Page 80 of Lust

“The man that you,” she pauses, because was she going to say the words, basically killed? “hurt.” She says. Putting what I had done mildly. “Well Taylor had been sending him to visit me, pushing me to change my mind about the break up.” She nervously runs a hand through her ash blonde hair. “He started to get physical, and that same night he came looking for me. But he ran into you. And that fight broke out.”

My eyes narrow on her. “He had a steel baseball bat on him that night.” Did she know that, and her eyes flash to the ground.

“Like I said, he was starting to get physical with me.” Her words are low. “The anger he took out on you that night was meant for me.”

A sickness waves through my body. Remembering taking each swing of that baseball bat to my abdominals.

She looks up and the tears are running down her cheeks. “Taylor wasn’t always bad. But war changed him. He…” her hands shake, and I step towards her. “He just got a little lost.” She finally whispers, and I cup her cheek.

“How lost?” I needed to know the details, and Ivory is clearly leaving details out.

“The type that wouldn’t let me be with anyone else. He put Noah in the ICU.” She pauses and locks eyes up with mine. “But when he got out, everything stopped. I thought he moved on. Until last night. I realized he had been in contact with Dad.”

“Did your father know this side of him?”

She shakes her head. “They all think he’s been at war.”

I bring my other hand to her face. “Is that everything? You are telling me everything?”

She slowly nods her head. “Isn’t that enough?” and she begins to shake. “He could hurt you Kace. He doesn’t know boundaries.”

I pull her into my arms and I kiss the side of her head. She’s honestly worried that Taylor would hurt me? All I can think is bring it on.

“Ivory?” And she stills in my arms. “Do you still feel anything for him?”

She pulls back, looking up at me. “No.” And that one word, silenced all my concerns. Because I heard the honesty in her voice.

56

Ivory

“Idon’t want him there.” I grit out at my mother. “Why won’t you listen to me!”

Mom rolls her eyes, and I’m understanding because she is grieving her husband but what she is expecting of me—is unbelievable. “Your father and I never accepted this fling with the biker.” Is her choice of words as she picks the flowers for my father’s coffin. I know it isn’t a great time to have this conversation. But there is one thing everyone should know about my mother. It is she is ruthless, cold and is a typical woman that could plan her husband’s funeral and hold an argument. And that is exactly where we are.

“Taylor is a good man Ivory. You’d do well to accept him back.” She points a lily at me. “He will be carrying the coffin like planned.”

I grit my teeth and mom involving this man in my father’s funeral makes me wonder if I even want to go! I should get the right to say goodbye to my father, without that man there!

“Taylor isn’t the man you think he is.” I say the words and mom rolls her eyes again.

She locks eyes with me, “But the biker isn’t the man I think he is?” She stands up. “Ivory I’m telling you this now. I won’t let you inherit a cent while you are with Kace Striking.”

It hurts. For a second. And my lips twitch up. My parents always thought they could control me with money. “Well you keep every cent then Mom.” And I stand tall. “Because I don’t need your money. Just like I don’t need your approval of the man I’m with.”

She pinches her eyes shut. Muttering unbelievable. And Links walks in. Just in time for her to see. “Lincoln have a word with your sister, regarding morals.”

I roll my eyes this time.

Links looks at me. “I actually am here to see you.”

“Great.” I mumbled, sighing and following him out. Having a conversation with Links was much like having one with a brick wall—when he was in a mood. And when he is in that I’m right, you are wrong mood—there is no arguing with him and everything you say just falls on deaf ears.

We walked into Dad’s study and it immediately felt wrong, when Links closes the door.

“So what did you want to talk about?” I ask, and look at him, expecting him to go into a rant about Kace.

“It’s about Taylor.”

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