Leave Me Breathless: The Ivy Collection

by KL Donn

  “What the fuck?” Ace stands, his face turning red as he snarls, “Never. I fucking hate those bastards, especially after everything with Callie. Mick was our best friend, and I was there at her birth.” Mick was Callie’s dad, who died a few years ago. He, Ace and Reaper were always close.

  Reaper takes a long drag of his cigarette, blowing smoke straight toward Ace.

  “Secure them.” Reaper lifts his chin. West and I both move together. Ace struggles until I press on his shoulder, causing him to scream out in pain. Bee starts shaking as West fastens the handcuffs. Ace growls when West does them extra tight.

  Reaper walks over, sending his fist straight into Ace’s jaw, causing blood to spray over Bee.

  She screams.

  I pull out my piece, holding it to her head, shutting her up pretty quick.

  Reaper squats down in front of Ace. “You’ve got two choices: we do this the easy way, or the hard way.”

  Ace shakes his head. “Ain’t lying to you. Where’s this shit coming from?” Reaper grins, taking another drag of his cigarette.

  “Glad you asked.” He turns to Bee, and she tries to move back.

  “Why don’t you tell us what you told Rhonda?” Her eyes widen as she glances toward Ace, who looks like he hasn’t got a clue what the hell is happening.

  “Bee? What the fuck you bitching about?” he growls, teeth red from the blood.

  She shakes her head. “I-I haven’t—I haven't said anything.” She looks toward Ace, her lip trembling, before letting out a bloodcurdling scream as Reaper puts his cigarette out on her arm.

  “Want to lie again?”

  She starts to sob, snot and tears running down her face. “I was pissed.” She looks at Ace, anger covering her features. “You’re always running to help her, to help that fucking brat. You didn’t want kids with me, but you want to adopt that bastard.”

  Ace starts struggling in his seat, trying to get to Bee. “You fucking bitch! You’re jealous of a kid!”

  He lets out a deep breath, looking a Reaper. “I’m not with the Phoenix, not in with them. Remember Charlie?”

  Reaper nods, crossing his arms. “Not here for a family history lesson, so get to the fucking point.”

  Ace nods. “After Marilyn died, she was running with the wrong crowds, kept running away. It was a mess. She was a mess. She came home pregnant, refusing to tell us who she was pregnant by. She was coming off splice.”

  Pregnant and doing drugs… I shake my head. Christ. Marilyn was Ace’s sister. She used to come around the club to make us all dinner. She was a good woman, but cancer claimed her four years ago. Charlie, her daughter, had only been sixteen at the time.

  “I got her off them, gave her a room at my place. She was clean when she gave birth to a boy, Brandon.” The fucker actually smiles. Ace’s real name is Brandon.

  Bee snarls, pulling at her restraints.

  “He was perfect. Charlie was guilty, but he was clean. Then Charlie was disappearing again, only coming by once or twice a week. I lost it on her, slapped her. She had this beautiful boy... I didn’t know!” he growls, baring his teeth. “I haven’t seen Charlie since she took Brandon four months ago, three days before his second birthday.”

  “Are we getting to the point that you’re a betraying bastard soon?” West says, lifting his brows. Ace stares him down but doesn’t say anything, then looks back at Reaper.

  “I heard from her five days ago. Brandon was in hospital, and she was frantic. He’d fallen and knocked his head, and they ran all sorts of tests on him. I turned up and saw Spider, Max and Runner.” He growls, “Brandon’s father is Spider. He’s forty-three, Charlie is fucking eighteen! He put his stamp on her, so there was nothing I could do for her.” He swallows, tears swimming in his eyes.

  He’s right, if she was just a hang around, a club girl, then he could get her out, send her away, but letting Spider claim her, put his mark on her… she was untouchable. He’d kill Ace and her if she tried to escape.

  Another club going after your ol’ lady is war.

  No friendly clubs would back that. No marker would help.

  “But Spider didn’t want him, didn’t want his own son, so Charlie begged me to take him. That’s where the bitch saw me going, to claim that boy as mine.”

  “What! You claimed that little shit?” Bee screeches, her face red and contorted with rage.

  “Shut up, bitch,” Ace growls.

  Reaper stands, nodding, squeezing Ace’s shoulder. “Where’s the boy now?”

  Ace’s whole body droops, recent effects clearly showing. “With my neighbor, Raye, old man Willis’ daughter.”

  Reaper nods again. “Should have come to me, brother. I would have helped you out. Now my daughter is a target. Phoenix boys came and shot up Ma’s house, killed her. You saw what those fuckers did to her. Now, they’re coming after my girl, got information no one should have. Only connection I got is you and them.”

  Ace’s eyes widen, the truth finally hitting with him. We can’t let him go. Neither of them.

  He closes his eyes, nodding. “I swear I never betrayed you. Take care of him for me. Promise me you won't let them get him.”

  Reaper nods once. Ace returns it before Reaper lifts his gun and shoots him between the eyes. Bee screams for only a second before a bullet goes straight through her temple.

  “Fuck,” West speaks as he walks out, punching the wall, screaming into the night. “What do you want to do?”

  Reaper stares at Ace’s body. “Bury him, no marker, and give the bitch to the pigs,” he growls, walking away. Two seconds later, the sound of Reaper’s bike cuts through the air.

  West walks straight to the bar, grabbing the whiskey as Callie walks over. “It’s about time you learned to sleep on your own, girl. Fuck, you’re just a bed warmer without the fucking.”

  Callie’s eyes widen, hurt covering her features, before they narrow. “Fuck you, West!”

  He snorts, looking her up and down. “Yeah, I’ll pass.”

  Her mouth falls open before she looks around the room. She nods and turns on her heels.

  “That was cruel.”

  West looks up at me as if someone just ripped his best friend away. “She’s better off without me. What we did tonight…” He shakes his head, holding up his hands. “How can I hold her, keep her nightmares away?”

  Shit.

  He walks off, his words echoing around my head as I grab my own bottle. West was wrong. He had to be, because Angel is my dream catcher. She takes away all the shit in my head. My moon in the darkness.

  Mi Bello, ángel.

  15

  Harla

  I groan as I push myself off the floor. God, when is this going to end? Turning the faucet on, I wash my face, before reaching for my toothbrush and brushing my teeth, making sure to brush my tongue, hoping to get rid of the sickly taste in my mouth. These past three weeks I've gotten used to what has become my new normal.

  I thought at first it was the flu. It had spread through the club like a wildfire, no one left untouched. Some managed to get away with just a couple of sniffles, whereas the majority were hit with a sickness bug. I had assumed that's what I had, until I realized that no bug lasts this long. Not to mention that Saint and I have been having sex every night since we got back from the cabin, and that was almost five weeks ago.

  As much as I've tried to deny it, tried to bury my head in the sand and pretend it's not happening, it is. I'm ninety percent certain that I'm pregnant. I have no idea what the hell I'm supposed to do. Things between Saint and I haven't changed. He still acts as though I don't exist during the day, and at night, he worships me as though I'm a queen.

  Before I make any decisions, I need to find out the truth, and that means going to the store and buying a damned test. I can just imagine how that's going to go down. I'm hardly out of the brothers’ sight. I don't think I could ever get one past them. I don't want anyone to know, not until I’m certain.

  Sighing, I tur
n the shower on, hoping that it'll add some life to me. It's another reason I think I'm pregnant; I'm constantly tired. Most nights when Saint and I are having sex, I'll fall asleep within seconds of us finishing. Half the time, it'll be with him inside of me. I won't wake up until almost noon, which is not like me at all. I'm an early riser, always have been.

  Letting the water cascade down my back, I take the time to try and come up with a way to get out of the compound and to the store. I could text Callie, but she's pissed and hurt. West treated her like shit and she's not been around much since. I guess I could ask West. Christ, I can just imagine what he'd say. Every single person I think of is an automatic no. They wouldn't be able to keep it to themselves.

  Once I'm finished in the shower, I quickly get dressed. Glancing at the bed, I see the messed-up sheets and I can't help but smile. When we're alone, I have so many thoughts about what it could be like between us. How amazing things would be. But as soon as daylight comes, things switch in an instant. It's almost as if there are two Saints, and at this point, I'm not certain which one is the real one.

  "Morning, Harla," Monica says as I walk into the kitchen. "Breakfast?" she asks, and immediately my stomach flips. "Or not," she comments, a furrow between her brows.

  "No thanks. I'll just have some orange juice." I can't even bear a coffee. The smell of it makes me want to find the nearest toilet and hurl.

  "Sit down. I'll get it." She tuts. "You look like death warmed up. You still not feeling right?"

  I shake my head. "No, I just can't seem to shake it."

  I feel a strong gaze on me and turn to see Rhonda staring at me, a knowing look on her face.

  "Go sit down. You need to see Doc. He'll sort you out."

  I give her a small smile. "I'll be fine. Thanks."

  She stares at me for a beat before turning and walking back to the stove.

  Taking my seat, Rhonda immediately sits beside me. I instantly tense. Nothing good ever comes from a talk with Rhonda.

  "What are you going to do?" she says quietly.

  I give her a blank stare. "About what?"

  She chuckles. "I'm not blind. I know that look. Hell, I've been through it all."

  I shake my head. "I have no idea what the hell you're talking about." I turn away from her, confused as to why the hell she's being nice. I've been here over two months and not once has she been this polite to me. It's got my back up, wondering what she's after.

  "Yes, you do." She laughs once again. "What are they going to say? Hmm? The club princess knocked up by the enforcer." Her laughter grates on my skin. "That's not going to go down well, and it's not you who's going to have to pay the price. Your man is. What they'll do to him is something that you're going to have to live with."

  I suck in a sharp breath. "What is it that you want?" I don't bother denying that I'm pregnant. What's the point?

  Her words about what's going to happen to Saint hit me in my chest. It's something I've been worried about since I realized that I'm pregnant. I've heard the rumors about what happened to Ace and Bee. I still can't believe that Dad thought Ace was a rat. There's no way. He was one of the nicer guys, easy going, and had a smile for everyone. Everyone's talking hush about it, no one ever speaking up loud enough for the brothers to hear. The ol' ladies don't seem to be bothered that Bee's gone. I didn't really get the chance to talk to her as much as the rest as she was good friends with Rhonda.

  "I don't want anything." She sighs. "Look, as much as I hate who you are and what you represent, I can't look past the fact that you're West's baby sister. He'd fucking go crazy if he knew that I know what you're going through and didn’t offer to help you. So for the sake of my son, I'm offering you a friend, just until this," she waves her hand in my direction, "comes out in the open. Then I can go back to hating you."

  I roll my eyes. Maybe she isn't as bad as I thought. "Why do you hate me?" It's something I've never actually found out. Everyone seems to have different stories on why they think she does, most surrounding Mom and her relationship with my dad.

  Her lip curls into a snarl. "Your dad and I were together. We had West, and I had the impression that things between us would move forward. That was until your mom came along, and in the end, everything I loved vanished."

  I can't believe she's being so open with me. I never thought this would ever happen. I understand why she's angry, and I think I would be too if the man I loved fell for someone else. I don't know how I'd react.

  "So, I'll ask you again," she says, changing the subject. "What are you going to do?"

  I shrug. "I have no idea. I want to get a test." She frowns at my words. "Just to have confirmation. Until then, I'm kind of in limbo."

  She reaches for her cell and starts texting. "I may have a way for you to get that test."

  My eyes widen, still not fully trusting her kindness. It doesn't make sense. She's known that I'm West's sister from the very beginning. Why act as though she cares what West thinks?

  "Meet me downstairs in an hour."

  "Why?" I question, unsure whether or not to trust her.

  "Because," she spits getting to her feet, "I can drive freely in and out of here. You're going to come with me."

  "You may be allowed in and out, but I'm not."

  She rolls her eyes. "Yes, I know that, princess," she snarls. "But you'll be hiding in the backseat. Now, an hour."

  I nod, knowing that this is the only way I can know for sure. I wish it could be with anyone else, but there's no way I'm going to say no. It's been driving me crazy, not knowing the truth, and I've had enough. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? She's hardly going to drive me off a cliff. I won’t be gone for long. No one will realize I’ve left.

  Walking into the garage, I see Rhonda waiting for me.

  "You're late," she says, opening the back passenger’s side door. "Get in and lie down." She's pissed, and I'm seriously regretting this decision to go with her.

  "Where are we going?"

  "I'm taking you to the store. It's twenty minutes away, hopefully far enough that none of the brothers are there." Her voice is tight. "Get in quickly, before we're seen. I could be fucking killed doing this. We all know what Reaper’s like when it comes to family." She growls as I climb into the backseat and lie down.

  "Thank fuck Reaper called church. It means we'll be able to sneak out unseen. Stay lying down until we're out of the gates," she instructs me. She closes the door and my breathing becomes labored. My gut is screaming for me to get out of the car.

  "Ready?" she asks, climbing into the driver's seat.

  "Sure." I don't sound convinced.

  "You'll be fine. We'll go to the store, you take the test, and then we come home." She makes it sound so simple, but I know it's anything but. I close my eyes and listen to the car rev. Rhonda turns the volume up on the radio as she pulls out of the garage.

  It feels as though she's going at a snail's pace, but thankfully, she makes it out of the gates and onto the road.

  "We're out. As I said, a good thing that church is on."

  I frown. Why does she sound so triumphant? I ignore it and keep my head down and my eyes closed. Tiredness fills my body and I try my hardest to stay awake.

  "Christ." My body is shaken. "Wake up, you got to go pee on this. Then we can get you back before anyone knows you're gone."

  Blinking, the sunlight is harsh against my eyes. "Wh—” My words cut off when I see Rhonda standing there with a pregnancy test, my confusion gone in an instant. Shit, it's time.

  Climbing out of the car, I take the test from her hand and glance around. I see the sign for the restrooms and follow it.

  "Don't be long," Rhonda warns me and I nod, not looking back at her.

  Walking into the restroom, the acidic smell of urine hits me and I cringe. God, that's awful. The stall doors are open, and I sigh in relief. I'm alone. Quickly going into the stall, I pee on the stick. Now it's a waiting game.

  Placing the stick on the counter,
I wash my hands and set a timer. I'm unsure what I want it to say. Would I be happy if it's positive? Sure. Would I be disappointed if it's negative? That's what I'm not quite sure about.

  Three minutes seems like a lifetime.

  The timer beeps just as the door behind me opens. My heart races as I see two men walking in. One of the men looks familiar to me, and in that instant, memories of Gigi flash through my mind. My eyes zero in on his neck, right where the Phoenix tattoo is. God, he found me. How?

  I know there's no way I'm escaping from this bathroom. I'm outnumbered and unarmed. I'm kicking myself for not trusting my gut. It was screaming for a reason.

  Rhonda, the bitch. She's the reason they're here. She's the one who sold me out to them.

  A hand clamps around my stomach as one goes around my mouth, and I'm lifted into the air. I kick my legs trying to get him to loosen his grip, but he only tightens it.

  "Finally got you. I've been waiting for this day for a while," he whispers in my ear, his breath hot against my skin. I flinch away, and all he does is laugh. "We're going to have so much fun." He chuckles, walking backwards toward the door.

  My eyes glance back at the test. I need to know the result.

  Hope and pain slash through me as I see the two pink lines.

  I'm pregnant.

  I have a feeling that these Phoenixes aren’t going to play nice.

  I say a little prayer, begging that my dad finds me, that Saint finds me before it’s too late.

  16

  Saint

  “We found the mole and he has been taken care of.” Reaper shakes his head in disbelief, lips pulled tight in anger, a barrage of emotions swirling in his eyes. The guys all start mumbling. The whole club has been in shock at finding out that Ace was the mole.

  Mac shakes his head. “What is happening with the boy?”

  Reaper’s lips thin even tighter. Ace wasn’t lying about the kid, Brandon. He was where he said he would be, with Raye. He’s a small thing, a big head of blonde hair, big green eyes, much wiser than his years. He hasn’t cried once, nor asked for his mother. The only person he asked for was Ace, his pop-pop.