“We need to find this bastard,” Dace said. “He has my son.”
CHAPTER 27
“I just can’t believe it.” Ivy leaned back on her couch in her apartment, staring at a printout of her father's credential sheet. “CIA?”
“He knew exactly who this family was you were about to marry into and couldn’t risk them finding out who he really was,” Eli said. “He was hiding you from them all along. They were his enemy. Every time we moved because we were made…it was Dace. He was close.”
“I had no idea you were looking for me.” Ivy dropped her head and stared at her folded hands in her lap. “I assumed… I assumed he told you there was a threat, and when everything was over, things would… I don’t know. It all seems so ridiculous now.”
“This isn’t your fault, Ivy. He’s a master manipulator. He has to be in his role,” Dace assured her. “He’d likely been setting this up for some time. In the beginning, we were probably more of an asset than a threat. Something changed, though, and he couldn’t risk us getting too close.”
“I didn’t know I was pregnant until after you left on that last mission,” she said, full of guilt. “I found out after you were gone and had no way to reach you.”
“You were vulnerable,” Eli said. “That’s probably why your dad chose that time to start his charade.”
“We’re looking into your mom’s accident, too,” Dace said.
“My dad said he thought her death was suspicious, like a warning…”
When Dace and Eli both sat silent, the implication was clear. “Oh, my God. You think he… I can’t even say it. It’s so awful.”
“We do believe there was something suspicious surrounding her death. We’ll leave it at that until we know more. If this was him, he did a good job cleaning up after himself, despite the holes in the crime scene.”
“Why? Why would he kill her?” Ivy was sincerely baffled, and the idea of her father killing her mother brought her to an emotional breaking point.
“We aren’t sure. Maybe she discovered something she shouldn’t have? She was a beard, and he didn’t need her anymore? There’s really no telling, but we will figure it out – after we end this and get our son back.”
She simply nodded. “I thought my father traveled the world buying flowers from their source and attending trade shows. I’m guessing there were no trade shows and the flowers…they were just like everyone else’s from one of the warehouses in Southern California he claimed to detest.”
“Most likely. He could whip up a really nice bouquet, though,” Dace teased.
“Yeah. That he did.” Ivy whimpered, giving in to the overwhelm she was feeling. “I would give anything to go back and look at this through a different set of eyes. Maybe I would have seen or noticed something out of the norm.”
“More than being on the run?” Eli teased.
“Gah. I deserve that. I trusted my dad and thought he was keeping us safe. I didn’t have any reason to doubt him. Maybe it was easier to believe him than to see who he really was?”
“I could’ve kept both of you safe and will be moving forward. There is no more running. That part of our life is over,” Dace said, admitting his own habit of taking off when things were too much for him.
“I thought I was protecting you. I thought by leaving, we were taking the danger with us.” Ivy palmed her face. “I feel so incredibly stupid.”
“You were groomed, played, and lied to,” Dace said.
Ivy choked on a cry. “It’s my fault our son is missing. I let this happen.”
“That’s on me, love,” Eli said. “I should have got you out of there. I thought we had more time. I should have sent you to Dace sooner.”
It was obvious to Dace that Eli was stepping back. He was passing the baton to Dace so he could take his rightful place and take care of his family, and Dace respected that. Despite their differences, he’d always respect what Eli did for their family and appreciate his sacrifice to bring them back to him.
“I’m here to help.” Eli took to his feet and headed for the door. “I’ll leave you to it. You know where to find me.”
When the door closed behind Eli, Ivy said, “He really is a good man. I know he comes off a little brutish, but he’s honest, kind, and cares about us.”
“It’s the weird accent. I don’t get it,” Dace said.
“I know, right? I never could figure out where he was from.”
“Look, if there’s any unsettled business between the two of you… It was a long time to be away, Ivy. I’d understand if…”
Ivy reached for Dace’s hand. “It wasn’t like that for us. Maybe at one point, we thought maybe…but it just wasn’t right. We were meant to be with other people. He’s been my best friend for years, and probably always will be, but our friendship isn’t anything more than that – friendship.”
Dace nodded. “I’m going to find Cash, and I’m going to take care of you. Both of you.”
“I know you will. That’s why I came home. I knew you were the only one who could.”
“And because you thought Eli was dead.”
“No. The plan was to come here if anything went wrong. It was Eli’s plan, actually. I think he knew if it came down to it, he couldn’t do it alone, and he was right.”
“It takes a lot for a man to admit his limits. I respect him for knowing his and knowing where you needed to be. He’s been a huge asset – and a huge pain in the ass – but without him, we wouldn’t be where we are. I still don’t know how full of shit he actually is, but…”
“Yeah. I worry about what happens with him when all this is over.”
“He seems like the kind of guy to land on his feet. We’ll make sure he does.”
“You haven’t changed. Not one bit,” Ivy said, grazing his jaw with the pad of her thumb. “You’re kind even when it pains you.” She laughed.
“When you look at me like that…” Dace dropped his head back on the couch and adjusted his quickly tightening pants. “You’re right; I haven’t changed – you still do that to me with a single look.”
“What does it say about you if a bruised-up face and puffy eyes get you…uncomfortable,” she teased.
Dace didn’t find her comment funny in the least. His head shot up, and he turned his body to face hers. With his hand behind her neck, he said, “Baby, I don’t see all that. All I see when I look at you is the beautiful woman I’ve always seen. One who’s kind, loyal, and makes you feel something so deep in your soul where you didn’t think you could feel anything. I’ve waited so long to see if I could still feel those things, and I’m not empty anymore, Ivy. You still fill that part of me.”
A lone tear made its way down her cheek. “The only way I survived the time apart was knowing that someday I’d be right here with you again.”
Dace pulled her onto his lap and cradled her. When she winced, he was quickly reminded she was still tender. “I’m sorry, darlin’. Are you okay?”