Burning Ivy (KORT, #1)

by Brandy Hynes

Gage loosens his clutch on my neck, stepping aside in a credulous act of trust. No one should trust me in this state. I pull my pistol from the harness, raising it before any of them can blink, my seething gaze scanning Gage and Ty. And Liam. His face is cracked and bruised and bloody from my punches. Swollen and guilty. His arm is stationed stiffly at his side, wounds from his chest surgery still healing. But all I see is her. Her hollow eyes and pleading cries. The gauntlet of torture inflicted. Her withering spirit spiraling and distorting until it emerged as a destructive disconnect. Bile coats my heavy tongue. I detest every last one of them, including myself. But Liam. He kissed her. Laid down his life. Her hero.

“Yes,” he snarls, stretching his legs out to find a less painful position. “Watch it. Goddammit, I did it for you, for her, and it nearly cost me everything.” His eyes narrow at mine, glossy and plagued, a reflection of my own torment. “It nearly cost me Ivy.” I reholster my gun and drop into a chair. Fucking Christ, I can’t get my head straight.

Talk about nailing a fucking loyalty test on every account—grace for us all. Over and above what would be expected. Jesus. That’s why Liam said nearly. Ivy made it clear he’d never lose her, and in spite of my impulse to disembowel him, I love her even more for it.

He protected her, would’ve died for her.

“Our girl is … fucking impressive. Not only did she handle all aspects of closing—proper paperwork filing, lifted signatures, the whole gambit. But you know how she paid for the house?” He makes us wait through a silent drum roll. “Us. She funneled our money from one account to another, minus the big fat bonus she afforded the realtor.” He howls with pride. “And torched it all. Ruthless, but fucking genius.” Gage claps with a hearty cackle. “Jesus, I fucking love that girl.” Ty’s face twists, his mouth creased with mirth. “You finding her playing us endearing is baffling.” “We deserve it,” Gage insists, shrugging. “I’m not a moron. Ivy is who I want by my side when I get mine.”

But these weeks away from Ivy, helplessly viewing her agony, not having her in my arms? I’ve never known a greater suffering. Neither have the three men crowded in this vehicle. Gage struggles to close the gap, but fortunately, it’s clear where she’s headed. “The private hangar off 76,” I offer. “She’s taking Tom’s plane.” “Fuck,” Liam hisses from the back seat.

True. The Little Storm blew us all to bits. My trial was to erase us from existence. Hers was to uncover the truth, “Defeat accepted,” I quip with a smarmy grin, lifting my glass in a plasticky toast. “I’m going to get my wife. Neither of us gives a fuck about the seats, but if anyone deserves one—”

“Consider your trial a pass too. Welcome to the family.” Family. Ivy is my family. I don’t give a shit about these fuckers anymore. The only reason I went along with this asinine trial was for her, because she’d insisted she wanted that seat. No amount of warning could have prepared her, but as agonizing as it was to watch, I couldn’t rob her of it. Not when I knew she was safe.

“For what it’s worth, both trials were impressive, but the undying loyalty on both sides … not something we see.” He chuckles. “Stealing your money and burning your shit to the ground aside. Tom and Natasha will be monitored. Go get your girl—our O’Reilly dame.” That’s the female equivalent of a knight, but Ivy will be the queen of that board, and they all know it.

She gives us a scrutinizing once-over, eyes scanning Liam with baffled snark. “Looky here. The dead one was resurrected.” She slams the heavy door with a bang, spinning to face us, Liam still her focus. “Was that part of your mindfuck? Got rejected so you played dead?” Liam shoots her a glower of daggers, as homicidal as mine on him earlier. “The fuck? You think I faked being shot, princess?” He spits the insult while rolling his shirt up to reveal the fresh scar and quirking one brow. “And it was a loyalty test. Rejection was the goal, so I nailed it.”

“Cut the goddamn shit and tell me where she is. She’s in danger.” “Yeah,” she hisses. “From you. I don’t know where your wife is, Cabrini, because you erased your marriage. You made your choice.”

We will never leave her, but she wanted the seat, so we protected her while letting her achieve it. And now, you need to protect her, Celeste, because she passed the trial, and there are people who want to hunt her down before she assumes her position.”

“Even if that’s true, you broke her heart, erasing her best qualities in the process of stealing her reality. I’m not sure you can come back from that. Any of you.”

It was always you. It’s why I stepped aside. She deserves you. There were moments, opportunities. Chemistry.” I growl at the thought, but he ignores me, casting a hand through the air. “But if you were in the room, her eyes were glued. Like she told me at the park, she couldn’t look away. Still can’t.” He sighs, stumbling backward to his chair, nearly as intoxicated as me. “I love you both. That’s why I took a bullet before I ever got shot. I didn’t want to do it.” His explanation becomes thick with emotion. “Honestly, I thought she’d never speak to me again, which would’ve killed me anyway, but then—” “Yeah,” I acknowledge. She chose him too—a monumental gesture in Liam’s world. “That’s my Little Storm. Fierce.” I swallow my contempt. The brutality of his loss is enough. “Especially for us.”

“Jesus! Fuck!” Three sets of alarmed eyes search mine. “She’s got the ruby necklace,” I explain. “And I’d say she knows it’s registered.” What she might not know is that she won’t only be leading us to her. That necklace is like a bat signal for her hunters.

After this, I’ll be gone. Erased. Reborn to a world I know nothing about. Alone. What if my guys don’t fight for me? That field of ashes in Ohio isn’t enough to lay it all to rest. Not the love that binds me to them. I’m adrift between the heavens and the embers. Desperate for that taste of the cloudy haze of languid happy they had me floating on. And yet, if they can’t make sense of what they’ve done to me, then finding me won’t be enough anyway. I’ll burn them all like our abandoned home. I’d rather have a taste of Heaven though.

“I don’t know what I’m missing. You and Wells are mixed up in some fucked-up shit, and for the sake of my family, I’m not going to pry. But, Ivy, I’ve only looked at one girl the way Wells looked at you. Hell, all four of those guys were fierce for you. But Wells … fuck. Leave a window ajar for the guy.”

“Memorize it. If you need anything …” He glances somewhere far off before returning to me. “No questions asked.” I stare at it, searching for … what? I’m not sure. Maybe a sign that it doesn’t all end like this. “Thank you.” He taps the hood. “No. Thank you for Mercy. For being good to Rena. Be safe. Be smart.” The door closes with a bang, and it’s only me, the ten-hour drive ahead, my sullied memories, and my new existence.

“Difference is,” Liam growls, “Ty has eyes on your girl, Mercy, at all times.” “You fucking sent ours off alone, asshole,” Gage adds as he veers into the far lane, weaving between cars as horns blare around us, his knuckles blanching on the steering wheel. “Fucking hell. I gave her three hundred grand, my number, made sure she was armed, had a safe vehicle and a burner phone. I didn’t call you because I don’t know what the hell you guys are messed up in. Your girl had shown up here, asking for me. If she wanted you, she would’ve hung near whatever the fuck she burned to the ground.” Despite the accusation inside that observation, his tone has tempered considerably.

I fucking own Monroe Montgomery, and Dalton is finished. Ivy earned her place with me, so if you’re trying to bleed my loyalty, it’s already spent.” “Loyal?” I choke on a dubious roar. “Jesus Christ, you know she’s being hunted.”

“She was planning to buy a new car. Don’t know where she’s headed. Brown hair now. Everything else the same. Skinny jeans, black sweater, and boots. She left you a note at the jeweler, and she’ll be hacking into the security system there. We’re also monitoring it for any suspicious activity or shady customers. She wants to see who’s after her. Doing your fucking job for you. That girl has skill.”

“She stormed in here like a Mafia princess with nothing to fear—all feisty and arrogant. High-roller confidence. But after we had dinner with Rena, something broke. She was … I don’t know what kind of bullshit you’re all messed up with, why you ghosted her, but you fucked that shit up good, brother.”

“What’s her angle?” Liam asks. “She already spilled that she knows who we are.” My hand brushes over the unkempt scruff growing wildly on my chin and jaw. “She wants to know I’d walk through fire to reach her, even ones she sets. So, that’s what I’ll do.” “Burn for her,” Gage mutters, half to himself, and I know there’s a deeper meaning looming inside his statement. “Exactly.”

“I’ve got you, baby.” His gritty, sandpaper rasp curls around me like a ripple in a pond.

“You’re okay, Little Storm. Hold tight while I get you out of here.” Little Storm. Wells? “You came,” I cry into the warmth of his neck, my eyes vibrating beneath the lids as he hoists and jostles my limp form—a hunk of flesh and bones and wonky muscles spurning proper function.

“To the ends of the earth, remember?” he asks. I remember. To the ends of the earth. Maybe even to the depths of Hell.

Ty’s overwatch position affords him a clear view of A while Liam, Gage, and I man the other three sides. “Announce your kills,” I order while the wind whistles a haunting tune and Ivy’s frozen lips nestle into my neck. Ty’s sitreps pipe through the comm. “Tango one down. Tango two down.” “Tango three down,” Gage grinds out. A cacophonous din follows. Screams and curses and gunfire. “Tango four down,” Ty continues. “Tango five down.”

She took a beating, but my fierce Little Storm raged like an unforgiving cyclone, slaughtering about a quarter of the fuckers on her own. “Tango six down,” Liam chimes from the C side, where our truck is parked.

“Alpha side clear, Chief,” Ty reports. Gage’s voice resounds through the comm next. “Delta side clear, Chief.” “Charlie side clear, Chief,” Liam finishes. I scrutinize the area with a final once-over. “Bravo side clear. Move out.”

They are all amazing

Ty sits beside me in the back, Gage shotgun with Liam behind the wheel. He peels out of the parking lot with a jolt, sirens blaring in the near distance. While I’m whispering soothing words into Ivy’s ear, Ty reaches a hand over, squeezing reassurance into her thigh. I’m sure he simply needs to feel her, to know we really have her, but she pays him no mind. Racking sobs rumble from her chest as she clasps her hands into the hair at the nape of my neck. She’s stuck, suspended in the terror that ensued around her.

“You’re okay, Little Storm. It’s all over, baby.” She doesn’t respond, her empty eyes fastened to something out of reach, some unattainable destination of peace. I keep talking, hoping my voice will penetrate her haze and bring her back to me. “You did so good. My strong, brilliant girl.”

It’s what makes Ivy so unstoppable, so awe-inspiringly formidable. She recognizes value in life, her own and others, and crusades for it. That’s why she lured me to chase her—to prove my humanity, to convince herself of the authenticity of our marriage in the face of duplicity. It’s why she risked her life for a woman she believes betrayed her—because it didn’t erase the love, sacrifice, or worth that same woman had bestowed upon her. And it’s why she’s grieving the deaths of these monsters—because there’s no room left for their redemption.

“Your trial—you passed. It’s all over. I’m so sorry—” “Don’t,” she says, shaking her head. “We don’t do that. You showed up for me, saved my parents, and I see it all in your eyes. Like you said, it’s over.”

“I love you so much,” I rasp into her fervid mouth. “So goddamn much, Little Storm.” “I love you too, Chief,” she whispers, and my cock twitches against her stomach at her gravelly use of my title.

“I need my husband more, Wells. I need you to take it away—the nightmares, his blown-off face, the terror and emptiness and loneliness. Please. Remind me what I’m fighting for. Remind me of us.”

“All the guys are anxious to see you,” I tell her. She doesn’t let go, so I carry her out to them, hooked on to me. When she spots Liam, she gasps and cries, trembling in my arms once again, and like a parent handing over a sick child, I have no choice but to pass her into his embrace. She sobs into his neck as he holds her, and I let my jealousy thaw into the tenderness of what this is. Ivy is mine, but her huge heart loves these men. They’re part of her as much as they’re part of me.

Im trying to not cry on this plane

From the moment we found her, Ivy was a symbol of hope for all of us at a time when we had nothing but each other.

They might not realize it, but Ivy is the healing balm, opening us all up to a life with love. Because of her, they may finally be ready to let someone penetrate the armor they’ve carefully constructed after years of unfathomable loss so they can each enjoy a connection, like Ivy and I share. Liam palms her head, his eyes closing as he breathes her in. His lips nuzzle her temple with calming words that don’t boil my blood because I know she needs to hear them as much as he needs to voice them. “I’m okay. I’m so sorry, Ivy. You did so good. So strong and smart, baby girl.” “I thought you were … unalived,” she whimpers against him, seemingly unwilling to validate the grief she’s endured with the word dead. “I know.” He strings his fingers through her wet hair, gingerly, aware of her abrasions. “Fuck, I’m so proud of you. The way you funneled money from our accounts, strung us along, and found your parents. You’re brutal.” She hooks her arms snugger behind his neck with a wince and a sniff. “I love you, Liam. You’re my family, forever and always.” His eyes flit to mine as he says, “Right back at ya, High Society. You’re worth so much more.”

He doesn’t love her like I do, but he does love her. After a lifetime of him never being welcomed into a family, Ivy adopted Liam to be part of hers. That’s a gift, a bond they’ll always share. And while the thought of his lips on hers still evokes visions of me slowly dismembering him, I can accept that they’re family. My family. Ty swoops in, and again like a parent passing a child, Liam places her into his arms as tears cascade over her flushed cheeks. Ty hugs her snugly against him. “Fuck, Freckles. I missed you so much. You went all Lara Croft on me.” She giggles against his shoulder. “Low-hanging fruit, as always. But I heard you had overwatch, like Dane from Navy Seals. We could start calling you God.” He laughs and kisses her hair as she continues, “I missed you too, Ty. Thanks for showing up for me.” He tightens his hold, one arm snaked around her waist, the other squeezing her neck. “That’s not a reason to thank me, Ivy. You’re ours. We’ll always be here for you. Always show up. In fact, I doubt you’ll ever be out of our sight again.”

Gage is gruff and irritated, awaiting his turn, peeling her away from Ty with an impatient grumble. Her pint-sized fingers latch on to his shirt. “That shit was fucked up, Ivy, but legendary. You’re my hero, girl.” “Look at you, pussy-worshipping, Big Guy,” she teases with a wry grin. Gage chuckles. “Let’s just say, you’ve renewed my faith, angel. You won’t ever run from us again. Understand?” “Yes, sir,” she quips.

“I’m yours, Wells,” she whispers, as though she understands how difficult it was for me to release her to them. “Always yours,” she coos, falling limp in my embrace.

“I love you all so much. I have no right to hate you, too, but I do hate what KORT did to me. They may have pitted us against each other, and you all may have suffered, too, but you did it together. You had each other. I was alone. So fucking alone.”

“I’m not asking for apologies. I’m asking you to understand that I’m not quite the same. I have no idea how this shaped me, or what I’m feeling, or how to act. Just don’t give up on me.” “To the ends of the earth,” Wells whispers, his raspy tenor eliciting goose bumps along my neck. “I love you exactly as you are, Little Storm. Always.” The other three all straighten, mouths slack to counter, but it’s Ty who speaks first, his hand gripping my forearm with a compassionate squeeze. “Fuck no, Freckles. We’d never give up on you, no matter what. You never gave up on us.” “You felt alone,” Gage adds, plainly affronted. “But we were fucking there with you for every agonizing minute. Forced to fucking watch with our damn hands tied.” That response makes me chuckle. Empathy isn’t Gage’s strong suit, but his devotion is clear all the same. Liam’s brows reach for the heavens, his hazels twinkling beneath. “I’m gonna have to play the I-took-a-fucking-bullet-for-you card, High Society. There’s no walking away for me. Ever.” He tilts his head, arm hooked over the seat while his face scrunches in rumination. “We were all shaped by this, but that which doesn’t kill us …” “Makes us stronger,” I finish.

I am not gods strongest soldier

“Thank you, Dad. For it all. For everything you taught me, for all the tools you gave me, for the way you and Mom have loved me. I love you both so much. I’m safe, and I passed my trial because you believed in me and because you believed in Wells.” My gaze lands on my husband, who’s staring back at me with utter adoration. “Thank you for trusting him with me.”

“But seeing their value, knowing how important they are to me, that was the selfless act of a father. So, thank you. I’m honored you’re mine.” With that, I throw my arms around the man who gave me life and spent his searching for me—never giving up. He squeezes me back, his tone thick and murky. “Your father did a spectacular job preparing you, Ivy. Your abilities are astounding. The honor is all mine.” Your father. Like his simple of course, that speaks volumes. I

My mother shared with me the letter he’d left her in his living will—the one that explained his plans for me and what her role was to be in his absence. He’d been so thorough with the inheritance documents and various other details on how she should go about addressing it in order to push me toward Wells. Some of it had pissed her off, which made me chuckle. We might not share DNA, but my mother unwittingly transferred a spark to me. The most heartwarming part of his words, though, were the ones reserved for my husband. He’d told my mom that he loved Wells like a son, trusted him, and was rooting for the two of us to find our way to each other because he couldn’t imagine any man loving and caring for me better. He’d gone on to say that even if that didn’t happen, Wells, Liam, Ty, and Gage were always to be respected for the way they protected me.

And my husband eulogized the fuck out of him. Wells was on point, charismatic, and authentic, noting traits about my father and sharing stories that tinged my version of him in a deeper shading. It was the most beautiful brokenness. Celeste, Ty, Liam, and Gage shrouded my mother and me in a protective cocoon while we both awed at Wells gifting us with another piece of the great Dr. Thomas Kingston.

“I don’t want to talk about that yet. Let’s discuss where we’re going to live instead.” Wells chuckles, keen on my avoidance, but Liam and Gage both widen their eyes with excitement. I wink, knowing they’ll help me distract Wells and Ty from fussing over my mental state about cabal inductions and execution orders.

“There will come a time when you three will each meet someone, get married, and have a family. This property provides options. There’s enough room that you and your families could stay in the main house, but there’s also enough land that we could build other residences and share the outdoor facilities if you or your wives preferred that. Whatever you want. I just want us to be together. Always. It’s an absurd amount of space, so I’d also like to build a facility dedicated to the abuse victims Ty is helping.” My spiel seems to have rendered them speechless, which is a first and knots me up until Ty’s voice untangles it. “Freckles, fuck, that’s … perfect.” Liam swallows, visibly choked up, dragging his hand down his face while Gage jacks him with a punch to the bicep, hissing, “Fucking pussy. Jesus.” Wells and Ty laugh as Gage turns his grumpy gaze on me. “It is perfect, Ivy. Where the fuck is this place?”

They said location didn’t matter, that I could choose anywhere in the world, and they’d be there for it, but the whooping men flattening me to the couch screams something else entirely.