Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3

by Lily Harper Hart

An Ivy Morgan Mystery

  Book Three

  Lily Harper Hart

  One

  “I can’t believe we’re finally doing this.”

  Jack Harker glanced down at Ivy Morgan, the pink streaks in her dark hair glowing under the fading sunshine, and smiled. If he didn’t know better he would think she was nervous. Since she was generally mouthy and opinionated, it was an interesting shift in her typically boisterous personality.

  He reached over and snagged her hand, squeezing it gently as they moved down Bellaire’s quiet street. This was their first official date. Sure, they’d already kissed so many times Jack thought his lips were going to catch fire, and they’d even slept cuddled up on the same couch for a few nights, but this was the real beginning. This was the big moment. This was the night that would change everything. Okay, if he was being internally truthful, maybe Ivy wasn’t the only one suffering from a case of the nerves.

  “Are you regretting agreeing to go out with me?” Jack asked, studying the soft planes of her face as she shifted to look at him.

  “Why would you ask that?” Ivy was confused. “Did you change your mind?”

  Jack sighed. He didn’t blame her for being worried. He’d made it clear from the moment he moved to Shadow Lake – a small town in northern Lower Michigan – and taken up residence as one of the town’s only full-time police officers that he wasn’t interested in romance. That decree lasted until the first moment he saw Ivy. He fought her pull as long as he could, but finally he realized it would be easier to accept what he was feeling and give the relationship a chance rather than fight the inevitable. And that’s how he felt. Falling for Ivy wasn’t something he could run from because it was already happening. It was inevitable. Of course, she still worried that he was going to flee the moment things got difficult, so he was constantly nudging her away from that assumption

  “I thought we talked about this, Ivy,” Jack said, his voice calm. “I know you’re … nervous … about giving this a shot. I’m terrified, to tell you the truth. That doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind. Quite frankly I’m more worried about you changing your mind now than anything else.”

  Ivy worried her bottom lip with her teeth as she mulled the words. “I don’t want you to think that I don’t want this, because I do,” she said. “I just … I’m pretty sure I don’t want a broken heart and I think you’re going to give me one if you’re not sure that this is what you want.”

  Jack rolled his eyes. They’d been over this very thing five different times in a one-week period. Jack asked Ivy out to dinner in a neighboring town because Shadow Lake was small enough for their date to be considered evening news material. He wanted a chance to enjoy her company without everyone staring at them like they were trapped in a fishbowl. Since he issued the invitation, she’d called so many times to make sure the date was still on he wanted to shake her. One of the things he loved most about her was her self-confidence. She wasn’t exuding any of that right now.

  “Ivy, I want to start over,” Jack said, changing tactics. “I want you to forget everything I said when I came to town about not wanting a relationship. That was crap.”

  “It wasn’t crap,” Ivy argued. “You were very adamant and you kept warning me to stay away from you … even though I’d like to point out that you kept hanging around me.”

  Jack smirked. There she was. He loved that mouth … in more ways than one. “I was adamant,” he conceded. “You managed to completely throw me off, though. So, if you want clarification, now I’m saying that I don’t want a relationship with anyone but you. Does that make you happy?”

  Ivy wrinkled her nose, her expression adorable enough to flip Jack’s heart. He had no idea how she managed to turn him into a mushy pile of goo every time he was around her, but he had a sneaking suspicion that was part of her magic.

  “I don’t want to start over,” Ivy said, stubborn as usual. “You can’t go back in time. You can only go forward.”

  Jack stilled in the middle of the sidewalk and fixed Ivy with a hard look. “Do you want to go forward with me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then stop complaining,” Jack ordered, although his eyes twinkled. “You being so nervous makes me nervous and we’re not going to have a good time if we’re both freaking out. Don’t you want to have a good time?”

  “Well, since you actually made reservations at the only restaurant in town that serves vegetarian entrees … and you dressed up … and you smell really good … I guess it’s fair to say that I want to have a good time,” Ivy replied.

  Jack smirked. “I smell really good?”

  “Don’t let it go to your head,” Ivy warned. “Maybe you just smell really bad every other day of the week.”

  Jack took Ivy by surprised when he tugged on their joined hands and pulled her to him, their bodies forced together by the action. He ran his hand down the back of her head and rubbed his nose against her soft cheek. She smelled good, too … like peaches. “I don’t think I believe you,” he whispered, grinning when she involuntarily shivered. “I think you like how I smell every day of the week.”

  “I think you’re full … .”

  Ivy didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence because Jack’s soft lips covered her mouth. She returned the kiss, sighing into his mouth as he held her close for a moment. When they parted, her face was flushed.

  “Why did you do that?” Ivy asked, her voice low.

  “Because I didn’t want it hanging over our heads all night,” Jack answered. “We’re both nervous. We’re both … excited. I wanted to do that so we wouldn’t worry about it all night. Don’t you feel more relaxed?”

  Ivy’s sea-blue eyes widened. “Actually, now I’m thinking about you being naked.”

  Jack barked out a coarse laugh. She wasn’t afraid of saying anything that came to her mind. He absolutely loved that about her. “I’ve been thinking about that since I met you,” he said. “Why don’t we start with dinner?”

  Ivy graced him with a beautiful smile. “Then maybe we can go for a walk,” she suggested. “I love downtown Bellaire and they have a great ice cream shop.”

  “You had me at ice cream, honey,” Jack said. He knew that wasn’t true, though. She’d had him since the moment their eyes locked.

  “THIS is a nice place,” Jack said, scanning the romantic restaurant before flipping the menu open. “Is everything here vegetarian?”

  Ivy pursed her lips. Jack was a carnivore. It didn’t especially bother her even though she didn’t eat meat and considered herself adventurous when choosing food options. Still, she was trying to get a feeling about his preferences in case she wanted to cook a meal for the two of them in the future. “Do you like anything vegetarian?”

  “I like you,” Jack replied, causing Ivy’s cheeks to burn when he shot her a seductive smile.

  “You know what I mean,” Ivy said, tamping down her raging hormones. “We really don’t know that much about each other.”

  “That’s not true at all,” Jack replied. “While this is technically our first date, we’ve been hanging out in dreams for almost three weeks now. I think we know a lot about each other.”

  Ivy stilled. She was still getting a handle on the dream walking. She was a spiritual naturalist, taking a lot of her beliefs from the Wiccan faith and making up the rest as she went along. Her aunt Felicity was a full-blown witch, boasting the power to read auras and even cast the occasional spell when she felt like it. Ivy never thought about magic until she found herself visiting Jack’s dreams.

  They’d fought off his nightmares together – memories of being shot by his partner on a Detroit street haunting him – and then they’d proceeded to picnic, fish, and take walks in the woods. After an initial freakout regarding the shared dreams, Jack seemed fine with Ivy’s presence in his head … mostly because Ivy informed him that he was the one calling to her without realizing he was doing it. Now he found joy in the dreams, and she couldn’t help but share his enthusiasm d
espite her inner misgivings that he would grow to dislike them.

  “I liked the dream you had last night,” Ivy said, tracing her fork with a shaky finger. “I didn’t know that Detroit had such beautiful scenery.”

  Jack snorted. “I don’t think that most people who live in the city find the Detroit River beautiful,” he said. “I wanted to show it to you, though. I spent a lot of time in that area when I lived down there.”

  “How come we couldn’t fish? You usually want to fish because you claim it relaxes you.”

  “Because anything you pull out of the Detroit River is poisonous,” Jack answered. “It would’ve literally killed you to eat it.”

  Ivy chuckled. “It was a dream. We wouldn’t really have been eating it. You know that, right?”

  Jack shrugged, nonplussed. “We’re not really kissing in those dreams either and it still feels real to me.”

  Ivy pursed her lips. “You’re trying to make me uncomfortable.”

  “No, I’m trying to get you hot and bothered,” Jack shot back. “There’s a difference.” He was charming when he felt like it, and now was one of those times. “The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable. I don’t think you’re really uncomfortable, though. I think you’re embarrassed because the dreams make you emotionally vulnerable. There’s a difference.”

  Emotionally vulnerable? Ivy frowned. “I think you’re as vulnerable in those dreams as I am.”

  “I think I’m more vulnerable in those dreams than you are,” Jack countered. “I’m okay with that because … you never push me. You have a lot of different types of magic, Ivy. I think that’s your neatest trick, though.”

  Ivy’s heart clenched. “I … .”

  “Oh, wow, I’ve rendered you speechless,” Jack teased. “That has to be a first.”

  Ivy struggled to collect herself. “I think you like pushing my buttons,” she said. “You like to fight, don’t you?”

  “I like to fight with you,” Jack clarified. “You get my heart racing when you fight. I have no idea how to explain it.”

  Ivy didn’t know how to explain it either. He had the exact same effect on her, though. “You never answered my question,” she said finally. “Do you like vegetarian food?”

  “Well, so far you’ve only made me a few things and I’ve thought each and every one of them was delicious. I guess that means I like vegetarian food … or maybe I just like the woman who made that food for me. Either way, I guess I like it.”

  Ivy smiled. She couldn’t help herself. “You make me want to kiss you.”

  “Oh, honey, you’re going to have to wait until we get our ice cream to do that,” Jack said, leaning forward. “This isn’t the type of establishment where you can make out with me. You’re going to have to control your hormones.”

  Ivy’s smile tipped upside down. “I’m going to show you my hormones. Just you wait and see what my hormones are going to do to you.” It took Ivy a moment to realize what she said. “Wait … that might’ve come out wrong.”

  “Oh, no,” Jack said, his smile mischievous. “You can’t take it back now. I’m looking forward to seeing your hormones. I think they’re going to get along well with my hormones.”

  Ivy leaned back in her chair, flustered. He was the only man who could do this to her. “You’re going to have to buy me a big ice cream cone for dessert if you want to see my hormones. You know that, right?”

  “I’ll buy you an ice cream truck if that’s the case,” Jack said. “For now, though, you’re going to have to focus on your dinner and keep your hands to yourself.”

  Ivy slitted her eyes and lowered her voice. “I’m going to make you pay after dinner.”

  “I’m looking forward to it.”

  “WELL, that was a new experience,” Jack said, his fingers linked with Ivy’s as they strolled down the sidewalk two hours later. Night was upon them – a happy and flirtatious dinner in their rearview mirror – and yet Jack felt no inclination to end their date anytime soon. He was comfortable in Ivy’s presence … even when the mere touch of her skin sent his heart fluttering.

  “You didn’t have to get the eggplant just because I did,” Ivy said, smiling at the memory of Jack’s face as he sampled his entrée. “You put on a good act for what it’s worth. I could tell right away you didn’t like it and yet you ate every bit.”

  “I didn’t dislike it,” Jack clarified. “It was just … different.”

  “Different good, or different bad?”

  “I like things that are different,” Jack said, affectionately tugging on a strand of Ivy’s two-toned hair. “That should be obvious. If you want to know the truth, though, I probably wouldn’t order eggplant again.”

  “I guess I’ll take that off the menu options next time I cook for you.”

  “I didn’t know you were planning on cooking for me,” Jack said. “In that case, you can make whatever you want. You can be assured I will eat it and love it.”

  “I think you’re just saying that because you know I’m not going to keep my hands to myself now that dinner is over,” Ivy teased. She was feeling playful.

  “I’m saying that because whatever you make tends to be delicious just because you made it,” Jack replied, guileless. “Although, if you wanted to make steak and potatoes I can guarantee I’ll like that.”

  Ivy snorted. “You’re a meat and potatoes guy, aren’t you?”

  “I like to think I’m more than one thing,” Jack said, pulling Ivy closer. “I do like a good steak, though.” He lowered his lips to Ivy’s again, taking his time and offering her a sweet kiss that was full of promise. His eyes were heavy-lidded and thoughtful when he finally pulled away. “Where is this ice cream place?”

  “Huh?” Ivy was still lost in the kiss.

  Jack snickered. “You’ve got a moony look on your face. I like it. I … .”

  The sound of loud bangs filled the night, cutting him off. One … two … three shots rang out. Jack knew them for what they were without blinking an eye. He shoved Ivy in front of him, pressing her against the nearby building and instinctively sheltering her with his body.

  It took Jack a moment to clear his head, memories of his own near-fatal shooting flooding his mind. After that things snapped into place quickly. The shots weren’t being fired at the couple. In fact, they weren’t even originating from their street. They were around the corner.

  Jack took a tentative step back, allowing Ivy to face him, her features drawn and ashen.

  “What … ?”

  “Stay here, Ivy,” Jack ordered, moving away from her.

  “Was that gunshots?” Ivy was obviously confused.

  “I have to go and check on that,” Jack said. “I … stay here, Ivy. I’ll be back for you. I promise.”

  With those words he disappeared around the corner, leaving Ivy alone with nothing but her fear to keep her company.

  Two

  Ivy pressed her fingertips against the cold brick exterior of Bellaire’s pizza parlor, silently counting the seconds since Jack left.

  One. It probably wasn’t gunshots.

  Two. Jack only assumed it was gunshots because of his past … and nightmares.

  Three. It was much more likely that kids were playing with firecrackers than for someone to be shooting a gun in downtown Bellaire.

  Four. Someone could be dead.

  Five. Jack might be in trouble.

  Ivy started moving without realizing what she was doing, quickening her pace as she rounded the corner. It took her a moment to focus, the limited light being thrown off by the nearby streetlights causing her to narrow her eyes to make out the scene. Jack was on his knees in the middle of the street, his back to her as he studied something on the ground in front of him. An invisible icy hand squeezed Ivy’s heart as she broke into a run.

  “Jack!”

  Jack swiveled quickly, surprised by her appearance. “Ivy, go back!”

  Ivy shook her head, not stopping until she was next to Jack and cou
ld see why he was in the middle of the street. A young man was down on the ground, his eyes sightless as they faced the sky. He was wearing one of Bellaire’s telltale police uniforms, the shirt darkening with blood from a chest wound. He was dead. Ivy was sure of that. Jack still applied pressure to the wound with one hand as he used the other to cradle the phone next to his ear and bark out orders.

  “We need an ambulance here now,” Jack bellowed. “Officer down!”

  Ivy pushed Jack’s hand away and replaced it with her own so he could relay the information to the 911 operator without distraction. She pushed down on the wound, knowing it was doing absolutely no good, and waited for Jack to get off the phone. After a few more tense orders Jack disconnected and leaned in closer.

  “How is he?”

  “He’s gone,” Ivy said quietly.

  “He’s just unconscious,” Jack said, his voice cracking. “I … .”

  “It’s okay, Jack,” Ivy said, trying to sooth him as she kept her hands on the police officer’s chest. “I’ve got him. I won’t leave him.”

  Jack dejectedly sat on the ground and watched Ivy until police and emergency personnel arrived. There was nothing else he could do.

  “SO YOU heard the shots and ran into danger?”

  Tim Ellis was a Bellaire mainstay. Ivy knew him from their days as rival high school students, a brief flash of him celebrating on the football field flitting through her brain. He greeted her with a curious look – almost as if he was trying to place her – and then focused on Jack. The emergency responders buzzed around the fallen police officer, but they weren’t showing any signs of urgency.

  “I’m a police detective in Shadow Lake,” Jack replied dully, rubbing the back of his neck as he focused his gaze anywhere but on the dead man in the street. “I heard the gunshots and ran around the corner to see if I could help.”

  “And you took a civilian?” Tim asked, arching an eyebrow in Ivy’s direction.

  Jack scowled. “No. I told her to stay around the corner where it was safe, but she never listens to a word I say.”