King’s Wrath

by Nina Levine

  Brant held his face where Axe had hit it. “No, he didn’t. I came by—”

  Axe slapped him again. Harder. “Why did you come here then?” His questions were rapid fire, giving Brant little time to think in between.

  “Because I wanted to check on Ivy. You’ve gotta believe—”

  Again, Axe slapped him. “I don’t fucking believe you, Brant. Give me something I can buy into.”

  Brant’s words came out fast, like he was tripping over them to get them out. “I was worried for her safety. I knew Tony would be going crazy looking for her, so I wanted to check that she was with you or that she was safe somewhere else. After Tony went into hiding—”

  Axe gripped Brant’s shirt with both hands and pulled him forward before slamming him back against the wall. Moving fast, he punched him hard in the gut and demanded, “Who told you Tony went into hiding?”

  Brant doubled over, holding his stomach and trying to draw breath. “Fuck, man—”

  Jesus, it was taking every ounce of my self-control to hold myself back. I wanted to get in there and punch every last breath out of the motherfucker so that he’d just fucking give us what we wanted. Instead, I paced back and forth, giving my brother the space to drag the information from him.

  But, fuck.

  Axe didn’t allow Brant the opportunity to complain. He punched him again and roared, “Who the fuck told you Tony had been raided by the cops?”

  Brant stumbled, almost falling to the ground. Doubled over, he yelled, “Tony did!”

  Axe took hold of Brant’s chin and lifted his face. A moment later, his fist connected with the asshole’s cheek, knocking him to the ground. As Brant lay in agony, Axe crouched beside him. “Start from the beginning and tell us everything. I wanna know why you care so fucking much about Ivy’s whereabouts, and how you came to have that conversation with Romano about being raided.”

  Brant stared at Axe with hatred while catching his breath.

  Axe watched him in silence, waiting.

  My brother’s patience fucking amazed me. It always had. Even when we were kids, he’d had this level of calm that I envied. I’d never had patience for much. My father had seen to that. He’d wired my brain to respond with anger and swift retribution whenever I felt fucked over.

  Finally, Brant started talking. “Like I told you the other day, Ivy has been kind to me, so I care about her. I don’t want Tony to be able to hurt her ever again, so I’ve been helping her get ready for this attempt to leave. Tony called me the day she left, asking me to check on some stuff at work, and in that conversation, he told me he was laying low for a while because the cops had raided him. I swear to fucking God, that’s the truth.”

  Axe remained silent for another few moments before saying, “You’re in love with Ivy, aren’t you?”

  Brant’s eyes darted between Axe and me. He seemed desperate not to have this conversation, but he nodded slowly. “Yes.”

  “And she loves you?” Axe asked.

  “No, I don’t think so.” Brant stumbled over his words and glanced at the wall as he answered that question.

  I stopped pacing and narrowed my eyes on him. Watching. Waiting for the truth.

  “You’re lying, Brant,” Axe said. “You do think she loves you.”

  Brant stared at the wall, silent. When he answered Axe’s question, he fixed his gaze on me. “I want her to love me, but she loves you.”

  Fuck.

  Axe stood and turned to me. Jerking his chin at the door, he said, “We need a minute.” When we were out of the room, he said, “He’s not lying.”

  “I agree.”

  “My bet is Tony knows about this thing between him and Ivy. Probably figures that Brant knows where she is, and possibly thinks that if he believes Romano’s in hiding, it’s the perfect opportunity to go to Ivy. I’d say Romano has eyes on him and this clubhouse, and is waiting for him to leave here.”

  “So we put him back out there and wait for Romano to come to him.”

  Axe nodded. “Yeah, but we wait for Zane to arrive and get him to bug Brant’s phone and put a tracker in it. You get Brant to call Romano so we can track him too.”

  “And I’ll get him to mention our rat to Romano so he knows that I fucking know. And whichever club member suddenly disappears is our guy.” I glanced down at my ringing phone. Holding it up, I said, “Can you finish with him while I take this?”

  He agreed, and I answered the call. “Tatum. Any news?”

  “Nothing. He’s still on remand, and I’m still waiting to hear from you as to whether you’ve found a way to deal with Marx.”

  She was pissed off, and I wasn’t a fan of her throwing that shit at me. “Because you’re Nitro’s old lady and because you’re helping me with this, I’ll let that shit slide this time, Tatum. But you come at me with that kind of attitude again and we won’t remain friends very long.”

  “King, I don’t give a fuck if we’re friends or not. The only thing I care about right now is that Nitro gets out. You take care of that or I will.”

  “I’m in the middle of taking care of it for fuck’s sake.” Why the hell had I involved her in this? I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  “Good. Let me know when it’s done.”

  She ended the call, leaving me staring at my phone wondering how the fuck an old lady had managed to get under my skin like she had. I was annoyed as fuck at her, but I had to admit she had my respect for taking Nitro’s back like she had.

  Hyde came my way, a look of determination in his eyes. “Just heard from Ghost. He thinks he has a guy who can take care of Marx for us. Said he’ll confirm ASAP. And Winter said to tell you that Ivy’s not feeling any better.”

  “Call the doctor. Get him to give her the once over.” I shoved my phone in my pocket. “Brant confirmed the truth in her story. I’m just about to see her again and let her know she doesn’t have to stay in that room anymore.”

  “You think it’s wise to let her go? With what’s going on?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m not letting her out of here, but she’s not a fucking prisoner.”

  “I’ll let the boys know that’s she’s not to get past the front gate. And I’ll get onto the doc now.”

  Five minutes later, I entered Ivy’s room again. She lay on the bed, back to the door, and didn’t acknowledge my presence. I walked around to the side she faced and found her staring at the wall. Sitting on the bed, I expelled a long-held breath and rested my elbows on my knees.

  Neither of us spoke.

  Not for a good five minutes.

  There was so much to say, and yet, I couldn’t find the words to express any of it. And she didn’t appear interested in talking either.

  Finally, I said, “I fucked up.”

  She didn’t respond immediately, and when she did, bitterness filled the air. “Yeah. You did. And not just this time. But I’m not interested in an apology.” A caustic laugh fell from her lips. “Not that you ever apologise. God forbid King should ever think anyone’s worthy of a sorry.”

  I clenched my jaw, resisting the urge to reply to her sour words. “You can leave this room, but I won’t allow you back out on the streets yet. Not until Romano is dealt with and I know you’ll be safe.”

  Sitting up, she threw out, “You won’t allow it? Why do you think you have any say in my life anymore, King?”

  I’d avoided meeting her eyes, but I turned and looked at her now. “I mightn’t have any say in your life, but this isn’t up for argument, Ivy. You will not be leaving this building. Understood?”

  Her lips flattened as she stared at me with loathing. She didn’t answer my question, though. Just stared at me.

  I jerked up off the bed and paced in front of it, attempting to sort through the shit I wanted to say. “Fuck, why can’t you see what I’m trying to do? That this is in your best interest?” That she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, bewildered me.

  She shot off the bed, coming to me with fire in her eyes. They burned w
ith it. Getting in my face, she yelled, “Why can’t you see that you don’t always know what’s in other people’s best interests? You haven’t changed, King! Always laying down the law as you see it, not once stopping to consider that I might have a different vision for my life.” She slapped her palms on my chest and added, “Fuck you!”

  My veins filled with fury, and I gripped her wrists. “You don’t know me as well as you think you do,” I thundered. “Not if you think I don’t stop and consider every-fucking-thing about those I care for.”

  Her brows lifted. “Oh, so cheating on me was your way of considering everything, then? You’re full of bullshit.”

  She tried to wiggle out of my grip, but I squeezed her wrists harder and pulled her to me. Our bodies, this close, was dangerous. The desire I’d always felt for her sparked to life, circling us, threatening to pull me under. Because that’s where I’d end up if I let it take over.

  The weight of my past actions sat heavy on my shoulders. I’d carried it with me for too long, some days almost suffocating under the pressure. Knowing I’d fucked her up had fucked me up. I’d decided long ago to carry it and never tell her the truth. It was better she continued believing I was an asshole. Better she kept me from her life.

  But her outburst, and the way she kept looking at me with so much hatred, tripped me up. I wasn’t sure I could stand that hatred for much longer. Not when Ivy was the person I’d loved the longest in my life.

  I latched onto my own anger over this situation and used it to fuel my reaction. Glaring at her, I said, “I didn’t come here to get into it with you. That shit is in the past, so let’s move the fuck on and deal with important shit.”

  Her eyes widened, and from the way her face morphed from angry to hurt back to angry, I knew we wouldn’t be moving the fuck on. Wild energy engulfed her, and she engaged in a full-out battle to disentangle herself from me. Shoving her hands against my chest and fighting me, she shouted, “That shit is important to me, you fucking asshole! That you would say that and think that, just shows me what a bastard you really are. Did you even really love me? Because I don’t think you did! I think I was just another pussy to you. Someone who warmed your bed and fucked you whenever you wanted.”

  Her words tore me apart.

  They ripped shreds of my soul from me. The soul I’d refused to acknowledge since I’d pushed her out of my life. But Ivy saying this shit to me? That caused my soul to rear its head and force its way back into view.

  Fuck.

  Motherfucking fuck.

  I lost my calm.

  I lost my fucking mind and allowed words out that should never have seen the light of day.

  Letting her go, I roared, “I didn’t fucking cheat on you! I did that for your protection, too. Don’t you fucking get it, Ivy? I do everything for your fucking protection.” My voice darkened as hurt consumed me. “And never fucking say that I didn’t love you. I loved you more than any-fucking-one. You were never just someone to come home to and fuck. Hell, if that was the case, I would have left you when you kicked me out of your bed for months.” I moved closer to her again, ignoring the emotions blazing from her. Ignoring everything but my own needs now. I fucking needed to get this shit out there. “Anything you wanted, I would have given to you. Anything you needed, I found a way to get. And when I realised the last fucking thing you needed was me, I took matters into my own hands. I never once cheated on you. Not until that night, and even then it wasn’t real. I set it up to make you leave. To keep you safe from me. So don’t throw accusations at me that are as far from the fucking truth as you can get.”

  She stared at me with shock and disbelief. Her chest pumped furiously while she tried to steady her breaths. “You lied to me?”

  One simple question with only one truthful answer.

  But that answer had so many layers to it.

  Where did you start when years of love and hate and hurt all piled on top of each other? How did relationships ever survive that? I had no fucking clue because I’d never managed to keep a relationship from crumbling under all those layers.

  I didn’t want to answer Ivy’s question. Not without being able to give her the full picture. But what was the point? We were done a long time ago. There was no going back, ever. So I simply nodded. “Yeah, I lied to you.”

  Her silence hit me more than if she’d yelled and screamed at me. It always had. I didn’t know what to do with silence. Didn’t know how to engage with it. I did best with anger and violence. Come at me with either of those, and I’d find a way through it. But silence caused me to stumble and falter because it hurt like a motherfucker. My father had taught me that.

  When she sat on the bed and turned away from me, her own hurt so deafening it blocked out everything else, I was done. I’d already said too much and didn’t want to continue falling down the fucking abyss of our past. Exhaling hard, I said forcefully, “Don’t try to leave the clubhouse, because you won’t like the response.”

  With that, I stalked out of her room and outside to my bike. I needed to get out of here for a while. Fuck knew I had to put some distance between Ivy and me. And I wouldn’t be hurrying back to her any-fucking-time soon.

  22

  Lily

  * * *

  I stared down at my phone, hoping I’d imagined the text flashing on my screen.

  I blinked, trying to get the words to disappear.

  Surely it wasn’t real.

  He wouldn’t.

  Fuck, he probably would.

  My ex was that dumb, he would.

  I blinked again, squeezing my eyes tightly, praying for the text to be gone when I opened my eyes.

  Shit, it was still there.

  “Motherfucker,” I cursed.

  I shot off a text to my sister in response to hers.

  * * *

  Me: I’m going to fucking kill him.

  Brynn: Ooh, let me do it first.

  Me: Do not let Zara out of your sight. She is NOT going on that date tonight.

  Brynn: Hurry home, sis. She’s already applying her makeup.

  * * *

  I called her. “I swear, I’m going to wrap my hands around his throat and squeeze every last fucking breath from him. And then I’m going to get a knife and stab him so many times that when they sentence me for my crime, they’ll give me the death penalty even though they don’t give that to anyone anymore. I’m going to make him fucking hurt for this shit. This is the last time Linc screws with me!”

  I was on my way to see Skylar King, but realised I needed a moment, or fifty, to calm down before I saw her, so I spun around to head outside for a smoke first. I stopped abruptly when I came face-to-face with Skylar’s brother.

  King.

  He watched me with an intensity that flustered me.

  “Shit, Brynn, I’ve gotta go,” I rambled into my phone, not giving her a chance to respond to what I’d already said. “I’ll be home as fast as I can this afternoon. And thanks for the heads up.” Ending the call, I shoved my phone into my pocket and took a step backwards, away from King. “Hi,” I said, completely muddled by both the news Brynn had given me and the fact King was right there. I mean, he was so damn close and staring at me so intently that my thoughts had become a jumbled mess.

  “Remind me never to piss you off,” he said, that voice of his a deep rumble that did things to me. Things I wasn’t used to from the men I spoke to. Goodness, he was dangerously sexy this close.

  “Huh?” I had no idea what he meant. Especially not when all I could focus on was the way he watched me.

  “The threat of strangulation and a stabbing frenzy.”

  “Oh, that. Right.”

  His lips twitched slightly, like he was amused by me. “Someone close?”

  I let go of the breath I held. Thinking about Linc was enough to ease my nerves around King, because the anger he induced cleared my head of the disorientation King caused. “My ex is being an asshole.” I remembered what King had said about having exp
erience raising girls. “Tell me, would you allow your fourteen-year-old daughter out on a date at night?”

  “Only if I had eyes on her at all times.”

  I frowned. “You’d stake out her date?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. I know the shit that runs through a fourteen-year-old boy’s mind.”

  “Oh, God.” I yanked my phone back out and hit Linc’s number. Looking up at King, who continued to watch me with that damn intensity I wish he’d let go of, I said, “One sec, I have to rip my ex a new one.”

  Amusement flickered in his eyes and across his lips again.

  When the call went to message bank, I let loose on Linc. “You better get your ass over to my place quick fucking smart, Linc, and tell your daughter that you made a mistake by saying yes to her date tonight. If you don’t fix this, I swear to God, you will regret it. I will find all the ways under the sun to make you regret it.”

  I stabbed at the phone when I was done and looked at King and demanded, “What?” when I saw the way his eyebrows had arched. “You think I’m a bitch to my ex? He deserved that, for so much more than just this! I’m sick and tired of putting up with his crap.” My heart raced with anger and frustration. Why did I ever take this journey with Linc? He’d given me nothing but heartache and grief for years now, and I wasn’t sure how much more I could handle.

  King shook his head. “No, I’m just thinking ‘good fucking luck’ to your ex.”

  “Yeah, he’s going to need it,” I muttered before blowing out another long breath and changing the subject. “Are you heading up to see your sister?”

  “Yeah. How’s she doing today?”

  “Good this morning. She managed to put weight on both legs, which I’m really happy with. I’m just going for a smoke before I do this afternoon’s session with her. I’ll see you there if you’re still around. I have a list of physios for you to check out, too.”

  He nodded and continued on. I watched him walk away, wondering again about that scar on his face. Heck, there were a lot of things I wondered about that man. Things I’d never find the answers to. Things I would probably rather not know. And yet, I’d found my thoughts drifting to him since we met.