Chapter Three

VOID

It’s been damn good spending the afternoon with Ivy. She loved hanging out with Trixie at the café, seeing how it all works. While Trix got to work, Ivy watched on in awe as the product she’s cultivating with Dash was baked into the items the club’s selling.

Ivy does a lot of hard work, and now she’s seeing the end result. It never occurred to me she hasn’t experienced this side of what she’s been creating.

I stand back, observing Ivy in her element as Trixie explains all the various recipes she uses, and how you need specific amounts of product for each baked good. The precision of it all made Ivy’s inner nerd come out, showing me just how exciting this is for her. Have to admit, I got a semi watching her geek out the way she does. She’s fucking adorable when she gets giddy over shit.

The way her wavy chestnut hair falls perfectly over her shoulders makes me hard just from looking. Ivy’s sun-kissed skin is so gloriously perfect. Her lips are so fucking delectable I want to kiss them every damn chance I get, not to mention that adorable button nose. But it’s the fire behind those eyes that does me in. She’s like a fucking goddess, and I want to worship at her feet.

She might be small, but it’s that spirit inside of her that lets you know she’ll kick your ass in an instant if you let her down. How can a woman like her be so innocent in every way, but then talk about doped-up donuts and baked brownies like it’s a normal conversation?

It messes with my head.

How is she fragile and breakable in my mind, yet I stood back while she bricked a man behind a wall, leaving him to his death right in front of me, without so much as a blink of her eyes.

Hell, I saw her smash a brick into said guy’s face with reckless abandon.

She’s not a delicate wallflower, so why do I keep picturing her as one?

Whatever my problem is, Ivy isn’t going to stand for it. But can I really be anyone other than who I am? Who I was raised to be?

It’s a hurdle I need to jump over.

I need to figure out if I’m willing to take the leap and risk falling to my knees, because Lord knows I’m going to have to ask for forgiveness more than once.

Glancing out the front window as I sip on my coffee, I exhale.

We should be getting back.

Ivy’s been gone for hours, and I’ll feel safer with her back home, in the clubhouse. Cars pass by on the road out front. Diners sit in the café, oblivious to the rear-of-shop operations, where extra-baked goods are being held for the lowlifes of Tampa.

There’s an entire back section of the shop blocked off like a vault, with a built-in exhaust filtration system to hide the pungent odor. We have Ominous pick up the product and ship it all over the place. It’s turned into a real fucking big enterprise.

I shovel another forkful of Key lime pie into my mouth, the hit of sweet and the tang of lime smacking me at the same time. Trixie always gets the balance exactly right. Smiling, I peer over at Ivy and Trixie, who stand in front of the everyday bakery section as Ivy points something out. Trixie goes behind the counter, fetches it from the cabinet, then places whatever it is into a small box.

She’s obviously bringing something home with us.

Ivy practically skips over to my table, beaming with happiness. She slides into the seat opposite me, placing the small pink box on the table. “I got some treats for us for when we get back to the club.”

“More pie?” I ask.

She draws her bottom lip in by her teeth, the move sexy as fuck. “Taffy-flavored truffles,” she says with a wry smile.

This woman sure is something else.

“Shall we?” I ask, tilting my head to the exit.

Ivy glances back, taking in every inch of the store as if she’s reliving her time here. I let her have a moment because who knows when she will return. She sighs, then turns back to me. “Okay, let’s go.”

Standing, I grab the box of truffles and raise my chin. “Thanks, Trix.”

She waves as she fumbles with something behind the counter, half distracted. “Thanks for popping in, guys. I’ve loved having you.”

“I had so much fun! I hope I can come back,” Ivy calls out as I place my hand on her hip, edging her toward the door.

“You’re welcome any time, hon.”

We exit, heading for my ride as Ivy lets out a long, exaggerated sigh. “That was… exactly what I needed.”

I smile. It’s a gesture that doesn’t come naturally to me, but I find myself doing it more easily around her. Then I place the small box into my saddlebag and grab the helmet, placing it over Ivy’s head. Her plump, full lips turn up just enough to show me how genuinely sweet she really is. She’s completely calm in this moment. The right amount of warmth teamed with a sense of satisfaction—the ease showing on her face giving her a glow brighter than the midday sun.

This woman—she’s fucking gorgeous.

She’s enticing me, pulling me in with her radiance—a brightness to my darkness and depravity. But if I stand here staring at her, she’s going to think I’m a fucking cretin. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. Are you full? Do you need anything else to eat?” I ask, in a lame attempt to carry on a conversation.

Good going, dickhead.

“Nope! The giant pressed sandwich, fries, kombucha, and pie were all pretty filling, but thank you for offering. Thanks for bringing me here. It was so freaking good to see how my work is being put to use. Trixie’s doing an incredible job.”

Instinctively, I reach out to slide my fingers up and down her arm. “It’s good to see you smiling. I’m sorry about going off on you earlier. I… I have this version of you in my mind. This innocent, breakable—”

“Virgin…” She sighs. “That’s what this all boils down to, doesn’t it, Void?”

Scrunching up my face, I exhale. “Maybe. I haven’t had anyone like you around me for a long fucking time, and it’s messing with me. Makes me think you should be acting a certain way, but you never fail to surprise me.”

“Just because I haven’t had sex doesn’t mean I have to be this virtuous, Mother Mary, freaking saint-type person. Please don’t make me out to be that kind of girl. I’m just… not.”

“I’m beginning to see that. When I thought I saw you with Dash, it fucking sent me over the edge. You’re also almost ten years younger than me. That’s a big age gap. I have no right to feel that way. But seeing you on your knees, especially with another man… I wasn’t prepared for that vision or the feelings it sparked.”

“I’m twenty-one, you’re thirty. That’s nothing in the scheme of things.” Ivy moves forward and wraps her arms around my waist, her head sliding in against my chest. The shock makes me tense, as I’m a little unsure as to why she’s embracing me. “But thank you. Thank you for opening up to me and not running away this time.”

I wrap my arms around her, holding her to me. My cheek rests on the top of her head. I don’t hug people—ever—but we’re hugging, and fuck, if it’s not the most perfect damn thing in the world.

“I’m fucked-up, Ivy. I won’t even try to hide that fact. There’s a reason they call me Void. I don’t…” Exhaling, I pull her back to an arm’s length away, delving deep into her gorgeous chocolate-brown eyes. “Emotion is not something I’m used to dealing with. Feeling something for someone is foreign. You bring out shit in me that, quite frankly, scares the living hell out of me.”

Ivy brings her hand up to the side of my face, gently caressing it. “I’m glad I scare you. It means you care. When I thought maybe you didn’t, that hurt more than you ignoring me, more than you abandoning me.”

My chest squeezes. “I care…”

Suddenly, a vehicle in my line of sight parks down the street, and the man in the driver’s side pulls out a camera. Not even trying to hide, he brings it up to his eye and takes a snapshot of Ivy and me. Every muscle in my body goes rigid as I grab Ivy, pulling her behind me.

“We need to leave… now.”

She tries to push around me to see what’s happening, but I block her. “Stop! Don’t act suspicious. We have to leave right now.”

“What the—” I cut her off by letting her go, then I slide onto my bike.

Grabbing her hand, I yank Ivy probably harder than necessary for her to sit in behind me, and she doesn’t hesitate to move into position. “Hold on tight, sweet thing. This is gonna be quick.”

I flick the switch, rev the engine, and we peel out onto the street. My eyes focus on the man in the car, but I have no clue who he is. I pass him quicker than legal, with Ivy gripping onto my waist so fucking tight as I speed down the street.

Checking my mirrors, I notice the guy pulling out to follow, so I wrench the throttle to go even faster. The light ahead turns yellow, and I know I’m not going to make it before it goes red, so I give her a bit more acceleration.

“Hang on,” I yell, though Ivy probably can’t hear me over the roar of the engine.

The light flashes red, and I hammer down hard, entering the intersection. I look to my left, not seeing anything, then flash to my right and see two cars heading straight for us.

I drop gears, and the squeal of the cars as they hurtle toward us screeches through the air. The first car fishtails trying to avoid me. He overcorrects, which allows me to ride straight through the middle of the two. Ivy lets out a squeal that sounds more like excitement than anything, and I pull back on the throttle, smoke billowing from my tires as I get us the fuck out of there.

In my side mirror, I see the two cars now blocking the intersection, halting our photographer friend from getting through.

My lips curve as I spin around, making damn quick work of heading the fuck back to the clubhouse. I haven’t been involved in anything like that for a long time, and I have to admit, it excites me.

We nearly crashed, though.

If anything happened to Ivy, I would never forgive myself.

But I knew I needed to get away from that guy, whoever he is.

Having someone take pictures of Ivy is not ideal. She’s not in America legally. Though she has paperwork saying she is, technically, it’s all fake. One wrong move and she could be deported.

I can’t have that.

Won’t have that.

The idea of Ivy and her sister, Eva, coming so far these past few months just to have it all ripped away again is abhorrent to me. So, I ride like a bat of hell until we’re back to the safety of the club and my brothers.

West pulls the gate open as I ride through a little faster than I know I should. Pulling into my usual spot, I kill the engine, and Ivy jumps off, yanking the helmet off her head before I have a second to even slide off my ride.

“What the hell was that?” she screams out.

“Ivy, there was—”

“It was fucking incredible! I’ve never felt such a rush of adrenaline in all my life. Holy shit, Void. That was the most heart-pumping thing I’ve ever done. It was exciting, scary as hell, exhila-fucking-rating! Can we do it again? Right now?” she blurts out in quick succession.

I’m still sitting on my bike, more in shock than anything. I’m not sure why I am surprised by Ivy’s excitement for scary, dark, illegal shit anymore. I should know better. I underestimate her too fucking often.

She places the helmet on the fence, then turns back to me, her face erupting with joy. “Honestly, I’ve never had a rush like that. It was better than sex!”

I snort out a laugh, cocking my brow at her.

“Or… well, so I imagine,” she corrects herself.

Sliding off my ride, I exhale, running my fingers through my hair. “You really are something else.”

She giggles. “No, really… can we do it again?”

Rolling my eyes, I wrap my arm around her shoulders and guide her down the concrete ramp. “No. It was dangerous. I could have gotten us both killed.”

Ivy scoffs, waving her hand through the air dismissively. “You ride like a pro. I was never in any ‘real’ danger.” She uses air quotes, and the smile she sports is contagious.

I shake my head. “That’s not entirely true.”

“What do you mean?” she asks as we walk through the clubhouse doors. She detaches from me, scrunching her face.

I reach out for her hand and grab hold. “C’mon, we gotta go see Nycto.”

Ivy cocks her head, standing her ground. “Void, no. Tell me what’s going on.”

“Void,” Nycto grunts out as he walks across to us. “Got a call from Trixie saying you left the café in a shower of shit. She thought something might be up.”

I roll my shoulders. “Not here. Chapel.”

Nycto grits his teeth but tilts his head toward the rear of the bunker. I grab Ivy’s hand, then walk with her past the pool table toward the large, dark gray double doors with the Defiance logo proudly displayed across the metal. I walk in behind Nycto, the industrial wall lamps giving the ominous vibe it always has in here.

Nycto rounds the metal table and takes his seat at the head. I edge around the other side, sitting to his left, while Ivy moves in beside me.

Nycto pulls out his pack of cigarettes, lighting one up. “Feel like I’m gonna need nicotine for this.”

I grimace. He’s not wrong.

“We were at Trixie’s, as you know. When we were about to leave, I noticed something—”

“Is that why you got weird before we left?” Ivy asks, cutting me off.

I turn to her. “Yeah. There was a car pulled up about fifty feet away from us, but the weird thing was, the driver had a camera. He was taking pictures of Ivy and me.”

Nycto rubs his forehead, clenching his eyes shut tight.

Ivy shrugs. “So? What does that mean?”

“Nothing good,” I tell her. “We’re in the dark about who this could be. What does he want? Is he targeting you, me, the club? If he’s after you… is it just you, or is it Eva too? Is he an underground asshole, or an official—”

“An official?”

I pause, attempting to figure out how to word this right. “You and Eva… you’re here illegally.”

“Oh, shit! You think he could be immigration?” Her eyes widen, and the whites show her fear.

My stomach knots as I turn back to Nycto.

He raises his hands to placate her. “We don’t know anything. Did you get the license plate number, at least?”

“I needed to get out of there, Pres. I needed Ivy safe.”

Nycto sits back in his chair, puffing out a ring of smoke. “Dick move, Void. If you had an opportunity to get the plate, you fucking should have. It would have given us a lead about who the asshole is. Now, we have to sit back and wait, which could be more dangerous than you waiting twenty seconds to get a little intel.”

I sit forward, placing my fists on the table.

I get it. His Old Lady is on the line here too.

He’s angry at the situation, not just me.

“What if we don’t wait? Atomic is fucking smart. You can’t tell me our tech guru didn’t install cameras outside Trixie’s shop. If they’re at the right angle, it might have picked up the car?”

Nycto rubs his chin. “I fucking hope so. In the meantime, you and Eva are back on lockdown,” he says to Ivy. “No going outside the clubhouse gates. Inside the bunker is preferred. You understand me?”

“Yes, Pres,” Ivy relays, like a good little soldier.

I peek at her. Her eyes show strain, the concern etched across her features as she gnaws on her bottom lip so much I’m worried she might break her beautiful skin. I reach across and grab her hand to help calm her.

It doesn’t work.

“As for you, VP, you need to be on lockdown as well. We can’t be sure the photographer was after Ivy. To be safe, you need to stay put too.”

I groan. “I need to be out there trying to find this fucke—”

“No, you need to keep your head. Learn which fight to fight. You can provide insight and feedback, but only if you stay at the club. Plus, I’ll feel better if you’re here to protect my Old Lady when I leave. First step, Atomic—”

“You sayin’ I can’t even be a part of makin’ decisions?”

Nycto scrunches his face. “How have your decisions today gone?”

I scoff. “What the fuck? Not so long ago, you were the one making a hell of a lot of bad decisions around this club.”

“Yeah… exactly! Look what the fuck happened to me because of it. Maybe it worked out in the end, but we all had to go through a truckload of shit to get there. Good people died, Void. If your process is compromised, I need to step in and stop you before you end up hurting yourself or those around you.”

I stand, sending the chair skittering across the floor, then start pacing. I feel Ivy’s eyes on me, but fuck if Nycto isn’t making some version of sense right now. Even though I don’t want to, I get it. Crow and Spite died because of all the shit that went down when Nycto did everything he could for Eva. If I start throwing my weight around for Ivy and shit gets out of control, we could be facing the same damn situation all over again.

My focus is compromised.

Nycto needs to handle this.

“Fine. I’ll step back. But if anything, and I mean anything, comes to light, Nycto—”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

“Right.” With an exhale, I nod.

“Good.” She looks at Nycto. “Ivy, go tell Eva about lockdown. Void, grab Atomic, tell him I need him in here, then go have a fucking drink to take the edge off. Take a minute, yeah?”

My mouth goes dry, and an ache forms at the base of my skull. I breathe in loudly through my nose, trying to calm the nerves firing through me as Nycto’s cell buzzes on the table.

“Take a minute, Void,” Nycto reiterates, then gestures for the door with one hand while picking up his cell with the other.

I grab Ivy’s hand, and we walk for the door. She smiles weakly at me. “C’mon, let’s go to the bar.”