith isn’t marrying you until you take care of this shit,” I seethe.
“We’ll get married tomorrow if she wants,” Con throws back.
“Like hell you will, I forbid it.”
“Excuse me?” Hoodrat says weakly from the bed. “Did I just hear someone say I was forbidden from getting married?”
“Yeah,” she can roast for me for misogyny all she wants, “I did. As your only blood relative, I can do that.”
She whimpers as she tries to sit up, and both Con and I try to help, growling at each other as we do. “Fuck. Everything hurts.” She looks at Con and Griff. “Can you guys go find a doctor or something? I want to talk to Levi.”
“Of course, do you want more water, too?” Con asks. Once she nods her head yes, he turns to me, “Don’t upset her, asshole.”
“Fuck off, dick.”
“Okay,” she says once they leave the room, “are you offering a dowry now, too? A couple goats and a chest full of rubies?”
“Don’t be an idiot,” I say back to her, “you’re worth at least a cow, too.”
She chuckles and then winces. “Zero out of ten do not recommend getting stabbed in the kidney and having it removed.”
Words cannot express how good it feels to hear her joking right now, but I’m still pulled so tight. I feel every emotion I’ve repressed all day swelling inside me.
“Hoodrat,” I choke, “I almost fucking lost you and Ives today, and I am not okay.” Tears start rolling down my cheeks. “I don’t know what I would do without both of you.”
“Come here,” she pats the empty space beside her, and I half lay down beside her. “You know it’s going to take way more than a knife to the kidney to take me out. I’ve been in scarier fights in elementary school.” She looks over at me and wipes some tears away.
“Did anyone call Z?” I ask, pulling out my phone in case they haven’t.
“Yeah, Con has been talking with him all night.” She leans her forehead against mine. “I know you are scared and upset, but for as much as you are angry with Con right now, he’s more angry. Can you meet him with compassion and empathy?”
“No,” I say petulantly. “But for you I’ll try.”
“Are Ivy and Claire okay?”
“Yeah, I’m not sure what happened yet, but yes, they’ll be okay. Both were hypothermic and a little banged up.”
“Will you give me an update when you know more?”
“Of course.” I give her a brotherly kiss on the head. “So, running on the spare, huh?”
“Hell yeah, this is exactly why we have two, right? So we can get stabbed and still do kidney shit.”
I laugh and then start crying again. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. Go be with Ivy. I need to know she’s okay.”
“Can I get in on some of this love fest?” Griff asks bringing in a cup of ice water.
I stand up, so he can swoop in and love on her. I pull my phone out and text Isaac to get Ivy’s room number. Victor and Dad are talking to Lake and Nolan near the elevator.
“How is Claire?” I ask Victor.
“She’ll be fine, but they’re keeping her overnight.” He shifts to let me into their conversation. “Lake’s filled us in everything you guys know. We have the man Lilith knocked out on his way to Lake’s compound. We’ll get to the bottom of all this.”
“I told Con that Lilith isn’t marrying him until you guys figure this shit out.” I shift my body toward my dad, knowing he’ll back me up on this entirely. “It’s been years of this bullshit, you guys always dodging bullets and looking over your shoulder. Lilith’s dad died for you. I’m done with this. Figure it out. Take care of the issue. I will physically take her from you if need be. I won’t let her be collateral in your family’s mafia wars.”
Victor gives me a calculating appraisal with hard eyes. “We all want her safe.”
“Do fucking better then,” I say getting in his face and staring him down.
“Ivy’s awake,” Dad’s hand lands on my shoulder, “you should go check on her.”
“That’s where I was heading,” I nod at Lake and Nolan before turning on heel and getting on the elevator.
I knock when I get to her room, and Isaac’s voice carries through telling me to come in. He and Parker are sitting on either side of the bed holding Ivy’s hands while she sleeps.
“How is she?” I ask softly.
“She has a concussion, and they’re keeping her for hypothermia and exhaustion. She pulled Claire through open water for over twenty minutes, in the dark.” Parker looks down at her equally in awe and concerned. “I don’t know the specifics of what happened or why Victor is so set on not alerting the police, but I won’t have her in danger like this.” He looks up at me fiercely. “If she’s going to be in your life, I expect you to protect her.”
“Absolutely. I told both Con and Victor that I was done with their family’s dangerous games. I want to marry Ivy. She has always been the one for me, even before I realized it.”
“I don’t want her touched by this ever again,” he says.
“She won’t be.”
“She’s dealt with more in her life than anyone deserves,” Isaac says holding his hand out to me, “from now on the three of us shield her from anything else.”
“Agreed.” I shake on it.
“We’re going to go find Frank and Victor. Stay with her until one of us gets back.” Parker pats my shoulder as he walks past.
I sit beside her and grab her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. When I lay it back down, I rub my thumb over her knuckles, my gaze landing on her ring finger. I was going to wait a year or so to propose, make sure we graduated. Get her settled into her job at the company. Make sure I got the camp up in working order and ready to roll.
Sitting here, with her injured in the hospital and Lilith two floors down recovering from a stab wound, I can’t wait. Somewhere in the mess of the day, my broker called and let me know our offer for the camp was accepted. I’m going to propose soon, probably before the semester starts this fall.
I fall asleep sitting beside her, my head beside her hand on the bed. Planning exactly how the proposal is going to go. Luckily, I don’t have to worry about choosing and buying a ring. I’ve always planned on using my mother’s engagement ring. A way to include the woman I don’t remember.
30
IVY
I come to slowly. My IV bag is empty, and the machine attached to it is beeping. When I finally bring myself to open my eyes, I see Levi passed out with his head on my bed. I run my fingers through his hair in the way I know he loves. His eyes flutter open, and when he looks up at me, time stops.
The fierce love that pours from him wraps me in a cocoon. I will never again question the love we share. It fills the air with a tangible desperation, my need for the comfort of his arms eclipsing everything.
A sob tears from my throat as I open my arms for him. He climbs onto the bed beside me and holds me while I fall apart. This is the first time I’ve been coherent since escaping and all the emotions are like a maelstrom inside me. Fear, relief, anger, sadness—I can’t even pinpoint which I’m feeling the most.
Levi holds me steady throughout my breakdown, murmuring promises and pressing sweet kisses to my face. I take a shuddering breath and let myself relax completely onto him. At some point, a nurse comes and changes my IV bag, so the incessant beeping stops, and I fall back asleep to the rhythm of Levi’s heartbeat.
I wake up still wrapped in his arms and see Griff stretched out in the recliner by the window. He’s awake and on his phone. Levi looks uncomfortable, he’s hanging off the edge of the hospital bed, so I scoot over a bit.
“Hey,” Griff gets up and walks over to me. “How are you feeling?”
“Not gonna lie, I’ve been better.” I reach over to give him a hug. “After we got out of the water, I don’t remember anything. Who found us?”
“We did,” he motions back and forth between him and Levi, “with Lake and Nolan. Claire’s earring was fitted with a tracking device.”
“Of course it was,” I say sarcastically. “Not that I mind, considering it helped you find us but still. I have so many questions, Griff. It feels like my head is exploding.”
“Do you need me to grab a nurse?” Levi asks rubbing his eyes.
“No, it’s just some things are fuzzy now. Can you tell me what exactly happened? Who those guys were and what they wanted?”
“Not entirely.” He and Griff look at each other. “You weren’t a target though. They were trying to grab Hoodrat and Claire.”
The blood rushes to my ears as I remember the glint of the knife and the look on her face as she was stabbed.
“Oh God,” I stand up, ripping my IV out in the process, “Lilith! Is she okay?”
Griff wraps his arms around me and gently pushes me back onto the bed. “She’s okay. They had to do surgery and take one of her kidneys, but she’ll make a full recovery.”
A nurse comes in to see why my machines are all angrily beeping. She kicks both the guys out and takes my vitals. She takes this time to talk to me as well, “The men who brought you in yesterday said you didn’t a rape kit done, but it’s not too late if you think you may have been sexually assaulted.”
“I wasn’t,” I answer quickly. “I don’t remember much in clear detail, but I know I wasn’t raped.”
“Okay, I just wanted to make sure you knew you had that option.” She enters something onto her mobile computer. “After this round of pain meds, I’ll have the on-call physician look you over and get you discharged.”
I thank her and get back in the bed. I figure I should doze for a little bit longer. As soon as I’m discharged, I’m going to straight to check on Lilith and Claire. I’m dozing when I hear the door open. I don’t immediately get up, assuming it’s Levi or Dad because I know the doctor would knock first.
“Ivy.”
My head whips around, and I take in the most unwelcome sight. My mother stands beside the bed, a cold look on her face. She’s wearing a ridiculous oversized hat and black sunglasses.
“Go away.” I roll and give her my back. “I have nothing to say to you, at least not until I take your ass to court for defamation.”
“That’s why I’m here.” She grabs my shoulder, digging her nails into me. “Tell your father and Frank I’ll stop giving interviews if they agree to pay me five million dollars.”
“Are you serious right now?” The fucking audacity of this worthless woman. “You’re going to extort money from Dad and Frank through me, while I’m laying beaten in a hospital bed?”
“Oh, please,” she sneers, “you’re fine. Stop being dramatic. It’s your fault I didn’t end up with a decent amount of alimony from Frank to begin with. If you hadn’t gone and bonded with him, we’d probably still be married.”
“Jennifer, get the fuck out.” Dad says as he walks into the room. “You have a lot of nerve walking in here like this after everything you’ve done this past week.”
I watch in horrified fascination as her face transforms from cold anger to worried sadness. “Parker,” she launches herself into his arms, “I just heard about Ivy and had to come check on her. Such a scary incident!” She sobs into his chest.
“Here you go, Jennifer.” Isaac hands her a manilla envelope.
“What’s this?” Her eyes light up with interest as she opens it and pulls out a stack of papers.
“You’ve been served,” Isaac smirks, “with an order of protection and a defamation lawsuit. We thought you might show up here at the hospital, so we made sure to have an extra copy of everything with us.”
She turns and glares at me.
“Better get moving,” Dad points to the door, “I called security when I heard you trying to extort money. You don’t want to be picked up for harassing Ivy and violating the judge’s orders.”
“This isn’t over,” she growls as she leaves the room.
I wait until I know she’s long gone before I speak. “I can’t believe she came here to do that. How’d she even know anyway?”
“I think the hospital probably called her last night. I was so worried that I gave them her name and number, obviously not thinking about the consequences.” Dad sits down beside me on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling this morning, kiddo?”
“Everything is fuzzy. My head hurts, but I’m ready to be discharged. I want to check on Lilith and Claire. Make sure they’re both okay.”
“I am,” Claire says from the doorway. “Thanks to you.”
I open my arms for her, and she rushes to me for a hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” I check her over when she pulls away. Aside from bandages on her wrists she looks fine. “Just bandaged from the zip ties?”
“Yeah, I’ll be able to take them off in a day or two. Had to have a few stitches on my left wrist.”
Con and Victor walk in and both give me hugs and express their gratitude. Victor is especially effusive with me while Con sits quietly beside me. The doctor comes in to do his discharge evaluation, so everyone leaves. Con is the last to go, and before he leaves, he kisses my temple, right above the bruise, and whispers how sorry he is.
“No one will ever touch any of the three of you again. I swear on my life,” he says with the level of intensity only he can reach.
“Take me to Lilith,” I instruct Levi as he pushes me in the wheelchair the hospital staff insists I use until I go home.
“Of course,” he says walking me down the hall to the bank of elevators. “Are you okay, emotionally and mentally?”
“Probably not.” I don’t really want to think about the situation for the time being. “Denial sounds like a nice place to exist for a while.”
“As long as you don’t stay too long.” The elevator doors open, and he pushes me on. “I know I’m not okay. Hearing that you had been taken was hands down the scariest moment of my life. Finding you and Claire on the side of the road was the best, by the way.”
We exit the elevator, and he turns left down a long hall. We stop outside the room, and he leans to whisper in my ear. “I know you don’t want to deal with all your feelings right now, but I want you to know I’m here for you. I’ll support you in any way.”
I grab him behind the neck and pull him down for a kiss. “I love you. Now let me in. I need to see her with my own two eyes.”
“Yes ma’am.” He does a cheeky salute.
He sweeps the door open and pushes me inside. Lilith is laying in the ugly green hospital gown, her skin a couple shades paler than it usually is. She’s got some faint bruising on her face and arms.
As soon as she sees me, she tries to sit up but winces and leans back.
“I’ll come to you bitch, calm down.” I stand up slowly from the wheelchair with Levi walking beside me, ready to catch me if I lose my balance. I smack his hand
away and tell him, “I’m fine. Everyone leave. I need a few minutes with my bestie.”
Con and Levi stare each other down, and I don’t miss the anger simmering between them. I’ll have to figure out what that’s all about. Griff walks between them, breaking the stare down. They all walk out into the hall.
“What’s up with the tension between Levi and Con?” I ask.
“Levi blames Connor for everything. Yesterday he even tried to tell Connor I was forbidden from marrying him until he takes care of his family business.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“Obviously I gave him shit for acting like I’m property and not a human being with free will. If I’m being totally honest though, I get it. I don’t want to marry into a family that’s fighting a war on multiple fronts. I just don’t know anymore. I keep thinking about my dad and how he died protecting them. I don’t want the same fate, you know.” She sighs heavily and looks at her engagement ring. “How are you?”
“I’m okay, just a concussion and hypothermia.”
“You say that like it’s a typical Tuesday,” she chuckles. “I heard what you did for Claire, pulling her to shore in choppy, open water. I wish none of this ever happened, but I’m so glad she was with you. I couldn’t have done what you did.”
“You wouldn’t have needed to. Your self-defense skills are amazing. They definitely weren’t expecting you to be able to take on two at a time.”
“Still didn’t help in that situation,” she looks out the window. “Sometimes I forget that I’m not invincible. That I won’t always have the upper hand. When I saw that guy hit you with the rock, I wanted to die.” She turns back to me with tears in her eyes. “I was so scared.”
“Same. I saw the knife right before he stabbed you and I was knocked out. It was all I could think about when I came to in the van.” I crawl beside her when she pats her bed. “I haven’t even let myself think too hard about it. I just told Levi on the way down here I wanted to live in denial for a few days.” We hold hands and lean back on her pillow. “You’re still planning on getting married, right?”
Relentless (Titans of Founder's Ridge Book 2) Page 24