Chapter Twenty-One

Luc

"So, how are things going?"

It had been almost a week since I took Ivy out on my bike and introduced her to the Golden Skulls and Remi. Since then, everything has been quiet.

Too fucking quiet.

It was making me nervous.

"You seem agitated."

Glaring at Logic, I narrowed my eyes. "And you're not? It's like fucking Disneyland out there. Everyone is fucking happy, laughing, having a blast."

"And that bothers you?"

"Fuck yes, it bothers me."

"Why?"

"Because it's not right. It's like the calm before the storm. I can feel the static brewing, charging itself up, getting ready to rain down hellfire any second. Are you telling me you don't feel it too?"

Logic sat in his chair and shrugged. "This isn't about me, but you're right. We all feel it. Only you seem to be the one voicing any concern, though. What do you think is coming?"

"I have no fucking clue." I groaned, raking my hands through my hair in frustration. I could handle pretty much anything, as long as I knew the score. But the unknown shit, well, that's where I got antsy, and everyone fucking knew I hated feeling anxious.

"What is your gut telling you?"

"That it has something to do with this detective showing up today."

"You think Ivy is lying to you?"

"No. I don't know," I bit out, getting to my feet.

Pacing the room, I continued, "Other than that one time in her apartment, she hasn't mentioned her past. Oh, she has no fucking problem coming to me to scratch her itch, but once it's sated, she just fucking waltzes out of the room like everything's perfect in her life. It's pissing me off."

Logic leaned back in his chair and smirked.

"Don't get me wrong. I got no problem fucking that woman any fucking way she wants. Hell, I'd gladly drop my fucking pants right now if she asked me to, but she doesn't talk. I thought fucking her into submission would open her up, make her feel more protected, but it hasn't done shit."

"You know it takes two to have a conversation, right? Have you tried opening up to her?"

"This isn't about me."

"This relationship with Ivy isn't going to work if neither of you won't talk to each other. You can have all the sex in the world, but that won't fix the problem, Luc. Have you told Ivy you were married once before?"

Sitting back down, I muttered, "No. My past doesn't matter."

"If you think that, then how do you expect Ivy to open up about hers? Relationships need work and communication to survive, Luc. It's a two-way street. It's give and take. How can you expect Ivy to talk about her past when you won't talk about yours?"

"Does she talk about her past with you?"

Logic shook his head. "What Ivy talks about with me is confidential and you know it. This session is about you. I'm going to give you the same advice I gave Ivy. Go talk with her."

A knock at the door had us both looking up as Frost stuck his head in. "Detective is here."

"Guess that concludes today's session. Same time tomorrow?"

I growled, flipping the fucker off as I stormed out of his office.

Fucking talking was for the birds.

I preferred action.

"Thank you for taking the time to see me." Detective Robin Calloway smiled, sitting across the table from me and Ivy. The woman was not what I was expecting. Petite and gentle looking, she looked more like a porcelain doll than a New York City police detective. Still, she wore a badge, and that meant I couldn't trust her. That, and after dealing with Ivy's ass since she arrived, I knew looks could be deceiving where women were involved. Already had my hands full with one of their sex, I didn't need problems with another.

While the rest of the brothers weren't exactly here for the meeting, they were listening in. "I just have a few questions for you, Ms. Scott. It's come to my attention that you might have some information that might help me."

"About what?"

Opening a folder, the detective slid a photograph toward Ivy. Instead of touching it, she just stared down at the picture, showing the detective nothing.

Not even a flicker of emotion.

Looking myself, I could clearly see the burned outline of a trident on the leg of a body. Still red and swollen, I'd have to be blind to not realize that whoever killed this kid was a sadistic son of a bitch.

"All the victims have had that mark seared into their skin. Branded. I was told you bear that mark too. Is that correct?"

Ivy shrugged, being deliberately evasive. "Maybe. Why does it matter?"

"It is my belief that whoever gave you your mark is the same person killing these kids. I'm hoping you will help me catch this killer and bring him to justice."

Ivy scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. "Good luck with that because no one has been able to stop him. You're barking up the wrong tree, Detective. I can't help you."

"Can't or won't?"

Ivy shrugged, saying nothing more.

The detective sighed, leaning over the folder on the table. "Ivy, I know this must be scary."

"Who said I was scared?"

"If you need protection, I can call the FBI and make arrangements for you to be placed in the Witness Protection Program. This killer will never know it was you who helped bring him to justice."

"That's where you are wrong." Ivy smirked. "You think he doesn't know you're the one working the case? You think he hasn't been watching you, waiting in the shadows for you to put the pieces together? That son of a bitch knows everything. He's smart, cunning, and has friends everywhere. There is nothing you can do to him. Look, I'm sorry those kids died. I really am. But you are crazier than me if you think you've been hunting a killer. Lady, you can't hunt the hunter, and trust me, he is hunting, and you just led him straight to me."

I stiffened when Slash slowly stood.

Agony and Trash growled as the rest of the clubhouse stopped pretending and all stared at Ivy.

"Ivy, what do you mean by that?" I asked, facing her.

When she refused to say anything, I reached for her hands. "Talk to me, babe. Who's hunting you?"

"It doesn't matter. I can't stay here anymore."

"The fuck you can't," I sneered. "You think I'm gonna let some fucknut get within five feet of you, you're crazier than I am."

Yanking her hands away, she jumped to her feet and shouted, "That's right, Luc! I am fucking crazy, but even I know when to shit and get. Thanks to that bitch, he knows where I am. He won't stop until he gets me back. He won't blink twice before killing all of you. That's why I left the city. I saw the newspapers. I knew when he started killing those kids, he was sending me a message. Every one of those kids was a warning to me. That he will keep killing until I come home."

Slowly getting to my feet, I growled. "It's your father."

Tears streamed down her face. "Yes! Somehow, he found out where I was. He wants me back. That's why I came here. I knew I couldn't stay in the city. He would find me and drag me back home. I can't go back there, Luc. I can't. He will surely kill me. So, I ran. I ran as far and fast as I could, but it wasn't enough. Now, he knows. He's coming for me, and I can't stay here anymore."

Grabbing her, I held her close while she cried, her body trembling in fear. Looking at the detective, I said, "Devlin Scott. That's the man you are looking for. Hails from Miami, Florida. Owns a BDSM club called the Trick Pony. You better find him before I do, Detective, because if I find him first, there will be nothing left of him when I am finished with him. Get me?"

The detective nodded. Getting to her feet, she placed her card on the table. "I am so sorry, Ivy. Mr. Hawk, I will be in touch."

Nodding, I watched as the detective gathered her things and left. The second she was out of the clubhouse, I looked at Indigo, who stood waiting, itching for me to say the words.

"Find the motherfucker."

And that was all Indigo needed before he left the room.

"Mouth, gather the Plebs. I want Ivy's apartment cleaned. No trace of her remains. Understood?"

"On it, Luc," Mouth firmly said, snapping his fingers at the Plebs as they left to do what I ordered.

"I can't do this anymore," she cried into my chest. "I can't go back there."

"You won't, baby. I promise," I stated firmly, looking at Logic, who stared worriedly at Ivy as he whispered something to Alias, who nodded before rushing from the room.

Slash walked over and stroked her back. "Sis, why didn't you tell me? I would have helped. Does Mom and Father Dominic know?"

Ivy slowly shook her head. "I just left."

Seeing Alias return, he handed something to Logic, who sighed, before stepping closer. "Ivy, I want you to take a valium. It will help calm your nerves."

"I don't want to."

"Honey, you're close to another D.I.D. episode. Please take it," he encouraged.

"Come on, babe, it will help."

Ivy looked up at me, her eyes wild with fear as she pleaded, "Please don't make me. My whole life, men have forced me to do things I didn't want to do. Please don't make me hate you too."

"Then tell me what you need, Ivy, because I don't like seeing you like this."

"Take me upstairs."

Well. Fuck!

Sitting in the corner of my room, I watched while she slowly walked around, looking and touching the items I had on display. I had no idea why she wanted to be in this room, of all places, but the second she walked in I could see the tension in her shoulders ease.

Something about this room seemed to calm her in a way I had never noticed before. It was unnerving to say the least. Almost unnatural, considering her past.

"Ivy, can you tell me why you wanted to come here?" Logic asked, leaning against the wall. The second Ivy mentioned going upstairs, Logic insisted, rather firmly, that he go too. I wasn't in the mood to argue, so I agreed, as long as it was okay with Ivy.

"There was a room at the club. The blue room, my father called it. I've always liked the color blue. I don't know why, so I never understood why the blue room bothered me so much."

"Tell me about the blue room."

Picking up a flogger, she fondled the soft plaited leather before placing it back on the wall.

"It was nothing, really. Just a room with a bed in it. Unlike the rest of the rooms in the club, it was rather sedate. But I hated that room."

"Why?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I just did."

Looking up at Logic, I questioned where he was going with this. When my brother shook his head, I kept my concerns to myself.

"Tell me about another room. Was there one you liked?"

"My bedroom. I liked my bedroom."

"Tell me about it."

"It had a small bed. A soft pillow. There was a pink rug on the floor. It was always cold in the club. It was nice not to step on the cold tiled floor. It was just a room."

"Something about that room made it special to you. What was it?"

"I don't know," she muttered, picking up one of the spreader bars I had displayed in a cabinet. "I guess because it was hers before it was mine."

"What was? The room?"

Ivy slowly shook her head. "No, the picture."

"What picture?"

"The only picture I had of her. She lived there before me."

Sitting up, my head whipped to Logic as my brother slowly held up his hand, stopping me from saying a single word. Never, not once since Ivy showed up at the clubhouse, had I ever heard her mention anyone else.

Ever.

"She was so beautiful. I looked like her. I was about two when he took her from me. I didn't want her to go. I tried fighting him, but I was too small, too weak. I never stood a chance. I just remember hearing her scream when he ripped her from me."

Neither Logic nor I said a word, letting Ivy talk at her own pace. Through it all, she continued to move about the room, touching and examining items that captured her fancy. She wasn't looking for anything in particular, and if I didn't know any better, she was just doing it to keep moving.

"But I hated the blue room. I used to beg my father not to make me go in there, but he would just laugh. I hated his laugh."

"Ivy, go back to your bedroom. What else can you tell me about it?"

"It was always clean. He hated things messy. I had a window that faced the ocean once. Sometimes, I sat and listened as birds flew by, wondering what it would be like to be free like them. Sometimes I could smell the rain before a storm hit. Then one day it was gone. Like her."

"What happened to the window?"

"He boarded it up when I got older. He didn't want me to leave. He told me the world had too many monsters and it was his job to protect me. He lied because he was the monster. He never allowed anyone in my room. It was mine."

Holding a red silk rope, her hands shook when she sat down on the bed, uncoiling the rope before she started to tie it in an intricate knot. "Did you know that there are many types of rope that can subdue a submissive? Any rope will actually do. Take this rope, for example. It's soft. The fibers won't scratch the skin, but when pulled tight, it can suffocate easily. You told me once that everyone has a hard limit. That you would not stop until you discovered mine? Do you remember, Luc?"

Gulping, I nodded, cautiously replying, "Yes. I remember."

Standing up, she held out the rope for me to see.

In her hands hung the red silk rope that she'd expertly tied into a noose. "This is my hard limit."

Dropping the noose on the floor, she walked over to the side of the bed and laid down. "I'm tired. I think I'm going to sleep for a while."

Walking over to her, I covered her up, then bent down to pick up the noose she'd made, before Logic and I left the room. Closing the door behind me, I made damn sure no one would disturb her.

Logic wasted no time speaking. "We've got a problem, Luc. Whatever happened in that blue room is her trigger and my gut is telling me it's fucking bad. Did you see how easily she made that noose? Those knots she used are difficult to make. Yet she did so effortlessly."

Holding the noose in my hands, I ran my fingers over the intricate knots, frowning as something about the design bothered me. "Logic, you're the rope play expert here. Have you seen a knot like this before?"

Handing him the noose, he looked at it, inspecting the design intently. Frowning, he muttered, "It's familiar. Old in design. Almost has a Chinese look to it. I can hit the books, but I'm gonna need time. There is something oddly familiar about this knot, but until I know where it originated from and what its actual purpose is, I won't speculate."

Sighing, I nodded. "See what you can find out about it. And for fuck's sake, don't let Ivy see that you have that thing. Once we know what that knot means, I want that thing destroyed. Got me?"

"Understood."