Chapter 87: This Is the Wisteria Police Department

Ivy’s pov

"Uh, remind me why we’re here again?"

The wind ruffled through Irene’s hair as she hooked her arm through mine and dragged me towards the gleaming glass doors of the city’s most expensive mall.

"Because, my darling Ivy, you look like you need to see something other than the inside of a mansion or a bedroom. You need a breather, and shopping is a sacred form of therapy. Duke, are you taking notes?"

Duke was right behind us, and the giant didn’t even so much as blink.

It had been Kai’s idea to use cold spoons under my eyes. After I had finally sobbed myself out, he had disappeared into the kitchen and returned with two silver spoons pressed against my eyes.

The cold had been a shock, but it had worked. The swelling went down, and the dark circles were at least less horrifying. Then Irene had descended on us, clapping her hands with glee and declaring it was time for a girls’ day.

I had no idea what she whispered to Kai that allowed him to let me go, but I was grateful for it because if she hadn’t interrupted, I would probably, just probably, have told him... well, everything.

I had been feeling immensely overwhelmed, out of my mind. The urge to just spill and confess just about Angel alone had been so strong, it had taken everything not to mention his name. Mentioning his name meant exposing my identity.

God, the Knights truly were dangerous, but not just in the way I feared.

They were very dangerous to my heart.

"Okay," Irene declared, steering me into one of Estella’s boutiques. I had shopped from them; was it October last year? I hoped they wouldn’t recognize me. Racks of clothing were spaced apart in the shop like exhibits of silk and cashmere.

"Bills on me, girl. What do you want?"

I ran a hand over a soft, cream-colored sweater. "Irene, this is... a lot. I can’t let you-"

"Nonsense," she cut me off, already pulling a flowing emerald green dress from a rack. "I’m a Fitzgerald. My trust fund has trust funds. It’s my civic duty to stimulate the economy. Now, try this on. It will make your eyes pop."

An hour later, buried under a mountain of designer bags, we found ourselves at a chic little ice cream parlor.

Duke found us a secluded table in the corner, his back to the wall, and sat with his hands clasped on the table, his gaze sweeping the room before settling on Irene.

I took a spoonful of salted caramel gelato, the sweet and salty flavor exploding on my tongue. "Okay, I admit it," I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "This was a good idea."

"I told you," Irene grinned, her ice-blue eyes sparkling. She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "So... spill. What’s going on with you and my brothers?"

I nearly choked on my ice cream. "What? Nothing. I’m their housekeeper."

"Mmmhmm," she hummed, tapping a perfectly manicured nail against her chin.

"I’ve known those boys for a long time, Ivy. I’ve seen the way they look at you. Ro looks at you like you hung the moon. Kai looks at you like you’re a five-course meal and he’s starving. And Gideon..." She paused, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Well, considering he told me to do anything I could to cheer you up, I’m sure you drive him insane."

My eyes widened in disbelief. "Deon said that?"

"OOOOH Deon?"

I felt a blush creep up my neck. "It’s... complicated."

"It always is with them," she sighed dramatically. "They’re good men, underneath all that macho nonsense. They saved my life, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"A few years ago, right after my twentieth birthday... I was kidnapped. It was a whole thing, a ransom demand for my father. It was... terrifying." She shuddered, and I saw Duke’s hand clench into a fist under the table.

"The police were useless, but the Knights... they have their own ways. Deon told my dad to pay and tracked down the money, Kai handled the ’negotiations,’ and Roman got me out. They just... appeared like avenging angels; it was the coolest thing ever!"

Duke gave a low grumble that sounded close to ’cool my ass,’ but Irene didn’t even notice.

"And just like that, they got stuck with me!" She beamed proudly at me. "They became my brothers."

"Wow," I breathed, my heart aching for how terrified she must have been back then. "I had no idea."

"Yeah, most people don’t. Like I said, good men." She went to take a bite of her ice cream, but a sudden breeze from the door made her shiver. Duke shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it neatly over her shoulders.

"I’m fine," she protested, rolling her eyes, but pulled the jacket tighter against her anyway.

He didn’t reply, his eyes already back on scanning the room.

"So why did you run away?" I crroked my fingers to air-quote the ’run away’.

Her smile dropped, and she pouted while Duke glared at me like I had thrown a sack of poop in his face. "Dad wants to move my wedding with Stanley forward. I don’t want that; he’s such a boring guy!"

Oh boy. I wish I could run away too. "You’re engaged?"

She groaned, waving her spoon in the air. "I honestly don’t even want to think about it. It’s so suffocating."

"Sorry, I can imagine," I mumbled, recalling how my father had arranged for me and her to get married as well. I had obeyed willingly, of course. I hadn’t done anything dramatic, like running away; where or who would I run to? Irene had the Knight brothers; I had no one but myself.

"Okay, last stop, I promise," Irene declared after ice cream, leading us into a high-end jewelry store. She was immediately drawn to a display of sparkling diamond necklaces, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Oh, they’re so pretty!"

She reached out to touch one, but Duke’s hand shot out, gently stopping her. "Rennie."

He picked up the necklace himself, examining the clasp with an intense focus before turning it over in his hand. He handed it back to the stunned sales associate next to us. "The clasp is faulty. It wouldn’t be secure."

Irene blinked, then a slow smile spread across her face. "Well, there you go. See? He’s useful."

As we walked out of the store, the sun was beginning to set, casting a golden glow over the city. I felt a bit lighter than I had in a while, and my migraine seemed to have eased up a bit.

For the first time in a long time, I felt like a normal woman, having a normal, fun day out with a friend.

But like all the good moments in my life, they were always cut short. My phone, which I was now wishing I hadn’t turned on, rang in my purse, and I fumbled for it. "Hello?"

"Miss Ivy Harpley? This is the Wisteria Police Department."