Rectify (Return to Us Trilogy #2) (9 page)

Jacade

Spending Saturday night looking for Viktor is not my idea of a good time. I would've preferred to be cuddled up in my bed with Ivy. Comforting her. Telling her why I love her.

With my pistol drawn, I sneak through a back door of the
address Bernard gave me
. Papers and used food containers litter the cracked cement floor of the empty warehouse. A staircase to my left leads to a loft with a light on.

I take a defensive stance behind the door and draw my gun. It's go time.

Bam
!

My foot makes contact with the wooden door and the lock bursts. A man whips around in a metal chair as the door swings open.

"On your feet, motherfucker!" My voice booms through the desolate area.

He stands, and the overhead light illuminates a man about six foot tall with a shiny bald head and hoops in his nose and ears. A rough
V
carved on his right hand tells me he's on Viktor's crew.

"Where is he?"

"Who?" His voice is stronger than I expected it to be. From his appearance, I thought he would sound like a mouse.

"Really, man?" I chuckle. "Don't fucking test me."

"Obviously, he's not here." He holds his hands out and rotates his torso as if he's looking for Viktor in the room. "You must've missed him."

"Don't move," I say with a steel tone. As I take one step closer, he inhales, and his hand twitches.

I press my gun to his temple and he freezes. I pull his gun from his waistband holster and stuff it in my belt behind my back.

I glare at him. "Give Viktor a message."

His teeth grind. "Go fuck yourself!"

Bang
!

I shoot his left foot and he recoils in pain.

"What did you say?" I turn my head like I can't hear him and smirk. "I didn't think you wanted to repeat that." He doesn't respond. "Tell that cocksucker his mouth will eat the next bullet from this gun."

I stride out of the room and down the stairs. He'll survive, unless Viktor doesn't come back, then he'll bleed out. Oh well. Viktor should've been here.

Outside, I whip a stone into an open field.

"Fuck!"

No Viktor.

I flip open my burner and call Shane. "No whale. Set up a feed on this place."

"Yes, sir."

I hurl the phone into the brick wall, and it shatters to bits. The gravel crunches under my feet as I trek back to the car.

***

Ivy

Peeking out my dusty living room blinds, Shane's silhouette sits motionless in the driver's seat of the Escalade. Poor Shane. Guarding me must be dull as dirt.

I pull on my favorite pair of boyfriend jeans and a long-sleeved, lemon-yellow, waffle Henley. With a cup of black coffee in my hand, I stroll to my front door.

I walk up to the driver-side window and move my hand in the universally known roll-down-the-window motion. His shoulders are raised, and a black handgun waits ready in his right hand at his hip. He scans all the mirrors before his window descends.

"Ms. Summers, is there a problem?"

I wave my hand. "Oh, no. I wanted to bring you some hot coffee." I hand him the mug.

"Thank you." He takes a sip.

"You're very welcome. And I'm sorry for resisting your efforts to save me Thursday night. I know you were only following orders."

"No problem, Ivy." Oh, he called me Ivy for the first time. Perhaps I am breaking through his tough shell.

"Shane, I was… umm... thinking about going to see Bryn"—I cough—"by myself."

"My instructions are to stay with you. I'll take you to Bryn." He lowers the coffee cup to his lap and frowns.

"Come on, Shane. After everything that's happened, I need my best friend, but I want to go by myself."

"No. Dr. Jordan would execute me." He exhales and shakes his head.

"I'll take the blame. I promise. If he finds out, which he won't, but if he does, I'll deal with him." I smile and make an
X
on my chest. "Cross my heart."

He looks down his nose at me. "Fine. Text me when you get there and before you leave." He hands me a business card with his cell phone number.

"Thank you, Shane." I turn on my heels and jog back inside.

The theme from
Mission
:
Impossible
plays in my head as I pull on my black motorcycle jacket. The security system beeps on, and I take my steps two at a time. Shane nods in my direction. I give him a grateful wink and shuffle down the street.

***

Ivy

Me: Arrived safely, thank you.

Rap, rap, rap.

My knuckles sting from knocking on the door to Bryn's condo. I may have hit it a little too enthusiastically. Come on, Bryn. Answer the door.

Rap, rap.

The door swings open. Bryn stands before me in a white tank top and red flannel pajama pants. I raise her arms and circle her, scrutinizing every inch. She's in one piece. No bullet holes or stab wounds. I lunge and wrap my arms around her shoulders.

"Thank goodness! I was so worried." I can't hug her tight enough. My best friend. My family. She smells of expensive department store perfume. Daisies and sunflower extracts.

"I'm fine. Settle down, crazy woman." She tugs me through the door. "Sit down and start talking."

I stumble a few steps but eventually gain my footing. Avoiding the corners of the glass coffee table, I plop down on her comfy oversized chenille couch. Bryn sits opposite me and turns.

"Let's go, chica. Spill it."

I yank on the sleeves of my wool coat. "Where to start, where to start..."

"How about, why the hell this man was going to kill me to get to you?" She purses her lips.

"I'm not exactly sure." I don't know why Viktor wanted me.

"Cut the crap, Ivy. It's me you're talking to."

"I don't. I'm not lying. Viktor and I dated a long time ago. Before Uncle Bernie and Aunt Helen found me, I was homeless and alone. I was a naive teenager, only sixteen years old, Bryn. Viktor preyed on me. He knew I was desperate. After two years with him, he proposed to me, and stupidly, I accepted. I didn't have another choice. I wasn't ever going back on the streets."

"You were engaged to him?" Her voice rises. "Wow, he's a certifiable lunatic. Why haven't you ever told me this?"

"I don't know. Back then, my life was a mess. I was doing anything I could to survive. Unfortunately, Viktor was one of those things. Bryn, I'm sorry I never told you. I should have. I never meant for anyone to get hurt from my mistakes. Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I have a few bruises. I was in shock at first, but I'm bouncing back. No point dwelling on it or letting it get me down."

She wraps her arms around me in a warm hug. She ends our embrace but keeps her hands on my shoulders. Her face morphs as she contemplates what I've said.

"Okay." She keeps her hands on me but relaxes the tension in her biceps. "I have a couple of things to say. Number one, no more secrets between us. Ever. Even old ones." We both nod, but I'm not sure I can tell her the details of my past. I can't lose Bryn. "
B
." She smiles at her own joke. "I don't know what Viktor wants with you, but we need to find out. I did mean to say
we
." She raises her brows at me. "And
C
, I'm getting a divorce. Greg and I are done and over."

"Wait, what? Back up the train, Bryn. What happened?" She drops her hands to her lap and slouches.

"Looking back, I think we married too young. You'd think traveling the world would be so romantic. But it's not. The poverty we saw, the people we met, changed my perspective. In the end, Greg shacked up with a sexy little Venezuelan girl, and I decided I want a man with more depth. I want to be cherished and thrilled and protected. Not just a girl he met in college he's stuck with forever."

"That's understandable, Bryn. You deserve to have the best. This must be so painful for you."

"I'm fine. I've already had rebound sex with someone else."

"What? Who?"

She nibbles her bottom lip. "Shane."

"Shane? What? When?"

"Wasn't intentional, but just sort of happened."

"Oh sure, and I kinda did a one-handed cartwheel and landed on Jacade's dick. It happens."

We both giggle, and her familiar smile warms my heart.

"I didn't want to be alone Thursday night after the incident at the club. I convinced him to come inside and sit down. He comforted me, and we passed out on the couch together. He woke up agitated and possessed. He said he had to have me right then, and I didn't have the willpower or desire to stop him. I wanted him too."

"The second I saw Shane, I knew you would be into him. He's an ex-military man who's got to have some mad muscles underneath those suits. Was it hot?"

"Dear god, yes, it was sweltering! He's so fuckin' sexy and relentless, everything I've ever fantasized about. He's," she smiles and her eyes light up, "creative to say the least, and he has no inhibitions about sex. Total opposite of Greg." She fans herself with her hand.

Yeah, I know what she means by creative. Jacade can find any item and use it to restrain me. I bet he could tie me down with silly string.

"But I don't think it'll happen again. It was a spur of the moment thing. He left in an awkward huff. I think he felt bad he let his guard down while he was on duty." She pauses and gives me a half smile. "Do you remember the night we played drunken puzzles?"

"Of course. We were snowed in our dorm room and couldn't go out to the bars. What were the rules again?"

"It's been a few years, but I think we used a fifty-piece puzzle I got from my grandmother in the mail. We put together all the pieces of the frame, picked a random piece, and tried to place it. If it didn't fit, we had to drink a shot of Mad Dog 20/20."

"That's right. I was hammered by the end." I throw my head back laughing.

"We both were."

"Who even won?" My voice cracks.

"Well, I passed out, at least I think I did, so by default, you did." Our laughter fills the room. "Stop it. I'm trying to make my fourth point here."

"You first."

"Okay, okay, okay." The humor on her face morphs to an earnest and loving smile. Her hands return to my shoulders and squeeze.

"Life is like our drunken puzzle game. We meander through, not knowing which pieces will fit and which ones won't. Sometimes taking shots of unpleasant and cheap booze to cope with the conflicting edges."

Where ya going with this, Bryn? I know she must have a point somewhere in here.

"Your life has been this way. Some of the pieces would fit but most were pretty shitty. You fought tooth and nail to get all the pieces of your life to come together. Yet, you're still waiting for the most important one."

She blinks and inhales.

"The one that fits right here." She presses her finger over my heart. "Jacade's your last piece, honey, the one who completes your whole life's puzzle."

Goodness gracious gerdy. She's going to make me ugly cry.

My hand flies to my mouth and tears fill my eyes.

"Oh, don't cry. Then I will too!" She laughs and cries at the same time. The last time we cried together was when she miscarried halfway through her pregnancy. She mourned on this same couch. We held each other and rocked our way through the quagmire.

"Hold on. I want to say this." She focuses her gaze on me. "Ivy, you've always felt you don't warrant someone's love." I open my mouth, but she stops me with a raised hand and a stern look.

"No, let me finish. Your parents abandoned you, and, let's be honest, all your foster parents sucked royally. From what I've seen of Viktor, you've put up with more than your share of crap for one lifetime. And don't even get me started on Kevin and how he played on your insecurities." She rolls her eyes. "Thursday night, Jacade was not gonna let Viktor get anywhere near you. His face looked like he was being burnt by a blowtorch from the inside when Viktor said he wanted you."

She pauses and takes a deep breath. "Maybe it's the divorce and seeing the world from a different point of view. I'm not sure. But I've come to a new understanding of love. Love can't be sunshiny rainbows and fairy dust all the time. It's wonderful and messy, passionate and calm, happy and angry."

She swallows and wipes a lonely tear from her cheek. "Ivy, he's in love with you. You just need to find the courage to push in those final edges of your last puzzle piece."

Huh? Maybe he was being genuine last night. I am the woman he loves.

"Listen to me. Like really listen. Not the kind of listen where you think, my bestie is being dramatic, blah, blah, blah." She cups her right hand like the bill of a duck.