Page 67 of Mercy & Malice

“They do. I can have them leave. I don’t want to get in trouble⁠—”

“No, no. They are perfectly fine staying as long as you want them here. I’d much rather them be here than you be all by yourself.”

I thought so too. But now the constant lingering is just a reminder of what happened. Yet I don’t want to be alone either.

Edmund says, “I’ll be in the back if you need anything. I have some invoicing discrepancies that I need to sort out.”

“Yes, sir.”

When I go over to the table, Ivy is the first to ask, “Your boss isn’t mad we’re hanging out here, right?”

“No, he said y’all are good to stay. But it’s totally unnecessary.”

“Disagree,” Ivy states. “I need more ice cream. The chocolate chip is great. But my goal is to try every flavor.”

“Only seventeen more to go then.” I laugh and head back behind the counter as she follows me over.

“A scoop of chocolate praline in a cup, please.” I fix it then pass it to her. As soon as she tastes it, she declares, “This is my favorite ever.”

“You said that about chocolate chip with pecans too.”

“I can change my mind, right?” She grins as she takes another bite. Her cheerfulness fades as she glances over her shoulder at what I’m spotting too. Luca and Micah whispering back and forth. Ivy focuses back to me as she says, “They’ve hardly said a word, but when no one is in earshot, they seem to have a lot to discuss.”

“I noticed that too.” And it makes me really uncomfortable for some reason. “I’m glad they’re not trying to battle each other anymore, but something is off.”

“For sure. But definitely better than watching them beat the shit out of each other at the Tomb.” Ivy chuckles as she rolls her eyes. “How was last night being back at home?”

Different. Weird. “It was fine.” All the crap from my mom about me avoiding her and she wasn’t there. Though I didn’t tell her I’d be there until late in the evening. What was really strange was being there with Micah. I’ve lived there for months now without him. It’s positively better with him for sure. But I kept worrying my mom would find him in my room and flip out on both of us. She knows him and I have talked in the past, but I wasn’t allowed to officially date, so sleeping in the same bed as a boy was never a topic of discussion.

“Well, if it’s not, you can always jump the fence and come back over to my house.”

“That’s tempting. But I can’t hide forever. I already turned down babysitting for the Sullivans tonight just in case someone is still after me.” As much as it pained me to do so, I couldn’t agree to stay at their house with Aurora, not knowing if I’d be putting her in danger. If she got caught up in the mess, I’d never forgive myself. Though, turning down the offer was difficult. It’s the first time I’ve ever said no. Even when my schedule was packed and I really should’ve passed, I made it work.

“That’s probably for the best until the others are caught.”

I whisper, “What if they’re never caught?”

“Not possible.” Ivy motions to the guys. “With those two on the case, there’s no way it won’t be resolved. They’re too fucking stubborn to stop until they get exactly what they want.”

“True.” When the Montclairs get something in their heads, there’s no getting it out. “Can you let me know if you figure out what all the secrecy between them is about? And I’ll do the same.”

“Deal.” She holds up her empty container. “Can I get another scoop of chocolate praline with extra pecans in a sugar cone?”

“Sure.” I smile as I prepare the cone then make myself one and join her at a table a few spots away from the guys. They are still conspiring. But thankfully, Ivy and I have an easy conversation, and I almost forget all the crap waiting for us.

36

MICAH

I steer Brooke’s car into the garage bay, waiting for the door to close behind. Even after I turn the car off, she remains unmoving in the passenger seat. Finally she says, “I usually just park in the driveway.”

“Start parking in here so you’re inside the garage when you get out of your car and not walking outside alone.”

“It doesn’t matter if I’m outside or inside. In my car or on side of the road. If they want to get me, they will.” She lets out a deep exhale before looking at me. “You can’t keep following me around all the time. Edmund was fine with y’all being there tonight, but eventually I’ll have to be alone. And that’s okay. Besides, you have a life and obligations also. We need to try and move on from what happened.”

I don’t think I’ll ever truly move on. “I’m exactly where I need to be. So, don’t worry about me.”

Her face drops as she studies her hands. “But I am for many reasons. One of them being that you and Luca seem to have a lot to discuss when no one is around.”