Page 31 of Ivy’s Poison

That deep scratchy voice had my knees buckling under my weight. It was as if I had been, unknowingly, holding my breath ever since he had escaped. And now that he had reached out to me, it was as if I was finally giving myself permission to breathe again. Lightheaded, I awkwardly collapsed to the floor. “Champ?”

I could hear him exhale in relief. “Babe.”

Bors

There was nothing I wanted more than to charge that compound and retrieve my girls, but Arthur wouldn’t approve my request; the whole team couldn’t go on a biker killing rampage. He said, as of now, the president was clueless of our involvement. That was not a change he would allow to happen, no matter how badly I wanted revenge. When I asked him about my kid, if he knew she was mine, he had merely said, “I had my suspicions.”

I called him an SOB.

His only reply was, “I still want the job completed.”

I growled, “Not to worry. His death is at the top of my to-do list, but just so you know, there will be two deaths I get paid for. He has a twin.” I hung up on him.

Per usual, Arthur kept a level head and gave me my space to simmer down and see things clearly. He was right. I couldn’t ask him to risk his men for my personal vendetta. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t take care of my own shit.

After receiving some medical care at the hangar where we’d landed, which, among other things, included antibiotics for the water in my lungs, courtesy of those dumb fucks I was going to punish, I unwillingly rested and healed at home. The quiet should’ve been peaceful, but the silence gave me far too much time to wonder how Ivy and little Jade were. Was that sweet baby safe? Had Ivy and Beth been caught in the lie? Was Ivy being forced to fuck more men? I felt I was going insane for the two weeks I waited to use that phone number Beth had given me. That little piece of paper was practically worn-out due to how often I held it, desperate to hear a certain voice, but I didn’t dare call until I could do something to help because I had no idea how carefully she was being monitored.

Late at night, a time I hoped Ivy would be in bed sleeping and have no witnesses to her cell ringing, I finally took a chance. I stared at the burner phone in my hand, hoping like hell Ivy was the one to receive the call. Sitting at the end of my bed, my heart thundered while I listened to the rings. “Come on, babe. Please be alive.”

A barely audible, timid voice answered, “Hello?”

Did I dial the wrong number? “Ivy?”

It was weak, but a glimpse of the spark in Ivy shined through when she said, “Champ?”

She’s alive. My upper body melted backward onto my bed. “Babe.” Staring at the ceiling lit by a dim lamp on my nightstand, I covered my mouth so I wouldn’t spew emotional bullshit. Wiping my mouth, I begged myself to get my mind back in functioning order. “Safe to talk?”

A hiccup in her breathing had me concerned she was in danger until she said, “Safe. Safe to talk. I just…” Another hiccup made me realize she was crying. “I… I was starting to think,” she whispered the next part, “you weren’t going to call.”

Well, if that didn’t choke me up, I would’ve been a bigger asshole than I suspected I was. “Fuck, babe. If I told you how many times I wanted to call you, you’d think I was a big ol’ puss.” Her muffled laughter had me covering my mouth again. It was like I didn’t trust myself with all my heart wanted to say.

She sniffled then quietly said, “If I never see you again, this call made it all worth it.”

As sweet as her words were, they sent chills down my spine. The heaviness in her meaning told me she was still being sold. “Then it will really be worth it when I get you all the hell out of there.”

My eyes closed as she broke into a sob. I couldn’t take hearing her raw pain. I got up from the bed and started pacing. “Ivy, you hang in there. Don’t give up. We’re so close.” I wanted to say, “I don’t care what you’ve gotta do to survive, just fucking do it. Live through it. Soon, another won’t ever touch you. Not even me if you don’t want,” but all I could manage was a growl. “You hear me?”

Ivy didn’t answer, which had my heart pounding. “Babe? Is Jade okay?”

There was a shuffle then I heard Beth, “Jade’s okay, Champ. They’re both okay. Rough night for Ivy. That’s all.”

It was so disheartening to hear them downplay what they considered rough—shit that destroyed most—but I understood. It’s like being tortured. You have to keep your mind together in order to withstand the pressure. “I’ll never judge her for surviving.”

“I believe you, kid. I just think her hearing that in your voice made… everything a bit harder to take.”

Due to my past, I understood that, too. The day you realize, irrevocably, that your life is shit, well, it’s a sorry-ass day. “Since she’s in rough shape, let’s you and I discuss some plans.”

“I’m ready.”

“I don’t have the back-up to come in there and raise holy hell. Nor have I healed enough to make my own ‘one-man show’ deserve a standing ovation. Catch my drift?”

“Understood.”

“Does the club think you helped me escape?”

I could hear her try to cover a sharp inhale when she said, “No.”

Staring out my bedroom window to see my backyard, I sternly said, “Lies only complicate getting you out of there. It is imperative that I know exactly what I’m dealing with.”