Chapter Sixteen

NYCTO

My eyes slowly drift open. The warmth of Eva against my body is gone, and with it, a sense of loss washes over me. I won’t bring it up. Hell, she may not even know what she did in her sleep—that she pulled me closer to her. I turn my head, and she’s facing me, still asleep, but she’s curled into herself, her hands tucked under her chin. Smirking at the distance she’s put between us, I can’t help but figure she woke up during the night, realized what she was doing, and retreated. She did it without waking me, so now we can both pretend like it didn’t happen without shit getting awkward.

Without waking her, I slowly edge out of bed and make my way to the bathroom. After closing the door behind me, I stare at myself in the mirror. “You’re in over your head, asshole,” I murmur to myself.

I turn on the faucet and splash cold water on my face. The frigid hit wakes me a little more as droplets run down my tattooed chest. Grabbing the hand towel, I scrub my face dry.

I know I need to pull my shit together. I’m hoping everything has gone to plan with Ivy this morning. If she tried to make a run for it last night, the wheels to all this bullshit could start falling off. I slap my cheeks a few times to wake myself enough to get on with the day, then open the bathroom door to get dressed.

As I start to walk out, Eva sits in bed, reading one of the books Trixie brought in for her. I hesitate in the doorway, taking her in.

She lowers the book, and her eyes focus on me and widen. Her gaze follows a droplet as it runs from my neck, over my collarbone, down my chest, and over my abs. Eva’s tongue peeks out for just a moment before she bites the corner of one lip, and a gorgeous blush covers her cheeks. The sight of her almost gives me a coronary. Damn, this woman’s sexy.

Hurriedly, her gaze flicks back to mine. “You’re wet,” she whispers.

Water droplets still slide down my chest, and I casually wipe them away as I continue walking into the room. She lowers the book to the bed, her eyes taking in my almost naked body.

“You gonna be okay for a while? I gotta go deal with some shit.”

Eva clears her throat. She brings her book back up, trying to appear indifferent. “Unless you’re finally going to let me walk around the clubhouse on my own? Got nothing better to do…”

“You know I can’t let you do that.”

“This is where I’ll be, then. Scurry out of here like you do every day. I have my own shit to deal with.”

Whoa… there’s some attitude. Is she overcompensating because of last night?

“You need to douse that fire in your tone, chiquita . ”

“You need to get dressed and get the hell out .”

“What the fuck’s wrong with you? You getting your period or something?”

Her eyes grow wide, and she slams the book on the bed.

Shit. Bad move.

Eva throws the quilt off her legs, her face turning bright red in anger. Her feet stomp the floor hard as she storms toward me with thunder usually seen in a raging stampede. I tense my muscles, waiting for the impact as she lunges toward me and shoves me in the chest.

“ Idiota! Imbécil! I hate you. I hate the sight of you! Get the hell out!”

I stumble backward with the force of her push and at the shock of her words. She turns, grabs my jeans and shirt from the desk, and shoves them at me. As I take them, she pushes me again. “ Cállate y déjame! Márchate!” Shut up and leave me alone. “Out! Get. Out!”

“This is my damn room. You’d do well to remember that and some manners.”

“So fucking what? Soy tu prisionera , remember?” I’m your prisoner, remember?

“Eva!”

“Out!” she screams. Her chest heaves as she stands there, hands fisted, glaring her hatred at me.

I grab the key from my jeans and unlock the door. Eva’s eyes widen. The knowledge the key wasn’t on my person last night—that she had a way out if she truly wanted to take it—can be read on her face as clear as reading a book. Her bottom lip trembles, and with a sniffle, she turns and stomps away from me, then throws herself onto the bed like a toddler.

Gentle sobs come next, and the noise claws at my chest. I can’t stand to see her worked up like this, and I don’t understand why I can’t stand it. It’s a new feeling for me. I don’t know what I did to cause this reaction, but I need to leave, for both of our sakes. I can’t keep doing this shit to her.

I walk out of the room and lock it, thankful no one is around to witness me standing in the hallway in only my boxer briefs. After taking a deep breath, I quickly pull on my jeans and shirt. My cut is still in my closet, and it looks like I’m going barefoot this morning. My brothers are going to wonder what the fuck’s going on. They can wonder all they want. I’m not telling them shit.

A sense of relief crashes over me as I make my way into the main room and see Void sitting at a table with Ivy next to him. A slow smile crosses my face. After taking a steadying breath, I stride over to them. One of my brothers does a double take as I walk past but keeps his question to himself before I slide in next to Void.

Ivy raises her brow at me. “Morning, Nycto… everything okay?” I hear the tone in her voice. She’s curious about her sister.

Void stares at me as he sips his coffee, his lips turning downward as he takes in my appearance. “Where’s your cut, Pres?”

I crack my neck to the side. “None of your damn business…” I turn to Ivy. “I trust you’re feeling better about your arrangements?”

She places her hands on the table, showing them off. “No handcuffs. I’m a free woman. Though, honestly, being up here isn’t what I thought it would be.”

“What were you expecting?”

She shrugs. “I don’t know. I mean… it’s nice and all. The people I’ve met are great, but I kinda like the Cell. It’s quiet. Peaceful.”

Void and I glance at each other. Is she joking? Or does she really like it down there? Surely, Ivy can’t be as twisted as the rest of us?

Void said she’ll fit in well here. Maybe she is made for this club.

“Peaceful, huh? Most people think Hawaii or Fiji are peaceful, not an underground cell with no windows that smells like mold and decaying—” I abruptly stop talking. She may suspect, but she can’t be certain about the walls… or who’s behind them.

Ivy sinks back, relaxing. “I know it sounds weird. Maybe it is, but it feels secure. A room is just four walls and a door, after all. It feels like I belong. I can’t explain it.”

Void widens his eyes, saying nothing as he sips his coffee, the steam from the hot beverage swirling up from the mug.

With this enlightening news, I can now move ahead with my plan.

Ivy likes it here. She likes the people. She likes the atmosphere. She wants to stay.

If I’m able to convince Ivy, then maybe this will work.

“Ivy, I want to run something by you.”

“Shoot.”

I need to word this carefully. “If Eva finds out you’ve been here all along, she’s going to fucking explode.”

“No doubt.”

“She’s gonna want to leave and take you with her.” Ivy stills, listening to me intently. “I don’t want to lie to Eva, but at the time, I thought I was doing the right thing keeping you from her. It was a dick move, and Eva’s not coping. She needs to know you’re okay.”

Ivy’s expression turns somber. “What can I do?”

“I need you to lie.”

“ Mierda .” She sags for a minute but then sits taller. “Explain?”

She didn’t shoot me down.

“I want to tell Eva we found you.”

“That you rescued me?”

I nod. “I suppose, yes.”

“And you’ll let her see me?”

“If I tell her we found you, but you make the point about wanting to stay, maybe she’ll want to as well.”

Void shakes his head slightly in disapproval as I dig my grave, but I’m his president, so he says nothing while continuing to sip coffee. I ignore him as Ivy ponders my suggestion. “And what do I tell her about where I was?”

“Tell her a businessman had you locked in a room. We came in, shot the place to shit, and rescued you. Brought you here. Held you for a day to make sure everything was okay and get you checked out by the doc before your reunion.”

“If I agree and she doesn’t want to stay, no matter what I tell her, what then?”

I have to hope that’s not the case, but considering how Eva was with me before I came out here, I honestly don’t know where her mind is.

“Then I’ll have to keep you both confined here until she changes her mind. It’s too damn dangerous out there for the both of you and for us if you’re seen.”

“I get that. I can turn her around. Don’t worry. I know how to work my sister.”

Void chuckles. “I bet you do.”

Her eyes fall to him in a mocking glare. “Don’t be so judgmental. You don’t know how our relationship works. What we’ve had to go through together… it’s been tough.”

Void draws his brows in tightly. “Lighten up, princess. Everyone’s been through shit in their life.”

I sit back, folding my arms over my chest. “What’s with everyone arguing today? You two sound like Eva and me. Sisters cut from the same cloth. You get your backs up about the smallest shit.”

“We’ve had to battle for everything in our lives, Nycto. It’s in our nature to fight for what we want.”

“There’s a distinction between fighting for what you believe in and carrying the fuck on for the sake of it. You both need to learn the damn difference.”

She sits forward. “Do you fight for the sake of it, Nycto?”

The question throws me. Do I? I guess so.

I bend rules.

I push boundaries.

I make decisions without thinking shit through.

I try to do the right thing most of the time and adhere to the guidelines as much as possible, but in all honesty, sometimes I just say fuck it and do what I want. It’s why Hawk and Torque are always on my damn back—because I’m a loose cannon.

How can I reprimand Ivy for something I’m guilty of myself?

I’m a hypocrite.

But she doesn’t need to know that.

“I’m going to see Eva. Gauge her headspace. When might be the right time to tell her about you?”

Ivy sees right through my avoidance. “I’m going to mingle with the club girls. There’s too much testosterone in here for a girl to handle.”

I turn to Void. “Keep an eye on her.”

“Like I have a damn choice,” he groans out.

As I stand, I grip his shoulder, then turn and walk toward the hall. I have no idea if Eva’s mood has settled, but I need to gauge what she’s thinking and figure out why she all of a sudden hates me. Those three words cut deeper than I care to admit.

If she means them, I don’t fucking know what my next move will be.