Page 12 of Wild Night

Broke. Alone. And a million other things. But what I’m not is Mrs. Whitmore. At least I don’t think I am. I have a feeling that there is more to the story, so much more that I’ll probably never have answers to.

“I’m not going anywhere, at least not until you kick me out of here.”

Her lips twitch. “I would never kick you out of anywhere. You’re family.”

I almost laugh because she might not be thinking the same thing by the time my past catches up with me. I have a feeling that my past is about to make itself known sooner rather than later. I don’t tell her that, at least not yet.

“We’ll be back in ten days. And when I come back, I want it all. The reason you’re running, everything.”

Wincing at her words, I try to give her a smile and nod. Dakota reaches out and takes my hands in hers. Then her gaze lifts to mine, her lips curve up into a grin as she watches me, shaking her head once, then she leans forward slightly as if she’s going to tell me a secret.

God, I hate myself for this. I should have gone somewhere else. I don’t know where, but I should have gone anywhere else. What I shouldn’t have done is drag my shit to my only living relative. I should have handled it like a woman and then come to her.

But I’m weak, so here I am.

Dakota releases her grasp on my hands and instead wraps her arms around me in a hug, pulling me close to her.

“I’ll be here,” I rasp, and I hope it’s not a lie.

CHAPTER FIVE

IVY

Bullet watchesme from across the room. He tilts his head to the side, his gaze searching mine for a silent moment. I know he wants to ask me something, but I’m not sure what it is.

“What do you know?” he demands.

Evasively, I want to ask him, “Aboutwhat?”but decide against it. Instead, I tell him because if I keep a secret from this man and he finds out, there will be hell to pay, especially since his woman is involved.

“I fucked Posey last night,” I announce. He doesn’t seem surprised. He, along with everyone else, likely saw me take her to my room. “Then I went home early this morning and couldn’t get her off my mind. I just had this nagging feeling that she was hiding something.”

“Yeah?” he says with a grunt. “No fuckin’ shit.”

Yeah. No fucking shit is right. “I just didn’t know what it was, so I started digging this morning. I don’t think it’s her so much as it’s the man she married.”

“Married?” Bullet asks.

Dipping my chin in a single nod, I clear my throat before I continue. “I couldn’t find the guy anywhere. Almost like he didn’t fucking exist. So I had to call in Piggy to find out what the fuck was going on.”

“And?” Bullet asks, his tone serious and laced with the same concern I’m feeling.

“Piggy can’t find much of anything either. I have a feeling there is a story behind him, but I don’t know what the fuck it is. I was going to try and get it out of her while you were on your honeymoon. And get whatever the fuck shitstorm is likely swirling around her handled before you get back so there’s no blowback on Dakota or the club.”

Bullet doesn’t speak immediately. He tips his chin down, looking at the floor, then slowly lifts his gaze to meet mine.

“Ivy, can’t thank you enough for wanting to do that for Dakota and the club. Mostly for Dakota, though. Fuck,” he hisses. “What are your thoughts on this? Just gut feeling.”

I wrap my fingers around the back of my neck and gently massage there, trying to ease the tension in my body as I think about that question. About my gut feeling. About any feelings when it pertains to Posey. Because, honest to fuck, I already feel far more than I should for her.

“Gut feeling,” I murmur. “She’s mixed up in some shit. She may not realize it, but then again, she may. But said shit is linked to this guy, and she came here for more than just a wedding. She came here for protection.”

“Then protection she’ll get,” Bullet grinds out. “At least until I know more.”

“Agreed.”

Releasing my hand from my neck, I exhale a long breath, then shake my head. “I did not see this shit coming,” I mutter.

Bullet snorts. “You’re preaching to the goddamn choir on that. Update me via text while I’m gone. May or may not answer, but I want updated.”

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