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“Hey!” Hale’s powerful arms grip my shoulders. “It’s okay.”
His touch makes it worse. My body is overcome with uncontrollable shakes. He tries to hold me in place, but my shaking worsens the more he tries to restrain me.
“Don’t touch me!” A piercing wail bursts from my lips as I thrash around. I hear the unmistakable terror in my voice and hate how helpless I sound. “Let go of me!”
Why didn’t I fight back? Why didn’t I do more? Ivy tried to fight for me. She truly did. She didn’t stand a chance against them, but at least she tried. I did nothing. I drifted in and out of consciousness. I didn’t try to stay awake. No, I welcomed the darkness and wanted it to take me. I succumbed. I let it happen.
“I’m sorry,” Hale murmurs, jumping back as if he’s read my mind and seen the horrible thoughts racing through it. “I won’t hurt you. I will never hurt you, Dove.”
My eyes snap open, properly seeing him for the first time. He looks down at me like I’m the most fragile and precious thing in the world. Something he doesn’t want to break.
“My name is Daisy,” I say, hopefully coming across stronger than I feel. “Not Dove.”
A smile graces his lips, but it’s not a happy one. There’s a sadness nestled in the corners of his quirked-up mouth, like he’s accepting something he hates but understands it’s inevitable. He has secrets to share, but he doesn’t want to say them. Not yet, anyway.
“You’re my Dove now, Daisy,” he says. “Your old life is over. There’s no going back.”
“But I want to see my sister,” I plead, hoping he’ll take pity on me. I suspect there’s an inner softness hiding behind his muscles. “Please.”
“I’m sorry,” he says, sounding genuinely apologetic. He brushes the side of my face with the back of his rough forefinger. I shiver as his warm touch sweeps along my collarbone, leaving a toasty trail behind that lingers after he drops his hand. “You’re one of us now. This may not be the life you wanted, or the life you would have chosen, but your future has been decided. I can’t say it’s going to be easy, but I’ll keep you safe. No one will ever hurt you again. Your wings have been temporarily clipped, and it’s up to me to help you fly.”
“I’ll never fly,” I mutter.
“Not yet,” Hale says. “But you will…”
CHAPTER 1
BRAM
PRESENT DAY…
Ivy’s eyes blaze with fury as I hit the accelerator hard, making the engine scream in objection. Anger ebbs from her in tidal waves and crashes against my own. I heard everything that happened in the crypt over my earpiece: the conversation on the phone, Freddie’s confession, their confrontation…
Why did Freddie do that?
The Dukes are supposed to be a team and make decisions together, yet he kept a big secret and plotted against Ivy, despite knowing what my reaction would be. How could he be so willing to hand her back to the remorseless monsters who wrecked her, and our, lives? He deluded himself into believing that his actions would save the Dukes, but I never thought he’d go far enough to trade a woman’s life. He’s proved Ivy was right. We’re no better than the Killers Club. The Dukes aren’t a family, and they are officially over.
I glance at Ivy. She’s lost in her thoughts, but her knees jump around impatiently as adrenaline speeds through her veins. What I wouldn’t give to know what she’s thinking…
I jam the wheel to the right to make a sharp turn into a narrow alleyway. Another car sounds its horn in warning, having to screech to a halt to let us pass. We leave them in the dust.
When I turn to Ivy again, she’s staring back at me. Her head tilts to the side, studying my expression. Her pouty lips purse like she’s assessing me.
“Did you know?” she asks. Her measured tone doesn’t conceal her simmering resentment bubbling underneath the surface. I don’t blame her. The feeling is mutual.
I shake my head. Of course not.
She put her trust in Freddie, and he shattered it. I thought I followed a man of honour, but he’s not the man I thought he was. It’s not only Ivy’s trust that he’s broken but mine. My allegiance to the Dukes is over.
After a few seconds of studying me, whatever she sees on my face must appease her. She huffs and crosses her arms, leaning back in her seat.
“The fucker,” she mutters, although I don’t know whether she’s talking to herself or me. “Trusting him was a mistake. I should have learned my lesson after the last time I trusted the wrong people.”
Guilt gnaws at my stomach like an insatiable hunger. I’m responsible for this. I’d vouched for Freddie, truly believing the Dukes would help her like they’d helped me. I thought we could show her that life was about more than being a vessel of destruction. Her taking a chance ended in Freddie’s betrayal, blowing up my good intentions.
Ivy straightens as we drive through familiar tree-lined streets, past the rows of parked Maserati’s, Ferrari’s and Porsche’s. These streets are the playground of the rich and famous.
Ivy drums her fingers on her thigh in anticipation as we get closer to Spencer’s mansion. I slow to a crawl, stalling to buy more time, and opt to take a longer route, weaving through the narrow backstreets. I know better than anyone the dangers of acting impulsively… and the regrets that come with it.
