AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bram strokes Ivy’s wrist. She looks up at him, and they exchange a glance, communicating in their private language until she wrenches herself away.
“You heard her,” Ivy says. “Go.”
Bram crosses his arms, making it clear he’s going nowhere without her. She sighs and shakes her head, but he’s not budging.
“Fine,” she exclaims. “Everyone, apart from Bram, can leave. I need to speak to my sister.”
“But we need to talk things through,” Seb pleads. “I don’t want to leave you here.”
“If I were you, I’d leave with your friends,” Daisy says. “Stephanie is going to come looking for a report from me, and I had strict orders to kill you, so you’re lucky to still be breathing.”
Ivy raises her eyebrows. “Why didn’t you kill him? Agents don’t break orders.”
Ivy’s expression softens, thinking they’ve made some kind of breakthrough, yet Daisy crushes her hopes quickly.
“It wasn’t for his sake,” Daisy replies. “But it doesn’t mean I won’t. I need time to think.”
“Seb, Callen,” I address them, “you heard her. We should go.”
It’s the last thing I want to do. There’s so much I want to say and apologise for. I should never have made a deal with Stephanie. What happened between us last night—our explosive sex in the crypt—proved what I already knew but was too afraid to admit to myself.
I’m in love with her. Still, after all this time. I fell for her the moment I saw her in a bar five years ago. During our time apart, I often wondered what our life could have been like. I had expectations and false ideas, but none of them compared to what we share now.
Ivy is my drug. Beautiful, deadly, and infuriating, but real. I don’t need her to change or be the old version of herself. I love her sassy one-liners and watching her put Callen in his place. I love how she understands Bram without speaking and can reassure Seb with a single look. She’s the woman we’ve needed all along, the missing piece in the Dukes, and now I’ve lost her.
“You can’t mean that,” Seb says. “We can’t leave without Ivy, boss. She’s one of us.”
“Take her and go,” Daisy says, checking her watch. “You all need to leave. We’re out of time, and I need your word that you won’t kill Spencer.”
Ivy bites her lip so hard that I’m sure it’ll bleed. I want to kiss those soft lips to take away all of her worries and make her feel like everything will be fine, except it won’t.
“Dais…” Ivy says. “You can trust me. Tell me more about what’s going on. If you’re in trouble, I can help.”
“You can help by leaving,” Daisy says. “And never coming back.”
“Are you sure you want to leave him alive, Ivy?” I ask.
If she decides she wants to stay and gut him, then she’d have us right behind her.
“I…” She wrestles with her desires and then hangs her head. “Listen to my sister and go.”
“You need to leave too,” Daisy says. “We have no time to talk.”
“Can’t I come with you?” Ivy pleads.
Daisy flinches, making Ivy’s face crumple in bitter disappointment.
“I love you, Dais. I want to help,” Ivy says. “I got away from the Killers Club. I want to get to know you again. I want to meet my niece properly.”
“There is no space for you in our lives,” Daisy says, disregarding her like they’re strangers. “It’d be better for everyone if you still thought I was dead.”
Ivy sways on her feet, her bottom lip quivering. “Don’t say that. Please. You don’t mean that. We’re sisters. You’re my best friend. I love you!”
“We’ve spent five years apart,” Daisy replies. “I could go the rest of my life without seeing you again. If you want what’s best for me, you’ll leave the country. The Killers Club won’t stop until you’re dead, and I won’t spare you if I see you again. And if anything happens to Spencer, you’ll have me to answer to.”
“Daisy, please!” Ivy’s begging falls on deaf ears.
Daisy takes a knife from her pocket. Seb and Callen lurch forward while Bram pushes Ivy behind him.
