Page 17 of Royal Sons MC

“Everyone out except Duke,” King ordered.

Traeger, the Sergeant at Arms grunted. “Do you think that’s wise?” he questioned.

“I ain’t scared she’s gonna slit my throat or afraid of that one leaping across this table. I got this.” King stood up as he spoke, each word coming out between gritted teeth.

Tymber stayed where he was, listening as Ivy told them about her and Luke’s bargain. From where he stood, she didn’t gain shit except a bullseye on her chest.

“You look ready to spit nails. Fuck, my brother was gay and was scared to tell me.” King shook his head, his hands scrubbed down his face.

“He was scared you’d kick him out of the club. I tried to tell him you wouldn’t, but he wasn’t prepared to listen. I don’t know what you saw with him and Darian, but it was enough to make him think you knew. Combine that with his depression, he felt he had no option. I...I have a letter from him to you. Don’t do that.” She stopped speaking as King ground his teeth loud enough that they could hear it.

“Where’s this fucking note, Ivy?” King squeezed her hand, pain reflecting on her face.

“Get your fucking hands off of her, or so help me, God, I won’t be responsible for my actions.” Tymber erased the few steps separating him from Ivy. “Baby, do you have the letter?” he asked softly.

Ivy nodded, looking toward the floor where her bag had fallen. King walked around the table, bent, and then dumped her purse’s contents onto the smooth surface before her. Her hands fumbled for the letter, sifting through a few pieces of mail she’d had in it before pulling it out. “It’s right here. I didn’t read it, though.”

The charged atmosphere heightened as King read the note with Duke looking over his shoulder, both men freezing for a few minutes, their shoulders lifted and fell. King balled the paper up. “Motherfucker,” he roared, his fist slamming into the table, making the bottles on top fall off, shattering glass echoed around them.

“Why have you skipped out on us if you weren’t guilty? Why’d I have to kidnap a man to get you here?” King asked, moving around to take his seat back.

“After you had a couple of members break into our apartment and beat the shit out of Darian, I felt it was in my best interest to make myself scarce. I’d planned...I had been thinking about leaving, but...” she trailed off.

Tymber stared at Ivy, then King. “You were at the center because you were thinking of killing yourself, weren’t you?” The knowledge had his gut rolling.

She shrugged. “I didn’t have anything to lose or to live for. My family has always been Luke and his family. Without them, I had nothing.”

He didn’t care about protocol anymore. His arms moved without fear of consequences, pulling Ivy into his embrace. “You have so much to live for, Ivy. You hear me?” He gave her a shake, wanting her to acknowledge his words.

“I thought he was bi, not gay,” Duke muttered. His head was in his hands as he spoke. Bent over in the chair, he looked gutted. “He was my twin. How did I not know what he was going through?” Duke stood, the chair scraping loudly behind him, falling on its side in a crash. “Who’d you have rough up their place?” he asked King.

King held his hands up. “I didn’t.”

“Yes, you did. Darian said the guys had on their cuts and told him he was going to pay for Luke’s—his death.”

“Either Darian,” King spat the name out. “is lying, or someone took it upon themselves. You know who I believe, don’t you?”

She reached for her phone lying in the middle of the table. “Darian saved them coming and going on our security camera. I didn’t look, but I knew he wasn’t lying. My door didn’t just get broken down by itself, King.”

KING GRABBED THE PHONEwith the glitter shit of a cover on it. “Show me,” he ordered.

He almost felt bad for the fear and anxiety he could see stamped on Ivy’s little face. Almost being the keyword. Once she put her code in, she handed him the phone. He opened the app for the security company, his thumb hovering over the key that saidEvent History. One push and the dates began to pop up. He scrolled down, stabbing at the date in question. “Fuck,” he muttered as he watched two prospects enter the building. The following saved event was over an hour later. Again, he hit the button, watching Frog and Groot swagger out. From the two men’s looks, they were proud of whatever they’d done. “Duke, get Frog and Groot in here.”

He barely controlled the urge to bust the phone in his palm. Anger surged through him like lava. If he wanted to see his brother alive again, he knew all he had to do was scroll back a couple more weeks and see if there were any saved events. Instead of following through on the impulse, he sat the phone down, the last video still displayed.

“Have a seat, fuckers,” Duke growled.

Ivy looked toward the two men, her hate clear as the green in her eyes. King knew then if she’d have had a gun, she’d have shot the two bastards. He wasn’t far behind in his thoughts. “You need to tell me anything?” King asked, breaking into the silence.

It took the two idiots less than two minutes to turn on each other, blaming the other for their actions. “We were going to tell you, but then we noticed some things,” Frog muttered.

“Well, don’t stop now.” King waved him on.

He listened to the men explain how they’d begun trashing the place after beating the shit out of the man who’d been there. “So, you decided to fuck up my brother’s home without asking me for permission?”

Again, each of them spoke over the other until he had enough. “Groot, shut the fuck up. Frog, what made you decide your actions? Let me warn you. If I don’t like what you say, there will be consequences.”

Frog’s words brought his mind to a hard stop. “You didn’t share a bedroom with Luke?”

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