Page 63 of Brightness

I scoff at the righteous asshole. “You’re only concerned about the blood Ivy contains, not her as a person. Great.”

Tony shakes his head. “That came out wrong. My main concern is always my Mia. If you’ve ever loved someone, Void, you’ll understand the lengths you would go to, to protect them.”

“So, this threat wasn’t you or your men, Tony?” Nycto confirms.

“No. Ivy’s too important. But my offer stands. You need somewhere for her, my home is her haven. No one would get to her here.”

“Not happening. But we will keep you updated on what’s going on,” I tell him.

“Please do. And Void?”

I stand, turning to face him. “Yeah?”

“You’ve shown your hand, now make sure you look after her. A strong woman deserves a strong man.”

I dip my chin at him as I turn with my brothers in tow, and we head for the door to make the long journey back to Tampa. Now, I just need to figure out if we tell Eva and Ivy about what’s going down, or whether we continue to keep it quiet.

One thing I know for sure—blocking Ivy out and building a wall hasn’t done me any good so far, but telling her someone’s watching us is going to scare her unnecessarily.

I don’t want that, not now she’s finally starting to blossom.

I have to play this cool.

Try to see what I can figure out before I go to her with the information.

First things first, I need Atomic to sweep the Cell and my room for bugs.

Chapter Sixteen

IVY

Void is off on some job with Nycto. He thinks I haven’t clicked that something’s up, but the man has been tense for days. Sure, he loosened up a little after we fucked, but it didn’t take him long to go back to being apprehensive as hell.

Me, though? Since we had sex, I feel different. Not because I lost my virginity—that’s a cliché—but because it is finally like a part of me has been unlocked. I let myself go with Void during sex. I let myself be free. I let poison Ivy out. I tried to hide her back in Cuba, wanted to fight her off by being this extroverted young woman who had so many friends. I was always the life of the party. Because I was hiding the fact that deep down, I wanted to tear the bitchy girl’s hair out by the roots until her bleached-blonde hair was drowning in blood, or slice the popular guy’s balls off for slapping my ass one too many times, then post them to his unsuspecting girlfriend.

There was something in me I knew wasn’t right, but I kept fighting it.

However, here, at the club, that part of me can be completely embraced.

I don’t have to hide.

I don’t have to feel ashamed for thinking that way.

Plus, if I want to slice a guy’s balls off for being an asshole to me, I know Void and the club would happily let me. Hell, they’ll be by my side, cheering me on.

Taking a breath, I stand in the Chamber, right in front of the section of brick where I enclosed Andrés in the wall, sealing him to his death.

My life has changed so much since I was taken from Cuba. That night, I was terrified, and Eva was the one keeping me together, but being drugged and taken from Cuba to Tampa, then Nycto stealing us… it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. For Eva too.

Meeting Void has filled an emptiness inside me. Now I’m able to be who I want to be because of him, which is a slightly messed-up introvert who loves the darkness.

I stare at the wall blankly.

Is Andrés decaying under there?

What does his body look like by now?

I wonder if Nycto would let me set up some experiments to study decomposition.

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