“Say you won’t suffer in silence. That’s a killer.” She takes a delicate bite of her donut.
“I feel… sort of stretched, I guess.” In here, with Ivy putting a glaring spotlight on me, there aren’t many places to hide from the turmoil in my chest. “A few months ago, I was a regular person just working a cool job surrounded by sparkling jewelry, and it made me feel like I’d finally gained a ticket to a better life or something.”
Ivy nods along as I speak, but now that I’ve started talking, it’s difficult to stop so I attempt to shift the focus.
“The Suit, though… I heard them say that. Bradley mentioned it when he was talking to Frank. What is that? What does it mean?”
Ivy shakes her head after her next bite. “Honey, we’re here to talk about you, not them.”
“I… what do I say? That my life has turned upside down because I tried to help my brother, tried to save him, and now I’m here in this strange place surrounded by strange people with no idea where my brother is and someone’s trying to kill me?”
Her eyes remain kind even as her smile fades. “Yes. That’s exactly what you say. I heard what happened at the cliff with that man—Harris, was it?”
“Does everyone know?” I ask softly.
“They talk,” Ivy replies gently. “But it’s not gossip or judgment. They all just have to stay in the know.”
“Oh, God.” My head falls into my hands. “Everything feels more and more real.”
“It’s terrifying, isn’t it? All these powerful people around you and even more trying to find you. What I can tell you is that if Bradley says he’s going to help you, then he means it. He’s a powerful man. I know he looks scary, but he’s really kind.”
Scary. Given his stature and his bulk, I can definitely understand people feeling he’s scary, but to me he’s only been an asshole. And attractive.
“Tell me about your brother.” Ivy finishes her snack and situates herself on the bed to face me. “I don’t know everything that’s happening, but I know that focusing on the one thing you care about is incredibly grounding. So tell me about him.”
“Peter? He’s…” I shake my head slightly and rub at both my thighs. “He’s my little brother. He’s just… some people think he’s arrogant and mean but he’s just a little dumb, and he’s always trying to do good, y’know? Like sure, he gambles, but it was always to try and get money to pay for the bills. And he’d drink, but that’s because he’d be sad or he’d get rejected from jobs and stuff. I suppose… I suppose it’s because of me too, because when we were growing up, I had to nag him a lot about school and money and hygiene, but he’s… he’s the only family I have. And I can’t blame him for being angry because I did a pretty poor job raising him.”
“You raised him?” Her eyes widen. “That must have been so hard for you.”
“It…” I pause and her words echo in my mind. Hard for me? Most people praise me for raising my brother and comment on how hard it was for him to lose our parents so young. Peter’s the focus, always. Not me. “It was.” My throat runs dry. “It really was.”
“How old were you?”
“Fourteen.”
“Oh, my God.” Ivy doesn’t mask her utter shock. “I can’t believe you survived that. I…” Her hands come together and her smile softens. “You’ve done a lot for him, it sounds like.”
“He’s my brother.”
“True. Just… what about you?”
“What do you mean?” My brows knit together as I study her face.
“Well… what do you do for fun? Do you have a special someone? Friends who are missing you? Anything like that?”
The only person who enters my mind is Bradley, but I shove that thought away immediately. “No. I’m too busy for any of that.”
“Oh, honey.” The weight of her words makes me feel like she wants to say more but rather than press it, Ivy reaches for my hand. “Well, you’re safe here, okay? You’re protected so you can rest. And when this is all dealt with, maybe take some time to find yourself outside of your brother, y’know? I think you deserve it after going through all of this because of him.”
“I don’t mind it,” I say hurriedly. “He’s my brother. I’m happy to take care of him.”
“I know, sweetie. Family is… tough and rare. But I’ve only known you a few minutes, and feel free to tell me to shut up, but… there’s a lot of what you do for him and excuses about what he doesn’t do for you. Sometimes… sometimes, the ones we love are the ones who hurt us the most.”
The old defense of my brother rises up like a reflex, but before I can say anything, Ivy stands.
“This will be your room. If you need to rest or to eat or anything, there’s always someone near the kitchen, but I suspect Bradley will check on you. I just want you to know you’re not alone, okay? As scary as this is… they’ll all work hard to get your life back to normal.”
“Even though I am a thief and deserve this?”
