by Naomi West
“Where is she, Josh? The sounds of fighting spilled in from behind me; I could hear Bax’s voice over the din. We had to hurry. But I couldn’t leave without Ivy…
“She’s in his office, back here. Are we going to help her, too?”
“Yes, but only if you keep your mouth shut.” I followed his lead, hoping my men weren’t too close behind.
And suddenly, there she was. Seeing Ivy was like being hit by a ton of bricks. How had I forgotten how fucking hot she was? How could I have forgotten the gravity, the pull of her body to mine, like magnets? She stood just on the other side of the glass, her whole body as tense as piano wire.
She stood there, shivering, her hands and wrists wrapped in bandages. She looked shocked, tired, and worn out. But somehow, Ivy was still the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. I stared at her, filling my eyes with the sight of her. The rage cooled ever so slightly in my chest, replaced by yearning like I’d never felt.
My Ivy.
She was mine.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Ivy
If Carlos was just going to kill me anyway, he would have done it by now. He wouldn’t have bothered to keep me around this long if he just meant to get rid of me. I stood in his office, watching as he paced back and forth. What is he waiting for? Creed to come in here and sweep me off my feet?
As welcome of a sight as that would be right now, I doubted it was coming. Creed would come, save his son, then leave without even a glance in my direction.
Carlos must actually think I’m worth something. But that thought didn’t stop the rise of panic in my belly. My stomach was still twisted in knots as we waited.
I leaned back against the heavy, wooden desk in his office, trying to watch him without being really obvious about it. Not that I should have worried; he seemed to be so caught up in his thoughts that I could stare at him openly without him noticing.
He was pacing like a caged animal, his face still a careful neutral. I wondered what sorts of emotions were bubbling up under that stoic exterior. If I was him, I would be scared too; this cartel nonsense is no joke. The whole town would be wrecked from the fighting. And lots of people were going to suffer.
I hated this Kelly guy. I wished Creed and the other people at the Edge would just kick him out. If everyone refused to follow him, then he wouldn’t be in charge anymore. I couldn’t believe anyone inside the Edge would go along with this plan, no matter how selfish or stupid.
We waited for what seemed like an eternity in Carlos’ office. I studied the inside of the office over and over again, counting tiles and drawers and other odds and ends. It wasn’t a large office, but it was filled with boxes and glass cases filled with all sorts of objects. Carlos seemed to be a collector of all sorts of junk, from baseball cards to sports rings and other assorted sports memorabilia. It covered his office from top to bottom. Every sport seemed to be on display from signed hockey pucks to what looked like a Super Bowl ring, He even had some signed baseball cards from people even I recognized; I wondered how much these things were worth.
Noise filtered through the closed door, coming from the hallway outside. It must have been loud to get through his bullet-proof, inches thick glass window and these walls built like a bank vault. I was pretty sure this place could burn to the ground, and Carlos’ memorabilia would survive just fine.
Carlos didn’t react to the noises at all, so I ignored them too.
“Have you ever had any dealings with Christine Alvarez?” I asked, studying the bandages on my hands. She’d been the voice of the cartel in the Edge. I’d only met her the once, but I didn’t like her. I don’t think Creed or Josh liked her either.
Carlos whipped his head around to look at me, something startled in his black eyes. “What name did you say?” His accent was heavier when he was surprised like he had to work to keep it contained.
I suddenly regretted opening my mouth. “She was the cartel’s in-between with the Edge. I was just wondering where she came from, and how she ended up targeting Kelly for the move in.” I had a million other questions, too. Like why did they want our town so badly? It’s not like we were particularly rich or well-positioned. I just wondered at the cartel’s motivation. But Carlos’ expression gave me pause. I wasn’t sure I wanted to ask any more questions about her.
I didn’t want to think about anything that scared Carlos Adams.
“Well, señora, you have my attention, if that is what you were after.” Carlos stalked around the desk, coming to a halt a little too close to me for comfort. But I couldn’t back down. My life might depend on it.
“It wasn’t. I was just curious. What is Christine to you?”
“Nothing at all.”
But he was lying. I could feel it, see it in the way the skin crinkled around his eyes. But it’s not like I could call him out on it. I might have found some courage deep in me, but not enough for something like that.
The noise outside escalated to new heights, but Carlos still didn’t seem to mind. He stared at the wall of his office, still pacing. I wanted to ask him what was going on, but I couldn’t seem to find my voice.
Carlos came closer again, his eyes roaming my face. “What do you think of the deal with the devil that Kelly made?”
I frowned, folding my arms over my chest to hold myself together. “I told Creed it was a bad idea. I told him he was a fool for letting Kelly order him around when the situation was so dire.” I glanced up into Carlos’ face. For the first time, his face was wide open. It held a hint of curiosity, worry, and something suspiciously like hope. He patted my arm gently, like that was supposed to cheer me up somehow. Needless to say, it didn’t make me feel any better.
I really hope he’s not pinning all of his hopes on me talking Creed into anything. I winced away from the thought. I’d tried my hardest not to think of how little Creed thought of me, but Carlos seemed to be really good at rubbing it in my face without meaning to. I just wanted to get out of this and get out of here.
Creed wouldn’t come for me anyway.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Creed
I watched in horror through the window as Carlos reached up and brushed the skin of Ivy’s arm with gentle fingers. My chest seemed to fill up with ice, dousing the rage that had lived there for so long. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think.
I had to get out of there.
Grabbing Josh by the shirt, I dragged him down the hallway, heading for the noise that Bax and his crew were making. In my absence, they had knocked over some things, kicked the shit out of everyone they came across, and even set a few fires.
As soon as I came into view, they turned toward the exit, Bax holding everyone off with an Uzi he’d picked up from somewhere. I frowned, calling everyone to move out. A few half-hearted Carrion members followed us, but none of them followed outside.
It felt almost like everything inside of that building had been staged, and I was one puppet among many. The way the Carrion fought back was halfhearted at best, cowardly at worst. They had let us trash the place. But that couldn’t be right, could it?
My mind flashed back to that scene at Carlos’ office. She was standing too close to him, Carlos’ hands on her arms. They were too close. What did it mean?
It means she traded you in for a gang leader the moment she had the opportunity. I wanted to be angry. I wanted to feel the fiery rage burn through every other emotion boiling up inside me. But the rage was gone.
It was replaced by a black hole. An emptiness like I’d never felt in my life.
Bax looked around as we drove away from the Carrion Club’s house, his eyes a little too wide in his face. “Where is Ivy?”
“Not here,” I answered, shortly. Some of the men exchanged wary glances. Josh looked pale and worried, but that didn’t matter. Ivy no longer existed as far as I was concerned. And I refused to look back.
The ride back to the Devil’s Edge was quiet. We came back into the clubhouse, which was under repair. The loud, thu
nderous noises of construction filled the night, echoing off of the high metal ceilings and big empty rooms.
Christine was right in the middle of it all, directing traffic. Just because her money went to fix it up didn’t give her the right to play director, but I was too tired to start a fight with her.
“You look a little worse for wear,” she said when she noticed us.
“I was worried about my son,” I snapped, unwilling to put up with Christine’s shit. She was wearing some ridiculous, skin tight dress made of some kind of pink, stretchy fabric. Her breasts hung out of her dress, a detail she wouldn’t let go unnoticed. But she looked like a pale shadow of Ivy. Ivy had class, and she was way prettier than Christine. Besides, I wasn’t a huge fan of blondes.
“Sounds like you could use a little TLC,” she purred.
I made a face, trying not to growl at her. “I sure could, but not from you.”
Bax coughed to cover his laugh.
I ignored him. “Where is Kelly?”
Pearl popped up from around the corner, a big smile on her pretty face. Now here was a sight for sore eyes. “He’s sleeping, I think. Went home to get away from the construction noise. Not that I can blame him. I’d like to get away from it myself.” She glanced around, narrowing her eyes at me. I winced, sensing the coming question before it even left her lips. “Where is Ivy?”
“Ivy isn’t here,” I answered. Josh squeezed my hand a little harder, still unwilling to let go after his scare. Not that I could blame him.
I glanced down at him, wondering what was making him make that face. “What’s wrong, Josh? You hungry or something?”
“No, but…” He paused for a second like he was trying to remember the right words to say. “I want to tell you something alone if that’s okay.”
“Can it wait?” I was exhausted. And I needed to find a quiet corner inside of the Edge to sleep if that was even possible. Well, maybe Bax will let us crash with him. I certainly can’t go back to my place.
Josh shook his head. “It’s really important.”
Sighing, I rubbed my face with my free hand. “Alright, alright. Come on.”
Pearl, Josh, and I found a corner of the Edge that was relatively unscathed, pulling up a few folding chairs so I could sit down. I felt a little better once I was sitting. My eyes felt heavy, and my chest felt like a frozen lake. I didn’t want to think about what I’d left Ivy behind to. I didn’t want to think about her at all.
“Ivy and Carlos talked. A lot. While we were there,” Josh started, looking uncertain. He danced in his chair like Mexican jumping bean. “They talked about something called a cartel.”
I could feel the ire rising in my belly, but I ignored it. “Go on,” I growled, fighting to keep my voice even.
“She said it was bad, and Carlos agreed with her. He wanted to make you talk. He wanted Ivy to talk you into going and talking. Talking about getting rid of the cartel and pushing Kelly out of power.” He scrunched up his face, as if trying to recall all of the details. “Ivy thought you wouldn’t listen, but she said she would do whatever she had to try and make you listen.”
Pearl didn’t look surprised in the least, but this news hit me like a ton of bricks to the stomach. “She did what?” I took a deep breath, unable to believe the words coming out of my son’s mouth. “Okay, start from the beginning, Josh. What did they say?”
So he told us every detail he could remember. His memory was good, especially when he was allowed to bounce around like he was on a sugar high. I sat back in awe as he relayed the details, unable to believe it. Ivy, the most spineless woman I’ve ever met, is trying to arrange a sit down with two gangs. Unbelievable.
She was not only standing up to me, to Carlos, and our respective gangs, but also to Christine and Kelly, which took some serious balls. I couldn’t even begin to imagine where she’d gotten that much spine. “And she said that even if you would listen, you wouldn’t come for her so it didn’t matter.” Josh wrinkled up his nose. “Is that true? Will you not rescue her?”
Pearl patted Josh’s hand with her old, weathered ones. She had a sad smile on her face, and she didn’t say a word. That seemed to be answer enough for Josh. He put his head down, but I could still see him crying through the chocolate-colored waves of his hair.
“So what’s going to happen to her?” Josh sniffled, trying hard to swallow his tears.
That gaping hole in my chest was growing wider.
Pearl bit her lip. “Hopefully, Carlos will keep his word and send her on her way.”
I made a noise in the back of my throat that sounded a little like despair. Neither Pearl nor Josh even looked up at me.
Suddenly a hush fell over the Edge. All of the construction work stopped at once, like someone pulled a switch. I glanced behind me, trying to see what had caused the sudden halt in work.
Kelly was standing in the middle of the room, his eyes wide and his hands outstretched like a praying fanatic. In that moment, he looked more like a televangelist than a gang leader, and I shivered at the sight. If Kelly was this happy, it was nothing good.
“The next phase of our plan is upon us!” he said, his deep voice booming through the whole Edge. Christine curled around him like a snake, a wicked smile on her painted lips. I wanted to pick that woman up and toss her out on her ass. “The cartel will be sending in the shipment of--”
But I was no longer listening. Ivy was right. As much as I hate to admit it, Carlos was right, too. I need to stop this. The Devil’s Edge will continue to suffer under Kelly’s cartel deals until I do something about it.
And the first step was getting Ivy back. I was done listening to Kelly, done following his orders like a puppet. It was time to not only stand up for me but for everyone else the Edge, too.
As Kelly finished up his fervent speech, extolling the virtues of the cartel and of Christine herself, I glanced around at all of the faces. Most just looked resigned, some tired, and ever fewer openly hostile. And yet, no one was going to do anything about it. It was infuriating; if most of us disagreed with Kelly’s idiocy, why were we all still going along with it?
“Bax, I need to borrow that car.”
My friend looked at me sideways as I walked over to him. He eyed me like he wasn’t sure what I would want a vehicle for. “If you’re planning on driving it over a cliff, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t. It’s not insured.”
“I’m not going to drive it over a cliff. I just need it for an hour or so. I’ll be right back.”
Bax handed me the keys with obvious reluctance. “You want me to come with you?”
I shook my head. “I think this is something I have to do on my own.”
“And what exactly are you planning on doing?” Bax asked. He was staring at me so intently.
Bax was my closest, perhaps only, friend. Maybe he deserved an explanation. I took a deep breath, glancing around to make sure no one was in easy hearing distance. Even still, I lowered my voice. “I’m going to stop Kelly’s cartel madness and get our lives put back together. But first, there’s something I need to go pick up.”
Bax’s eyes widened. “You mean Ivy.”
I just nodded. Something about hearing her name made my throat tighten. I didn’t want to think about that, either. “Yes, I’m going to get Ivy.”
“But the Boss said--”
I leaned closer, taking Bax by the collar of his shirt. “I don’t think I care anymore about what the Boss has said.”
While Kelly and Christine were still in the center of the room, most likely basking in imaginary admiration or worship, I approached them. I could feel the eyes of everyone around me following as I walked to the center of the room.
It took a few moments for Kelly to notice my presence. A frown appeared on his aging face, the mad light in his eyes dimming ever so slightly. “Yes, Creed?” he said acknowledging my presence and giving me permission to speak. Christine turned her gaze on me, her eyes full of all sorts of promises I didn’t want her to kee
p.
I straightened my shoulders and looked Kelly right in the face. “I am claiming Ivy Simmons as my woman, and therefore a part of the Edge.”
A wall of anger slammed down over Kelly’s face, the rest of his mad glee fading in the light of this new development. “You’re doing what?”
“Ivy is now my woman and is part of the Edge,” I repeated, watching Christine’s face shift from anger to sadness to something far darker and back again. “She is still being held by the Carrion Club, and I’m going to go get her and bring her home.”
Kelly winced at the word “home.” “And what makes you think--”