“Why do you assume something happened with Amy?” Max recognized that his tone was aggressive, but it was too late to adjust it. “Maybe I’m just tired … or having a bad day … or annoyed that you interrupted me at my place of business to talk about something mundane. Did you ever consider that?”
Ivy didn’t take the words to heart. “You’re upset. Why don’t you tell me about it?”
Instead of blowing his stack, Max merely shook his head and then dropped it into his hands. “I don’t know what’s wrong. Heck, technically I don’t know that anything is wrong. I have this feeling, though. I don’t think things are going to work out how I thought they were.”
Ivy was taken aback. “I don’t understand. I thought things were so good between you two at the campground. You seemed happy and in love.”
“We’re not quite at the love stage yet, so don’t get ahead of me,” he chided. “As for being happy, I thought we were, too. Things seemed okay last night, although she was distracted. This morning, though, she barely wanted to talk to me. She seemed sad when she kissed me goodbye. I think she’s going to break up with me.”
Ivy had never seen her brother this way before. He was gone over a woman and that wasn’t something that happened on a regular basis. He looked close to tears and it tugged on her heartstrings. “Maybe she was just tired.” She struggled to come up with an excuse that would make her brother feel better. “Maybe she has PMS or something. I mean … I don’t think that should be used as an excuse and, in fact, I hate it when people ask if I have PMS whenever I’m in a bad mood. Forget I said that.”
She took a moment to regroup. “Max, she might just be having a bad day,” she offered plaintively. “You can’t take everything to heart. If you do that, it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
“I guess.” He rubbed his forehead. “I really like her.”
“I know. I could tell the second you decided to take over our camping trip that you really liked her. It’s not like you to try so hard, though.”
“Are you saying Jack didn’t have to try to get you?” Max was incredulous. “Come on. I saw that play out. He practically fell on his knees to make sure you two would end up together.”
That wasn’t how Ivy remembered it. “We both gave of ourselves to help the other,” she corrected. “We didn’t change who we were to fit into some neat little box. We didn’t try to make ourselves small to appease the other.”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
“It seems like that’s what you’re doing.” Ivy leaned forward and forced Max to catch her gaze. “Love is great. It’s the best thing ever. Forcing yourself to be a different man so she’ll love you is only going to come back to bite you, though. You can’t do that, Max.
“You’re a great guy and if she doesn’t see that … well … it’s on her,” she continued. “I know you don’t want to hear that, but you can’t keep giving of yourself and getting nothing in return. That’s not how a relationship works.”
“I know you’re right.” He looked miserable as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t get her out of my head, though. I just … there’s something about her. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Ivy didn’t know how to explain it either, but she wasn’t a fan of what she was seeing. Max was losing himself, and that was the last thing she expected from the man who stood as her right hand for the bulk of his life.
This couldn’t be allowed to continue.
IVY WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE lake that Caroline Atwood lived on. She wasn’t as familiar with the houses that lined it. It took her three tries to find the correct driveway. She wasn’t certain on that one either, until she pulled close to the house and found Amy loading the hatchback of a nondescript Ford Focus. She looked to be in a hurry as she shoved things willy-nilly into the vehicle.
“Max was right about you.” Ivy was furious as she slammed the door to her car and stomped in Amy’s direction. “He was right. You plan on leaving and not even telling him. I can’t believe you’re doing this.”
Amy was obviously surprised to see Ivy because she kept looking up and down the driveway, as if to ask herself how she missed the woman’s approach. “What are you doing here? How did you find me?”
“You told me where you were staying,” Ivy reminded her, openly glaring at the laundry basket full of items that Amy was trying to wedge into the back of the car. “How could you do this to my brother?”
Amy made a protesting sound and abandoned the basket. “I’m not trying to hurt your brother. You have no idea about any of this. Mind your own business.”
Ivy had no intention of doing that. If this woman was going to leave town and crush her brother’s spirits, she was going to do it with an earful of Ivy propelling her. “My brother is sitting in his office right now wondering what he did wrong to make you turn on him. He realizes that something is happening, by the way. He’s not an idiot.”
“I … he … we … .” Amy worked her jaw but couldn’t seem to find the words she was looking for.
“There’s no excuse you can utter that will make this better,” Ivy warned. “I knew there was something wrong with you from the start. I didn’t peg you as the sort of person who would use my brother for what he could give you and then take off this way, but I guess that’s on me. I made excuses for you because I thought you were shy. You’re evil, not shy.”
Amy’s eyes were glassy as she absorbed the pointed words. “I’m sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am. This isn’t what I wanted.”
“Right.” Ivy’s fury wasn’t even remotely abated. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I want you out of here. I’ll even help you pack so you can leave quicker. My brother deserves so much more than you.”
She stormed to the back of the car and grabbed the laundry basket. “I’ll just help you out here. I … .” The second her fingers brushed against something soft in the basket – she wasn’t even sure what it was – her mind was overtaken with angry images. She had no control over the visions as they knocked her for a loop. All she could do was hold on and pray they would end sooner rather than later, because they were beyond ugly.
The first image was of a young girl, Amy as a teenager. She met a boy and they smiled at each other. Little hearts were practically floating over their heads.
The second was Amy getting ready for a dance, probably the prom. The boy met her outside, though, and greeted her with a punch in the stomach because he didn’t like her dress. He screamed that it was too revealing.
Next was a vision of the boy promising that he would never hurt her again.
Then Amy getting married … Amy on her honeymoon … Amy’s head being held under the bathtub water as the same boy, who was now a man, attempted to drown her. Amy giving birth to a baby. Amy throwing herself in front of what looked to be a toddler to protect him. Amy, her face bruised and red, packing up her child and running away in the middle of the night.
The images assaulted Ivy from every direction and she could do nothing but sink to the ground. Otherwise her legs would’ve gone out from under her and she probably would’ve hit her head on the way down.
“Oh, geez.” Amy knelt next to her, concern lining her face.
“Do you need me to call an ambulance?” Amy didn’t look thrilled with the prospect, but she was determined to do the right thing.
Slowly, deliberately, Ivy shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she rasped out, taking the tiny blonde by surprise.
“Why are you sorry?” Amy’s cheeks flooded with color. “You’re not to blame for any of this.”
“Maybe not, but I should’ve been nicer to you.” Ivy’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry about your husband … and what happened to you. That’s awful.”
Amy reared back, stunned disbelief fueling her. “What are you talking about?”
“The man. I saw what he did to you.” Ivy saw no reason to lie. She was careful when it came to hiding her abilities – being a witch wasn’t something she was
ready to broadcast to the world – but she instinctively knew she could trust Amy. The woman had her own set of secrets she was desperate to hide, after all. “You ran in the middle of the night. You have a baby. Or, I guess had.” Ivy looked around, confused. “Where is your baby?”
Amy plucked an item from Ivy’s hand. Ivy hadn’t even realized she was holding the small brown bear. It had a loose eye and a partially-torn ear. It looked well-loved … and out of place. “He’s not a baby any longer. He’s five. He’s with Caroline. Once I told her what happened, she agreed that I had to get him out of town. She took him and I’m supposed to catch up when I’m certain no one is following me.”
Ivy’s throat was dry. “You ran from him in the middle of the night. You’d obviously been beaten up. How long did you put up with that?”
“Far too long. I didn’t know what else to do, though. I didn’t want to move back in with my parents but that was the plan when I found out I was pregnant. Unfortunately, they died before that could come to fruition.”
Ivy felt sick to her stomach. “Why didn’t you go to the police?”
“Not everyone is as lucky as you. It’s not as easy to go to the police as you might think. I was afraid that no one would believe me. I was convinced I somehow did something to deserve it. He convinced me of that … right up until he started threatening my son. That’s when I finally came to my senses because I knew there was no way a toddler deserved what was happening in that house.”
“No, definitely not,” Ivy agreed. “Have you been on the run ever since?”
“Yes. It wasn’t easy at first. I was on my own. We lived in some disgusting hotels. I managed to find a good job in Minnesota, though. That wasn’t a lie. I lived there for three years. We kept to ourselves. I got a job at a hotel. They allowed me to keep JJ with me during the day – that’s his name, by the way – and it was great … and then I saw him in the parking lot one day.
“He tried to approach me, pleaded with me to give him another chance,” she continued. “He told me he was a changed man, had gone to therapy, and would never put his hands on me again. He was lying, though. I knew that.
“I pretended that I would give it some thought and then I paid one of the kitchen staff members to distract him while JJ and I slipped out of the hotel,” she continued. “We ran again. This time to northern Minnesota. There’s where I got the job in the insurance office. It wasn’t great, but we were surviving. Then I lost my job.
“I was about out of options when I remembered Caroline,” she said, swiping at the errant tears that streaked her cheeks. “I called her on a hope and a prayer, told her what was happening, and she welcomed us into her home with open arms. She never once blamed me even though I’ve brought danger to her doorstep.”
“Why are you running now?” That was the part that confused Ivy. “What has you so spooked?”
“Are you kidding? Between the girl at the campground and the one that was found here yesterday, can you really doubt what’s happening? I mean … Jeff was there. He’s coming for me. That’s why I got JJ out of town right away. I didn’t want to give Jeff a chance to find us.”
Ivy’s heart performed a painful somersault. “Oh, geez. I didn’t even recognize him in your memory. He looked different … but he had the same eyes. I should’ve seen that.”
“He’s gone through great pains to change his appearance, I’m sure.” Amy was bitter. Ivy couldn’t blame her. “I can’t stay here. I care about your brother a great deal. You have no idea. Jeff will kill him to get to me, though. He’ll kill everybody to get to me. I won’t risk the innocent. I can’t.”
Ivy instinctively reached over and grabbed Amy’s arm before she could pull away. “You can’t leave. You were meant to come here, to find Max. Heck, you were meant to find me. I’m going to help you.”
“I can’t put you in danger.”
“Believe it or not, I find danger no matter where I go. It’s sort of a running joke in my family. I’m going to help you whether you like it or not.”
“And how are you going to do that?”
This was the part of the conversation Ivy knew would spook Amy. She had no choice but to tell the truth, though. “We need to call Jack. He’ll make sure Jeff doesn’t get near you.”
Amy immediately started shaking her head. “No. Jeff will kill him, too.”
“No, he won’t. We’re going to work as a team.” Ivy was firm. “You need us. You can’t keep running forever. That’s not a good life for your son and you know it. We need to end this here.”
“But … .” Amy trailed off, uncertain. The picture Ivy painted was a welcome one. She wasn’t comfortable putting others in danger, though. “I’m afraid.”
“Good. Fear is great when it comes to keeping yourself alive. You can be afraid and strong, though. It’s time to be strong. We’re not going to let him win. I promise you that.”
Thirteen
Jack wasn’t familiar with the lake property so it took him a full hour to reach the house. He found Ivy and Amy sitting at the small kitchen table drinking tea when he entered.
“I thought you were just hanging around with your brother and not going on an adventure today,” he blurted out when he caught sight of his fiancée.
Ivy made a dismissive motion with her hand. “That was the plan, but Max was upset. He thought Amy wanted to break up with him. I decided to track her down to give her a piece of my mind and then … well … I saw things.”
“I still don’t understand how that works,” Amy admitted. “How do you see things?”
“It’s a long story.” Ivy flicked her eyes to Jack. “It’s your buddy Jeff. He’s Amy’s husband … and he’s evil.”
Jack worked his jaw. He had so many questions to ask he didn’t know where to start. “Tell me from the beginning,” he prodded finally, taking the seat to Ivy’s right and fixing his full attention on Amy. “I want to help. I need the whole story if I’m going to do that, though.”
Amy wrapped her hands around the mug and nodded, resigned. “I thought I would be able to run forever. I honestly convinced myself of that. I guess that’s not the case.”
“Running isn’t healthy,” Ivy reminded her. “You have a son. Don’t you want him to have a normal life? Don’t you want him to go to school and make friends? You can do that here. All we have to do is find Jeff and then you’ll be free.”
Amy didn’t look convinced. “You don’t know him. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“That’s why you have to tell me.” Jack was calm as he rested his hands on the table. “Start at the beginning.”
“I was in high school when we met,” Amy started, her finger tracing a line over the spoon resting next to her mug. “He was a recent transfer. He was sort of a bad boy. I grew up in Idaho. I’m sure bad boys were different in other areas, but he had this really cool leather coat and people used to talk about him in whispers, as if he did something really bad where he came from.
“I just knew him as the guy who sat next to me in algebra. He seemed to be struggling and I thought he was handsome so I offered to help. He caught on relatively quickly and we had a good time talking. I thought people must’ve been wrong about him.
“When he asked me out, I couldn’t believe it was really happening,” she continued. “I wasn’t popular like the other girls throwing themselves at him. I wasn’t pretty. I was just kind of normal … and yet he wanted to go out with me anyway. I thought I’d won some big prize. If I knew then what I do now I would’ve gladly let him flunk.”
She took a moment to gather her strength and then carried on. “The first time he hit me was the night of the prom. I’d seen glimpses of his temper before – he would yell a lot if he thought I was flirting with other guys, which I never was – but I thought he just had a bad temper and he would outgrow it. I was naïve.
“Anyway, he was angry at my dress because he thought it showed off too much skin,” she explained. “He held it in check in front of my pare
nts, acted perfectly okay, and then punched me in the driveway before we left, when he was sure my parents weren’t watching. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I thought it had to be a mistake, that I was dreaming it or something.”
“That would be a nightmare more than a dream,” Jack pointed out.
She nodded. “Yeah. He expected me to go into the prom with him and pretend like nothing was wrong. It was horrible … and humiliating because I’d been crying and everyone could see that … and pretty much the worst night of my life until then. Things got worse, though.
“The next day he offered me a half-hearted apology, said he was sorry, and promised it would never happen again. I was an idiot who believed I was in love so I said it was fine. That’s on me. My parents didn’t raise me to be the sort of person who puts up with that. My father never would’ve treated my mother that way, although he had something of a temper, too. That’s why I thought raised voices were the norm.
“We graduated and I got a job right out of high school. I wanted to go to college like all my friends, but we didn’t have a lot of money. I had to save up for it myself. That was the plan, although it never happened.
“Jeff and I were having sex by then and we were always careful … until there were a series of accidents where we weren’t so careful,” she continued. “The first accident made me nervous but when my period came regularly the next month, I thought it was fine. I went on the pill, or at least I thought I did, and we continued.
“When I turned up pregnant he was ecstatic. I was horrified. I thought my life was over and my plans for college would never happen. I love my son. I don’t want you to think otherwise. I just wasn’t ready for a baby.”
“That’s perfectly understandable,” Ivy offered. “It’s a big deal. That’s why Jack and I have been having so many conversations about it.”
“Yeah.” She rubbed her forehead. “Later – I mean years later – he admitted to switching out my pills. It was far too late to do anything about it, though. He never touched me while I was pregnant. He did, however, insist on getting married. Idaho isn’t like other states. There’s still a stigma if you’re an unwed mother. I tried to tell my parents that I wanted to raise the baby alone, but they were having none of it. They didn’t know about the way he treated me so they couldn’t understand my reticence to get married.”
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