“I can’t lose you until…until you find him. You have to find him first. Before…before you’re…gone.”
Dace paused while he processed what she said. Until you find him. Before you’re gone. What did that mean? Part of him wanted to believe her words were confused as her mind succumbed to sleep. Then, there was a piece of him that wondered if it was just her truth, and she was unable to mask it under the influence of her medication. That she knew there was a plan to dismiss him along the way, but not until he brought their son to her.
His brothers’ doubt was influencing Dace’s thoughts and clouding his judgment. Ivy didn’t just come home to get help finding Cash. She came home because she needed Dace for the same reasons he needed her. The same reason they’d always need each other.
Even if her words were simply her truth – whatever that may be – his words were equally his truth. He’d fight. He’d fight for her. Fight for their son. Fight for them until there was nothing left to fight for.
He dipped his head, resting his forehead against hers, closed his eyes and listened to her breathe. “This isn’t how I pictured finding you. This isn’t how I thought I’d fight for you. But my promise remains…it will always be you, Ivy. Whatever that looks like. I’ll find our son, and we’ll find our way, baby.”
Dace kissed her forehead once, then twice, and the third time he paused before finishing the kiss and pulling away. “Always you, baby.”
CHAPTER 19
Dace recruited Eli to assist on the trip to Moss Bridge. He didn’t entirely trust the man, but given the circumstances, he had little choice.
Sure, he’d been forthcoming with information, but much of what he shared was speculation, overheard statements out of context, and a lot of assumptions.
The one thing he believed Eli had pegged was that Ivy’s father was indeed behind this – all of it. He had no real basis for that feeling, but the pieces fit, and it proved Ivy was innocent.
He knew his brothers wouldn’t agree with that idea – Ivy hadn’t been proven anything. She very well could still be involved on some level and working with her father. Worse, she could be the mastermind and setting the man up because of some deep-rooted daddy issues. Regardless, the odds looked to be in her favor. The trip to Moss Bridge would hopefully solidify that.
They’d left late in the evening, coming in under the cloak of darkness as not to rile suspicions around town – especially if there was anyone left behind as a watch. If this were a setup, that was exactly what they’d run into. It was important to stay under the radar and as anonymous as possible. If this thing really did go up as high as it was alluded to in their meeting, none of them were safe, and they could be taking the fall for whatever was going down.
“They had a cleaner. Sounds like cartel to me,” Wylie said, assessing the scene. “This place is cleaner than most hospitals. It’s too sterile. Isn’t that obvious?”
“To us, it is. To anyone else, it’s just a clean house with a tidy yard,” Dace reasoned.
“Or it didn’t happen. This doesn’t look like a war zone. No bodies, no blood, no casings lying around,” Declan argued. “I hate to keep playing devil’s advocate here, but we can’t take the bait just because there were tears involved.”
“Jesus, Dec. You still think she’s behind this?” Dace asked with a fury and contempt for his brother he’d never had before. “You saw her. You heard her. She is as much a victim in this as the people who died that day and each day since.”
“I want to believe her, man. You know I do. She was like a sister to all of us, and we love her like family, even after all this time. But the moment we all let our guards down is the moment we’re the bodies on the ground. We don’t know if she’s been groomed for this, willingly participant or not. If this shit with her dad is the real deal, anything is possible where she’s concerned.”
“And my son? Made up too?” Dace questioned his brother’s intentions. Was it to hurt him? Make a point? Dace wasn’t stupid, and he could believe her and keep his guard up as not to fall victim to any ploy.
“I’d like to think she wouldn’t do something so cruel, Brother. But again…we need more.”
“I can assure you the boy is very real.” Eli came to Ivy’s defense, but more importantly, Dace’s. “The story she told was also very real.”
“Really?” Declan cocked his head to one side, prepared to hear the bullshit about to come his way.
Eli dropped his head and let out a loud, guttural growl. His hands placed on his hips, he began to pace in a small circle. “Fuck.” He tossed his head back and stared at the dark star-filled sky before he let out a heavy exhale. “I was there.”
“What the fuck?” Dace squared up with Eli. “What do you mean, you were there? As a participant? What didn’t you tell us?”
“I didn’t tell you I was there. That’s all. I didn’t participate. I was taking cover, okay?”
Dace laughed. “You? Were hiding? There’s a fucking bloodbath going down, my son is in the middle of it, seeing God knows what, my…Ivy was due back anytime, and you…were hiding?”
“It’s not exactly like that.”
Dace’s anger had escalated to rage, forcing Declan and Wylie to step between their brother and Eli in order to keep the matter under control.
“Pfft, oh really, Eli? Then what’s it exactly like?”
“I’d been excused from the meeting I was asked to sit in on. The meeting that prevented me from escorting Ivy to the farmers’ market. I was furious because she was out there alone, and the meeting was utter bullshit. Nothing valuable, I didn’t need to be a part of anything. I was told to check on the team. I left the office angry, and it all felt so off.” Eli looked at Dace. “I found Cash eating a sammy in the nook and playing with his motorcycle, so I sat with him instead of heading outside to check on the men who didn’t even report to me.”
“His motorcycle?” Dace questioned.
“It’s his favorite.” Eli dropped his tone and forced a weak smile at the memory. “Something in the tree line caught my attention – it wasn’t our typical regime making their rounds. They only circled the perimeter, and this was deeper into the woods. When I noticed more motion at the other end, across the back, I knew something was going down. First, the meeting, Ivy out of the house, and suddenly, I’m sent off to oversee men who didn’t know me from Adam much less report to me?”
Dace was stricken by what he was hearing. “Jesus. You were supposed to be a part of the massacre.”
“Likely. I moved Cash to his playroom and told him to stay on the floor and away from the windows. He knows the drill because, sadly, it’s his normal. I turned on a TV a little louder than normal and left for the path Ivy was due to return on. She wasn’t there as far as I could see, so I crept deeper into the trees and came in behind the first bastard I saw. Caught him off guard, dropped him dead. He wasn’t one of our guys. He was in full-blown camouflage, automatic weapon, and paint on his face like a damn soldier. Fucking idiot gave himself away because he had fucking reflective gear on like he was out hunting with the guys and didn’t want to get shot by his buddies. I found his mate, dropped him too. That’s when I started to hear the gunfire.”