Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3

by Lily Harper Hart

  “You’re starting to freak me out, man,” Max said. “What is going on?”

  Jack didn’t know what to do, so he told Max about his dreams – including Ivy’s cameos. He didn’t tell him about the shooting, and he blurred some of the details about his ordeal, but when he was finished, Max was flabbergasted.

  “Are you putting me on?”

  Jack shook his head.

  “What does Ivy say?” Max asked, genuinely confused and surprised.

  “She says that I’m calling her to me,” Jack replied.

  “Do you believe that?”

  “I don’t know what to believe,” Jack said. “I know I can’t be in a relationship right now. I’m no good to anyone, especially your sister. I don’t know what to do, though. She drives me crazy. I can’t stay away from her.”

  “That’s because you’re attracted to her,” Max said. “Don’t worry. She’s attracted to you, too. I’ve never seen her like this with another guy. It’s like you get her so worked up she has no choice but to explode. Unfortunately for you, she keeps exploding all over you.”

  “That’s a nice visual,” Jack muttered.

  “I know you don’t want to tell me what happened to you, and I’m okay with that,” Max said. “Frankly, it’s none of my business. It sounds to me like you want to share it with Ivy, though. Have you considered that?”

  “No.”

  “Well, as long as you’re looking at it from a healthy perspective, man.” Max patted Jack’s arm, nonplussed, and twirled around so his back was leaning against the bar and he was on full display for his fan club in the booth. “You know, when I first heard you were moving to town, I thought you were going to be competition.”

  Jack lifted an eyebrow. “How?”

  “Well, as you can see, I’m quite popular with the female population in Shadow Lake,” Max said. “According to Ava Moffett, who got a glimpse of you when you were interviewing, you were hot and ready and she was going to nab you.

  “Now, I don’t care who nabs Ava … or Maisie, for that matter … but I was worried you were smart enough to see beyond them and start encroaching on my turf,” he continued. “I figured I was going to have to beat you up if that happened.”

  “If I remember correctly, you did try to beat me up when we first met,” Jack said.

  “That’s because I didn’t know who you were and I thought you were going to murder my sister,” Max said. “Let’s not make the story more than it is, shall we?”

  Jack smirked. “Fine. I’m not interested in being your competition, though. You know that, right? I don’t want to date anyone. I came to Shadow Lake to be by myself.”

  “I know,” Max said. “The problem is, you ran smack dab into my sister and all of your good intentions and quiet dreams flew out the window. I know you don’t want to have feelings for her. I also know you do have feelings for her. Your head and your heart are at war, man. Sooner or later, one of them has to win or you’re going to drive yourself insane.”

  “I don’t want to hurt your sister,” Jack said. “Not for anything.”

  “Of course you don’t,” Max said, chuckling heartily. “You’re a good guy. I hate to admit it, but you are. I never thought anyone would be good enough for my sister, but I’m starting to rethink that.”

  “Well, I’m not,” Jack said. “I know I’m not good enough for your sister. She deserves more than what I can give her.”

  “My sister deserves the world,” Max agreed. “She’s not willing to take it for herself, though. Someone is going to have to give it to her. And, for someone to give it to her, she’s going to have to let that someone get close to her. The only one who has even made it through her front door is you. That has to mean something.”

  “It means we’re both idiots,” Jack said, swigging from his beer.

  Max studied him for a moment, a myriad of ideas floating through his head. Finally, he settled on a course of action. “Do you really want to get over my sister?”

  “There’s nothing to get over.”

  Max made a face. “Don’t push me, man. I’m trying to help you.”

  “Fine. What do you suggest?”

  “Come on,” Max said, climbing off the barstool and grabbing Jack’s arm. “There are two distractions right over there, and they’re primed for the plucking.”

  “I just told you I didn’t want a relationship,” Jack argued.

  “Who said anything about a relationship? Those are just two women to flirt with. You can be my wingman.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You’re coming,” Max said. “If anyone can take your mind off my sister, it’s one of those two. Trust me. In an hour, you won’t even be able to remember Ivy’s name.”

  Max knew that wasn’t true. He knew the two women at the table. They were vapid, catty, and overly sexual. He knew twenty minutes with them was going to be enough to send Jack out of the bar as if his hair was on fire. He was just hoping that inclination would also make him see that his heart was already taken, and maybe it would be unwise to throw that away without giving it a chance.

  “SO, what is this movie?” Kelly asked, sitting on the couch next to Ivy and reaching into the bowl of popcorn.

  “It’s called Dirty Dancing.”

  “Is it old?”

  “From your perspective, yes,” Ivy said. “From my perspective this is a movie my mother always watched when I was a kid and I fell in love with it. I have no idea why.”

  “Okay,” Kelly said dubiously. “What’s the deal with the music, though? There’s no beat.”

  Ivy smirked. “This was what music was like before hip hop came along.”

  “Is this the kind of music they had when the dinosaurs were around?” Kelly teased.

  “Pretty close,” Ivy said.

  “Hey, that’s the grandmother from Gilmore Girls.”

  “It is,” Ivy said.

  “Who is the hot guy?”

  “His name is Patrick Swayze,” Ivy said. “And if you think he’s hot now, wait until you see him dance.”

  “Has he been in anything recently?”

  “No,” Ivy said, shaking her head. “He died a few years ago. If you like this, though, I can scrounge up a few other things he was in. Wait until you see Ghost … and Point Break … ooh, and Red Dawn.”

  “Do you watch a lot of old movies?”

  “My mother loved movies,” Ivy said. “I don’t consider them old. She always let me watch them with her. I would curl up on the couch with her, just like you’re doing now, and we would watch them.”

  “That sounds nice.”

  “It was,” Ivy said, her eyes drifting to Kelly’s face. “Tell me about your mother.”

  “I don’t remember a lot about her,” Kelly said evasively.

  “Weren’t you eight when she died?”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s plenty of time to make memories that stick,” Ivy said, refusing to back down. “What did you do with her?”

  “My mom wasn’t big on movies,” Kelly said, keeping her attention fixed on the television. “She loved music, though.”

  “What kind of music?”

  “Old stuff … like this.”

  “Stop calling this music old,” Ivy warned. “I’m in my twenties. I’m not old.”

  “I didn’t say you were old,” Kelly said. “I just said you liked old stuff. I’m not sure there’s anything wrong with that.”

  “There’s not.”

  “Anyway, my mom liked to listen to old music, and she was always trying to get me to dance,” Kelly said. “I didn’t have any rhythm, though, so that never went well.”

  “Well, at least you tried,” Ivy said. “I don’t have any rhythm either. Don’t feel bad.”

  “I wonder if she saw this movie,” Kelly mused.

  “This movie is a classic for a reason,” Ivy said. “I’m sure she did. I … .” Ivy broke off, an inner warning alarm dinging in the back of her mind. She shifted quickly, her gaze
focused on the front window of the cottage. “Someone is here.”

  “What do you mean?” Kelly asked, furrowing her brow. “Is Jack back? Is Max here? I just love your brother.”

  “That’s not what I mean,” Ivy said, pushing herself to her feet. “Someone is outside … someone who isn’t supposed to be here.”

  “How do you know that?” Kelly asked, her eyes shifting from hopeful to terrified in the blink of an eye. “Is it him?”

  “We need to have a talk about who ‘him’ is,” Ivy said. “I don’t know who is outside. I don’t even know how I know someone is out there. I just … .”

  At that precise moment, Nicodemus started howling. Ivy knew the cat well enough to realize he was warning them.

  Ivy reached for Kelly, her hand snaking around the girl’s wrist, and then the front door exploded as someone tried to kick it in. The security chain kept it from flying completely open, but the man in the open space – his face hidden by a knit ski mask – was staring at them from the opening.

  That’s when Kelly started to scream, and Ivy began to panic. What was she supposed to do now?

  Thirteen

  “So, what do you like to do for fun?”

  The blonde Max saddled Jack with – her name was Trina, or Tina, or something equally annoying – rubbed her fingers against Jack’s hand suggestively.

  “I like to solve crimes and work on my house,” Jack replied drily, shifting farther away from the blonde and shooting Max a death look.

  “That sounds boring,” Trina said. “Do you like to dance?”

  “No.”

  “Do you like to hike in the woods?”

  “No.”

  “Do you like to go camping?”

  “Definitely not.”

  Max struggled to keep himself from laughing out loud as he watched Jack try to fend off the blonde’s advances. The other blonde was trying to focus his attention on her, but Max was having a better time watching Jack grapple with his handsy new friend. She kept running her fingers up and down his thigh, and Jack was close to exploding. Max was mildly curious to see what would happen when he did.

  “You have to like something,” Trina prodded.

  “I like it when people keep their hands to themselves,” Jack said pointedly, grabbing Trina’s hand by the wrist and pushing it to her own lap. “Stop touching me.”

  Max snorted. He couldn’t help himself. “So, Jack, how are you feeling about my sister now?”

  “You did this on purpose,” Jack charged, his tone accusatory.

  “I did,” Max agreed. “The grass is always greener on the other side. How does Ivy’s grass look now?”

  The mere mention of Ivy’s name was enough to cause Jack’s heart to warm. “Better than this,” he said. “I … .” The sound of his phone ringing in his pocket cut him off. Jack dug it out. “I hope this is work.”

  “Oh, don’t say things like that,” Trina said. “If you have to go to work, how am I going to get to know you?”

  “You’re never going to get to know me,” Jack said, pressing the phone to his ear. “Keep your hands where I can see them. Hello?”

  “Jack?”

  “Kelly?”

  Max instantly sobered, leaning forward so he could better hear Jack’s end of the conversation.

  “What’s going on?” Jack asked.

  Max watched as Jack’s face drained of color.

  “Kelly, listen to me,” Jack said. “I’m on my way. Stay in the closet. Don’t come out. Don’t you dare come out of that bedroom until Max and I get there. Do you understand?”

  Jack disconnected and jumped to his feet, digging a few bills out of his pocket and dumping them on the table.

  “What’s going on?” Max asked, following suit. He didn’t like the grim set of Jack’s jaw, or the worried look pinching the man’s features.

  “Kelly said someone broke into the house,” Jack said, forcing his voice to remain even. “Ivy sent Kelly into the bedroom again while she … we have to get out there.”

  “Where is Ivy? Is she okay?”

  “Kelly doesn’t know where Ivy is,” Jack said, his voice cracking. “Whoever it is got inside of the house. That’s all I know. Come on.”

  JACK was a jumble of nerves by the time they pulled into Ivy’s driveway. Max was out of the truck and racing toward the gaping front door before Jack could kill his engine and follow. The short trip between his truck and Ivy’s house was the longest five seconds of his life, and when he raced up the steps and into the living room, his heart lodged in his throat.

  There had obviously been a struggle. The coffee table was tipped over on its side and a bowl of popcorn was upended on the floor. A vase – the one usually perched in the middle of the coffee table – was shattered into pieces against the wall next to the door, as if someone used it as a weapon. The room was otherwise empty.

  “Where are they?” Max asked.

  Jack pointed to the hallway wordlessly, following Max to Ivy’s bedroom. The door was locked, and as Max raised his leg to kick it in, Jack stayed him with a small shake of his head.

  “Kelly? It’s Jack. If you can hear me, open this door.”

  The unmistakable sound of someone moving on the other side of the door hit Jack’s ears, and when the door finally opened, Kelly’s tear-streaked face popped into view. She was clutching a wriggling Nicodemus against her chest, and her eyes were so red and puffy they were almost swollen shut.

  When she caught sight of the men, she threw herself at Max and started sobbing incoherently. Max did his best to calm the distraught girl while Jack strode into the bedroom and searched the room.

  “Ivy sensed someone was outside before anything happened,” Kelly said. “I thought she was just … screwing around. She wasn’t, though. The next thing I knew someone was kicking in the door.

  “The security chain held the first time,” Kelly said, her tear onslaught relentless. “He just kept kicking it until it gave in, though. Ivy threw a vase at him and then attacked him. She told me to run and hide. She told me to call for help. I didn’t know what else to do.”

  “You did the right thing,” Max said, rubbing the girl’s back as he lifted his terrified eyes to Jack. Kelly was safe. They were both thankful for that, but … .

  “Kelly, where is Ivy?” Jack asked, his voice strangled as he fought to tamp down the irrational anger coursing through his body. “Where did she go after … after she attacked him?”

  “I don’t know,” Kelly wailed. “She told me to run. That’s what I did. I could hear them fighting, and I think I heard Ivy cry out. I didn’t hear anything after that, though. I don’t know where she is.”

  Icy fingers wrapped around Jack’s heart and squeezed as he pressed his eyes shut briefly. She had to be all right. He couldn’t take it otherwise. He wrenched his eyes back open and focused on Max. “You take care of her,” he said. “Call Brian and get him out here.”

  “Wait, I want to help you look for Ivy,” Max said, trying to disengage himself from the frantic teenager.

  “Ivy would want you to take care of Kelly,” Jack said. “Do it. Do what I said. Don’t worry. I’ll find Ivy.”

  “What if you don’t?” Max’s voice was ragged as he tried to maintain an air of calm for Kelly’s benefit.

  “I’ll find her,” Jack said. “I’ll find her if I have to burn this whole town down to do it.”

  IVY’S shoulder was throbbing and her heart was racing, but she fought to keep her breathing in check as she hid behind the tree.

  When the man finally broke his way into the house, Ivy did the only thing she could think to do: fight. She threw her favorite vase at him, all the while urging Kelly down the hallway with Nicodemus. Once she was sure the girl was safe, Ivy unleashed days' worth of misery and anger on the intruder.

  How dare anyone break into her house?

  After slapping him around a little bit, the man threw her against the wall. Hard. Between the clanging in her head, and the churning
in her stomach, Ivy was sure she would lose consciousness. She knew she couldn’t allow that to happen, so instead of giving into the dark corners invading her mind, Ivy started yelling as the man tried to make his way down the hallway. She grabbed her cell phone off the table by the door and bolted through it, drawing the man’s attention back to her as she loudly proclaimed she was calling the police.

  In an effort to stop her, the intruder gave up his pursuit of Kelly and instead chased Ivy outside. This was her turf. She knew every hiding place. Instead of drawing the man farther into the woods, though, she opted to keep him close to the house as she led him on a merry chase through the trees. She knew Kelly was calling for help. She just had to hang on long enough for them to get to her.

  Whoever the man was, he wasn’t familiar with the intricacies of wandering through unfamiliar woods at night. He’d tripped and fallen so many times Ivy couldn’t figure out how he hadn’t knocked himself out yet. The unmistakable sound of a vehicle pulling into her driveway gave Ivy hope. The cavalry had arrived, although the intruder was still too close for her to yell out.

  Instead of racing for safety, Ivy opted to remain in her spot. She couldn’t see the man, but she could hear him. She didn’t start moving until she saw a hint of black movement – running into the woods and away from her house. That’s when she stumbled out of the thick foliage and back into her yard – and right into Jack’s path as he desperately searched for her.

  “Ivy?”

  Relief washed over her, and even as she struggled to maintain her footing, she trudged toward him. “Jack.”

  Jack raced to her, drawing her into his arms and pulling her tightly against his chest. “I thought … you scared me.”

  Ivy burst into tears. She’d meant to brush everything off and pretend like someone kicking in her door didn’t bother her. Despite all her strength, though, that was a feat she wasn’t capable of accomplishing.

  Jack held her, rubbing his hand over the back of her head as he rocked her. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

  “Jack.” Ivy couldn’t say anything but his name as she buried her face into his solid chest. His arms were warm as they engulfed her, and after a few minutes, Ivy realized he was lifting her off the ground and carrying her toward the house. “I’m still capable of walking,” she grumbled.