Page 104 of Redeem Me

Danny took so much from me already. I refuse to let him take any more.

I choose redemption over revenge.

I choose the future over the past.

I choose Ivy.

‘Let him go!’ I yank James’s hands away from Danny’s throat. ‘It’s not worth it. He’s not worth it. He’s taken enough from us. Don’t give him any more.’

The walls are closing in. The stench of Danny’s scent seeps into my nostrils and crawls over my skin. I need to get out of here. I need to tell Ivy I choose her. And I will choose her over and over again.

James steps away from the bed, the disgust etched into every line of his face mirroring my own.. The skin around Danny’s throat is ringed with violet bruising.

Suddenly, Danny throws back the bedsheets. I register a small, silver blade in each of his hands a split second before I feel one slice my suit open.

I watch helplessly as the other one of Danny’s knives sinks into James’s chest.

The last thing I hear before I hit the ground is Killian’s roar.

Chapter Forty-Six

IVY

I snatch my phone and dial Scarlett. Seconds tick by like hours until finally she picks up. ‘You’re up early.’

‘Where’s James? Can I talk to him?’

‘He’s at a family meeting. He left early this morning.’

‘Did he say where? Or what it’s about?’ There’s no point trying to hide the desperation in my tone.

‘He didn’t say. Are you okay, Ivy? What’s up?’ Scarlett’s concern is audible.

I have no idea how much she knows or how much James has told her.

‘I take it Danny Bourke woke up?’ Me and my big mouth again.

Scarlett sighs. ‘Ivy, I don’t ask questions and it’s better if you don’t either.’

‘Don’t you care?’

‘Of course I care, but I trust James. He tells me what I need to know, but protects me from the things I don’t.’

‘Protect you?’ It hits me like a sledgehammer. Caelon thinks he’s protecting me, when in reality, all he’s doing is babying me, the way my family has always done. Trying tostop me from making my own decisions. Treating me like I’m fragile, when I’m far from it.

‘Yes, protect me and our family. There are some things we’re better off not knowing. The Becketts have dangerous enemies. I should know.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘The O’Connors. They’re brutal. Violent. Capable of murder.’

‘Is that what James told you?’

She pauses for a beat. ‘Jack O’Connor killed my mother.’

I almost choke on my gasp. ‘What? I had no idea.’

‘How could you?’ Her voice cracks with emotion. ‘Look, the Beckett boys are…’ she scrambles for the right word, ‘…unique. They’re possessive. I don’t doubt Caelon would kill for you, the same as James would kill for me. Is it any wonder they want answers about what happened the night Isabella died? That they want to know who is responsible?’

---