Brother's Keeper V: Wylie (the complete series BOX SET): NEW RELEASE + Series Box SET included!

by Stephanie St. Klaire

  “Tell us about the bodies, Ivy,” Dace coaxed. “They need to hear it.”

  Her head lightly bobbed, and she continued. “There was a man lying on the ground near the bush next to the back step. Maybe he was hard to see at first because his clothes blended with the piece of earth he was sprawling? But I finally saw him. I also saw the man on the ground in the driveway between two SUVs. If I ducked down just right, I had a clear view of the ground underneath the vehicle he was behind. He was so still, and at that moment, the realization struck me. He was dead. They both were. I scanned the property and saw two more people on the ground. I have no idea if they were dead or alive, but I know how still they were. So still.

  “I had to get inside, and the only way to get in undetected was by following the tree line to the front of the property and ducking behind a white picket fence.” Ivy snorted. “White picket fence and bodies everywhere – such a contradiction, right? I made it in. Turned out I didn’t need to be so careful. There wasn’t anyone there. Everyone was dead. Inside and out. There was blood everywhere. Bodies everywhere. I nearly passed out from the horrific sight and panic that overwhelmed me. It didn’t seem real. Ya know?”

  “I’m sure that was hard for you.” Wylie couldn’t help but feel compassionate for her. They’d all witnessed some of the most devastating encounters, and though it’d been more often than not, given their line of work, it was still hard to see and hear. Ivy hadn’t lived that kind of life – not until now.

  “Hard? Yeah. I guess that’s a good word for it – hard.” She forced a small smile, trying to appreciate the sentiment, but it felt so out of place. “I ran to Cash’s room, and he wasn’t there. I searched every room, every hiding place, and then I did it again…and again. He was gone. While looking for him, I found my father’s glasses, broken and lying in a pool of blood. His phone was there too, the screen cracked. He was gone. Given the number of bodies left, I have to assume they are both alive, or they would have left them? Right? They would have left them there…for me to see. I would have found them. Right?”

  Dace’s anger toward Ivy subsided at the sound of her voice cracking and the tears welling. She was reliving her nightmare once again – this was what those night terrors were born of. He tabled the anger and chose to feel – feel her loss, feel his own.

  “I think you’re right,” he said, knowing it was dangerous to offer false hopes, but this was different. This was their real life, and though there was a chance they were murdered and she either didn’t find their bodies or did and chose to suppress the memory, he needed her to stay mentally healthy and support her through what was likely the hardest thing she’ll ever experience. “If they’re out there, we will find them.”

  Her brow flicked up for a moment, and a slight nod followed. “Yeah. That’s what I was hoping. I knew you could help. That you would find them. They’re all I’ve had for years now. I gave up everything for just those two – my only living family. I knew you’d be the one to help me.” Remembering Eli was seated to her right, she quickly recovered to include him by placing her hand on his. “Help us. You both will. I know it.”

  There wasn’t much confidence in the sentiment, and Dace wasn’t sure if it was a lack of belief or sheer exhaustion. Perhaps it was both. Ivy had been carrying such a heavy weight for days, weeks even. Finally sharing her secret had to feel equally freeing and defeating. Freeing because she was able to gain help and support in her time of need. Defeating because despite letting her secret out, the fear remained. Anyone who knew her story was now in danger. Just like she was.

  “We’re missing something. One of you” — Dace looked at both Ivy and Eli — “left something out.”

  “I told you everything, Dace.” She murmured in desperation, “I promise you. You know everything now.”

  “No. You didn’t. Who is your father hiding you from? For years, who has he had you running from?”

  Eli cleared his throat. “You.”

  17

  Even Ivy looked at him in utter shock.

  “Pfft. Us?” Wylie, like his brothers, was on the immediate defensive. “Why would anyone need to hide from us? We aren’t the bad guys here. We hunt the bad guys. Not to sound cliché, but we’re the fucking good guys.”

  “Not to a criminal. You’re the enemy.” Eli couldn’t look at Ivy at that point. Not after what he’d just said. “Everyone in…our line of work knows who you are, especially people like him. The kind that are connected so deeply on both sides of the law they’re able to skate through everything…except you. You’re the one roadblock for his kind because you too have connections on both sides too. Some that are bigger and more powerful than his. Hell, you have your own small army. He knows what you’re capable of.”

  “My father isn’t a criminal, Eli. Why would you say that? He’s just like you, like Dace and the rest. He’s one of the good ones. It’s his enemies, the people he’s a threat to because he’ll take them out, who are after us and the reason we’ve had to stay on the run for so long.” Ivy tried to resist the emotion brewing but couldn’t stop the quake in her voice as she tried to right what she thought was a very wrong perception. “He was kidnapped and may not even be alive still – there was so much blood… It was the criminals he fights who did this. They took him and Cash. Maybe his enemies are also your enemies and it was a means to stop you from…from infiltrating something. He has done nothing but protect us. Hired you to do so. How could you turn on him like this?”

  “Was he? Did you actually see it happen? He never told you who he was protecting you from because it was him. He wasn’t protecting you. He was using you and protecting himself.

  “I know this is hard to wrap your mind around, and I wish I was wrong, but after years…years of watching this man in play, I know what and who he is.” Eli went on. “The only reason I stayed and played the game was to protect you and Cash. If it weren’t for the two of you, I’d have done something about him and his activities much sooner. And not doing so will now be my biggest regret.”

  “I don’t understand…”

  “Ivy, I’ve studied him, his colleagues, their behaviors and activities as closely as I could over the years. It’s taken time, but I’ve pieced together a not so pretty picture of who he is and what his intentions are, and they aren’t good. Telling you before now would only have made it harder to keep you safe.”

  “Because you think I would have confronted him…”

  “I know you would have. You are everything he is not: good, kind, honest. You would have wanted answers and justice, and that would have only led you one step closer to your own grave. My silence, where your father was concerned, was the best way to keep you safe.”

  Wylie carried on the idea Eli was trying to convey. “Keep your enemies closer… Isn’t that how the saying goes?”

  “Precisely.” Eli nodded to Wylie.

  Dace didn’t like hearing his fiancée and child were used as pawns for some sick game, but he didn’t mind the distance this was putting between Eli and Ivy and felt guilty as fuck for that. Enough was enough, and he needed to get to the next phase of bullshit if they were going to make any progress.

  “Okay. But why us? Why would he hide her from us like he has? We weren’t privy to his extracurriculars here. He wasn’t even on our radar because we thought he was dead,” Dace asked.

  “Why wouldn’t he? You’re enemy number one. The one agency that can hinder his activities. You’re the largest threat to anyone in his field. He knows exactly who you are, and what you are capable of. He has inside and outside information on you – he has to. Your resources are endless and worldwide, meaning you never lose. The odds were against him, and being engaged to his daughter, you were far too close to home. It was only a matter of time before you were on to him and hunting him.”

  Dace let out a deep sigh. The idea of it being his fault that Ivy was missing from his life didn’t settle well for obvious reasons. Not knowing his son simply because of who he was made him qu
estion everything.

  “Why hide her, though? It sounds like their relations were few and far between. He hasn’t been active in her life since her disappearance – just sporadic visits. So why not just disappear himself? As it is, he’s already on the run himself. Why involve her and…my son?”

  “Bargaining chips, I would imagine,” Eli deadpanned. “He had something in his back pocket to save his own ass if you got too close.”

  “He’d hold them over my head,” Dace said.

  “You’re a threat, so I’d imagine so. He knows you. Knows you’re loyal. Knows you’d take a bullet for anyone you love – like his daughter.”

  “So he thinks I can be bought,” Dace said.

  “Essentially. Can’t everyone on some level? You may not take a fat offshore account in trade for silence and looking the other way, but you’d at least slow your roll if you knew her life was on the line. And then add in a child you didn’t even know about?”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  “My father…” Ivy stared into her hands like the answers she needed to reconcile these thoughts and accusations resided there. She hesitated to finish her thought because she couldn’t complete it. “My father would never… I can’t imagine him… None of this makes sense… He…”

  “Maybe it’s time for Ivy to head upstairs and rest for a bit,” Wylie chimed in. Seeing her pain didn’t bring any of them solace. “This was a lot to take in, darlin’.”

  Dace nodded in understanding. As angry as he was with her, it brought him no comfort to see her world spinning as it was. Standing, he helped her to her feet, then guided her to the door after he sent a quick text. “Let’s get you on the elevator. Carly will meet you upstairs and help you get settled in. I’ll be up in a bit, okay?”

  Ivy just nodded. She didn’t look at anyone in the room, much less say anything.

  Dace hit the button, calling for the elevator at the end of the hall, and took the moment alone with her to say something, anything that may bring her relief. “I’m going to find him because I want to meet him and get to know him. I promise you that. I won’t let anything happen to him, not on my watch.”

  Ivy fell into Dace’s chest and began to weep. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I didn’t know these things about…”

  “Shhh. It’s okay. We’re going to figure this out, okay? I hope Eli is wrong about your dad too, but if he isn’t, we’ll figure that out too. Okay? You’re not in this alone. Not anymore.”

  “I thought I was protecting both you and Cash, Dace. I thought we’d be able to come back eventually when whoever was after my father was put away. I had no idea my father was the threat all along. That can’t be, right? It can’t be him. He was looking out for all of us.”

  “I don’t know, honey. But we’re going to find out, and no matter what, when all of this is done…our son will be back with us and safe. He’ll never be in harm’s way again, I can promise you that.”

  The doors to the elevator opened, and the two stepped on, taking the short ride a handful of floors up. Dace kissed the top of Ivy’s head before pushing the button to her floor.

  When the elevator dinged, alerting them that they’d reached the requested floor, Dace said, “I mean it, Ivy. He’s coming home.”

  Carly was waiting when the doors opened, and she took a tearful Ivy into her arms. “It’s been a really long day. Let’s get you taken care of and ready for bed, sweetheart. You need your rest and have some healing to do.”

  Carly nodded to Dace and offered a sweet, sympathetic smile – she knew. One of the guys must have sent up a text to prepare her so Dace wouldn’t have to explain with Ivy standing right there. It was a fucked-up situation, and no one needed to make it any worse than it was. Ivy looked back over her shoulder, making eye contact with Dace just as the doors to the elevator were closing. There wasn’t a word shared between them, but they each knew exactly where the other's mind was — on each other, and their son.

  18

  “Gannon,” Dace said, surprised to see Toby in the lair when he returned. “You must have something, or you wouldn’t be here?”

  “Yes and no,” Gannon said. “The boys were catching me up while we waited for you.”

  “I was gone for five minutes.”

  “Liam looped me in on the conference, and I heard most of it on my way over. You need all hands on deck?” he asked.

  Dace stood at the head of the room. “All the hands we can get without compromising other cases.”

  “We’re pretty tight right now,” Wylie said. “We need bodies and intel.”

  “I can get you bodies. The club is always at your disposal,” Gannon said, referring to the MC. “We run our own show, but at the end of the day, we’re still Keepers.”

  “Appreciate the support. I think the club is exactly what we need right now for a part of this. Eli, we need more. What were you holding back while Ivy was down here?”

  “I gave you most of it. That’s the shit part. I have theories and suspicions but no facts or evidence. I just know whatever he’s into is big, and he’s feeling pressure somewhere.”

  “Any idea who’s putting pressure on him? Got a theory for that?” Dace asked.

  “I don’t know.” Eli ran his laced fingers over his head in frustration. “I don’t fucking know.”

  “Okay.” Dace added a sense of calm in hopes it would bring Eli down enough to dig deeper. “Let’s take what you do know and see if we can build a profile or maybe come up with a starting point.”

  “This last trip was different. He was more agitated and reckless. He wasn’t being careful about what he said around me.”

  “Now, was that intentional because this was all a setup with hopes you’d go running off with details as a distraction? Or was it a real threat eating away at him?”

  “That’s just it, Dace. I couldn’t tell you either way. The man is clearly a psychopath and can play any role he needs to. I’m leaning toward a setup. I’m sure he wanted me to hear some of it. But then, there were things I picked up when I know he hadn’t a clue I was on the other side of the door.”

  “Let’s start there.”

  “He said make a trade or exchange. It wasn’t entirely clear. Whoever was on the other end of the phone was pissing him off. He also said, now you got me involved, and I’ll be there for the drop or I’ll get the drop maybe? Whatever it was, he wasn’t supposed to be there and was pissed he had to step into whatever was going sideways on him.”

  “Could it have been about Cash or Ivy?” Dace asked. “Was he negotiating how he was going to use them?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine, mate.”

  “Mate?” Gannon questioned. “British?”

  “No,” Eli said with distaste but didn’t correct Gannon.

  “Aussie then,” Gannon corrected.

  “What? Nooo.” Eli was seemingly offended by the suggestion. But again, he didn’t correct the man or give away anything. “Can we stay on task here?”

  With tight glaring eyes, Toby Gannon leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs and watched Eli with a look of distrust. He gestured for Eli to continue.

  “If he was using them, Dace. I don’t know how or for what. I still firmly believe he keeps them under his watch because of you and this place.” He pointed at Gannon. “You have your own bloody MC even. As I said earlier, your resources scare him.”

  “I doubt he’s afraid of our club,” Gannon said. “We don’t get into shit like these guys do. We keep shit clean and legit. I jump on board when I’m called up, but the club…no.”

  “The point is, he knows you all have people everywhere. He has to, or he wouldn’t have spent the past several years working toward whatever he has planned and using his own daughter and grandson to guarantee passage, so to speak.” Eli spoke. “I was able to track a few of the men I’ve seen over the years, but nothing solid. A few associates from various government agencies…”

  “Wait, he’s entertaining associates in the home he
’s hiding his daughter in? Last I checked, that isn’t how witness protection works.” Dace felt a clue coming. They were close, and he knew it. “Who were they? Who were you able to track down?”

  “I don’t recall names, but I can get them. I know one was from the defense department.”

  Dace’s expression went slack. “What the fuck?”

  “Get me the names, if you will,” Carter asked of Eli. “I’ll do some digging on my end. Defense department mingling in a WITSEC safe house? That doesn’t happen.”

  “I’ll get you everything I have, Carter.”

  Dace turned his attention to Gannon. “What did you find? Something tells me these two worlds are about to merge.”

  “Well, not too much. I can tell you there’s some shit on the street that shouldn’t be. We didn’t okay it and aren’t sure where it’s coming from exactly. It’s new, expensive, and whoever owns it doesn’t know that shit is controlled and goes through us. Either that, or they don’t care, and I don’t know which is worse.”

  “If it’s small drug trade, I’d know about it, but we don’t have any new players on the radar,” C.T. said, referring to the Portland Police. He pulled out his notepad, and said, “But if it’s on my streets, I need to get a team on it. Do you have anything else on it?”

  “I don’t. The trail goes cold. I have some dude saying it’s the guys that’ve been running on him, hijacking his territory. Black SUVs, heavy accents…that’s all I got. The dude was spooked when he rolled on them, and they pulled out some heavy artillery. My informant ran.”

  “That’s why he’s willing to roll on them. He wants you to clean house so he gets his mom and pop operation back on the streets.”