Page 70 of Corrupting Ivy

What was it about her that pulled me in so damn hard that I’d forgotten everything I’d become in my thirty-six years? How could one woman blind me and turn me into something I’d never been and never wanted to be?

I mimicked Alek’s behaviors when he first saw Liz at the club. I even chastised him for his obsession with her. And now look at me. Focused on a woman when keeping my ‘brothers’ safe is where it should be. Because they relied on me, and I was failing them.

The sun beat its intense heat against my face; the humidity showered me with moisture, making my shirt stick to my skin. It was uncomfortable.

Dark storm clouds forming over the forest reminded me of the night I threw the bastard in his grave and set my past on fire, turning it to ash, and leaving it behind. This town held too many dark, powerful memories and everything around me dredged up the demons I’d tried keeping hidden.

I think I made my decision to leave the moment I held her under my knife, my control nonexistent, and fear burning her eyes.

White paint chipped away, and I peeled it off, tossing it to mounds of debris left over from rebel teens when a white sedan pulled up. A specific blonde woman climbed out. I groaned, hoping she could hear my disgust and turn around, but she didn’t. Instead, she climbed the only ladder up and sat beside me.

We sat in silence for just a moment until Willow spoke, ruining the silence.

“I come up here from time to time to think about life when things spiral out of control, and I feel as though I may lose my footing in this world.” She sighed and placed her chin on the metal rod in front of her, her hands tucked in her lap. “Is that why you come here?”

“No. I like the silence.” Of course, I wouldn’t admit she was partially correct. Willow was a disturbance in the waters, causing a ripple that I didn’t like.

“I get that. I do, too.”

Did she?

It appeared Willow was the opposite. She enjoyed speaking and disturbing the peace.

We sat in silence a little longer before she spoke again, making me grind my teeth. Why didn’t I leave?

“You know I always wondered what happened to you?” Her Texas twang reminded me of when we were kids. It was always thicker than the rest of the kids in town, but the men flocked to her because of it, I think. “Then you showed back up in town with all these tattoos and looking like you took on the world and came out on top.”

I scoffed. Was I supposed to answer some question she didn’t ask or randomly fill in the blanks? It wouldn’t happen. I don’t give up information willingly without some form of payment. And there was nothing I wanted from Willow Bailey.

Bending my knees, I stood, holding onto the rickety railing. She placed her hand on my hand, resting on the metal fence, and I pulled away.

“I never gave up on you and always thought one day you’d return and finally give me the light of day. I never understood why you saw nothing in me, but everyone else did.”

I shook my head. “It’s time you forget about me and realize you were nothing to me.” She hung her head. “You were too weak. Always have been. I’d destroy that in a heartbeat and relish in the aftermath.”

Her eyes widened, and the fear I enjoyed in others sprung tears in her eyes. I wish I could take the time to thoroughly enjoy it.

I climbed down the ladder, leaving her with despair. But I had to thank her. She reminded me so quickly of who I was. An emotionless bastard who takes what he wants and discards the rest.

Sitting in my truck, I took a deep breath and pictured the room I’d built in my head, then placed a picture of Ivy on the wall and bricked it in. When I was ready to face the emotions that she invoked, I’d mentally take the wall down and deal. But for now. I couldn’t.

Jake and I had unfinished business.

When I arrived, Remy stocked liquor behind the bar, and Jake sat at a table with his computer in front of him and a cup of coffee beside him. Remy scowled at me, our eyes locking as I shut the door. Then, without a word, she resumed her work muttering to herself.

I plopped into a chair and unfolded the blueprint of an old building with a half-finished basement.

“What’s got you down?”

“Bad dream.”

“You don’t dream.”

I leaned over the table, resting my hands on the surface, and studied the paper with lines that ran across it, forming a building. “We need to find a new location. There are too many vantage points, and we don’t have enough men to cover it all.”

“After all the work we did for this location?” Jake tossed me an incredulous look.

“I wasn’t in my right mind.” Pulling back, I folded the useless blueprint. “I am now.”

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