Chapter 2

Chapter

Two

MILO

I vy opened the hotel room door before I could even lift a hand to knock. "Before you yell at me," she said, pulling the door wide as she held up her phone. "Rome and Liam told me you were on the way up to get me."

I frowned. "You're here alone?"

"Yes," she said, waving me in. "Mickey had to go back to Braxton Harbor for the week. He'll be with us before we need to leave. Jasper and Kel are holding down the fort there, though depending on our plans, that may change."

"Freddie and Vaughn went to get supplies, and Bodhi is downstairs waiting for you."

"You really are a brat," I muttered because her grin had just gotten wider and wider.

"I know, but you love me." She gave me a hug. "And I promised the guys I would go with you back to Bodhi's place since we can't go to Lainey's."

Hugging her tight, I closed my eyes. I loved the warmth and happiness that radiated off of her. Each and every time I thought about the absolute tragedy of her life, I wanted to beat the shit out of every single person who should have protected her.

Two of them were dead. The third—well, she had her own issues and if Ivy could find a way to forgive her, then I would leave it alone. As for the fourth and final one? Well, we would be dealing with him sooner rather than later.

All accounts were due.

"Where are the terrible twins off to?"

"I don't know," she said as she retreated a step to grab her jacket and tug it on. I should have recognized the setup for what it was. She was dressed in jeans, a loose tunic kind of shirt and boots. She was ready to head out and the guys weren't here.

No way in hell would I leave her here on her own, period. Particularly not now when everything was in flux. I was going to throttle them. Then again, the twins had been downstairs waiting for me to get here. Yeah, this was definitely a setup.

She picked up her huge bag and slung it over her shoulder. I didn't even pretend like that was okay. I lifted it by the strap and transferred it from her shoulder to mine.

"I am capable of carrying my own things," she told me in that tart little tone that made me grin, even if she was giving me lip.

"Yet, you don't have to and I know the boys wouldn't make you carry a damn thing if they're around." The amused gleam in her eyes betrayed her.

"Of course not," she said, threading her arm through mine when I offered it. "It wouldn't be polite."

A real laugh escaped me and I shook my head. It would absolutely be impolite and Jasper had cracked heads for far less. I pressed a kiss to her temple.

"What was that for?" Like she didn't know, but still, I adored that easy smile on her face. The fact that everything that had been done so wrong to her was healing and she was… Fuck me, she was happy.

"Because you're adorable when you're smug," I teased her then led her out of the suite and toward the elevators.

The last few months on the road had done her a lot of good. There was warmth in her eyes, color in her cheeks, and their time in Florida netted her a bit of a tan. Not that I could imagine her out in the sun that much. I'd heard about her training sessions. They were grueling, but…

No, no buts. Ivy was thriving and I loved it for her.

In the elevator, she pressed the button for the lobby before dropping back to lean against the wall in the corner. The guys really had taught her well. It was a defensible spot and out of direct line of sight when the elevator doors opened.

"Stop brooding," she said, poking me.

"Doing my best," I told her, not even bothering to try and dismiss the charge. "Just a lot on our plates right now, Ivy."

"That's why I'm here. Why we're all here."

It was. They were coming to help. All of them. Ivy. The Vandals. Adam's cousin—how he got plugged into the Network I didn't know and I didn't ask. I appreciated the Network, and respected it. I also knew to keep a healthy distance.

As much as I wanted to ask her for everything immediately, I waited. We were limiting delicate discussions to spaces we controlled. The hotel was one of Adam's, I thought. But I could be wrong. Still, it was too public. Bodhi's penthouse was far more secure and the man took threats to his privacy seriously.

I liked that about him.

When the doors opened, Bodhi rose from where he'd been reading a paper and having a cup of coffee like he did this everyday.

Maybe he did.

"PPG," he greeted Ivy as he fell into step with us. Bodhi hadn't parked. The SUV idled out in the valet area in perfect view of the lobby.

"You remember I'm right here, right?" I rolled my eyes at the nickname. I knew exactly where that started and I could appreciate the fact he shortened it, but seriously…

"Was I not supposed to?" Bodhi deadpanned as we stepped out into the cold. Ivy laughed and gave Bodhi a kiss on the cheek. There was an ease to him around Ivy that I'd only seen when he was with Mayhem.

Where it was a possessive protectiveness with Mayhem, Bodhi's watchfulness with Ivy was far more brotherly. I could respect that.

Once she was in the car though, I glanced at him. "Does Mayhem know you call her PPG?"

He smirked. "Yes. She doesn't have a problem with it." Then he clapped me on the shoulder and I chuckled.

My phone buzzed as I slid into the passenger seat. Adam planned to go out when we were back and he was asking for an ETA. So far, we'd stuck to the plan of no one moved alone.

Mayhem consented to the bodyguard when we couldn't be there or she wanted to handle something solo. Ezra was never left alone. He refused bodyguards so he was stuck with us or Mayhem. Preferably, one of us as well as Mayhem.

Granted, his choices had been about protecting Ada and Lainey. I could respect that. But it was going to take a while for Adam or Lainey to not worry if he was out of their sight. Time they needed to heal and until we dealt with everything, they weren't getting that time.

So, Ezra dealt with the overprotectiveness the same way Lainey did. Adam, Bodhi, and I were afforded a little more freedom, but we were still trying to make sure we weren't flying solo. Too many players on the board.

Now we had unknowns.

Easier to defend if one of us was there and not chasing after the fact. We'd gotten lucky when that corrupt son of a bitch took Lainey. Damn lucky.

On our way back now. You have backup?

He didn't make me wait too long.

Meeting with friends. May ask B to go with if he's available.

That worked.

"Adam has a meeting," I told Bodhi. "I'll have Ivy and Ezra, you free to go with him?"

"Yep," Bodhi said, then glanced at the time. "Lainey will be another hour at least. Let me know when she gets back?"

"Done."

A soft laugh came from the backseat and I glanced to where Ivy grinned widely at us, hands clasped together, and just looking altogether too delighted.

"What?"

"Nothing," she said, her smile growing. "Just enjoying the vibe in here."

The vibe…

I rolled my eyes but that just made her laugh more. "Behave brat, or I'll tell the boyfriends on you."

"Tell them what?" She dared me, not sounding even a bit chastised.

"I don't know, I'm sure I can think of something." Despite my protests, I was chuckling right along with her.

"Hate to break this to you, Milo, but if this is your idea of intimidation, it needs work." The observation from Bodhi cracked Ivy up further and I caught the hint of a smile on his face.

Shaking my head, I went back to scanning the streets as Bodhi drove. I recognized the route he was taking and the changes in roads as he checked for tails. Just because we were paranoid didn't mean people weren't out to get us.

At his place, Bodhi parked in the garage and rode up with us. Ivy gave us both a patient look even if she did shake her head. She got it, even if we were entertaining her. Fuck knew she was used to being watched over. The Vandals weren't letting her run alone, not yet and maybe not for a long while.

They all needed to heal.

"Oh, thank fuck, they're home," Ezra said in the most aggrieved of tones. "Now you can leave and not sit there glaring at me like I'm going to poof and disappear."

Adam rose as we entered and he was already collecting his coat. "Emersyn," he greeted my sister and offered her a one-armed hug. She returned it easily and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Don't mind, Ezra. He's in a mood."

"Yes, I'm in a goddamn mood. I'm not five. I can look after myself for a few minutes."

"Clearly," I said as I tugged off my own coat and then took Ivy's. "You sound very mature at the moment."

"Bite me, Hardigan." He only trotted out my last name when he wanted distance these days. I could respect it.

Ivy laughed. "We'll look after him. Go to your meeting."

"Stay inside," Bodhi said. "Doors locked." Then he pointed to the coat closet. "Gun's in a small cupboard in the back. Milo can show you the safe room." Those instructions were all for Ivy's benefit. Then Bodhi lifted his gaze to mine and I nodded once. I had them both. No one would touch them on my watch.

"Thanks," Adam said. "I'll talk to you more later," he added for Ivy. "Ezra, don't be a dick to your cousins." Then he was out the door with Bodhi right behind him.

Cousins.

"Assholes," Ezra muttered and Ivy bumped me with her hip as she passed me.

"Be nice," she scolded Ezra and he gave her a dark look as she stared down at him, hands on her hips. Ezra wasn't a bad guy most of the time, but if he took that attitude out on her, I was gonna feed him my fist.

"I'm not in the mood to be nice," Ezra muttered. "I'm fucking tired of everyone hovering."

"Well, then stand up and give me a hug, cousin ," she said. "Because outside of Milo, you're the only other good thing that's happened to me because of King."

I blinked and I wasn't the only one caught off guard by the comment. Ivy despised King. Not for what he'd done to her, but for his choices where I was concerned.

"Em," Ezra said and he rose as she backed up a couple of steps. "It's—It's just a bad day."

"Bad days happen," she told him in a tone that was light enough to offer hope that they would also end, but sober enough to accept that they were very much a fact of her life. "We don't have to let them be in charge."

He shook his head and then when she wrapped her arms around him, he hesitated. The resistance was just a flash, one he fought to cover almost as soon as it appeared. The moment I saw it though, I couldn't unsee it.

Ezra didn't expect anyone to give a damn about him. It was why he was always acting out or pushing at Lainey and Adam. He wanted to push them away because it would be easier if he was the one who did the rejecting.

Fuck his family. Jasper had the same goddamn problem at one point. An abusive father destroyed, and Ezra was the walking wounded.

When he wrapped Ivy up tight, I nodded. That was better. She would be good for him. Like Mayhem was, because she wouldn't let Ezra just get away with it.

"Better?" she asked, still hugging him.

"Weirdly," he admitted with a brief glance at me. "Yes." Then he pulled back and looked at her. "How did you do that?"

"I've had practice," she said, then patted his arm. "Practice and a big brother who foisted all of his protective bossiness on me." She flashed a grin at me. "But it's cool, cause now I can give him all the shit and be a brat while he lets me."

"Huh," Ezra said, then cut a look toward me.

I just shrugged. "She's not wrong. Besides, you are family. That means you just have to accept it."

"So, who do I have to bribe to get a coffee?" Ivy asked. "I can make it myself."

"I got it," Ezra said. "And… sorry about being pissy when you got here."

"You weren't pissy at me," she told him.

"Good. Right. You want coffee, Milo?"

"That'd be great. Should we order food or make something?" I looked at Ivy. "Cause you're probably not filling us in until Mayhem gets back."

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe… Depends." Then she cast a look toward a retreating Ezra who vanished into the kitchen. "He's not okay."

I adopted her soft tone. "No, he's not, but he's working on it."

When she bit down on her lower lip and folded her arms, I could practically read the indecision on her face.

"Trust me, kiddo. We have him. Me, Mayhem, Adam, even Bodhi. None of us are going to let him fall."

"You can't smother him though." She blew out a breath. "It's hard when you've been hurt—I know you know that. You don't want to feel vulnerable and you really don't want to feel like it's all out of your control. Don't hold on so tight you're taking that control from him."

"I hear you," I promised her then rubbed her biceps so she'd relax a little. "I'll talk to the others."

She nodded, then glanced back toward the kitchen. "I can talk to him… It might help if it comes from someone he's not so close to."

I hated to burst her bubble… "He was protective of you before he knew," I reminded her.

"That was because of Lainey." She couldn't just hand wave this off but it wasn't time for this fight right now.

"Uh huh." I nudged her over to take a seat as the sound of the coffee grinder and the milk steamer drifted out from the kitchen. When she curled up in the corner of the sofa, I studied her. "Did you find out what we needed to know?"

"Some."

"Define some?"

"I know people we can talk to, people who are familiar with the business in that part of the world. I can also get you in to talk to them. We might get a lot more there. They may not be as amenable to talking as others, but I trust you can persuade them."

I frowned. "How?"

"Every single time I toured in Eastern Europe, it was always very popular. We only ever played in two cities, so the audience came to me."

"Why only two?" I swore she was talking around the point, making light of something that was far more serious.

"Because," she said, then glanced back as Ezra reappeared with our coffees. "Yay! Coffee time."

I let her have the distraction as Ezra handed over our coffees before he took a seat on the other sofa. "What are we discussing?"

"Europe," she said. "And why did I only ever perform in two cities when we went there—well in Eastern Europe." At least she didn't try to downplay it.

"The reason was…?"

"The company always had to hire me bodyguards when I was there." She blew out a breath. "Uncle Fuckbucket would pay for it, particularly after the first time there was a kidnapping attempt."

The first time?

Ezra snapped forward. "The first time? That means there was a second."

"The first one was the only real close call, after that I had bodyguards. But my performances brought in all types and I was very popular in some circles." She made a face. "I didn't really think about the audience that much, we just went, I performed, and we left…"

"Em—are you telling us that traffickers actually came to your shows and tried to acquire you?" The fact Ezra could deliver the line so coolly earned him points.

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"I can't say they were definitively traffickers," she said before taking a sip of her coffee. "Some were just rich, fat men who wanted a young girl."

Anger lit a tempest in me.

"I recognized it, and I did everything I could to avoid it. So, yes, when I went, I had big burly bodyguards, often two at a time, to keep my ‘fans' at bay and so no one had to worry about me going missing."

Because her uncle was already a pedophile who wanted to claim ownership of her. I wish we could resurrect that piece of shit just so we could kill him. Again.

"Anyway, I'm not worried about that this time. Because I'm never alone and the guys would never let anything happen to me. Nor would you." She motioned to the two of us. "I also know a lot more about fighting, using a knife, and shooting a gun. I'm not an easy target anymore."

Anymore.

"Ivy…"

"I love you too," she murmured. No, she wasn't making light of her history or her experiences. "Lainey needs this. She needs help to find Andrea. If she's in Eastern Europe, and ‘sold,' then we need these people. People who can point us in the right directions. Of all of us, I can do this. I can bring them to the table…"

I fucking hated that she was right.

"How the hell are you convincing Liam and the others to even consider this?" Ezra demanded.

"Well, I'm going to let Milo talk to them first."

Right…

The door locks tumbled and I rose, half-aware of Ezra standing too. A moment later, the door opened to reveal Lainey and I was able to take a deeper breath. She was here and she was safe.

Trusting her to look after herself was one thing. Setting my own eyes on her was another. Her troubled gaze lightened as she met mine then she smiled at me before glancing at Ezra and then Ivy.

All at once, Mayhem's smile vanished. "Em… what's wrong?"

I shot a look over my shoulder. Ivy had gone painfully pale and her hand shook, but she wasn't looking at any of us.

She was staring at Karagiani and he was staring at her.

"Ivy?"

"He worked for my uncle…" The paper-thin rasp of her whisper ripped through me. I didn't miss a single thing crossing Karagiani's face.

Or the fact that Lainey was between us.