“And you think it’s all connected?”
“I think it’s too coincidental to not be connected but I have absolutely no idea how it all fits together.”
She nods, rubbing her temples with her fingers.
“Hey, what do you say I go grab us some junk food and we spend the day watching movies?”
A rush of air leaves her lips and she nods. “Yeah, that sounds really good, actually.”
“’Kay,” I say, jumping up. “You stay here and I’ll go grab supplies.”
She salutes me as she grabs the remote and presses play. The movie begins to play and I watch her for a moment before standing up and going back up to the room to grab my shoes. Once I’m ready, I grab Chance’s truck keys off the dresser and head outside. I know he told me to stay put but there’s a gas station just a couple of blocks down with a Redbox outside. I can be in and out in ten minutes and he’ll never even know I left.
Sexy Drug by Falling in Reverse starts playing as soon as I turn the truck on and I smile as I back out of the parking space. All things considered, my talk with Ivy went better than expected and I have faith that with a little time and heaps of support from Dottie, the club, and I, Ivy will be just fine. I know better than anyone she’ll always have scars no one else can see but, deep down, my sassy little sister is still in there.
As I pull into the gas station parking lot a few blocks down, I pull my phone out and smile at the text from Chance.
Chance:
Fuck, I’m so horny.
I laugh out loud and type my reply back to him.
Me:
And whose fault is that?
Tucking my phone back into my pocket, I climb out of the truck with a huge smile on my face. Everything seems to be falling into place and for the first time in a really long time, I’m excited to see where the future will take me. My phone buzzes repeatedly as I open the gas station door. I slip down the first aisle as I pull it out of my pocket.
Chance:
Yours.
Chance:
You better be waiting for me when I get back.
Chance:
I love you.
Nothing in the world could wipe this damn smile off my face. Before I met Chance, I didn’t even realize this level of happiness existed and somehow, I fell into it without even trying.
Me:
I will. And I love you too.
Slipping my phone back in my pocket, I grab a basket and hook it on my arm as I start wandering down the aisles, grabbing our favorite snacks, before I go up to the counter. The cashier smiles at me and I return the gesture as he rings up my items. He reads out my total and I hand him the money, telling him to keep the change.
“Hey, thanks. Have a great day.” He hands me my bags and I nod.
“You, too.”
The sun blinds me as I walk outside and I kind of wish I had remembered to bring my sunglasses. At the truck, I pull the keys out and as I try to unlock it, I feel a prick at the base of my neck, like a bee sting. I reach back to swat the little bug away and my world spins before descending into darkness.
Chapter Thirty
Chance
Carly:
I will. And I love you too.
The door in front of us opens and Tia, the woman we’re helping today, peeks up at us as I slip my phone back in my pocket.
“Ready to hit the road?” I ask. She glances back into her house and scans the room before nodding.
“Yeah, I think I am.”
Smith takes her bag and leads her to his truck as I do my own scan of her home. Once I’m satisfied she hasn’t forgotten anything important, I shut the door and head toward the road. Moose and Fuzz are waiting in Fuzz’s Charger behind Smith’s truck and I nod to them. Moose rolls down the window.
“You guys go in front of us, yeah?”
Moose nods. “You got it.”
I offer Tia a smile as I jump in the truck and nod at Smith as Fuzz pulls out in front of us. Taking two different vehicles may have been a little excessive but since her boyfriend has friends who could cause complications for us, we thought it was best to take extra precautions. Tia came to us a couple of days ago and said she needed to get out fast. Her sister drove down from Shreveport last night and is meeting us at a gas station on the edge of town. Then, we’ll follow them out of town just to make sure they get out of here okay. All in all, it should be a fairly easy job.
Which is good since I’m so eager to get back to Carly.
“You got an address for the gas station where we’re meeting your sister?” I ask and Tia nods, pulling her phone out before rattling off an address. Smith nods in response as he follows behind the Charger and I relax back into my seat.
Damn… all things considered, life is pretty good at the moment. Ivy seems to be doing as well as anyone could expect after what she’s been through, even better, maybe, and Carly and I are finally in a good place. After everything, all the back and forth, I’m ready to start looking toward the future with her. Hell, I would ask her to marry me right this minute if I was sure she wouldn’t freak out. She’s come a long way, but she may not be ready for that just yet.
“Y’all have someone watching Dirk, right?” Tia asks from the backseat and I barely hold back a scoff. What the hell kind of name is Dirk, anyway?
“Yeah, darlin’,” Smith answers her. “Blaze is posted up outside the firehouse.”
“He’s got lots of friends that are cops, too.” She flicks a nervous gaze out the window of the truck and I turn to face her, offering her a smile.
“So do we.”
Propping her elbows on her knees, she shoves her hands into her hair and blows out a breath. “I don’t know if I can do this. He’s going to be so angry when he finds out I’m gone.”
“Hey, it’s going to be okay.”
“No. No, it’s not. I’m not strong enough for this. Dirk was right all along. I need him.”
“You know why he put all that shit in your head?” I ask and she shakes her head. “Because he’s the weak one. He needs you to believe you couldn’t survive without him when the truth is he feeds off of you. It’s your strength that drew him to you in the first place and without you, he’s going to crumble. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that you can do this.”
She takes a deep breath and meets my eyes as Smith pulls into the gas station. A woman steps out of a blue sedan and Tia’s eyes widen.
“Robin,” she whispers. As soon as Smith parks the truck, she’s scrambling to unbuckle her seat belt. Once she’s free, she jumps out of the truck and races across the parking lot, hugging her sister.
“Damn,” Smith says as he grabs her bag out of the back. We head across the lot while Moose and Fuzz stay in the Charger, ready to roll. No matter how easy a job is supposed to be, I don’t want to hang around and tempt fate. The faster we can get these two out of town, the better.
“Oh my God, thank you,” Tia’s sister, Robin, says as we stop in front of her car. I nod.
“Of course. We’d like to get on the road though. No point in hanging around.”