by A. M. Myers
Blaze steps forward from the back of the room and stands behind my chair, putting his hand on my shoulder. “We’re all here for you, Carly.”
One by one, the guys follow him – Smith, Kodiak, Fuzz, Moose, Streak and Storm. Ali and Izzy come over and kneel by my feet, placing their hands on my knee and I look up, meeting Dottie’s gaze. She nods as a steady stream of tears trail down her cheeks.
“Set her free, Honey.”
I look up at Dr. Price. “Will it be quick?”
He shakes his head. “It just depends on the patient. Most go fairly quickly, though.”
“Will she be in any pain?” I whisper, focusing on her face as my breathing stutters.
“No, ma’am. She won’t feel a thing.”
Dottie nods and a few of the guys gently touch my back or arms, offering me the support I need to choke the words out. After a moment, I nod at Dr. Price and he turns, pressing a few buttons on one of the machines at the head of her bed. A nurse comes up and together they pull the breathing tube out of her throat before stepping back.
“Her respirations will begin slowing down and once they stop altogether, her heart will stop beating.”
Panic slams into me like a freight train, my mind screaming to rewind time and I tense up on my chair, my heart pounding.
No, we’ve made a mistake.
We can’t do this.
I can’t lose her.
“Stop. No, we can’t do this,” I gasp, reaching out to grab her hand again.
Chance wraps his arm around my waist and presses his forehead against my hair. “I’ve got you, baby.”
A sob echoes through the room and my heart hammers away in my chest as I watch the monitor, waiting and dreading the moment the numbers start going down.
“We love you, Sweetie,” Dottie whispers, reaching up to stroke her face. “It’s okay to go.”
Ali and Izzy stand and move to the end of the bed, placing their hands on her feet as tears pour down their faces. My body feels numb as I glance up at the monitor, noticing her respirations are slower than a moment before and my own heart feels sluggish like I’m dying right alongside her. Tears pour down Dottie’s face as she reaches up and strokes Ivy’s hair out of her face before grabbing her hand and bringing it to her lips.
Don’t leave me, Vi.
Closing my eyes, I think back to the last time I saw her conscious – down in that basement as Julian hit her again and again and I sob louder. That can’t be my last memory of my baby sister. I have years and years of good memories with her, memories that will warm my heart every time I think of her but the last moment where she was truly Ivy, will haunt me forever. Why did she have to come back?
“Why did you do it?” I whisper, glancing up at her. “I was ready to die to save you; why did you have to come back?”
“Princess,” Chance whispers, his voice pained as he closes his eyes.
“I love you, Vi,” I whisper and Chance kisses my head, his constant touch somehow holding me together. Ali and Izzy kneel next to my chair again and place their hands on my knee, tears falling from both of their eyes. My throat feels tight as pain crashes over me.
Something flashes on the monitor and I squint up at the screen, my heart seizing when the numbers drop again. I’m as close to the bed as my chair will allow but it’s not close enough and I turn to Chance.
“Help me up?”
He nods and I stand before grabbing his hand and climbing onto the bed with her. Grabbing her hand, I lie down next to her and close my eyes.
“It’s okay. You can let go,” I whisper in her ear, hoping wherever she is she can hear me. “I don’t want to let you go but I know this is what you’d want. I always knew I was lucky to have you as a sister and I’ll carry you with me always.”
“Her heartbeat is slowing,” Dr. Price says and a sob bubbles out of me as I squeeze her hand and press a kiss to her cheek.
“Say hi to Daddy for me, okay?” I whisper, tears soaking the pillow underneath me as I feel a gentle touch on my head. Rolling over, I meet Chance’s eyes. He nods and I turn back to Ivy, holding her hand as she drifts away.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chance
She’s been completely silent since the moment Ivy took her last breath.
Not a word.
Not a sound.
Nothing.
Hell, she hasn’t even cried since the heart monitor flatlined.
The things that worry me more than the devastation or anger on her face is the blank look she’s been wearing for the last twenty-four hours, like she’s dead, too. Devastation and anger, I understand. I know how to deal with those emotions but how do I reach her when my fierce, funny woman is just gone? Vanished without a trace. I’m worried her spark, one of the things I love the most about her, will never come back and I can’t even say that I blame her.
The level of betrayal she’s dealing with combined with everything that happened to her down in that room is enough to break even the strongest person. My hands shake as I picture everything she described to Rodriguez earlier this week and I wish I had gone into that house and ripped those fuckers limb from limb. The only small piece of comfort I get is that she’ll still here with me – physically, at least.
“You want something to eat, Princess?” I ask, watching her as she stands in the entryway of her apartment, her face still blank. The hospital didn’t want to release her since she hasn’t eaten but I finally convinced them that what she needed was to go home. There was no way she was going to cope in a room a few doors down from where her sister died. Although, now that we’re here, I wonder if this was the best idea. The penthouse is a product of her mother and it might just be making things worse.
She ignores my question, her gaze slowly drifting around the room and I take a breath as I turn and plant my hands on the counter. As I release it, I shake my head. I’m a guy that always has a plan. I always know what my next move is but I’m fucking lost here. Part of that could be due to the fact that I can’t stop thinking about calling Rodriguez and seeing if he can give me five minutes alone with Julian and Damian. That’s all I need – five minutes to make them feel ten times the pain they inflicted on my girl.
Sighing, I shake my head and try to think of a way to help her. I lost my mom but we were never really that close, so I have no idea how she’s feeling and no clue on how to help her. But I want to. God, I want to wrap her up and just unburden her, take all her pain inside so she doesn’t have to feel it anymore.
How much can one person go through in a lifetime? She’s been through so much and I have to wonder when it’s going to end. When does she get to be happy?
“How about I order some biscuits and gravy from the diner?” I call out to her only to be met with silence again. “Or maybe you just want to go lie in bed for a while? I can hold you.”
Still nothing.
Do I call Dottie? She’s just as heartbroken as Carly is and dealing with this in her own way but maybe they could help each other. She’s the only other person that knows Carly well enough to help me.
My thoughts drift back to yesterday afternoon in the hospital room as the club surrounded Carly and offered her their support. It was so fucking powerful and I got choked up myself. Truthfully, this is hard on all of us. She may have only been at the clubhouse for a few days, but Ivy made an impact on each one of us and losing her so quickly after losing Dina feels like we’re failing at our only goal.
Sighing, I pull my phone out to call Dottie when the sound of glass breaking has my head snapping up. I spin toward the living room just as Carly knocks a vase off a shelf. It shatters at her feet, joining the shards of pink glass already surrounding her.
“Baby,” I whisper, my brow furrowed. “What are you doing?”
She doesn’t answer me as she picks up a picture frame and tosses it to the floor with a little more force. Glass shoots out across the floor and tears start trickling down her cheeks as she grabs another trinket off the shelf and sma
shes it to the floor. It shatters in all directions as she grabs the next thing off the shelf.
The tears pour down her face and a sob rips through her as she chucks it across the room. It shatters against the wall and she grabs the next thing, gasping for breath as she claws at her chest. I push off the counter, stepping around all the broken glass as she screams and smashes the glass bowl into the floor. When I reach her, I wrap my arms around her and pull her into my body.
She struggles against me, wailing as her fists pound against my chest and my heart fucking breaks as my eyes fill with tears.
Oh, my gorgeous girl.
“Shh,” I whisper as I hold her tighter and she continues to struggle. Her tears stain my shirt and her deep aching sobs rip my heart apart. What the hell am I supposed to do for her?
“I can’t,” she gasps, gripping my shirt like she’s clinging to me for dear life and I slip my fingers into her hair, massaging the back of her head as I tuck it under my chin.
“I know, Princess.”
She shakes her head, pulling on my shirt harder as she starts to fold in on herself. Her sobs aren’t slowing down or quieting and my fucking chest aches with my inability to fix this for her.
“It hurts,” she gasps again. “I can’t do this…”
“You can,” I whisper and she shakes her head.
“No. I need her.” Another loud, soul crushing sob rips through her. “I need my sister.”
“I know, Sweetheart,” I whisper, a tear falling down my cheek.
“Please,” she cries. “Make it stop.”
Another tear falls and I wipe it away as I hold her closer. It’s all I can do and so I’ll do it until she’s strong enough to hold herself up again. I’ll be her brace, supporting her and loving her through her grief.
“I’ve got you, Princess. I’ve always got you.”
Epilogue
Three Months Later
Carly
“Congratulations!” Mercedes yells out as she pops the cork off the champagne and it shoots off toward the ceiling. Everyone else claps and I meet Ali’s eyes across the room as she smiles at me. “I knew your design page would be a success.”
“Thank you,” I say, holding my flute of champagne up. After Ivy’s death, I took a break from work and Mercedes was so great about everything. It took longer to roll out the design page but when we did, it exploded. Everyone loved my articles and seeing the apartment design progress week by week.
My phone rings and I step into my office to answer it as Mercedes and my other co-workers turn on some music so they can really start celebrating.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Princess.”
I smile as warmth floods my chest. “Hey, baby. What are you up to?”
“Um… I kind of need your help with something. Think you could get away for a little bit?”
“Yeah,” I say, glancing out at the party. “I’m sure I could. What’s going on?”
He blows out a breath and my brows furrow as I sit down in my chair. “It’s one of those things you’re just gonna have to see for yourself.”
“You’re scaring me,” I whisper and he chuckles.
“No, don’t be scared. It’s just hard to explain.”
“Okay,” I say, releasing a breath. “Where are you?”
He rattles off an address and I tell him I’m on my way before hanging up and grabbing my bag out of the desk drawer. As I turn to stand, the photo of Ivy on my desk catches my eyes and I stop, pressing my fingers to the glass.
“Miss you, Vi.”
My chest expands as I suck in a breath and stand, wrestling with the ache in my heart as I slip out of the office and walk to my car. As I pull out of the parking garage, I think back to the day Ivy died.
It’s only been three months since she passed but sometimes it feels like years. I miss her so much everyday, but I’ve learned to start living again. One thing I know, for sure, is she would be pissed if I wasted my life because of her death. She sacrificed herself to save me and it’s a difficult thing to come to terms with, but I love her even more for it.
I wouldn’t have made it through the last three months without Chance by my side. He’s had my back, just like he promised, every moment of every day, and each time I think I couldn’t love him more, he goes and proves me wrong. Anytime I stumble, anytime I’m having a particularly hard day, he’s there to pull me to my feet and help me keep moving forward. I don’t know where I would be without him… or the club.
The day I lost my sister, I gained seven brothers who would do absolutely anything for me and sometimes, I like to think that Ivy nudged things along because she knew I would need them. I’ve built a new family and there’s always going to be a piece missing but I’m learning to cope with it every day.
For a start, I made it my personal mission to make sure Julian, Damian, and our mother paid for what they did to us. The district attorney decided to move forward and charge all of them with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, human trafficking, and false imprisonment. Julian was also charged with Ivy’s death. Rosie and I both gave convincing testimonies and while my mother tried to pretend like she had no idea the kind of men Julian and Damian were, no one bought it. The jury took fifteen minutes to come back with the guilty verdict and they will all spend the rest of their lives in jail. It’s a small victory but knowing they can never come after me again definitely helps me sleep at night.
My GPS notifies me to turn up ahead and I do, squinting down the gravel road lined on both sides by trees. Just when I think that I might be lost, the trees open up to the cutest little bungalow I’ve ever seen.
“What am I doing here?” I whisper. Trees surround it almost completely except for in the back where I can see the sun shimmering off the water and I can’t stop the smile that stretches across my face. When Chance called, this is not what I was expecting. Then again, I should know better than to try and guess his plans by now. I climb out of the car and close my eyes as I take a deep breath, loving the peacefulness that surrounds me out here.
“What are you doing just standing out there?” Chance asks, peeking out from behind the door. I tilt my head to the side and narrow my eyes.
“Taking it all in. What are you hiding?”
He laughs. “Who me? I’m not hiding anything. Why don’t you come inside?”
“Whose house is this, Chance?”
He sighs, opening the door and closing it quickly before I can get a peek inside. I pout as he stomps down the steps and holds his hand out to me. “If you’ll just come inside, I’ll tell you, woman.”
“Or you could just tell me here,” I point out and he rolls his eyes before bending down and throwing me over his shoulder. I scream and smack his ass as he carries me around to the back of the house, his laughter echoing through the trees.
When we get to the back deck, he sets me on my feet and I gasp at how beautiful and serene it is out here.
“Ivy would have loved this place,” I whisper and he wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his body.
“And what about you? Do you like it?”
I nod. “It’s incredible.”
He turns me to face him and bites his lip as he sucks in a breath. “There’s something I want to ask you.”
“Okay,” I whisper, my heart thudding in my chest.
“But first, I have something to show you.”
I nod again and he releases me to go to the sliding glass door, pulling it open. A gorgeous, lanky Great Dane puppy with a bow around his neck ambles out onto the deck and my eyes widen as I squeal.
“What did you do?” I ask, kneeling down as the puppy skids into my legs.
“He’s yours, babe. You like him?”
“Um, no,” I answer, shaking my head. “I fucking love him.”
He plants his paws on my thighs and reaches up, licking my face as I rub behind his ears and I fall in love in an instant.
“What are you going to name him?” Chance asks and I
study the little guy for a moment before smiling.
“Duke.”
He laughs, nodding as he holds his hand out to me. “Well, Duke isn’t your only surprise. Come with me.”
I slip my hand in his and let him pull me into the house as Duke follows along, trying to chew the ribbon on his neck and I laugh. Once we’re all inside, Chance shuts the door and I sigh, admiring the interior.
“What do you think of the house?” he asks and I grin as I turn to him.
“It’s amazing.”
Nodding, he passes a stack of papers across the island to me. “Wanna buy it?”
“What?” I grab the papers and scan the top one before flicking my gaze back up to his.
“Where is all this coming from?”
With a smile on his face, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a little box before dropping down on one knee in the middle of the kitchen.
“Carly Rae Mills, you are without a doubt, the most hard-headed, maddening woman I’ve ever met in my entire life. But you also have the biggest heart and you’re more resilient than anyone else I’ve ever met. Your strength amazes me, baby, and I’m in awe of you. I fell head over heels in love with you with just one look. I knew in that moment, even if I couldn’t admit it to myself at first, you were made for me. You’ve never made it easy, but I only love you more for it. Princess, I’ve spent the last three months building your dream for you in the hopes that you’ll make my dream come true, too. Will you marry me?”
Tears well up in my eyes as I stare down at him. “Well, how could I say no to a proposal like that?”
“That’s not a yes.”
I smile. “It’s not a no either.”
“For once in your life, woman, stop being so stubborn and just say yes.”
I walk over to him and as I stop, I hold out my left hand. “Yes, Chance. I’d love nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you.”
The End
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