Page 88 of Wild Night

She continues to cook, grabbing things to make a veggie and cheese tray, but also a whole dinner. She starts throwing things in the Crock-Pot, and I stare at her in amazement. I almost ask her where she learned how to do any of this, because I don’t think my sister could do a damn thing in the kitchen, but then I realize I don’t even know who my sister was as an adult.

Instead of asking her, I just watch in amazement. Maybe one day, we’ll sit around and share stories of our pasts, but I am here to live in this moment that I never thought possible. My sister lived her life, she did whatever the hell she did, but that part doesn’t matter as much as Dakota does right here and now. She is my focus, Nathan is my focus, and this new baby is my focus as well.

My new life.

My whole new world.

IVY

“What the fuck did you do?” I demand the moment Hazzard is pushed into the office.

Her eyes are wide as she looks around the room. She shakes her head, her lips parting as if she’s about to say something. I don’t give a fuck what she has to say. I only want to know what she fucking did. Nothing else.

“It’s not what you think,” she says, lifting her hands as if to feign innocence. I don’t buy it. She showed up at my house under the guise of whatever, knowing that I was in a place where I needed to be alone, but she didn’t allow that, and I want to fucking know why.

“Barry Scott is my brother,” she shouts.

Staring at her, I blink, then blink again. Nobody else speaks, because they have no goddamn clue who the fuck Barry Scott is. But something flashes in my head. Cidney. My cousin. I haven’t checked on her. I didn’t think any of this would affect her, but now I’m thinking otherwise.

“Is Cidney okay?” I demand.

Hazzard’s eyes find mine. She smiles softly, but I don’t buy it. That shit is an act. What the fuck is wrong with these bitches? First Exorcist and now Hazzard. I don’t understand it, and I don’t remember this shit being an issue in the past. Sure, there have always been jealousies and little schemes, but nothing to this extent.

Sending a text to Goose, I ask him to check on Cidney. He confirms and I go back to this bitch. I know she’s likely just trying to scare me, but I’m still going to ensure my cousin is safe and sound.

“You better start fucking talking. Fast,” Bullet grinds out.

My heart starts racing at the same time there is a pounding in my head that feels unnatural. I know it’s probably the culmination from the stress of this moment and my head injury, but I’m ready for this shit to be done. Whatever it is, we need to find out and get it handled.

If Hazzard is the key, then I need her to start fucking talking. But she doesn’t say anything. Instead, she shifts her gaze to her feet, then slowly lifts them back to meet mine.

“I love my brother,” she whispers.

“Yeah?” I ask. “I loved my fucking life and my brothers’ lives, and he almost took them away from us,” I grind out.

Tears fill her eyes as she shakes her head from side to side. “I didn’t know,” she whispers. “I didn’t know he was going to take it that far. He just said he was going to leave some threatening notes, then blackmail you.”

“Blackmail me? For what? How?”

I don’t understand where the fuck this shit is coming from. She opens her mouth, no doubt to tell me, when there is a loud noise.

Too loud.

I rush toward the door, but she wraps her hands around my uncasted arm while everyone else runs out of the room to check on the women. I’m taken aback that she’s stopped me. Looking into her eyes, I raise my brows as I wait for whatever the hell she’s going to say.

“I wouldn’t have said anything. I wouldn’t have tried anything if I thought he would have hurt you. I love all of you. This is my world.”

Tugging my arm out of her grasp, I shake my head. “You wouldn’t have done this if you hadn’t wanted to hurt us. You wouldn’t have tried to take my pregnant woman out of that hospital. You wouldn’t have put her in the position of being asingle mother. Or taken away Nathan’s father. Scott is pissed because he lost some money.Money. Who the fuck gives a goddamn shit about that?”

“Ivy,” she whispers, her eyes searching mine.

I grunt, taking a step backward. “Don’t,” I say. “If you give half a fuck, you’ll tell me what the fuck he has planned so I can stop anyone from getting killed.”

Her eyes are watering, and the tears begin to fall, but I don’t give a fuck about those tears. They’re tears of desperation and regret, neither of which I give a flying fuck about right now. Moving toward her, I lift my good hand, wrap my fingers around the front of her throat, and squeeze.

“You better start fucking talking, bitch,” I growl.

“Barry worked his whole life for that money, and those people just turned him into the police like he was trash, like he didn’t matter. They have plenty. They have so much that they don’t even miss it.”

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