Page 15 of Up In Smoke

“Why? You answer me first. What the hell are you doing in the middle of the woods trading drugs with your brother?” Her tone was sharp enough to cut him deeply. Far deeper than she should have the power to do.

Luke was breaking one of his cardinal rules: don’t get involved. He didn’t have the room in his life. His family was too fucked up to bring anyone decent into the fold. Ivy didn’t deserve his feelings.

“We weren't trading. I took it off of him. I suspected he was using again.”

“So why did you give it back?”

“Because I heard you. And there you were and I wasn't going to get into a fight with a drug addict who’s beaten up his own mother in the past—”

He watched as her eyes flew wide. She’d been so sympathetic before, how had that shocked her?

“—he’s unpredictable and often violent over his next fix. I wasn’t going to risk it with you standing there.”Shit. That sounded like he was blaming her and he wasn't. They'd learned to take responsibility for their own feelings and their problems when they’d all attended sessions with Mario's first stint in rehab. Well, Mario hadn't.

But Luke had. “It wasn't worth the fight. And he would get the drugs somewhere eventually. When I heard you, I just wanted him to leave.”

He could only hope that would be enough accountability. She was angry, and rightly so.

“Why are you driving around town like that?”

He gave her what he could. “I'm looking for the arsonist.”

There was a pause. He could see the gears turning in Ivy's head, and he could see the moment they clicked into place.

“You think you know who it is? Did you lie to me?”

“No.” The word was soft, but at least he could say that with confidence. He'd been careful not to lie to her. Though he hadn’t been sure why at the time. Now, he knew.

Despite the fact that she was following him, he trusted her. He wasn't sure he could trust her not to tell anyone. But he could trust her judgment.

“So you didn't do it? And you don't know who did?” He might trust her, but her tone made it clear she didn’t trust him.

All he wanted was for her to believe in him. Hell, someone had to, right? “Not well enough to say anything.”

“So you have a suspicion.” Her accusation was soft and clear.

He only tipped his head. There was nothing he could say. No words that wouldn't be a lie. And somewhere along the way, he realized he couldn't lie to Ivy Dean.

“Then why did they burn down my house, Luke?”

Chapter Thirteen

Luke wasn't quite sure how to answer Ivy's question so he shifted gears and answered a different one. “Let's head back to my car. It’s cold.”

She rolled her eyes at him like a teenager. “I'm sorry. When I got dressed this morning, I didn't intend to be walking in the woods.”

“Look, if you're going to tail someone, you need to be dressed for anything. And honestly, this—” he waved his hand up and down, indicating her khaki skirt and her shell pink sweater set, “—doesn't exactly keep you hidden in the woods. It’s not quite camouflage.”

He didn’t comment on her absolutely inappropriate shoes as she led the way back through the woods. It seemed she’d followed him straight into the old meetup site and he felt like a fool. He’d had no clue she was behind him until he’d heard her gasp. Luke didn’t ask himself how he’d instantly known the sound belonged to Ivy Dean, librarian extraordinaire and not-so-secret agent.

After he’d spotted Ivy behind him several times in the past few hours, he’d dismissed the idea that she was following him. But when she made herself known as he’d confronted Mario, he'd had to admit she was more tenacious than he’d given her credit for.

“Why did they come after my house, Luke?” she pushed again.

“Let's get somewhere warm.” The old hangout spot hadn't been very deep in the woods, just far enough in that a group of teenagers coming from different directions wouldn't necessarily be seen from the road. He'd wondered if the arsonist was one of his brothers, if he would come back here and … maybe stash evidence, maybe hang out? Luke really hadn’t known what he’d expected to find, but what he had found didn’t really surprise him.

He’d wondered now if catching Mario the way he had meant that Mario had bought the drugs just moments before he’d shown up. Why else would his brother have drugs on him that he hadn’t already taken? So maybe now there were deals going down here. Hell, he thought there had probably always been deals going down back here. He'd simply been naive.

As they cleared the edge of the trees, Luke looked up and down the street, spotting Ivy’s much nicer car stashed in another turnout a little further down the old road. Once again, she shivered and the thought of putting her in his old beater wasn't quite what he was going for.

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