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“For now, to my old room, maybe for a run. Alone. Since I’m surrounded by people who, regardless of their reasons, have been pretending, lying, and using me as a paycheck. I don’t know how to trust any of you.”
“I won’t claim that I’ve done everything perfectly, Ivanna. But I’ve done everything with you, your father, and those three men out there in mind. Carried it all the best I could.”
Maybe that’s the most confusing part. The truth in everything Wells said was most apparent when he spoke of my father—his wisdom, how he treated him like a son. How Wells misses him every day. The knowledge of their bond strengthens my love for Wells, and I hate myself for it because I feel like a fool.
He’s been holding this secret, carrying the weight of this fucked-up world, and trying to prove how much I mean to him through it all. So have the guys—Ty asking me to let him take care of me, Liam claiming I was his family, and even Gage accepting me through each and every baked good.
“Not confusing at all. I gave you the day, and I’m happy to let you wallow today and tomorrow and every day this week. But you are my wife, Ivanna. You belong in our bed.” My jaw falls slack. “That’s your concern? Are you serious right now?” “Deadly,” he affirms, moving to prop himself against the headboard.
“No, it’s not, Ives. I told you there was nothing more important to me than you. No truer words have ever been spoken. You are entitled to be angry and sad or whatever you’re feeling, but I won’t leave you alone to deal with it. I love you too much. Hate me. I can live with that, but you’re not getting rid of me.”
“You’re married to the best eraser and identity miner in the world. I’d chase you to the ends of the earth, Little Storm.” He tucks a hair behind my ear and opens his arms. “Stop being so stubborn and let me hold you. We’ll figure this out. Together.”
“Talk to me, Ivanna.” “I’m in love with you, too, and I hate you for it,” I confess wearily. “I’m such a fool.”
The “family meeting” is the four of them, humbler than I’ve ever seen them, empathizing with my despondency and assuring me I’m their top priority.
Ty groans with a hasty knock on the table. “You could run though.” “We can erase you,” Liam adds while Gage and Wells nod in agreement.
“And you guys?” “We’d go with you,” Wells says, sweeping my hair off my neck. “I told you there’s no leaving me, Little Storm.”
“You’d all go? Why would you give all this up?” Gage taps the table, a nervous finger pecking the wood. “In full transparency, your disappearance would be considered a default on our end. We’d be held accountable. But we’d choose to go with you either way. It’s already been discussed.” That simultaneously swells my heart and wrecks me. “That means the world to me, but I’m so sorry. I—” Wells lifts my chin. “Do not apologize.”
“Thank you. I need a few days to come to terms with this. I appreciate you all for protecting me, for honoring my father’s wishes, and for your willingness to stick with me.” The words produce an all-out torrent that has the guys jumping out of their seats, smothering me with hugs in a family huddle. In this new upside-down reality, at least I can count on them.
“I’ve made my decision. I’m ready to meet O’Reilly, and when the time comes for me to take the seat, I’d like you all to work with me. I don’t expect you to give up doing what you’re so masterful at, but I’d like to know I can count on your expertise and counsel in those uncharted waters.” I didn’t think it was possible for these guys to adore her more, but that little speech has them all fawning over her the rest of the evening. She’s proven her loyalty to them again and again. Outside of the four of us, we can’t say that about anyone else. We’ve all lost so much. Ivy’s become the constant we
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One thing abt me is im a sucker for a found family
“I’ve thought about it in those terms for days, and I always arrive at the same answer. I’d choose whichever life you were in. That’s the only choice for me.”
“We can run. I don’t need this. It was a mistake to push you into this life. You’re all I want, Little Storm. That’s it.” “I’m not running,” she insists. “You don’t realize what it entails. It’s not safe. I can’t …” I can’t fucking lose you.
“So, you believed in me?” She tilts her head, jutting her hip to the side, her tits bouncing deliciously with the movement. “Yes.” I chuckle, tapping her nose. “More than anyone.” She nods, her fingers weaving into my wet hair. “Then, believe in me now. Believe I have what it takes to handle this because I want to do this. For me. For you. For us. For my father. Our family. My motivations are endless. I won’t let fear rob either of us of something that has the potential to be amazing.”
Ty and Liam have Ivy waiting in a connected room while Gage and I greet O’Reilly and his guard.
“My motive is her protection.” I swig a hefty gulp of my scotch, agitated that my motivations could possibly be called into question. “Her safety must be guaranteed, or she will not be accepting the seat.” Ivy may think it’s up to her, but it isn’t. I won’t hesitate to upend this whole endeavor or erase us all if things go sideways, despite her decision.
“I’ll tell her at the conclusion of her trial. She needs to focus on what she’ll be navigating, not worrying about me.”
“My job as her husband is to place her needs above my own and protect her, Mr. O’Reilly. I will not allow anything or anyone to interfere with that.”
Moments later, Ivy saunters in, flanked by Liam and Ty, with Gage manning O’Reilly’s guard, Robert.
Ty joins us at the table, choosing the chair at the end, centered between Ivy and our guest, while Liam hovers directly behind her, and Gage returns to his position after delivering a glass of lemonade to Ivy.
I don’t know if this will make it easier or if it will be hurtful, but all I can offer is my truth. Which is to say, the man and woman who raised me are the best human beings on the planet. They gave everything they had so I could have a fairy tale-worthy childhood. I was loved and valued and encouraged.” Tears brim in her eyes, but she discreetly blinks them away before they fall. “I hope that brings you some peace.” That’s my girl. So brave and well spoken. No apologizing and no lying. I’m overwhelmed with pride and awe.
“As far as my team goes, Wells and his crew will be my most trusted consultants.” Fuck, I love how bold she is. Her mind is made up, and she’s not taking any chances.
Liam, Ty, and Gage scrutinize his every move like hawks prepared to pounce.
“This is my sword, Wells. I feel it now. If I don’t seize it with both hands, I’ll regret it.” Any notions I had to shield her from the hellfire looming melt away with that proclamation. We were both carved for this world. I won’t rob her of her chance to rule. If my wife wants this sword, then she’ll wield it. And I’ll slash any obstacle that stands in her way.
“I’m not denying that. But like you said, you’re also Ty’s and Gage’s. And you are most definitely mine too, Ivy.” His eyes are so heavy, so regretful; it’s breaking me. “Surely, you see how you’ve changed all of us.”
“And I can’t bear the thought of that because I know we’re all you have. And I need you, Liam. You might not have me the way you want, but you do have me. Jesus, this is going to destroy us all. Why would you do this?”
“You’ll never lose me. Family means everything to me, and you are my family in every sense of the word. I don’t give up on someone because they have a moment of temporary insanity, so you’re stuck with me. Forever.” He stops the car with a jerk even though we’re at the end of the drive. His jaw falls slack. “You’re really something, High Society.”
“Ivy! Fuck! Listen to me!” My eyes find his, bloodshot and determined but laced with fear. “What?” I squeak. “There’s blood. Am I shot?” “I am,” he says flatly, still gripping my jaw. “Fucking run. I’ll cover you. Go to the safe room in the basement. If you can’t get in the house, there’s a storm shelter beneath the shooting range. Go! Wells will find you.” A commotion in the woods around the house pulls my attention. A fight. What the hell is going on? Liam fires several deafening rounds at a figure in front of the trees while screaming, “Ivy! Goddammit! Run!”
“Oh God. No! Fuck, Liam!” As I try to find the source of the bleeding, my fingers only seem to smear it. He grips my wrist to stop me, his eyes glossy and red-rimmed. “I’ve lost too much blood. I can’t move fast enough. You need to go. Now.” His voice is raw and husky, the strength waning with every word. “No.” Sobbing, I shake my head, my mind made up. “I won’t leave you. I can’t. I’m so sorry, Liam. I’m so sorry for everything. Please don’t leave me. Please—”
“You did everything right, gave me more, were worth it all, baby girl. My gun. Go …” His eyes are so stern, even as I see the life draining from them. “They’re here for you,” he rasps, and a chill skitters up my spine. I weep into his chest and kiss his forehead. “You are so loved, Liam Graves. My forever family.” Prying his bloody fingers off his gun, I move to a stooping stance. And I run. And run.
“Wells? Liam?” I ask, hoping she’ll get my husband and tell me what happened to Liam. My heart sinks as the memory assaults me. I watched him fade away, but I need someone to say it. To tell me he’s really gone. Tears stream down my cheeks at the thought.
“Wells. I want Wells,” I cry and suck in the air with a whistling hiccup.
“And Ty and Gage. Are they okay? Did Liam survive?”
I can hear Ty whoop in my mind. “You slaughtered that, Freckles.” Celeste’s hand covers her mouth with a gasp, brown eyes startled into round orbs of shock. “What the hell was that?” “Proof,” I quip as a small rush of victory courses through my veins. “Yeah, okay.” She nods, breathless. “We have to get you out of here.”
I gave Wells my heart, my trust, my forgiveness, my innocence, and my fantasies. My loyalty. And aside from my purity and erotic imaginings, I gave Ty, Liam, and Gage the same. I will not surrender whatever I have left—fragmented or not.
This is her fuckibg trial
Liam insisted I’d changed them, but maybe the real story is how much they all changed me. As much as I want to run, I want something else more. I want them to chase me, to suffer, to fret. Being chased by the very people who so willingly cast me aside like last night’s trash might seem like an unlikely pipe dream. Unless. Unless I manipulate their fucking pulse points.
Tonight, I paint. Tomorrow, I orchestrate. It’s time to play, boys.
Flipping the portrait around, I regard the brief flicker of recognition sailing through her eyes. At least one of my guys is familiar—probably Wells. A parting gift. She schools her features and studies the four men on the canvas.
Wells and Liam tower in the center as the tallest. Wells rises formidably as the dominant chief, dressed to the nines in his charcoal-gray three-piece Armani suit and crisp white button-up, his eyes a commanding emerald, the crinkles at the corners a subtle hint of what lies beneath. Liam sports a maroon button-up, no tie, no jacket. The deep crimson highlights his golden locks so they shine like a touch of Heaven. Flanking them are Ty and Gage. Ty is on Wells’s side, like the day we met. Suit, but no tie. His tawny-brown skin, soft curls, and kind eyes shimmer—a beacon of authenticity.
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Visions of the period party. Liam’s quick wit, mischievous grin, and dark web tutorials. Ty’s sweet hugs, our movie-character game, and easy banter. Gage’s nachos, his pledge to stay with me, his enthusiasm for my baked goods. And Wells holding it together for all of us so those moments were viable. The flick of a match. The crackling spark. A wheezing blaze devouring it all. And vomiting ashes.
They pretended to be mine, to love me, to become my family, supplying them with ample time to understand exactly what I was capable of. Who they were creating me to be. It’s sad really. A massive oversight. And they call themselves the best. Now, they’ll choke on the smoke of their own deceit. The spores of their arrogance. The air is toxic, boys.
“Hey, Freckles.” Ty’s voice is a bruise and a balm, rolled into one, but the bruising is more identifiable now. “Ty, I should have known they’d appoint you—the placater. Good to hear you’re alive and well, but don’t fucking call me Freckles.” He clears his throat, my demand sobering his voice to a tentative huskiness. “Okay, Ivy. I know you’re in pain—” “In pain?” My tone remains placid, detached, and resolute, but I won’t skirt the issues. “You think I’m in pain? I’m not in pain, Ty. I’m numb. Pain is stubbing your toe, breaking an arm, not being able to walk after twenty-four hours of
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“Oh, Mr. Andrew Michaels, tut-tut, now. Ivanna Kingston was nowhere near that tragic fire. Question the realtor or anyone else for that matter. And of course, we know Ivy Wells doesn’t exist, much like Tytan and Andrew. But it is lovely when life hands us visual metaphors. Your memories went up in smoke, just like mine. It burns a little, doesn’t it? Although, you’re all so fond of smoke and mirrors, it probably feels like home anyway.” “Fuck, Ivy.” He sighs, and I hear the agony again, but like his lack of explanation, my empathy isn’t there. “You don’t sound like you. I’m worried.” “Don’t
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“That’s the thing, Ty. I would’ve loved that, but you stole it from me. You stole my identity, my life and dreams, my epic love and memories, my best friend, my family, and my hope. And you weren’t only part of it. Your lack of explanation tells me you authored it.” My voice cracks on the last three words, and I loathe myself for not controlling it better. He exhales a gush as we remain silent for a few beats before he finally breaks it. “Freckles—” “Don’t,” I chide, eyes trained on the bleak stretch of road ahead. “Part of me hates you for what you did—all of you. But there will always be a
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“I wondered when we’d be getting to him. I’m sure Chief Folsom isn’t far, probably basking in the glow of his hard-won seat and listening in. Gage too. Here’s a message you can share. Examine that video a little closer and the documents the realtor sent over. I think you’ll be tickled with what you find.”
“And this will be especially meaningful to Wells. Tell him Liam gave me everything I need—the tools, clues, skills. But most importantly, he seduced me with a knee-weakening parting kiss. It’s his lips and taste that have been lingering on mine for the past five weeks. That’s the one memory that will never go up in smoke.”
I can hear Liam’s warm chuckle, see the twinkle in his eye as I speed down the highway. He’s with me. “Well, fuck, that was one hell of a pulse-point manipulation, High Society.”
