Wicked Beginning: An Ivy Morgan Mystery Books 1-3 (32 page)

“Does that mean I’m going to die?”

“I don’t know,” Felicity said. “I think it’s more likely that your fate isn’t set right now. You have to find whoever is causing the darkness.”

“Meaning I have to get Kelly to talk,” Ivy said.

“I don’t know what all of this means, Ivy,” Felicity said. “I do know you don’t have a lot of time. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Don’t go off by yourself. Do whatever you have to do to get Kelly to talk.”

“What about Jack? Do you see him?”

“Jack is your shadow now,” Felicity said. “You won’t be able to shake him. Your hearts are entwined. There’s no going back, no matter what either of you say you want. That won’t be settled right away.”

“Is Jack in danger if he stays at my house?”

“Jack is your link to salvation,” Felicity said. “Don’t cut that link. You may think you’re doing the best thing for both of you, but if you die, Jack will be as good as dead, too.”

“You’re saying we have to save Kelly to save ourselves, aren’t you?”

“I’m saying all three of you need to survive to thrive,” Felicity said. “Kelly can still have her own happily ever after. It won’t be the same as she envisioned as a child, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be great.”

“What do I do?” Ivy asked, her mouth dry.

“Trust Jack.”

“I do.”

“He trusts you, too,” Felicity said. “Work together. That’s going to be key.”

“Are you telling me to stop fighting with him?”

Despite the surreal nature of their situation, Felicity chuckled. “Never stop fighting with him,” she said. “He likes it. You like it, too.”

“I do not,” Ivy protested.

“Oh, don’t lie to your aunt,” Felicity said. “The cards won’t let you.”

“This is just crap,” Ivy said, crossing her arms over her chest. “How do I know you’re not making this up just so you can push us together?”

“Because I would never play games with your future,” Felicity said, her eyes serious.

Ivy knew that was true. “How long do I have to get Kelly to talk?”

“Don’t push her,” Felicity warned, turning her attention back to the cards. “Don’t let her push you away either. You’ll know when the time is right.”

Ivy could only hope her beloved aunt was right.

Jack was waiting on Ivy’s front porch when she pulled into her driveway an hour later. The sun was still up, but it was starting to make its inevitable dip into the horizon, and under the muted light, Jack’s handsome face looked magnificent.

Ivy’s heart stuttered when she saw him get to his feet and descend the stairs.

“Where … ?”

Jack didn’t get a chance to finish his statement, because Ivy was on him – her arms around his waist – before he could. He pulled her close, wrapping her tight and relishing the way she folded her face into the hollow between his neck and shoulder. “What’s wrong, honey?”

“Nothing is wrong,” Ivy said. “I promised to greet you with a hug. That’s all this is.”

Jack chuckled as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. He didn’t believe her. “Where have you been?”

“I was over with Aunt Felicity,” Ivy said. “Max thought I needed a little time to myself, but I wanted to see her. I’m still not sure why – and now I wish I hadn’t gone over there.”

That was a lot for Jack to wrap his mind around. He wasn’t sure which place he wanted to start. He opted for the easiest question. “Where is Kelly?”

“Max took her for the afternoon,” Ivy said. “He said he was going to take her to dinner, too, so we don’t have to worry about that.”

“That was nice of him,” Jack said, rubbing his cheek against Ivy’s forehead. “You smell like limes and coconut today.”

“What?”

“You smell different every day,” he said. “I like to try and guess what scents you’re wearing.”

“Oh. I have a lot of different lotions. I just pick whichever one calls to me that particular day.”

“I like it,” Jack said, inhaling again. “You always smell like something I want to eat.”

Ivy’s face flushed. “Um … .”

“That came out dirtier than I initially envisioned,” Jack said, smirking. “I just meant that you smell really good.”

“Thank you … I think.”

Jack’s chest rumbled with his laughter. “Tell me what has you upset,” he said. “Why do you wish you hadn’t gone over to Felicity’s?”

“I don’t want to tell you,” Ivy admitted. “You’re going to think I’m crazy.”

“I promise I won’t think you’re crazy.”

“You can’t keep that promise,” Ivy said. “We both know that.”

“Well, I guess it’s good that I like you however I can get you,” Jack said. “That includes crazy. Tell me.”

Ivy told Jack about Felicity’s reading, internally thanking the stars that were readying to pop up in the sky that he couldn’t see her face because it was still buried in his chest. When she was done, she waited for him to laugh at her … or call her a liar … or walk away without saying another word. He didn’t do any of those things.

“She thinks you’re in danger? How can we change that?”

Ivy was surprised, and when she got up the courage to pull her face back far enough to lift her chin and study him, she found Jack’s face to be serious but free of recrimination. “Aren’t you going to tell me I’m crazy?”

“No. I want you tell me how to keep you safe.”

“We have to get Kelly to talk,” Ivy said. “We can’t push her, though. I know you want to, but that’s going to do more harm than good.”

“We have to do something,” Jack said, cupping the back of Ivy’s head so he could stare soulfully into her eyes. “I can’t go through life not seeing your face.”

“Don’t you dare kiss me,” Ivy warned.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“You look like you want to.”

“Oh, I want to,” Jack said. “I’m not going to, though. Not right now, at least.”

“What are you going to do?”

Jack smiled and dropped his hands to hers, clasping them both. “I’m going to take you for a walk.”

“You are?”

“We have a few things to talk about,” Jack said. “I don’t want to risk Kelly overhearing us.”

“What happens when Max brings her back and we’re not here?”

“Max is a big boy,” Jack said. “He’s smart enough to wait for us. We’re not going to be gone for too long.”

Ivy slipped her hand into Jack’s and let him lead her toward the trees. He picked a slow pace, one that would allow them to talk without losing breath – or the closeness their linked fingers granted them.

“Tell me about your day,” Ivy said.

Jack did as instructed, leaving nothing out. When he was done, Ivy was at a loss for words so Jack opted to fill the silence himself. “Can we go to your fairy ring?”

Ivy nodded. “I … you don’t have to ask that. You’re always welcome.”

“That’s your private place,” Jack said. “I would never not ask.”

“Do you remember where it is?”

“It’s seared into my memory, honey,” he said. “I could never forget trying to find it in the dark when Heath was chasing you.” Jack was referring to an incident a few weeks before when a murderer stalked Ivy through the woods in an attempt to kill her and throw suspicion on someone else. “I was terrified I wouldn’t get to you in time. Then, when I found you, the problem was already taken care of. You’d saved yourself.”

“I knew you would find me,” Ivy said. “For some reason, I’ve had faith in you since the moment I met you.”

“You hated me when you first met me.”

“The first moment I saw you I thought you were the handsomest man I’d ever laid eyes on,” Ivy said. “Then you opened your mouth and irritated the crap out of me.”

Jack snorted. “The first moment I saw you I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven,” he said. “Then you opened your mouth and I reconsidered and thought I’d gone to Hell.”

“You’re not being very charming,” Ivy chided.

“I didn’t know that was the game we were playing,” Jack said. “If it’s any consolation, even though you drove me crazy, I still wanted to kiss you senseless.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I have no idea,” Jack said. “I can’t seem to stop myself from thinking about you. I can’t seem to stop myself from dreaming about you. I can’t seem to make myself stay away from you.”

“I … .”

“We’re not going to talk about this right now,” Jack said. “Don’t worry, we’re going to talk about it. I don’t want Kelly’s plight hanging over us when we do, though. For now, we’re just going to take a walk and pretend that this particular conversation isn’t looming large.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I’m not in the mood to fight either,” Ivy said, resting her head against Jack’s shoulder as he crested the hill and her fairy ring came into view. “Here we are.”

“Here we are,” Jack agreed, releasing her hand and slipping his arm around her waist.

“So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Kelly,” Jack said. “I want to talk about how we’re going to handle her. When I say talk, that’s what I mean. There will be no yelling. You can’t yell here. It will ruin the magic.”

“Is that why you brought me here?” Ivy asked suspiciously.

“I brought you here because I love looking at this place,” Jack replied. “Even more than that, though, I love looking at you when you’re in this place.”

“That’s kind of a schmaltzy sentiment,” Ivy said.

“I’m feeling kind of schmaltzy tonight.”

“Okay, what are we going to do about Kelly?”

“We need to find out about this supposed older boyfriend,” Jack said. “If he’s real, he could be our suspect. If he’s not, she’s hiding something else.”

“She’s never mentioned anything about a boyfriend,” Ivy said. “I know that doesn’t technically mean anything significant, but she’s let other things slip when her guard is down.”

“Like?”

“Like she told me today that she was separated from her brother after her parents died,” Ivy said. “She’d never mentioned the brother before, and I think it bothers her more than she’s letting on that she hasn’t seen him since she was eight.”

“I don’t remember seeing anything about a brother in her file,” Jack mused. “I’ll take another look tomorrow morning.”

Ivy lifted her head. “Do you think you can find him?”

“I don’t see why I can’t try,” Jack said. “He would be an adult now, and while he’s probably not in a position to help her, he might want to see her. That might be something that could jar Kelly into telling us what happened.”

“She also told me she was going to be adopted by another couple,” Ivy said. “She was with them for nine months, and then the state offered them a baby so they sent her back.”

“That’s pretty … horrible,” Jack said. “No wonder she has trouble trusting people. The first people she trusted after losing her parents betrayed her. They made her feel like she was nothing.”

“I think she stopped looking at her foster families as anything other than a place to stay when that happened,” Ivy said. “I don’t think she’s bonded with any of them since then. It’s no wonder the Gideons got away with ignoring her. She encouraged them to do it.”

“We’re going to try and find a good foster family for her,” Jack said. “Brian says he might have a few leads, and one of them is even in Shadow Lake.”

“I … .”

Jack shifted his molten chocolate eyes down to Ivy, who was fidgeting. “You know you can’t keep her, right?”

“I know,” Ivy said. “I just feel that if I send her away … .”

“You’ll be doing what that first family did to her all over again,” Jack finished. “You have a huge heart, Ivy. You have a razor-sharp tongue, too, but that’s a conversation for another time.”

Ivy scowled as he tickled her ribs.

“You’re not equipped for her,” Jack said, sobering. “I know you want to help her, but in the grand scheme of things, you’re the best thing for her right now. You’re not the best thing for her forever.”

“I know,” Ivy said, resigned. “I can barely take care of myself. I’ve rearranged my life for her for the past few days, but that can’t last forever.”

“I think you’re going to make a wonderful mother in the future,” Jack said. “You’re not ready to start that journey, though. Kelly’s journey is almost over. You can’t jump in at the end and fix everything.”

“So, what do you suggest we do? How are we going to get Kelly to talk?”

“We’re going to leave her alone tonight,” Jack said. “Then, tomorrow, we’re going to start asking her questions – even if she doesn’t want to answer them. We have to be a united front, honey. You can’t let me be the bad cop while you’re the good cop and let her off the hook.

“I’m willing to let you ask the questions,” he continued. “I’m willing to take a step back and let you take the lead. I need to know you’re going to ask the questions without backing down, though.”

“I promise,” Ivy said, her voice small.

Jack reached over with his free hand and lifted her chin, searching her eyes for the truth. “I believe you can help Kelly if you start pushing her,” he said. “You don’t have to push hard. I think Kelly wants you to know the truth.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because it’s impossible to lie to you,” Jack said. “Trust me. As someone who is apparently calling you into my dreams to bear witness to the most horrible moment of my life, let me tell you something, you’re not easy to shut out.”

Ivy sighed. “I don’t know what to do about your dreams.”

“I don’t either,” Jack said. “We’ll tackle that when we have to.”

“What do we do now?”

“Now? Now I’m going to kiss you,” Jack said.

Ivy’s eyebrows flew up. “What? I thought we weren’t dealing with this tonight?”

“We’re not,” Jack said. “I have to kiss you, though. I just can’t seem to stop myself.” Jack cut off any further argument from Ivy with his lips, pressing them to hers and sighing as she gave in and accepted the kiss. Jack pulled her tight against him, lifting her a little so he could kiss her without reservation. He was so lost in the moment, he didn’t hear the approaching footsteps behind him until Max cleared his throat and Kelly started to giggle.

Jack reluctantly pulled his face away from Ivy’s, although he kept his arms in place as he turned to face Max. “Has anyone ever told you that you have the worst timing ever?”