Page 65 of Brightness

I make my way to my room, but the tears won’t stop falling. I know Void and I are in this discovery phase of our relationship, but that? That shit’s taking it too damn far.

Dash was my friend—the best friend I had here, aside from my sister—and Void killed him.

Because of me.

I’m not sure I can ever forgive Void for this.

And though I didn’t wield the blade, I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive myself for this.

VOID

Adrenaline spikes, not only because Ivy has taken off, believing this is from me, but because it’s obviously another package from the same assholes who are targeting me. Now, they’re coming for Ivy.

“Atomic, grab the heart and do some testing,” Nycto calls out. “You and Nerve do whatever you need to do to figure out who or what it belongs to. Could be a fucking pig for all we know.” He turns to me. “Void, you need to get your head in the game. Snap out of it, now.”

“This is from the same people who are targeting me. I’m sure of it,” I grunt out.

“It’s a threat… a warning. You need to take Ivy and go to a safe house. Talk to Hurricane from NOLA, use theirs. It’s far enough away to get you out of town for a while. And Destin is halfway between the NOLA clubhouse and Tampa, so if you meet any shit, either of the clubs can come to you. You and Ivy are obviously not safe here.”

I roll my shoulders. “Yeah. First, I gotta convince Ivy.”

“First step is telling her you didn’t send it. After that, it should be easy, brother. And if not, throw her over your shoulder and put her in the trunk. Better she’s alive and hissin’ like a rattlesnake than dead.”

I grip his shoulder, then spin, taking off for the stairs.

“Someone get Dash on the line, make sure he’s okay,” I hear Nycto call out as I run toward the Cell.

Ivy’s sobs echo through the Chamber as I enter, and it rips my heart apart because she assumes I could betray her like that, but also because she’s that bent up over Dash.

It stings.

But I have to accept that, in some way, she cares about him.

As I walk into her room, her eyes lift to meet mine, and her lip curls. Instantly, she launches one of her “calming” candles at me, spewing a tirade that I only half understand. I swerve out of the way as she unleashes.

“Bastardo, no te metas conmigo!” “Dash was my friend! I get you’re jealous that he has feelings for me, but killing him and sending me his heart? What in the actual fuck were you thinking, you hijo de puta!” “You egotistical, maniacal, fucked-up coward! Urgh!” She throws another candle my way, this one barely missing, then she flops on the bed in a huff.

As she sobs into her pillow, I walk over and sit beside her to pull her into my arms. She tries to pull away, but I won’t let her.

“It wasn’t me, Ivy,” I whisper.

She sniffles, stopping her aggressive movements as she glimpses up at me. Wiping under her eyes, recognition clicks over her features. “The box wasn’t from you?”

I shake my head. “It was a threat.”

She pulls back, her eyes widen as she gasps. “Shit! What does it mean?”

“It means we need to leave. Go somewhere safe.”

“But won’t whoever sent it just find us?”

I tense but try not to give myself away. “Hopefully not.”

Her eyes begin to water again, her bottom lip trembling. “But Dash… Was the heart…”

I reach out for her hand. “We aren’t sure whose it is. Atomic and Nerve are checking it out now. It might not be Dash.”

She closes her eyes and lets out a long exhale. “Fucking hell!” She sniffles again, then looks right at me. “I’m sorry I blamed you. The lingerie, the rose… I thought—”

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