“Ivy. Are we going to keep doing this?” Dace was desperate. Every time they were close to a breakthrough, she’d reel in her truth and bury it somewhere deep until she couldn’t hold onto it any longer. Then the cycle would start over, like it was set to repeat.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve told you everything I know.”
“Which is nothing. Nothing, Ivy.”
“Because there’s nothing to tell. How many times do I need to say that? I. Can’t. Tell. You. Anything. There’s nothing to tell.”
“How about where you’ve been, what you’ve been doing…why I couldn’t find you?”
And that’s when the tears emerged. Either she was really good at turning on the waterworks, or the fear and pain were just this great.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I swear I didn’t. You couldn’t find me because I didn’t want to be found…by anyone, not just you.”
“Why? Ivy, just tell me why? I can take it. If it wasn’t me, then what was it? Was it someone else? You met someone?”
“No! I promise it had nothing to do with you – not really. It was…me.”
Dace rolled his eyes and tossed his hands in the air. “The ole it was me, not you…great.”
“Dace, please.”
“Please, what? Leave you alone? Quit asking? Quit digging? Not a chance. You practically landed on my doorstep within an inch of your life. You could’ve died. I want to help you, protect you…”
“Again, I didn’t ask you for anything. I don’t need your help.”
“You did up until that alley. You came here for me, my family, our help. Something. Whatever happened in that alley changed your mind. If you think a couple of guys kicking a woman half their size’s ass is a threat to my brothers or me, you’re wrong. You know better than that.”
“It’s not them! Okay, it’s not them I’m worried about…”
Dace paused. So she was worried about someone or something. He raised his brow, inviting her to continue, but then she did that thing. She shut down.
“I mean…I’m worried about nothing.”
“Okay.” Dace stood and turned off her bedside lamp, which left the room dark. The only light crept through her doorway from the living room. “You should get some rest. I’ll be on the couch…if you need me.”
He began to close her door when Ivy’s panicked voice had him turning her direction.
“Dace? Um…”
In a defeated tone, he replied, “What is it, Ivy?”
“Can you…stay? Just until I fall asleep? I, uh…don’t want to have another one of those bad dreams.”
Dace nodded and left the door open, assuming the dim light from the other room would make her feel more secure. Ivy laid on her side while Dace climbed in the bed behind her. Lying on his back, he stared at the ceiling, listening to the sound of her breathing. It didn’t take but a handful of minutes for Ivy to roll in his direction. She was asleep.
He turned his body to face her and swept away the unruly hair that tended to be in her face and watched her sleep while his mind wandered. Like no time had passed between them, she nuzzled herself into Dace, still a perfect fit, and she let out a long deep breath like she’d been holding it for years. He had. He’d been holding onto the idea of her for years.
He wrapped his arm over her hip and rested his hand at the small of her back. Feeling her this close, holding her as he was, wasn’t a good idea. It was too familiar, too comfortable, but what was one night. He’d told her he’d help her, he’d protect her, and he’d take care of her, and if this is how she needed him to be all the things he promised, then so be it.
He kissed the top of her head, and whispered, “Please let me in. What are you hiding or protecting? And…who is Cashel?”
11
“So is Dace bringing Ivy today?” Sheridan asked the group of women setting up Sunday dinner at the family pub.
When the women gave her an off-putting look, she replied, “What? Are we not talking about Ivy in front of Cally?”
“You know she’s standing right next to you, Sheridan,” a very pregnant Daisy said. Cally came to Portland to help plan Daisy and Luke’s wedding – she was a highly sought after and publicized party planner to the rich and famous. When she landed in Portland, she never left – she also happened to be Daisy’s best friend.
Sheridan, one of the O’Reilly cousins, looked at Cally. “Does it bother you that I asked?”
“Uh. No?” Cally seemed confused with her reply. “I’m not even sure who we’re talking about.”
“Pfft.” Used to being around mainly men and having to hold her own, Sheridan wasn’t known for tact. She was a straight shooter with no bullshit. It tended to make her a bit of an asshole. “She doesn’t know who Ivy is?”
“Should I know who she is?”
City, short for Felicity, Liam’s wife, rubbed her also very pregnant belly. “I love you Sheridan, but you really need a filter.”
“What’d I say? I didn’t know Ivy was a secret. Aren’t Blondie here and Dace, like a…thing?”
Cally smiled. “It’s okay, City. I’m a big girl, I can handle it. Dace and I are just…friends. He isn’t obligated to tell me anything. And lately, we haven’t really talked at all, so…”
“Friends with benefits, from what I hear.” Sheridan chuckled as she hung a twisted pink and blue streamer for the gathering.
“Jesus, Sheridan,” Daisy scolded. “I swear you aren’t this dense. Is this like a game? Do you pick someone new to pick on?”
“Whoa!” Sheridan hopped off the chair she was standing on. “Hormone overload? I’m genuinely curious and clearly out of the loop.”
“I’m sorry. Yeah, hormones at this stage…not pretty.” Daisy smiled. “How about we table this discussion and let Dace and Cally work things out themselves.”
“Right. Let’s get back to the Sunday dinner slash baby shower. Everyone is coming, right?” Sheridan decided to follow Daisy’s lead and do just what she asked, table the discussion.
Cally wasn’t quite there yet. “It really is okay, guys. We weren’t committed or even exclusive. It’s fine. I know Dace has a lot going on with his case and said we’d talk soon. It’s fine.”
When the ladies were quiet, staring at each other and trying to avoid eye contact with Cally, she caught on. “Got it. Ivy is the big case he’s working on. The girl he’s been staying with?”
“You knew about that?” Sheridan chimed back in, earning an audible ugh from the rest of the ladies.
Eva had been listening from afar and decided to rescue Cally. “Ivy is a case, yes. We are all working very closely together” — she looked at Sheridan as if to discredit her scandalous implications — “to solve it. Something unbelievably bad happened to her, and we are trying to figure out why. She also happens to be Dace’s ex-fiancée. They’ve been over for years, though, so let’s not jump to conclusions. She’s a case, nothing more until we are told so.”
“Ex-fiancée.” Cally’s heart sunk, and she was certain everyone in the room heard it. “The one he looked for and never found. She found…him?”
“It appears that way.” Eva led the conversation out of the trenches and tried to get everyone back on track. Her heavy accent, mixed with excitement, changed the tune of the room. “And we aren’t going to let any of this overshadow this beautiful day. We are her to celebrate these two mamas-to-be. So no more gossip and only happy things today. Am I right?”
Daisy hugged Eva. “You are the absolute best. Yes! We are here to celebrate.”
As the rest of the women came in for a joyful group hug, the door opened and in walked Dace…with Ivy. She was walking on her own, albeit slow, with his arm carefully placed around her waist to support her.
“Oh good, you made it, sweetheart,” Colleen said, “Come here, honey. I set up a more comfortable chair for you.”
When Colleen put her hand out in the direction they were to go, the chair happened to be right next to where the grou
p of ladies were standing. Cally was sitting in the chair tying a balloon. When she looked up and saw all eyes were on her, she simply nodded, catching on quickly.
“This is your chair.” Cally smiled. “I’m so sorry.”
“No. Don’t move,” Ivy said. “I really don’t need a special chair. I’ll be fine.”
When Cally took her in, head to toe, it was obvious Ivy was better placed right where she was sitting. From the green and yellow bruising on her face, casted arm, and the way she was holding her ribs, it was clear that Ivy had been through something extraordinary and still healing from whatever that may be.
“No, really. I insist. Here, let me help you.” Cally, being the class act that she was, reached out her hand and offered support as Ivy carefully made her way through a maze of balloons still scattered on the floor. “I’ll get these out of the way for you.”
“I really appreciate it, thank you. I’m Ivy, by the way. Family…friend.” She stalled at friend, not sure how to define her role with the O’Reillys.
Cally extended her hand. “Cally. Uh…friend too.”
“The very best kind of friend.” Daisy landed a hand on Cally’s shoulder for support and gave her a knowing look. The interaction couldn’t be easy for her.
When Sheridan passed Dace, she stopped, and said quietly, “Looks like you have a mess to clean up. Your girl just gave up her guy and her chair for the other woman, it seems. Or was Cally the other woman?”
“Point taken, Sher. Thanks,” he said before turning his attention back to Cally and Ivy. “Can I get you something to drink, Ivy? Cally?”
This was fucking awkward. Technically, he didn’t owe anyone anything. He wasn’t committed to either of them. One was a no-strings kind of fling, and the other was an ex. So why did the sweat beading at his upper lip taste a lot like guilt? He needed to fix this and quick.
“I got it,” Cally said. “Ginger ales for the preggos, and what can I get for the rest of you?”
Carly and Eva gave Cally their orders, but Ivy remained silent. She seemed lost in her own head, staring off aimlessly. Dace noticed her gaze was eye level with both City’s and Daisy’s pregnant bellies, and it left him wondering.
“Ivy?” Cally laid a hand on Ivy’s shoulder, and she jumped with a startled sound.
“I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I-It’s okay.” Ivy let out a deep breath and smiled up at Cally. “I guess I was daydreaming. It wasn’t your fault. I’ve just not been myself lately. I’m sorry.”
Cally tilted her head to one side and sympathy washed over her. “I’m sorry. I don’t know the details, but I’m glad you’re okay. And don’t apologize. What can I grab you to drink?”
“Honestly? I could really go for a beer.”
Cally chuckled. “Preference?”
“Anything. Surprise me. Magnus and Colleen wouldn’t serve it if it wasn’t good, so I think we’re safe with anything,” Ivy said.
“You know them well, I see.”
Ivy’s smile faded for a moment, but she was quick to turn it back on. “You could say that. Yes.”
Cally paused, looking back and forth between Ivy and Dace as they looked at one another, sharing something she couldn’t quite understand. “I’ll be right back with those drinks. Dace? Can I get you…something?”
Dace jumped at the sound of his name. “Me? No, I’ll get my own, but let me help you. That’s a lot of drinks.”
Dace walked Cally to the bar, but she kept an awkward distance. “She’s genuinely nice. And pretty. I mean, beneath the bruises…you can tell, she’s really pretty.”
“Cally, I’m sorry. I know I said we can talk, and we still can. Time just got away from me the past couple of days since we talked. I was going to tell you about Ivy, but…”
Cally turned to him and put her hands up. “Dace, stop. You don’t owe me an explanation or an apology. We’ve had fun, but we were never anything official.”
“Cally. That’s not…”
“Seriously, it’s okay. You’ve been busy, and this case sounds really important – important to your family even.”
Dace’s brows furrowed in confusion. “I owe you better than this. You’re a great girl and deserve so much better than I’ve given you. This thing between us…it isn’t enough for you. I’ve been sensing it for a while. I wish I could give you more, but…”
“I know who she is, Dace.”
His face stoned.
“I know she’s the one.”
“It really isn’t like that, Cally. I would never do that to you. I had no idea she was coming back to town or that she would be attacked. Hell, I don’t even know why she’s here other than I know she needs our help. We aren’t together if that’s what you think.”
“You don’t have to explain anything. She came here because she knew she could trust you, and you were the one person to help her out of whatever’s going on. You’re the guy I would call.”
“And you still can.”
Cally smiled. “I know. But I won’t. You’ve been searching for her for years, right? And she’s here, now. See where this goes. You deserve it, Dace.”
“Cally.” Dace was at a loss for words. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Hell, how do you break up with someone you didn’t even have an official anything with? “I don’t know what’s going to happen with Ivy. The case is my priority, nothing more. I’m not expecting anything from her after all this time. I’m not planning to settle down any more today than I was yesterday. Okay? I don’t want you to think that. It’s not like that. I also want you to be happy, whatever that looks like. You need someone who can give you more than I ever could. Don’t wait for me – find it.”
Cally laughed. A loud, belly roll of a laugh. “Don’t flatter yourself, O’Reilly. You’re great and all, but I don’t wait around for anyone. Besides, we were just friends – good friends. We don’t owe each other anything.” She smacked his chest. “Wait around for you? Pfft. You need to check that ego. You look cute on a Harley, but…”
“Cute? Seriously?” Dace laughed, glad she was lightening the mood, but he knew it was more out of self-preservation than anything.
Cally didn’t need him. Hell, she probably didn’t even want him, like she said. But to be let down the way she was and forced to meet Ivy as she did – she must’ve felt like an outsider and perhaps an ounce of betrayal. He wouldn’t blame her for it because he felt it too. Only, he felt it in the form of guilt because he knew it was his fault. He did this. He completely mishandled her heart and felt like an ass for it.
When the tray of drinks arrived, he picked them up to take to the table where ladies were sitting around playing with streamers and balloons, preparing for the baby shower that was supposed to take place. He paused and waited for Cally.
“Oh, my drink’s not up yet. You go.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, it’s a drink. I can carry it myself and walk at the same time.”
“Well, only if you’re sure…” He winked.
“Get out of here. Don’t make those pregnant ladies wait.”
When Dace walked away, she let out a sigh of relief. The awkward moment was gone, and she could move on. Eventually. A nagging sensation that she was being watched had her scanning the small group Dace had joined, and she noticed Ivy looking at her. They shared a knowing look as if it all made sense who the other was. Cally nodded at Ivy, earning a smile, and that was the end of their encounter.
When Dace looked over his shoulder, he saw Cally walking in the other direction with her drink in hand. She didn’t give him a second look, simply sat down and chatted with other guests, like C.T., who were there for the family dinner and the baby showers.
12
“I brought you a gift.” C.T. called an emergency meeting with the brothers at Watermark Tower. “This might be the breakthrough we needed, and I didn’t want to risk anything by having you come to the station or telling you over the phone. Should we wait for W
ylie?”
“Let’s get started. He can get up to speed when he gets here. What’s up? What’d you find that was so urgent?”
“How about a murder-suicide?” C.T. leaned back in the seat, arms crossed against his chest.
“Murder-suicide? How do we fit into this?” Dace asked. “Not really the thing you call us in on.”
“What if I told you that I ran a blood analysis on the perp, and it matched one of the profiles we collected from Ivy’s clothes and from under her nails.” With a confident smile, C.T. pulled a number of crime scene photos from a folder.
“What the hell? He was one of the guys?” Dace asked, taking in the scene. “What? He kill his family or something?”
“We’re still identifying the others, but it looks like one was probably his girl and the other two were business associates, if you follow.”
“Who was this guy?”
“Common thug with a rap sheet a mile long. Well-known on the streets. Drug runner.”
“For? Cartel?”
“Maybe? Not sure yet. We need to dig a little more and see what we come up with, but we do know that a lot of the dope making it up this way is funneling in from either the Russians or the cartel.”
“Great. It won’t be long before we have that war on our streets,” Dace said.
“You aren’t wrong. I need you to look at something.” C.T. laid out a few more images of the crime scene. “Tell me when you see it.”
The men studied the images, moving them around and fitting them back together as if they were a puzzle.
Declan guffawed. “Staged?”
“Ding, ding, ding. I think the suicide was staged, and this was a mass murder.” C.T. nodded.
“A hit,” Dace said, shuffling through the rest of the pics. “This scene is too perfect. Everything is exactly as you’d expect to find it for a murder-suicide. What was your clue, Charlie Tango?”
“After ballistics and blood splatter analysis, we were able to determine that nobody was in motion. They were shot where they stood.”
Brother's Keeper V: Wylie (the complete series BOX SET): NEW RELEASE + Series Box SET included! Page 100