Chapter Eighteen

EVA

Nycto walks me through the clubhouse. Brothers watch me like they know shit is about to go down, but all I can worry about is my mission to see Ivy.

Nycto tries to take my hand, but I yank it away. I’m angry. No, I’m furious. He’s had Ivy here for a whole day, and he didn’t tell me. Nycto huffs, leading me past the entrance to the clubhouse where I had planned to escape from only moments ago. If I’d succeeded, I would have left when Ivy is here.

How fucked up is that?

We walk to a set of stairs that head down, and he gestures for me to lead the way. The stairwell is dark, ominous. Foreboding.

Where the hell are they holding her? Is she some kind of prisoner? It makes sense. I am, after all.

Taking in a long breath, I start the descent and find myself entering a darkened area. It smells all kinds of wrong. I gag. It’s fucking eerie and strange. The walls are made of red brick. Some look new, some older. The whole area makes no sense to me, but a light catches my attention at the end of the long, dank room. A large brick wall is open, showing some kind of makeshift hotel suite inside.

What the fuck is this shit?

Nycto ushers me forward, and with each step I take, my nerves heighten even more. This place is beyond strange. Movement on the sofa catches my attention, and I pause. My heart thuds rapidly as I glance at Nycto. His lips turn up slightly as if trying to ease my nerves. It doesn’t help.

My body trembles as I walk faster toward the room. “Ivy?” I call out.

The figures on the sofa turn.

And I see her.

She stands while I stop dead still.

She’s perfect.

Exactly as I remember.

In the same dress we left Cuba in.

It hasn’t been a long time, but I don’t know what I was expecting.

A small whimper escapes me. I can’t hold myself back any longer, so I race forward, the chill of the concrete floor sending an ache through my bare feet.

Ivy’s arms throw out to the sides as she rushes out of the room toward me too. “E-Eva!” Her voice breaks as she calls out my name.

My breathing is frantic as I run like hell to get to her. It’s an eternity, but eventually, we slam into each other. My arms wrap around her, holding her body to me so fucking tight. I never want to let her go. Not again. The memory of her being ripped from my grasp is too strong.

Ivy clings to me as tears cascade down our faces.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” I grip her for dear life.

“No, I’m fine. Completely fine. Are you all right?” she asks frantically.

Sniffling, I pull back from her, my hands moving to her face, smoothing her hair as I look at her— really look at her—to make sure she isn’t lying to me. “I’m fine. Just dying to find you. Jesus, Ivy, I was so fucking worried, so fucking scared. I was going out of my damn mind.” I pull her back to me, just needing to make sure she’s really here with me and not some figment of my imagination or some nightmare I’m yet to wake up from.

“I know. I was worried about you, too, but I was told Nycto and the guys have been taking good care of you. They’ve been nothing but amazing to me since I arrived.”

I peek over my shoulder to where Nycto is watching our interaction intently, then turn back to my sister. “I’m so glad you’re here. Not knowing what was happening to you was killing me.”

Ivy winces, grabs my hands, and stares straight into my watering eyes. “I’m fine. I promise. Nothing happened to me. I’m one hundred percent okay. Not a scratch.”

I lean in and press my lips to her forehead. “I love you so, so much. I don’t ever want us to be separated again.”

Ivy swipes under my eyes to wipe away my tears. “We won’t be. We’re a team. We do everything together. Make decisions together. Everything will be fine.”

Guilt flows through me as I think of Nycto. Of the kiss we shared, of the connection I feel with him. But first and foremost, I need to think of my sister and her well-being. What is best for her and her alone . My feelings don’t come into this. Just in case the men don’t like what we’re discussing, I switch to Spanish.

“ What do you want to do, Ivy? I’m not sure we can go back to Cuba. The men who took us will probably come after us again. We will have to make a way for ourselves here in America. ”

Void, who I now notice is inside the room behind Ivy, looks over like he’s suddenly interested in our conversation. I can’t help but feel Nycto’s eyes glaring into my back as well.

Ivy narrows her eyes on me. “ You want to go it alone? In a country where we have no visas or passports, no money, nothing to help us?”

My stomach churns as I glance back at Nycto, his expression unreadable. I can’t tell if he’s angry, somber, or despondent. Maybe it’s all three? Turning back to Ivy, I shrug. “ What else would you have us do? We can’t go back home. It’s too risky. ”

Ivy turns, glancing back at Void. I really hope he doesn’t speak Spanish. His eyes shift to the floor like he doesn’t want to be a part of this discussion, and I’m confused as to why she’s even turning to him. What’s with that?

She tightens her hands on mine, her eyes shooting to Nycto for the briefest of moments before returning to me. “ Why don’t we stay here? ”

“ Here? At the clubhouse? ”

“ I mean… I’m sure Nycto is willing to let us stay until we get on our feet or even longer if we want to. To be honest, Eva, I feel safe here. Protected. And I haven’t felt like that for a long time. ”

My body slumps at her words. All I want is for Ivy to feel safe and protected. After what we’ve been through in our lives, then being kidnapped to be sold, I want her to know she’s being taken care of.

“ Why do you feel safe here ?”

Her eyes shift to Void, and it starts to sink in. Maybe she sees him as her hero? Maybe he was the one who got her out of wherever she was, and now she doesn’t want to leave him.

“ Have you seen this place, Eva? It’s an underground bunker. We’re in this country illegally, and we can’t go back home for fear of being taken again. If we go out on our own, it’s exactly that… we’re on our own. Here, Defiance can protect us. I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel shielded from the bad people. If those assholes who tried to buy us ever come knocking, Nycto and his brothers will be here for us. Doesn’t that mean something to you? ”

Her belief in these guys is quite astounding for someone who has only been here for twenty-four hours, give or take. Now that I know she’s not desperate to escape this place, I switch back to English for Nycto’s and Void’s sake.

“You really wanna stay here? At a biker club? I didn’t think it would be your kind of thing…”

“To be honest, I didn’t either, but since I’ve been down here, this room has felt more like home than I’ve felt in a long time.”

That statement shocks me. This weird, dank, strange-smelling cell is more like a home than our home was in Cuba? I don’t understand.

“How?”

She exhales. “Think about it, Eva. At home, it’s just you and me. It’s amazing… great, really… and we are the best company for each other—”

“But…”

“But here, there are hermanos. Compa?eros .” Brothers. Companions. She points to the shirt of Nycto’s I’m wearing. “People who will literally give you the shirt off their back. They’re not just a biker club, Eva. They’re a family. We could have that again.”

Emotion overwhelms me. “I miss Mamá and Papá more than anything, Ivy, but replacing them with a biker club isn’t going to fill the hole their deaths left behind.”

“No, it isn’t, but maybe having a whole other family by our sides will help us move on.”

I swallow heavily as I ponder her thoughts.

She wants to stay.

For days now, I’ve been grappling with the same feelings.

The thought of having a connection with Nycto but having to leave him to find Ivy was always there. Now, I have Ivy. The thought of figuring this thing out with Nycto is even scarier.

His bulky arms fold over his chest, an expression on his face telling me he’s desperate to hear what I have to say—and maybe what we said when he couldn’t understand—but he isn’t making a move. Whatever I say next affects everyone here in so many ways. For once, I hold all the cards, and this power is not something I want to have.

I direct my next question to Nycto. “If we stay, are you going to keep me locked in your room?”

His nostrils flare as he exhales. Finally, showing some kind of emotion, he steps toward us. “Are you going to try to leave the compound?”

I glance at Ivy, who shakes her head. “Not unless you tell us we can.”

The corner of his lips turns up. “Then, no, I won’t lock you in my room. You’ll be free to roam around like Ivy.”

Excitement bubbles inside of me. “Where’s Ivy sleeping?”

Her eyes widen and dart back to the cell-like room.

“We have a spare room upstairs she can use—”

“I want to stay down here.” Ivy’s adamant tone cuts through Nycto’s words. We both raise our brows as she says, “Please?”

Nycto rolls his shoulders. “Are you sure about that? This is not built for living, more for… people in transit.”

“I know, but I like it. It’s my own little bubble for now. I can come up and see everyone when I’m tired of my bubble.”

My stomach knots suddenly. If I’m able to come and go as I please, does that mean I’m going to be in a different room? Is my time in Nycto’s space over? “And… where’s my room going to be?”

Nycto frowns, worry lines creasing his brow. “You’re staying in my room, chiquita . Don’t think for a second you’re sleeping anywhere else.”

His firm attitude should anger me, but all it does is ignite a fire inside my soul. My entire body throbs and my stomach clenches as I stare at him. His eyes bore into mine, the color of strong hot chocolate during a snowstorm, wrapping around me like the tightest embrace. The heat? It’s like it’s one-hundred-and-fifteen degrees down here, just from his intense gaze. The way Nycto demands what he wants only makes me want to stay more. His harsh tone and glare turns me into a puddle in a matter of seconds. No one has ever been able to do that before.

Ivy drops her hands from mine, causing me to snap out of my Nycto delirium. She shifts her gaze from Nycto to me, then back to Nycto. “Maybe it’s a good thing we’re staying, Eva.”

Clearing my throat, I tilt my head. “You really think that?”

“I do.” She turns, heading for her cell. “Now, c’mon… come check out my digs.”

My eyes meet Nycto’s quickly before I turn and follow her into the strange room. It’s like a little hotel suite, but I don’t miss the stripper pole in the middle of the room with a chain attached. What the hell is that about? I choose not to ask. If I don’t ask, I can’t be told an answer I don’t like.

Ivy makes her way over to the bed and sits down. I follow, moving in beside her.

Nycto signals to Void. “We’ll let you girls get reacquainted. We will be upstairs when you’re ready to come back out, and I’ll send Pepper and Freya out to buy you both a new wardrobe.”

“You’re buying us clothes?” I ask.

“Can’t have you wearing my underwear forever, woman.”

Void scrunches his face up at Nycto like he had no idea.

“Thanks,” Ivy calls out.

“Yes, thank you.”

Nycto dips his chin, then they take off for the stairs, leaving me with Ivy.

I smile at her. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“Oh, no, you don’t. We’ve established we’ve missed each other. It’s good we’re both here. Let’s move on from that—”

“What?”

“You need to spill the beans.”

“About what?”

“Not about what… about who. ” She nudges my shoulder. “ You and Nycto, hermana sister, I saw that. Don’t tell me you don’t feel something for him because it was written all over your face.”

It’s like nothing has changed between Ivy and me. She’s been taken captive, then rescued by bikers, and now she wants to talk about my love life?

“We have far more pressing issues to talk about, Ivy. Like where were you taken? Who had you? What happened while you were there?”

She groans. “Seriously, Eva, nothing happened. I was taken the same night as you, transported to some fancy-as-shit house, locked in a bedroom by some old fart who said he had plans for me, and then Nycto and the guys came in shooting the mansion to hell and rescued me.”

My eyes widen. “Nycto came and got you?”

She hesitates. “Yeah. Him, Void, and a few others. I thought I was good as dead when they busted in, but Nycto told me he had you. I remembered Void from when we got off the boat, so I knew they had been in contact with you. I had to trust them. It was all pretty simple and quick. They went to the trouble to get me out of there, so I knew it couldn’t be all bad. I had no clue what the old dude was going to do to me, so I figured, fuck it. What did I have to lose?”

“Who convinced you to come?”

She hesitates again. I’m not sure why, but her lips slowly turn upward. “Void.”

So that’s the connection she has to him.

“And you were okay with them keeping me from you for a day?”

She shrugs. “Didn’t have a choice, but I knew you were here, so it was only a matter of time. I was okay with waiting while they sorted their shit out and made sure we were safe. No point going from one gunfight to another.”

With a sigh, I reach out and pull her to me in another embrace. “You’ve been through so much, Ivy. I know I said it before, but I really am so glad you’re here. I feel like I can finally breathe again.”

“Me too.” She pulls back. “Now… Nycto.”

“Christ, where do I start?”

“Just tell me. Do you like him?”

I tense. Do I like him?

Sometimes I hate him.

Sometimes I crave him.

Do I want to pursue something romantic with him?

“Honestly, I… I…”