Chapter 12

Ivy

Sage eyes me suspiciously as we slide into a booth at Tio Tito's. "Okay, what's going on? Why are we eating bougie tacos for lunch in the middle of the week?"

I shrug nonchalantly. "Can't I treat my baby sister to the best tacos in Texas every once in a while?"

"You? Willingly spending your dolla dolla bills at a restaurant during the week?" Sage laughs. "Spill it girl. What's going on?"

"What do you mean what's going on?" For years, I had to pinch every penny just to get by. But things are different now. "I'm just trying to enjoy the good life while it lasts. And I'd like a good margarita that I don't have to make myself. Cheezus, live a little."

Sage settles back against the booth. "Okay, sis. I'm livin'. I'm livin'." Now she's got a confused look. "But, why won't the good times last? Trouble in paradise?"

"What? No. Things are fine with Gray." After our little bitch session a few nights ago, things are back to normal. I think.

"Fine? The man got your car fixed and had it delivered, so I'd say things are more than fine."

Ugh. "That gleam in your eyes isn't attractive. At all." I point at the fake as a two dollar bill look of innocence on her face until she explodes with laughter.

"That's what you say, but the guys all say differently." Sage rests her chin in her hand and stares at me with a goofy-ass smile on her face. "Go on, say it. Out loud, so the entire class can hear."

"You're a nosy fucker. You know that, don't you?"

"I do," she answers without shame.

"Fine," I sigh and roll my eyes, taking a big gulp of the margarita as soon as it hits the table. "Gray didn't fix it. Stone fixed it and delivered to the house this morning."

"Wow," she sighs, her eyes going all soft and unfocused. "That is so sweet."

"It's what friends do for each other."

"Hmm," Sage replies before switching our margaritas. "Why did you let me get passion fruit?"

"Because it's always funny to watch you forget how much you hate passion fruit. Every. Damn. Time."

Sage narrows her gaze in my direction, but the glare fades, and slowly, a look of mischief flashes.

"What?" I'm on edge because that look never comes before anything good. "Sage, what?"

"Have you ever, you know, banged Stone?" With her chin resting in her hand, Sage pushes away the passion fruit margarita and waits. And waits.

My brows dip in confusion. Why is she bringing that up completely out of the blue? I know if I ask, it will only bring more questions. But I can't help myself. "Why would you ask that?"

"Uhm…because he's hot as fuck, and you guys were joined at the hip back in the day."

"That was back in the day, and we were kids."

"You were eighteen, and I happen to know that neither of you were virgins back then. So, spill. Have you seen his dick? Is it big? I'll bet it's long and thick, maybe even with a slight curve."

"Sage!" I look around, but no one is paying attention to us. They're all too busy with their own lives.

"What? He's all big and broad-shouldered. I'm just saying he's probably packing some serious heat down below."

I close my eyes in annoyance, but an image of Stone flashes before me, completely unasked for. He's naked, and I'm naked, and we're at the lake on the ranch where we'd cool off when the days got too hot. Back then, I was a shy girl who didn't think about things like that. Now, though, I realize he had more than the average guy.

"Oh. My. God." Sage leans forward, snapping her fingers in front of my face. "You totally banged him!"

"No," I practically shout. "Stone and I never had sex, Sage."

She flies back as if I pushed her, sinking against the booth in disappointment. "That's a big bummer, Ivy. I'm really disappointed in you. I mean, you had full access to that man, and you what? Just talked and made fart jokes?"

"How will I ever recover from your disappointment?" I deadpan.

Sage's lips purse as if she's thinking, but she says nothing for a few minutes. Finally, she sits up and looks me right in the eyes. "Do you think I should make a play for Stone?"

Hell no!I have no claim on Stone. I know that, but I don't like the idea and don't know why. "Weren't you just complaining that he still treats you like a little kid?"

She waves off my question. "That was before, but once I put on the seductive charm, he'll forget I ever used to wear pigtails. Unless…" She wiggles her brows and licks her lips. "He's into that." I slap her arm.

"Listen, Ivy," she says, back to her serious self. "If you guys never fucked, then it won't be weird if I shoot my shot. Right?"

Her logic is sound, but I can't bring myself to tell her to go for it. I try to part my lips and tell her something, but my lips remain sealed. Dammit.

I have no words.

A shadow stretches across the table at the perfect moment, and the distinct scent of Old Spice tickles my nose. "Afternoon, girls."

"Hey," Sage answers in her usual friendly and flirty tone, her question about Stone seemingly—thankfully—forgotten.

"Hi," I answer, but something about him and his two buddies sets off warning bells.

"Mind if we join you?" He grabs the back of the chair in front of him and turns it around, ready to sit before we give him an answer.

"Yeah. Actually, we do. We're enjoying girl time. You understand." I flash a smile I don't feel because rejecting men has become dangerous lately.

He smiles, but it doesn't make it up to his deep brown eyes. "Girl time is always better with men, darlin'."

"Not today, it isn't." I stare him down to let him know I'm not scared. After Stone got sent away, I promised myself I would always fight my own battles. "We're not interested."

The guy's smile fades. Instead, he shrugs as if he didn't actually stop to hit on us, which means he's looking for trouble. "So sweet cheeks, is the good news true?"

I frown, but I don't give in to his taunting easily. "I'm not sweet cheeks, dude."

"What good news?" Sage asks with a flirtatious grin.

His gaze never leaves my face. He looks at me as if he knows me. I push my chair back to put more space between us. "The good news that your boy, Stone, is back in Texas. Is it true?"

"Yeah," Sage begins, but I kick her shin under the table. "Yeah? Stone's home," she corrects, but it's too late. The shark already smells blood in the water.

"Who is Stone?" I ask. Two Pines has about fifteen more residents than Opey, so it's pointless to lie, but I don't know this asshole, and I don't owe him anything.

"You know Stone," he teases. "Thought he might be dead. Turns out he's not that lucky."

His words send an icy shiver down my spine. "Not familiar. Sorry."

His smile is menacing as he leans forward, getting right in my face. "Yeah, well, if he does come back, you tell him that Butch is looking to welcome him back to Texas. Properly."

My heart pounds in my throat, and I nod, searching for my voice until I find my words. "And who the hell is Butch?"

His lips tug into a crooked grin. "He might know me as Trey. Trey Jones." He laughs and motions for the two men with him to follow him. My gaze stays on him until I'm sure he's left the restaurant.

Suddenly, I'm no longer in the mood for tacos. "Let's get out of here."

"What? No way?" Sage pouts. "Our food hasn't even come out yet." Sage looks over her shoulder and then back to me. "Why did you lie to that guy about Stone?"

I shake my head, not wanting to get into the details of my paranoid mind. "I don't know. I just didn't get a good feeling from that guy." Jones is a common name, and there's no reason to think he's related to Bobby Lee. He could be trouble that followed Stone from California. "Let's just get out of here. Please." I pick up the passion fruit margarita and down it as fast as I can.

"Fine," she growls, angry and annoyed, drinking my favorite Cadillac margarita like she owns it. "I'll tell our waitress to make the food to go because there's no fucking way I'm leaving this place without my damn tacos."

A small smile touches my lips, but I can't shake the worry or the fear that burrows its way under my skin. Something about that dude gave me the creeps, even before his clear interest and warning for Stone.

As soon as Sage returns with our food, we head to the car. "He was kind of cute," Sage says, but I'm only half listening to her, looking around the parking lot to see if those guys are lurkers.

It's all clear, but I lock the doors all the same and haul ass back to Opey, heading straight for Hardtail Ranch and Stone.

"What's going on, Ivy?" Sage tugs on the hem of my shirt the same way she used to as a kid when she didn't know what was happening.

"Hang on," I tell her as the door swings open and Peaches' smiling face welcomes us to her home.

"Girls. This is a pleasant surprise." When we don't answer, her smile dips. "Isn't it?"

I shake my head. "Is Stone around?"

"Yeah, we just finished up with lunch. Come in." She steps back, the look of concern on her face growing more intense by the second. "What's going on?"

Stone strolls into the kitchen, looking like a hot, rugged, movie version of a biker, too smiley and too handsome and entirely too tall.

"Ivy. Hey." His smile slips, and his hands go to his lean hips. "Look, if you're gonna bitch me out about fixing your car, save it. I got a good deal on the parts, and it was an easy fix."

"Liar," I reply with a smile and tap my bottom lip. It's his tell when he's lying, nibbling his bottom lip. "Anyway, I'm not here about that."

I repeat the story from the bar, keeping my gaze on Stone because I need to see that he's taking this seriously.

"Did he say anything else?" Gunnar poses the question, his deep voice laced with anger.

"No. Just to say Butch says hi, but then he said his name was Trey Jones. There was something about his tone that I didn't like."

Peaches puts a hand on my shoulder, guiding me to the sofa. "You were right to listen to your gut. Bobby Lee has a brother, Trey. He was in the Army when everything went down, but two years ago, he fell off the grid completely."

I can tell she realizes something because she stands almost as quickly as she sat down. "He must be back, which means I need to find out where he's been." With that, Peaches leaves me alone with Stone, Gunnar, and Sage.

"What's going on?" Sage whispers. "Can I eat my tacos?"

"Later," I growl out of one side of my mouth.

"Stone, you need to be careful. If he's Bobby Lee's brother and asking about you, he's got plans. Now that you're back, we all need to be prepared for shit to jump off."

Stone nods, his expression growing darker. "I'm always prepared, Dad. Always."

Badass Stone isn't the same as the badass I knew as a teenager. This version is grown up, darker, and more dangerous, and I'm happy to see him show up to take care of business.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, full of guilt.

Five fucking years later.