Page 37 of Love & Power

“I suppose I should say we became a threat to the Accardi Family, and their lackeys jumped on board. What’s really fucked up is we were always invited to all the parties, galas, and events of the who’s who in the criminal world. My family ran in the same circles and even befriended a few of those bastards who stabbed them in the back.” Ivy spat, her hands curling into fists so tight her knuckles turned white.

“That night is forever etched in my mind. It was a week after my sixteenth birthday, and we were celebrating it late because my father had been out of the country and just returned. They’d just finished singing “Happy Birthday” when the first explosion went off. Everything became a blur with loud noises, flashes of light, and the sight of my father’s blood splattered all over my cake. I remember my mother shoving me to the floor, draping her body over mine, whispering how much she loved me. When everything fell silent, I continued to just lay there, terrified they hadn’t truly gone. Realizing my mother was far too still, and I couldn’t hear her breathing anymore, I wriggled out from under her dead body and screamed until I went hoarse.” Ivy’s voice cracked slightly as she relived the memories. “It was probably the worst thing I could have done. However, you have to understand I’d been so carefully sheltered from death and violence, it broke me to see people I loved laying there slaughtered.”

Having lost my father in a similar fashion, I knew exactly what she was describing, and it broke my heart. Reaching out, I took her right hand, noticing the blood from her nails digging in, and forced it open so I could press a napkin to her palm. Not saying a word, I just held her hand tightly between mine, trying to ground her mind in the here and now.

“My screams drew the attention of the men they left behind to deal with any stragglers or witnesses. They gagged me to stop the screaming then bound my hands and feet, tossing me in the back of the SUV they’d arrived in. I fought as hard as I could, having no skills, but it was no use against five brutes. One of them pistol-whipped me after my knee caught one of the others, giving him a bloody nose. When I woke up, I was in a cage with ten other women who looked far worse off than I did… black eyes, split lips, torn clothes. One even had a dislocated arm because she wouldn’t stop fighting them as they raped her. This sounds hideous to say, but I’d been fortunate to be taken by men who knew a virgin would make them more money.” Ivy laughed bitterly, grabbing her wine and tossing it back.

Everything in me wanted to tell her to stop. I didn’t need my friend to live through the darkness of her past to explain herself to me. If I had the chance to help someone take down the demons of my past, I would have done the same damn thing in her shoes. What mattered to me was that the friendship developing between us was authentic, and I knew in my soul it was.

“Ivy—” I started, but she shook her head.

“No, Astin, you deserve to know the truth of what I’ve gotten you into,” Ivy argued. “I told you that Domenico and I had a past. The bastard owns me. Well, technically, his grandfather bought me, and I ended up with Domenico until I made my escape seven years ago. Since I left, my singular goal was to become someone they feared and could never control again. The Accardi Family stole everything. The Leoni Family’s men run the trafficking ring while the Accardi fund it, and the De Santis Family keeps them all from getting caught.”

“Hooolyyy shit,” I said, leaning back against my seat.

Ivy smirked as she poured herself more wine. “Oh, that’s not even the best part. I have a massive bounty on my head for killing one too many of their higher-ups and freeing girls they hadn’t sold yet. Seems you really do ruffle some feathers by leaving bloody bodies with little love notes behind telling them, you’ve been Foxxxed. I haven’t stepped foot in Nepreea for the past four years because things were getting too hot for me.”

My jaw dropped at this bit of information. “What the fuck are you doing here then?”

“Seriously, darling, did you think I’d let you have all the fun?” Ivy tutted, adding wine to my glass. “I deserve my pound of flesh, and trust me, I’m going to get it. Besides, once all those bastards are dead and buried, no one will be pressing the issue to find me.”

This woman had more balls than anyone I’d ever met, and it was awe-inspiring.

“That is one fucked-up story, girlfriend,” I muttered, munching on a piece of shrimp. “So, as your friend, can I ask what the status of things are between you and Domenico?”

Ivy flicked her hair out of her face as she looked out the window at the puffy clouds. “That is a rather complicated answer. Part of me hates him for claiming me as his. However, Dom is also the reason I got away and could stay hidden for so long. I’m good at my job now, but I wasn’t always. If Dom and Cedro hadn’t cleaned up my mistakes along the way, I would’ve been caught long before I had the chance to become who I am now.”

“Cedro?” I asked.

“Dom’s best friend and half-brother,” Ivy shared. “Those two have been inseparable for as long as I’ve known them. I suppose that’s what happens when you have to watch your parents die in front of you.”

“Huh, is it weird that we all have that in common?” I questioned. “It’s not like I want to get T-shirts made or anything, but it seems to be a common theme in this fucked-up world we live in.”

That made Ivy laugh, which had been my hope. I knew how easily the darkness from the past could take over, but my guys had shown me it was easier to fight back with a little help.

“Well, there’s going to be one in our little band of rebels who doesn’t fit into that category. She’s been blessed with loving parents even if her father does have a mistress. Although I’m not sure that counts against him since he’s never hidden the mistress from the family. As it happens, the woman is his wife’s full-time care nurse,” Ivy reasoned, tapping a finger to her chin.

It was driving me crazy that Ivy wouldn’t tell me who the hell she was talking about. “Seriously, Ivy, what are you getting me into? Remember, I have seven men who will make my life miserable if they think I knowingly put myself in danger.”

Grinning, Ivy folded her hands and rested her chin on them, fluttering her lashes. “Darling, are you getting soft on me?”

“What? I am not,” I answered defensively. “You have no idea how irritating it is to be smothered by well-intentioned people, no matter how sexy they are.”

“You poor thing, it must be simply awful to have people who love you that much,” Ivy teased, then glanced out the window. “Don’t worry your pretty head, it looks like we’re almost there. I’m not withholding information to be a brat, I just want you to make your own impressions.”

“The way you talk about her makes it sound like you’re pretty good friends,” I commented.

Ivy’s smile grew. “Jealousy is quite the flattering look on you, darling. Are you worried I might have another best friend making you less important?”

I wanted to argue, but in a way, I think she might be right. “It’s not that I’m jealous, but I’ve only had one best friend who left me high and dry for years. Now I’m dating the asshole, so you could say my skills at having a friend aren’t well-rounded.”

“You have nothing to worry about when it comes to our friendship,” Ivy assured me. “I won’t leave you high and dry or date you, so I think we’re safe.”

Flipping her off just like I would one of the guys, she started to cackle. “Oh, I can’t wait for the two of you to meet. It will either end in a bloodbath or a vow of eternal sisterhood.”

Before I could even press the matter, the flight attendants came to collect our dishes, informing us we’d be landing shortly. I peered out the window, but the cloud cover was too dense for me to see anything. When we finally dropped under the layer of clouds, I was greeted with a mountainous region below. It didn’t look like we were anywhere close to an airport, let alone civilization.

Then I spotted what looked like a compound of some sort with an airstrip marked by blinking lights to guide the pilot. “Is this where we’re supposed to be?” I asked, turning back to Ivy.