Ivy Morgan Mystery Box Set 5

by Lily Harper Hart

  “No.” Luna’s smile was enigmatic. “You guys are just in your own little world sometimes. I think it’s fantastic.”

  “Yes, I think it’s fantastic, too,” Max drawled, his arm slung around Amy’s slim shoulders. Obviously things were going well at the family meet-and-greet. “We’re hungry. How close are we to dinner?”

  Ivy shot her brother a dirty look. “Very close, you big whiner. Jack just needs to grill the meat. Everything else is ready.”

  “I guess I’ll get on that.” Jack pressed a kiss to Ivy’s forehead and then pulled away. “We got steaks for everybody but our two vegetarians. Ivy has soy patties for the two of you.”

  “I’ll help you grill,” Max offered. “That’s man’s work and you’ll probably need help because you’re bad at it.”

  Jack narrowed his eyes to dangerous slits. “Do you think you’re funny?”

  “Most people find me hilarious.”

  “I think you’ve been sold a bad bill of goods.”

  “And I think you’re going to need my help.” Max puffed out his chest. He was clearly in a bad mood. “Now, let’s do the dance of men and grill the meat. I wasn’t lying when I said I was starving.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” He offered up a dismissive wave. “We’ll start dinner to make sure you’re happy.”

  Max’s smile was serene. “That’s all I ask.”

  IVY AND AMY TOOK ADVANTAGE of a few private moments to touch base while the rest of the family was outside.

  “Are you doing okay?” Ivy asked as she looked the woman up and down. “You look okay. I was afraid Max was going to suffocate you he was hugging so hard.”

  “He can’t help himself. He’s fearful that I’m pulling away from him.”

  “You were pulling away from him,” Ivy pointed out. “You were going to take off and run, not even say goodbye to him.”

  Amy frowned. “I don’t particularly like being reminded of that. It’s true, though. I was going to run away. I thought that was best for him.”

  “For the record, that’s never the answer.” Ivy wasn’t keen on chastising the jittery mother, but she didn’t want to completely let her off the hook either. “Running should be a last resort. I get that you were afraid and you did what was necessary for your son. You would’ve crushed Max in the process, though. I hope you know that.”

  “I do know that.” Amy rolled her neck as she grabbed a vegetable tray from the refrigerator. “Can I take this out? I think Max is going to keep whining if he doesn’t have something to munch on.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Ivy encouraged. “Also, don’t spend the entire night dwelling on what’s to come. I know it’s human nature to worry that you’re going to lose people when you open yourself up and allow them inside your heart. You can’t help but fear that you’re going to lose what you have. In this particular case, though, I don’t believe that’s going to happen. I think things are only going to get better.”

  “I think so, too.” Amy’s smile was small but heartfelt. “Thank you for everything. As for food, is there anything else that needs to go out?”

  Ivy cocked her head, considering. She liked making mental lists and she’d been checking off the one inside her head all afternoon. “Actually, Jack moved the cooler to the front porch. He was going to take it around back before my parents arrived, but they were early. I need to grab it and take it around. You don’t have to go with me, though.”

  “Oh, that’s fine.” Amy seemed almost lighter as she lifted the tray. “We can go together. I like spending time with you. Your mind is … soothing. I don’t know how else to describe it.”

  Ivy snorted at the compliment and yet it made her feel good all the same. She was in her own little world when she pulled open the front door … and then everything changed.

  Amy gasped when she recognized the man standing on the other side. Jeff didn’t seem surprised in the least, though.

  “I’ve been looking for you,” he hissed, his voice dangerously cold. “We have a few things to talk about.”

  Ivy forgot all about the cooler and shoved hard at Jeff, allowing instinct to take over. “You’re not supposed to be here. In fact, you’re in big trouble. The cops are looking for you.” She opened her mouth to scream for help, but Jeff recognized right away what she was going to do and slammed his fist into her face before a sound could escape, causing her eyes to roll back in her head as she hit the ground with a sickening thud.

  “What are you doing?” Amy slapped at his hands and opened her mouth to call for help. “I’m not going to just let you do this. Not again.”

  “Wanna bet?” Jeff’s eyes filled with fire. You were stupid to think you could get away. I was never going to allow that.” He slapped his hand over her mouth and grabbed her by the hair. “We have a lot of things to talk about, including my son. We need to get away from this place first, though. We don’t want your new boyfriend trying to play hero, right? Let’s get out of here, dear. I’ve missed you so much. I can’t wait to show you how much.”

  IN THE BACKYARD, JACK STOOD in front of the grill and did his best to ignore Luna as she fluttered around Max and peppered him with questions regarding Amy. In truth, Jack was uncomfortable with the line of questioning because he knew that Max was operating without all the information. In a few hours, things would be different … but they weren’t there yet.

  As Max launched into some tall tale about his flirting prowess and how he finally wore Amy down enough to date him, he shifted his eyes to the tree line across the way. He loved the location of the cottage – it was quiet, relaxing, and away from prying eyes – and on most nights he and Ivy could entertain themselves for hours just sitting under the stars and staring at them. Jack filled himself with thoughts of the next night they would be able to do that and let his gaze drift. He was happily floating on a cloud of imagination … until he caught sight of a face watching him from the foliage.

  He almost gasped. At the last second, he managed to control his reaction and swallow the sound. Still, he stared at the woman standing across from him for a long time. He recognized her, but only thanks to Ivy’s description. He’d never truly seen her before with his own eyes. There were times he thought he caught glimpses of her but when he took a second look he came up empty.

  Until now.

  Susan Bishop. The witch in the woods. Ivy met her weeks before and started learning about her magic from the long-dead woman. She was helping Ivy fill in the holes when it came to educating herself about what was happening. Jack had pretty much stayed out of that business because he didn’t know what he was supposed to contribute. Now, though, the woman was making herself visible to him. She had to have a reason.

  He opened his mouth to call out to her even though he knew it would invite questions from Michael and Luna. He stopped himself when something occurred to him.

  “Ivy.” He turned quickly, slapping the set of tongs he carried into Luna’s hands. “Watch the steaks,” he muttered, his mind already somewhere else.

  “What?” Luna furrowed her brow. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

  Jack didn’t answer, instead barreling into the house. His gaze instantly went to the kitchen, where he expected to find her, but it was empty. Slowly, he tracked his eyes to the living room and his heart gave a terrified jolt when he saw her crumpled on the floor next to the open door.

  “Son of a … .” He ignored the murmured voices behind him and rushed to her side. Max was close behind, although his confusion was evident as he poked his head out the front door.

  “I don’t understand,” Max said, his eyebrows drawing together. “What happened?”

  “You know what I know,” Jack snapped, gently sliding his hand under Ivy’s head as he looked for a bump. “Honey, I need you to wake up.”

  Max’s gaze bounced between his sister and the open door. “Where is Amy?”

  Jack felt sick to his stomach as a myriad of possibilities collided in his busy brain. He already knew the a
nswer to the question … and yet Max was so far behind he didn’t know the proper question to ask. Things were about to get ugly … and then some.

  “Max, call for an ambulance,” Jack instructed as he brushed his fingers over Ivy’s face. It was already puffing up and he could see the signs of a bruise forming. “She was attacked.”

  “Right.” Max diligently pulled his phone out of his pocket. “What about Amy, though?”

  Jack couldn’t lie. There was no time. He needed help … and that help was going to have to come in the form of Max. “I’m guessing that Jeff came for Amy.”

  “Jeff?” Max was legitimately bewildered. “I don’t understand. What are you even talking about?”

  Jack craned his neck when he heard footsteps in the kitchen and snagged Michael’s gaze. The man was obviously confused when he walked into the scene and saw his daughter prone on the floor. “What happened?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Max said bitterly.

  “I don’t have time to explain it for everyone’s benefit,” Jack snapped. “Max and I have to head out if we expect to catch up to Jeff and Amy. She’s in real trouble. I’ll explain what’s going on when we get back.”

  “Fair enough.” Michael knelt next to Ivy. “What about her?”

  “Get the paramedics here to check on her. I think she was hit in the face.” The thought made Jack want to start ripping heads off random people. “You take care of her, tell her that Max and I had to go after Amy. She’ll understand. She’ll tell you the story.”

  “Who is going to tell me the story?” Max groused. “I want to know what’s going on.”

  “I’m going to tell you.” Jack was grim as he strode to the locked desk in the corner of the room and inserted a key. He had to retrieve his service weapon. “You’re not going to like it. Amy wanted to tell you herself. She’ll get into the nitty-gritty, but I can give you a few details.”

  “It must be bad if you’re willing to leave Ivy when she’s in this condition,” Michael noted.

  “It is.” Jack briefly pressed his hand to his forehead and then calmed himself. “Call Brian and tell him we’re in the woods and to bring backup. I’m guessing Jeff couldn’t park too close to the house because he didn’t want to risk being seen. We still have time. Max knows these woods like the back of his hand.”

  “What Jeff are you talking about?” Max demanded. “I don’t know a Jeff. Unless … you’re not talking about the Jeff from the campground, are you?”

  “I am.” There was no easy way around this, so Jack simply blurted it out. “Jeff killed the woman at the campground. He also killed the woman here. He’s Amy’s husband, has terrorized her for years, and he’s here to kill her. We need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  Max’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Oh, I’m serious. We’re out of time to discuss it, though. We need to get after her. We can’t let him leave this property with her. She won’t survive if he does.”

  Max’s expression matched his future brother-in-law’s. “Then let’s go. We don’t have any time to waste.”

  Eighteen

  Jack didn’t want to leave Ivy, especially since she hadn’t regained consciousness. He had to, though. Amy’s life was on the line.

  He dropped to the floor, pressed a kiss to Ivy’s forehead, and moved his lips close to her ear. “I love you. I’ll be back as soon as I can. You’re going to be okay. I’m going to be okay, too. Susan is here. She’ll lead us to Amy.”

  When he pulled back, he found Michael watching him with curious eyes. “Take care of her.”

  Once back on his feet, he jerked his head for Max to follow. “Let’s go. We need to save your girlfriend.”

  Max was obviously still bewildered, but he nodded without hesitation. “Yeah.” He waited until they were outside, until Jack was scanning the tree line for something only he could see to speak again. “Is she really married to Jeff?”

  “Yes.” Jack nodded at the ghost when he saw her standing on the trail. “This way.” He inclined his head in that direction of the woods. “It’s a long story. Ivy got it out of her this afternoon. Suffice it to say, Jeff is a bad guy and he’s hurt Amy for years. She ran from him, took her son and fled when he wasn’t looking one day, and has been looking over her shoulder ever since.”

  “Her son?” Max slowly shook his head. “I would know if she had a son.”

  “His name is JJ.” Jack increased his pace when Susan started beckoning from in front of them. He had the feeling she was impatient, which didn’t bode well for Amy. “He’s five or six. I don’t think she outright said how old he was. He’s with Caroline right now. When Amy realized what was happening, that Jeff had followed us from the campground, she sent them away to make sure they were safe while she packed.”

  “Packed?” Max wanted nothing more than to slow down and absorb what Jack was telling him. There was no time for that. He recognized the urgency in Jack’s movements and stayed with him even though he felt as if he was muddled in a cloud. “She was packing?”

  Jack didn’t have time to hold Max’s hand. That didn’t mean he didn’t feel sorry for him. “She was afraid. She’s a mother. The most important thing to her is keeping her son safe. Jeff is an abusive jerk who beat her so many times she lost count. He wants that boy … and what sort of man do you think Jeff will create if he has a chance to mold JJ’s mind?”

  “But she was going to leave me, without saying goodbye.”

  “She was. She didn’t want to, though. Once Ivy confronted her, everything spilled out. She was going to tell you all of this tonight, after your parents left. She knew you deserved the truth. She didn’t want to get into everything when your parents were around to absorb it, though. I don’t blame her on that front.”

  “I don’t either. I just … how could she keep this from me?”

  Jack’s patience was wearing thin. “Max, you’re going to get a chance to ask her all of these questions. The thing is, we both know you’re going to forgive. Once you hear her story, you’re going to be angry to the point where you want to hurt someone. The someone you’re going to want to hurt is the one who has your girlfriend right now, though, and I guarantee he’s not going to be treating her well.

  “Look what he did to your sister,” he continued, his temper bubbling up. “I’m going to kill him just for that. Amy is a victim. She might not have always made the best choices, but she’s trying to protect her son. She deserves kudos for that.”

  “I’m not saying she doesn’t,” Max shot back. “It’s just … I don’t know how to absorb all of this. It’s not what I was expecting.”

  “You’re going to have time to absorb it. I promise you that. We need to get to Amy first, though. If he manages to get her in a vehicle and take off … .” He left the sentence hanging because he didn’t want to finish it. The possibilities were simply too horrifying.

  “We have to find her.” Max was firm. “Although … how do you even know where to go?”

  “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  IVY SURFACED QUICKLY, AND WITH A VENGEANCE, back at the cottage. She jerked to a sitting position as consciousness reclaimed her and looked around with wide-eyed terror.

  “Where is he?”

  “Jeff?” Michael was relieved to see her awake and alert, to the point where he wanted to wrap himself around her and act as a protective shield for the foreseeable future. She was his daughter, after all. Even though she was an adult, that didn’t mean he wasn’t game to protect her. “He took Amy. Your brother and Jack have gone after them. I don’t know what direction they’re heading.”

  Ivy did. A familiar face showed her a vision when she was unconscious. “He parked at the nursery,” Ivy volunteered, her head pounding as she rubbed her temple. “He’s heading there now. You need to call Brian and have him meet us there.”

  “Us?” Michael arched an eyebrow. “We’re not going over there. You were just unconsci
ous. I have no problem telling Brian where to go to help Jack and Max, but you’re officially on the sidelines of this one from here on out, young lady.”

  Ivy refused to play that game. “No.” She struggled to her feet, swaying back and forth a bit as she regained her equilibrium. “We’re going to the nursery … and we’re going to take your truck. We need to block off the exit.”

  “You’re not going on an adventure,” Michael barked. “It’s not going to happen.”

  “Oh, it’s going to happen.” She patted his arm in a soothing nature. “The only question is: Are you going to help me or make me go alone?”

  Michael scowled. “We’re going to have a really long talk later tonight. You just wait.” He scrolled through his contacts until he found Brian. “A huge talk, and you’re going to be in trouble.”

  “Believe it or not, I’m looking forward to it.”

  MAX AND JACK WERE OUT of breath when they hit the nursery. Susan motioned them to move faster several times, and Jack knew better than to fight the ghost’s instructions. She knew what she was doing. She’d helped them before. They needed to move faster … so that’s what they did.

  By the time they cut through the center of the property, which was empty and shut down for the day, they realized they were just in time because Jeff was already in the lot, grappling with Amy as she fought him tooth and nail.

  “Stop being like this,” Jeff barked, grabbing a handful of hair and jerking Amy’s head as far as he could.

  She cried out at the sharp pain, tears filling her eyes. She didn’t stop fighting, though. She knew her life depended on it. “I’m not going with you. You can’t make me.”

  “Oh, that’s where you’re wrong.” Jeff almost looked amused that she would dare fight with him. “I can make you do whatever I want. That’s who I am. I’m pretty sure we both came to the same conclusion years ago. Unfortunately, you forgot your lessons and have to go through another tutorial. How sad is that?”