Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3

by Lily Harper Hart

  “That’s the assumption I’m working on,” Brian said. “I don’t think Ivy has ticked off anyone in the past few days – other than you, that is – so that means it has to be because of Kelly.”

  “Who knows she’s out there?”

  “Besides you and me? Just her family.”

  “Someone else has to know,” Jack pressed. “What about the state? When you reported the Gideons, who did you talk to?”

  “I reported the situation to the state police.”

  “Did they ask where Kelly was?”

  “They did. I told them she was in a safe foster care environment until we could get answers from her.”

  “And they were okay with that answer?”

  “They didn’t put up a fight,” Brian said.

  “That means someone either followed Kelly to Ivy’s property or managed to find out some other way,” Jack said.

  “It does.”

  Jack turned and stalked toward the door.

  “Where are you going?” Brian asked, already knowing the answer.

  “You know where.”

  “Try not to kill her,” Brian said. “I’d hate to have to arrest you.”

  “No promises.”

  JACK worked to keep his temper in check as he hopped out of his truck and moved up Ivy’s driveway. Movement drew his attention to the side of her house, and when he strode to the area in question, he found Max busily studying the outside of Ivy’s window.

  “What are you doing?” Jack asked.

  “Trying to figure out how to beef up the security here,” Max said. “Any suggestions?”

  “I have a few ideas,” Jack said. “I need to talk to your sister first. Where is she?”

  Max’s face was unreadable as he looked Jack up and down. “You don’t look well, man. Have you been sleeping?”

  That was a thorny question, and one Jack had no intention of answering. “Where is Ivy?”

  “She’s on the back patio with Kelly,” Max said. “Be forewarned, she’s in a bad mood. I don’t think she slept either.”

  “I don’t doubt that,” Jack said. “I’m going to send Kelly over here to help you, so don’t be surprised when she shows up.” Jack moved around Max and walked in the direction of Ivy’s back yard.

  “Are you and my sister going to scream at each other?”

  “No.”

  “Do you want to scream at her?” Max asked.

  “You have no idea,” Jack said.

  He found Kelly and Ivy drinking iced tea on the patio a few moments later, and Kelly was on her feet and heading in his direction before he had a chance to register her exuberance. She threw her arms around his neck. “Ivy told me you wouldn’t just abandon us.”

  Jack patted Kelly’s back awkwardly. “I wouldn’t do that.” His somber eyes landed on Ivy. She looked as uncomfortable as he felt. “I’ll always come when you’re in trouble, Kelly. Don’t worry about that.”

  “That’s what Ivy said.”

  “Ivy is smarter than she looks sometimes,” Jack said, forcing a grin. “Can you go and help Max with the window? He’s just on the side of the house over here.”

  “Do you want to talk to Ivy alone?” Kelly teased, obviously missing the fraught look on Jack’s face.

  “I do,” Jack said.

  “Are you going to make up?”

  “We’re not fighting.”

  “Ivy said you left without saying goodbye yesterday because she did something to upset you,” Kelly said.

  “I … I wasn’t upset,” Jack said. “I was … sick.”

  “Sick?”

  “I had a stomachache from eating too much pizza.”

  “You’re lying,” Kelly said, not missing a beat. “I’m not going to invade your privacy and ask why, though. Ivy says you don’t like that.” She turned to Ivy. “Is it okay if I go and help Max?”

  Ivy nodded. “Do me a favor and make sure he’s not doing anything goofy.”

  “I can’t do the impossible,” Kelly said, excitedly moving around the side of the house.

  Jack remained where he was until he saw Max greet Kelly and then he moved over to the patio with Ivy. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Ivy said, exhaling wearily as she leaned back in her chair. “How are you?”

  “I’m not here to talk about me,” Jack said. “I’m here to talk about you. Did you see anyone?”

  “No,” Ivy said, shaking her head. “I was asleep … .” Her cheeks colored as she met Jack’s even gaze. “Then I woke up to Kelly shaking me. She was terrified. I put her in the closet and handed her the phone so I could check on it for myself. I didn’t see anyone when I opened the door.”

  “You opened the door?” Jack was already edgy for most of her story, but he practically exploded at this tidbit. “What were you thinking?”

  Ivy shrank back, surprised. “I … .”

  “I didn’t mean to scare you,” Jack said, holding up his hands. “I’m sorry I yelled that loudly. I just … why didn’t you climb into the closet with Kelly? Why did you go looking for trouble?”

  “I wasn’t looking for trouble, you … butthead,” Ivy said, making a face. “I didn’t know if she imagined it. Besides that, I didn’t have anything to protect us in that bedroom. If someone was trying to get in, I needed a knife from the kitchen.”

  “That’s not what you were doing, and don’t call me a butthead, by the way,” Jack said. “You were going to sacrifice yourself to protect Kelly. Don’t even bother denying it.”

  “You are a butthead,” Ivy said, jumping to her feet. “I was trying to do what I thought was right.”

  “Stop calling me that!”

  “Then stop acting like it!”

  Jack crossed his arms over his chest, exhaling heavily through his nose. He sounded like a bull readying to charge, and the thought wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility. He just wasn’t going to charge and gore her. No, he was going to charge at her, grab her by the shoulders, and kiss her senseless. No, wait, where did that come from?

  “I didn’t come here to fight with you,” Jack said, choosing his words carefully.

  “You always come here to fight with me,” Ivy said, her voice softening. “I think you like it.”

  Jack was starting to think he liked it, too. “I … about last night … .”

  “You don’t have to say anything,” Ivy said, waving him off. “I don’t need an apology.”

  Jack made a face. “Who said I was going to apologize? You’re the one who invaded my dreams.”

  “You’re the one who keeps calling me into them.”

  “That’s what you say. How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Jack knew he was being purposely bratty, but he needed to put the crumbling wall to his heart back in place. She was making inroads at a disturbingly high rate of speed, and he was starting to panic.

  Ivy reared back as if she’d been slapped, and Jack immediately regretted his words. “This is why I don’t get involved with anyone,” she said. “I’m weird. Weird things happen to me. It’s all fun and games when men see something different about a woman. It’s something else entirely when they have to deal with it.”

  “Don’t even go there,” Jack said. “That’s not what I was saying.”

  “What were you saying?”

  “Just that … Ivy … I … .” Jack was at a complete loss. He had no idea how to deal with this situation. It was crippling him.

  “I’m sorry you keep calling me into your dreams,” Ivy said, her blue eyes nothing more than dangerous slits. “I don’t know why you’re doing it. You might want to look inside yourself for that answer. I’m not the one doing it.”

  “I’m not magical.”

  “Neither am I.”

  Jack couldn’t put a name to what was going on, but knew that wasn’t the truth. “I think you are.”

  “I think you’re crazy,” Ivy said. “I think you want someone to blame for every crappy thing that’s happening, and I’m just
a convenient target.”

  “That is not true!”

  “Whatever,” Ivy said, placing her hands on her hips. “I am truly sorry you feel I’ve … betrayed you. I know that’s a hot-button issue for you. I am not doing it on purpose. I would never consciously betray you.” Her eyes were glistening with tears, and even as she fought them, Jack’s knees almost buckled. He couldn’t bear to see her cry. “I’m sorry this is happening. I really am. I don’t know how to fix it, though.”

  “Ivy, I’m sorry,” Jack said. “I know this isn’t your fault. I just … I don’t know how to deal with this.”

  “That makes two of us.”

  Jack pressed his lips together and turned to the horizon, where the sun was high in the sky and yet shadows still shrouded his heart. “Why didn’t you call me?” He hadn’t meant for the question to come out like an accusation, but the look on Ivy’s face told him that’s exactly how she was taking it.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You were in trouble last night,” Jack said. “You called Brian. Why didn’t you call me?”

  “I … .” Now Ivy was the one at a loss for words. “You stormed off. You were angry with me. I didn’t know how you would feel about me calling. I just … reacted.”

  “You saw me after I left, though,” Jack said. “I still don’t know how, but you were in my dream. You told me you were waking up. I was relieved at the time. I don’t understand why you didn’t call me when you were in trouble.”

  “Maybe because I don’t want you to feel you have to save me,” Ivy said. “You’ve been very clear about how you feel. You don’t … want me. I can’t keep calling you because then you’ll think I’m trying to force a situation that I’m not.”

  “I wouldn’t think that.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  They were at a crossroads. This was Jack’s chance to walk away. “When you’re in trouble, you need to call me. I don’t care whatever cockamamie girl-power idea you have swimming through that crazy head of yours. I can’t bear it if something happens to you. When something bad happens, you damned well better call me from here on out.”

  “Don’t tell me what to do,” Ivy warned, irritably tapping her bare foot on the patio. “You’re not the boss of me.”

  “Oh, stuff it,” Jack said.

  Ivy’s face was murderous. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard what I said.”

  “I don’t have to stand here and take this,” Ivy said.

  “So, why are you?”

  “Because … well … this is my property. If anyone should leave, it’s you.”

  “I’m not leaving,” Jack said. “In fact, I’m going to go help Max make sure this house is secure. How do you like them apples?”

  “You’re a butthead.”

  “I’ve heard.” Jack couldn’t help but enjoy watching the hot flush creeping up her neck. He knew it was more than anger fueling her. He wondered if she realized it, too.

  “I don’t need you to keep my house safe,” Ivy said. “I don’t want you here.”

  “I don’t remember asking what you wanted,” Jack said.

  “I … you … we … you’re a butthead!” Ivy had nothing else to do now but make a dramatic exit. Jack watched her storm into the house with a small smile. When he turned his head back to the side of Ivy’s house, he found Max and Kelly staring at him.

  “That sounds like it went well,” Max said.

  “Your sister is a lunatic.”

  “She is,” Max agreed. “I’m starting to think you’re one, too.”

  “I am perfectly sane.”

  “That’s why you’re smiling because you sent her over the edge,” Max said.

  “I’m doing no such thing,” Jack said. “She needed a good talking to. She has to know going after a possible intruder in the middle of the night is not allowed.”

  “Hmm,” Max said, his tongue in his cheek. “Is that why you were upset? I thought it had more to do with the fact that she called Brian instead of you.”

  “I … how long were you listening?”

  “You guys don’t do anything quietly,” Max said. “We heard most of it.”

  “How much is that?”

  “Some of it we didn’t understand,” Max conceded. “I’m not sure what the dream stuff is, but it sounds like you two have quite a bit going on these days.”

  “Just let it go,” Jack said. “Let’s go have a look at all the windows and doors. I’m not leaving this house until I know it’s safe.”

  “Yes, sir,” Max said, clicking his heels together and mock saluting.

  “It’s cuter when your sister does it,” Jack said, moving toward the side of the house. “Let’s start over here and work our way around.”

  Kelly’s hand shot out as Jack moved past her, timidly grabbing his forearm. Jack stilled, lifting his eyebrows as Kelly nervously regarded him.

  “What’s wrong, kid?” Jack asked, forcing himself to remain calm even though Ivy still had his stomach twisted in knots.

  “When I woke her up last night she said something.”

  Jack waited.

  “She said she had to get back to you,” Kelly said. “She was frantic about it.”

  Jack’s face softened. “Okay,” he said. “I … I’ll deal with that. Don’t worry about Ivy. She’s just persnickety. She’ll calm down in a little bit.”

  “She likes you,” Kelly said.

  “She’s got a funny way of showing it.”

  “She’s scared you’re going to break her heart,” Kelly said.

  Jack cocked an eyebrow. “Did she tell you that?”

  “No. Sometimes you can just tell things by looking at people, though. When she looks at you, she’s scared. When you look at her, you’re scared. Maybe you guys should stop fighting things separately because it makes you scared. If you fight them together, who knows, you might find some courage.”

  Jack was dumbfounded as he watched Kelly shuffle down the side of the house. When he lifted his face, he found Max staring at him.

  “Out of the mouths of babes,” Max said.

  “Oh, don’t you start,” Jack said. “Come on. Let’s make sure this house is secure. I have a feeling whoever came here last night isn’t going to stop after one try.”

  Twelve

  “Fancy meeting you here.”

  Jack glanced up from the beer he was nursing at Denny’s Bar several hours later, surprised to see Max sliding onto the stool next to him. This was his first time frequenting a drinking establishment since relocating to Shadow Lake, and he was expecting to wallow alone.

  “Did you follow me?” Jack asked, arching an eyebrow.

  “No,” Max said. “I come here three nights a week. The female clientele misses me when I don’t show up.” Max winked at two blonde women sitting in a nearby booth. When they started giggling, Max shot Jack a knowing look. “See.”

  “Wow,” Jack said, making a face. “It’s like you’re a dating guru or something.”

  “Don’t make fun of my dating prowess,” Max said. “I’m a legend around these parts.” He focused on the owner behind the bar. “How’s it going, Denny?”

  “Well, I’m still alive,” Denny said, the light from the top of the mirror at the back of the bar glancing off his bald head. “I consider that a good day.”

  “It sounds like it,” Max said, grinning. “I’ll have whatever is on tap.”

  The two men sat in silence until Denny delivered Max’s drink and ambled farther down the bar to wait on several other customers. While Jack was happy with the silence, Max was not.

  “Do you want to tell me what’s going on with you and my sister?”

  “Nothing is going on,” Jack said, tracing his finger through a line of condensation on the bar top. “I wish people would stop assuming something is going on.”

  “You know why people assume that, right?”

  “Because this town is the size of my shoes and they have nothing better to do?”

&n
bsp; Max barked out a hoarse laugh. “Partially. They also assume it because no one can be in the general vicinity of you and Ivy and not feel the fireworks when you look at each other.”

  “Ugh.” Jack made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “That is such crap. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fond of your sister. She says what she thinks, and she means what she says. I don’t have feelings for her, though.”

  “You keep telling yourself that,” Max said. “Maybe you’ll believe it in about fifty years or so.”

  “Whatever.” Jack averted his eyes from Max’s probing gaze.

  “My sister is just as guilty as you are in this situation,” Max said. “Don’t think I’m taking her side and blaming this all on you.”

  “Your sister is a piece of work.”

  “She’s definitely a piece of work,” Max agreed. “She’s also one of the best people I know.”

  Jack swallowed hard. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

  “I want you to tell me why you’re so desperate to stay away from my sister,” Max said. “I want you tell me what happened to you.”

  Jack stilled. “What do you mean? What did your sister tell you?”

  Max held up his hands, warding off Jack’s potential fury. “She didn’t tell me anything,” he said. “Well, that’s not entirely true. When I was teasing her about having a crush on you, she said you’d been through something terrible and there was no way you could have feelings for her so I should let it go.”

  “She didn’t tell you what happened to me?”

  “No. Why do you think I’m asking you?”

  “I have no idea,” Jack admitted, hanging his head. “I can’t … get her out of my head. Literally. She’s in my head.”

  “She has an annoying habit of being able to do that,” Max said.

  “No, that’s not what I mean,” Jack said. He glanced around the bar to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Other than the girls in the booth, who were staring at the two men like they were hamburgers and they hadn’t eaten in weeks, no one was paying attention to them, though. “Has your sister ever … I don’t know … shown you that she has actual magical powers?”

  Max practically spewed the beer he was sipping out of his mouth. “What?”

  “Does she have … abilities … that she’s not telling anyone about?”