by Simone Elise
“Ivory?” A knock on my office door, made me snap my head up from the payroll. While my brother told me to outsource it, I hadn’t and was still doing it manually.
“Yeah Amanda?” I looked at my receptionist.
She had a frown on her face. “I’ve got an unhappy customer here, and they are demanding to talk to the owner.”
My eyes widened. We hadn’t had one unhappy customer yet.
I got up from the chair ready to work out the problem. Walking out of the office and down the stairs heading for the front desk.
“Thank Amanda I’ll handle it from here.” I say to her before pushing the door open and freezing.
Gabe looks me in the eyes, with a big grin on his face. “Guess who won the title.”
I grin. “I’m guessing by the trophy my big brother.” And I walk towards him, wrapping my arms around him. I immediately am reminded how large and muscular my brother is “I’m so proud of you. Told you, you didn’t need me.”
He pulls back. “Don’t lie we both know it was your car that got me there. Speaking of which,” he waved his hand at the garage. “You’ve built an empire while I’ve been travelling.”
Gabe left for the races that weekend I had left him at the tracks. I hadn’t seen him or really heard from him while he was competing.
“Yeah.” I smile and nod my head. “It’s a passion project.”
“Passion, dad said you broke the multi million mark.” He was very impressed. “You’ll be a billionaire before you know it.”
“God I hope not.” I muttered. “Want a tour? If you can walk with that giant a trophy that is.”
He grins, and puts it on the counter.
“Can’t believe my Ivy is a business woman.”
I roll my eyes. “The team makes it an easy job.”
While I walked with Gabe out the back. One question is rolling through my head, how was Kace. He wouldn’t have taken losing very well.
“Geez it’s huge out here.” Gabe states and I nod my head.
“Two expansions.” I say. “I love the area and the block was big enough to do it. So I’ve forked out a ton in upgrades and extensions. And to be honest we are looking at another. I just hired another mechanic.”
“Fuck me Ivory.” That was Gabe’s way of a compliment. He locked eyes with me. “This is massively impressive.”
I shrugged.
“Guess this means you aren’t interested in coming back to me for next season?”
I don’t want to answer that question. “You’ve got a new crew chief. You don’t need me.” I use that excuse to which he gives me a dry expression.
“You know I only won because my main competition pulled out, right?” he says and I frown. “Kace pulled out the same day you did. And he hadn’t heard that you had walked. I didn’t announce it to the team till the following week.”
“Well he didn’t hear it from me, if that is what you are getting at?”
“Come on Ivory. The man walked from the races because he didn’t want to see you.”
“You assume.” I correct him.
Gabe rolls his eyes. “Still want to tell me nothing happened between the two of you?”
“It doesn’t belong in my future, so why bring up the past?” I look him in the eyes. “Now do you want the tour or not?”
He nods his head, and follows me, but I know he isn’t going to let the subject drop.
“What’s this I hear you are modelling one of Elle’s lines?” Gabe asked, and it was my turn to roll my eyes.
“It’s a side hustle.”
“You and her have always got on, but from your Instagram and hers, you two are hardly not together.” He frowns. “She’s a bad influence on you.”
At this I laugh. “Elle and I like having a good time.”
And his eyes narrow on me. “Your having a good time,” and he uses air quotes. “has changed.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Modelling, a few late weekend nights and a garage. That’s all that has changed.” I give Gabe a smile. “Come out with us this weekend. You’ll see I’m still the same gal.”
He frowns but nods his head.
GABE
Family dinners I hadn’t been to one for nearly four months. And while everyone was used to it. I sure as fuck wasn’t. And that was, the way Elle and Ivory were basically glued together. Elle was snapchatting Ivory as she cut up her food and asking for her rating on the food. Now you would think that was uneventful but the two had a large following on online platforms and have become influencers. And as I watched both my sisters talk to the phone, I can’t help but think I have lost Ivory.
“Ivory?” Links called out for Ivory’s attention who was giggling at the end of the table with Elle.
“Um yeah, Links?” Ivory managed to pull her away from whatever Elle had said. She had changed. Even what she was wearing had changed. I noticed at the garage that she didn’t have one bit of grease on her.
“Want to explain last Friday night?” Link said and looked up the table at her.
Her and Elle shared a look.
“Wanna explain why you are watching our snapchats?” She said back, and put a vegetable in her mouth another thing that had changed. She was eating veggies instead of meat and she had lost her curves. Not that she really had curves, but her shape, she had lost that, and was stick thin.
“He’s just jealous that he can’t spin on a pole and do a shot.” Elle said, and she was also eating veggies, like normal.
“I’m talking about the stripping ping pong!” Links snapped at them. And then gave me a look. “You leave and Ivory loses control of her morals.”
Ivory scoffed and Elle just rolls her eyes.
“So Gabe, what’s this I hear you are coming out with us tonight?” Elle said to me, her and Ivory ignoring Links.
“Trust me little brother you don’t want to.” Asher said “I’m lucky to still be here.”
I looked at Ivory, and she shrugs.
“They might be little but they can hold their liquor.” Asher adds.
“We out drank Asher.” Elle smirks. “And he won’t let us forget it.”
“Well I bet your livers are just loving that.” I said, and looked at Ivory. Surely this wasn’t who she wanted to be? Some drinking, snapchatting, influencer? She was a great fucking mechanic. She deserves to be on the tracks. Not this shit.
Still I keep my mouth and judgement to myself. I would know by the end of the night, just how much of the Ivory I knew was left.
The phones didn’t go away, all fucking night. The fact that both my sisters were wearing what were barely considered dresses, had me ready to defend them. But they didn’t need that. They didn’t care if men touched or flirted. They didn’t need me to protect them. Elle basically told me that. When I went to punch the first guy that grabbed Ivory. Turned out, my protection wasn’t needed.
I drank, but not nearly as much as them. Elle and Ivory partied. Hard. Leaving me to get them into the limo to be driven home. A girl under each arm. One bastard called me lucky. Considering that both girls were off their faces and not to mention my sisters, had me nearly letting go of them to get in a fight.
But I manage to get them into our limo.
I let out a sigh of relief when the limo door closed and Elle stretched out on the back seat and Ivory was laying down on the bench seat, with her head on my lap. I can’t stop myself from thinking that I had caused this.
She was off the rails. Why hadn’t my family told me? I would have come back early. Fuck the competition. Ivory was always more important. I had a title but I lost my little sister. Elle had always been off the tracks, we gave up on trying to get her to do better a long time ago.
The limo arrived at Elle’s house. And I cracked open the door, knowing I was going to have to carry one at time to bed. Ivory was still semi conscious so I picked her first.
“Come on Ivory, bed time.” I say carrying her out of the limo.
When she refuses to walk, I have to lift
her up and carry her. She weighs nothing. Which annoys me beyond belief.
“Gabe?” She mumbles.
“Yeah I’m right here Ivory.” I say opening the front door.
She makes a sentence I don’t understand and I carry her through the house to her bedroom because Elle and her had moved in together.
I go to lay her down on the bed.
“Gabe?” She says again.
“Yeah I’m right here Ivory.” I repeat myself.
“I miss him.” She sighs and rolls on to her side, out of my arms. I stand there for a moment stunned. She misses who?
I question her but she has passed out. My stomach was twisting, telling me who it was that she was missing. But my head didn’t want to believe it. My little sister hadn’t fallen in love with Kace, had she? Was this whole train wreck of a party girl because of him?
Suddenly I have a new reason to want to kill him. But as I look at Ivory, I know she is more important.
29
Gabe
Being here wasn’t an option—yet here I was taking it. I wanted to kick myself, punch myself for even coming up with this idea. I was dirty on myself, and that was an understatement.
I walked towards him. Having arrived at his new house, which I had to track down. He was sharing it with his brother.
I knocked on his front door and it opened, and standing there was the only man I loathed in my life.
“You fucking lost?” Kace looks me up and down.
“Oh I wish.” I muttered. “I’m here to see you.” And I never thought I would say those words.
“Did you get hit on the head?” he looks at me for an honest answer.
“It’s about Ivory.” I looked at him, and his expression sour.
“I have nothing to do with your sister mate, you got a problem with her, it’s got nothing to do with me.” He goes to close the door in my face and I force it to remain open.
“She’s on a bender and I think’s because of you.”
He scoffed. “Bender. You mean owning a garage and modelling, as well as having a tribe of a snapchat followers?” how the fuck did he know about all that? “Every weekend she is wearing less and drinking more.” He states this like he has seen the snapchats. “Funny saw you in the weekend ones, and it looked like you really stopped her from going hard.”
He was pissed off with me, for me not stopping her?! I couldn’t control her! I gritted my teeth.
“Like I said I’m here about Ivory.” I have to be the bigger man. “She is on this bender because you and her spilt.”
“Who said we were a couple?” He has the guts to say.
“Blind Freddy could see it.” I say sarcastic to him. “Now I’m counting on you still having feelings for her. If you don’t. I need to know now.”
He remains quiet. Till he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Why the fuck you here Henderson?” he sounds like just being near me gives him a headache.
“I want you to come and rescue my sister from herself?” I know it is stupid. “What do you say to moving in with me, at my sister’s house, to get Ivory back?” I don’t know if he is going to agree or not but the look he gives me is priceless.
“Did you get hit on the head? I’m being fucking serious Henderson. You and I living in the same block as each other could result in one of us dying by the others hand. Let alone the same house!”
I grinned. “Feelings is mutual. But…” and I paused. “This is Ivory and I care more about her than myself. So if you feel something for her, and want a shot with her again. You’ll come to this address, and you’ll be prepared for hell. Cause fuck knows she won’t take this well.”
Kace takes the piece of paper from my hand and I headed back to my car. Wondering if he will show up tomorrow.
30
Gabe
“I didn’t know you had friends.” Elle says, while reading her news feed and eating cereal. “But like I said he can crash here.” She doesn’t look up from her phone. “Though I’d love to know who this mystery man is.”
It ticked one in the afternoon and I had told the girls my friend was coming this afternoon and wasn’t I going to look like a loser if Kace didn’t show up. I glanced at Ivory, and she was on her phone, some drama at the garage.
Finally she gets off the phone and I hear American muscle heading up the driveway.
What do you know he came through.
I smirked. “Ivory can you get the door for my friend.” I say to her, and she gives me a look.
“Since when did your legs become painted on?” she muttered. And walked towards the front door. I took a drink from my coffee. And heard his car engine die. Then there was a knock on the front door.
Ivory walked to the front door, opening it and I watch her expression drop. She looks stunned. So much for never having a relationship with him, I rolled my eyes.
Before Ivory says anything I approach.
“Ivory you might remember my friend from the tracks? It’s Kace Striking, in case you don’t know him.” I say and she turned to the side to look at me, speechless. “Kace is crashing with us for a while. In the room across from yours actually.”
Her mouth drops open, and she looks at Elle for help—who shrugs her shoulders.
And while Ivory I would imagine was thinking, this can’t be happening—I just smirk at her. This was happening. Kace was standing right in front of her, and things were about to get interesting.
31
Ivory
I look at Kace, who is standing in front of me. My eyes go to Gabe. He can’t be serious right now. But he just smirks at me, like his evil plan is unfolding perfectly. My eyes go back to Kace. The biker. The man that broke my heart.
Standing right in front of me.
“Excuse us.” Elle says, grabbing my arm and pulling me into her study. By this point I’m freaking out.
“This can’t be happening.” I say with wide eyes, and Elle grips my shoulders.
“Okay Ivy, breathe, in and out.” She says, and firmly squeezes my shoulders. As if breathing is going to solve my problem. “You’ll be okay. You’ll get through this.”
“He is standing in your foyer!” I sound as shocked as I feel. “Oh my god. This can’t be happening.” I push her hands off me and pace. “Kace Striking is in your foyer.” My eyes are wide and I look at Elle. “You can not let him stay here!” To which she shrugs her shoulders. “Elle! You can not let the man that destroyed me, stay under the same roof as me!”
She rolls her eyes. “Calm down drama queen. You are over him right?”
I inhaled sharply. “Yes. No. Most likely not. What the hell am I going to do!”
“Breathe Ivy.”
“Fuck breathing. My ex is standing with my brother!” I point an arm at the foyer. “Since when are they friends! Since when did they agree on anything. God I’m going to pass out.”
I glanced at the door and now realized that Elle, hadn’t fucking shut it! Which meant everything I just said, could be heard by Gabe and Kace. Surely my luck wasn’t that bad. I walked out and see Gabe and Kace standing there. Yes. Indeed they had head every word of my melt down.
I blinked and walked for the front door. Suddenly that emergency at the garage became my problem and no longer my lead mechanics.
I brush past Kace, only for him to lock eyes with me. “I’ll be seeing you darling.” He says it like he isn’t going anywhere, even though I don’t want him here. He says it like he is sticking around. I have no words, so I move past him. Hoping that when I come back, him and Gabe have killed each other.
Cause god knows those two can’t be in the same room as each other for longer than half a moment, without needing to kill each other.
“It’s like Gabe was kidnapped and aliens have taken him over.” Elle whispers at me in the kitchen. My eyes go off dinner and on to the boys. Gabe and Kace were watching the football game. Oh wait it gets better, they were having a mild conversation regarding the plays.
I shrugged it off. To be
honest with myself I thought he would be gone by the time I got here. I thought Kace would have punched Gabe and left. I was wrong because I came home at dinner time, to see them watching the game and Elle cooking.
“So how far is tea?” I changed the subject off the fact my brother and ex are watching the game.
“Honestly if I don’t burn it ten minutes.” She says, and points at the phone. “We’ve been silent all day, people are flooding us with concerns.”
“Well we can’t stream my love life mess can we.” I hissed at her.
Elle and I then enter a whispering yelling match at each other about streaming my personal life drama with the whole of social media. She wants to tell our fans, and grow the tension. I don’t want anything to do with it.
“I said no.” I snapped at her loudly, and the boys look at us. Causing me to glance away from Elle and on the stir fry. “Just hurry and serve this so I can leave.” I go get the plates and head to the table.
“Dinner.” Elle chimed.
I place the last plate down and I made sure to put my wine next to a plate.
“What the fuck is this? Rabbit food?” Gabe gags, looking at the stir fry and Elle lectures him about animal rights. I had given up meat after hearing one of her lectures.
I glanced up seeing Kace giving the stir fry a look, to say he wasn’t pleased with dinner either was an understatement. So Elle turned on him as well. Giving both a lecture. I sit down at the table. Elle placed the bowl in front of me. While she had forced the boys to take a scoop each.
I stiffen when Kace picks the seat next to me.