Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 50402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50402 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 252(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 168(@300wpm)
When the second one asked her if she was alright, it dawned on Ivy that he was concerned about the extensive bruising on one side of her face. She quickly concocted a better answer, using a light-hearted response about an accident as an excuse. That seemed to satisfy everyone.
To her relief, no one recognized her from the bank. The bruising and her lack of makeup and business clothes proved to be a great disguise. That, plus she was in a repair shop. No one expected to see her there.
When the morning rush was over, all the guys dispersed around the garage, working on different cycles and tasks. Ivy worked diligently on her masterpiece, having great fun. She hadn’t done one of these in a very long time. This break from all her hours at the bank seemed to illustrate how many things she’d stopped doing to dedicate herself to her job.
A flash of white made her look up, and she grasped the countertop to steady herself as the quick motion made her dizzy—not as bad as the day before, but disorienting. When she could focus, Ivy looked around to see what had caught her eye. A van drove by very slowly, creeping at such a remarkably unusual pace that it was still visible. Ivy froze in place. Hadn’t Steele told her that her abductors had used a white van?
“Get down, Ivy,” a deep voice demanded.
Ivy scooted off the stool she sat on and ducked behind the table. Peeking around the corner, she spotted a large man shift forward from the shadows of one bay to stand at the entrance. His movements were panther-like, smooth and powerful, attesting to his athleticism and strength. The sunlight made his numerous tattoos come to life.
“What is it, Kade?” Steele asked, with his welding helmet in his hand.
Spotting the van, Steele raced toward the parking lot and yelled, “Fuck!” when it peeled away before he could even reach the front pavement.
“No way to get to a bike before it spotted us,” Kade growled angrily. He stalked to the counter where Ivy crouched and wrote something down as Steele stalked toward her. “I got the license plate.” Kade pulled out his phone and placed a call.
“You okay, Little girl?” Steele asked.
Ivy popped to her feet and wrapped her arms around his waist. “They were looking for me, weren’t they?”
“Yes. Kade was watching the front.”
“I didn’t even notice,” she whispered.
“You were in the shadows. It’s likely they didn’t see you. But if they did, they know you’re under our protection now.”
“Will they try to take me from here?” she asked as Kade approached with his phone.
“I’ve made the report. The plates were stolen from a car. I spotted two guys in front. One had brown hair and a slender build, the other, a big guy, was bald. Someone was in the back seat, but I didn’t get a good look at him,” Kade reported. “The police will monitor the area. I’ll invoke a protection grid. Next time, we’ll be ready. I’ll move a couple of bikes up front.”
“Thanks, Kade.” Steele lifted one arm from around Ivy’s body to shake Kade’s hand before the man moved away.
Steele stroked his fingers over her hair. “It’s okay, Ivy.”
“They’re not giving up. I thought maybe they’d decide I wasn’t worth the risk, but they’re not giving up!” she whispered furiously.
“It appears they will risk everything to get to you. Why? There’s something going on that you haven’t told me,” Steele said, holding her chin firmly to keep their gazes locked together.
“What? No! There’s nothing I haven’t told you,” Ivy assured him.
“Lying to your Daddy isn’t a good idea,” Steele warned.
“Steele!” Ivy hissed, her eyes darting to each side to make sure the other members weren’t eavesdropping.
“They already know you’re my Little girl, Ivy. Don’t try to derail our conversation. What do they know? Do you have the passcodes for a billion-dollar account?”
“All that information is confidential, Steele. I can’t tell you anything.”
“To save your life, you’ll have to. Whatever secrets you have, these guys will die to keep them safe. But you have to tell us what’s going on. We’re operating blind now.”
Ivy swallowed hard. She focused on the front of his T-shirt and stiffened her spine with resolve. It was so hard not to divulge everything when looking in his eyes. She had to follow the bank’s rules. “There are somethings I can’t tell you,” she repeated before offering. “I can go back to my house,” she offered.
“It’s that big, Little girl, that you’d risk tangling with the guys that might have left you to be crushed in the dumpster?”
“I don’t know anything,” she repeated stubbornly. Maybe if she said it enough times, he’d back down.
Steele shook his head in disbelief and let go of her chin. “Little girls should trust their Daddies to help. Let’s get your painting stuff. We’ll move you back to my area. I can get a light pointed on the table so you can paint there.”