Page 35 of Recovering Ivy (Red Team #4)

Zane

I read the text message for a second time, still amazed my heart rate ticked up when her name lit up my screen. The only two words of her text that mattered were, love and home .

“We done?” I asked the DA, who had combed over every detail of evidence we had no less than ten times.

I appreciated his thoroughness, but enough was enough.

The man made my compulsion while planning an op look like amateur hour the way he’d meticulously sorted the reports in front of him.

Forester was fucked. The toxicology report came back and a connection was made to the fentanyl used to cut his heroin and the drugs found in Joanna Long’s system at her time of death.

He was being charged with murder along with a slew of other charges.

Barbara was on the hook for her death, too.

Her attorney had tried to cut a deal for a lesser charge if she turned on Forester.

I was impressed when the DA turned her down.

He was confident he didn’t need her testimony to put Forester away for life .

“Got someplace to be?” Linc chuckled.

“Yeah, bastard, home. Same place you should be. Ivy texted, the girls’ lunch is over,” I informed him.

“Never thought I’d see the day,” Jaxon added under his breath as he started to pack up.

I didn’t bother with a comeback. Over the last few months, the guys had continued to give me shit about Ivy. I’d heard it all and no longer gave them the satisfaction of a reply.

“Go ahead and go. I have some work to finish up. I’ll stay while Jones packs up,” Garrett said.

“Appreciate it.”

Not wanting to waste time, I didn’t do my normal rounds to make sure everything was running smoothly before I left. As a matter of fact, I’d spent less time at the office than I ever had. I now had something more important than work or trying to make a name for myself.

I slid into my ’66 Nova and turned her over.

I took a moment to listen to the growl of the engine before I headed out of the parking garage.

Fuck, but I loved this car; she was a beast. I was more than happy to give Ivy the Rover and have an excuse to drive this.

The drive home was a blur as was much of my life now, Ivy consuming my every thought.

By the time I arrived at the penthouse, my cock was throbbing from the memory of Ivy making Sunday breakfast in nothing but my tee.

I’d taken her slow and sweet when we woke up and again in the shower, and I didn’t let her leave until she was screaming my name.

That memory had me aching for more of her.

I had heard, but had no experience of, men complaining about sex life after their woman moved in.

That was not my experience. The sex had gotten better, something I hadn’t thought possible.

I made my way upstairs, pondering all the ways I could drive Ivy crazy before dinner when I walked in the door to an empty living room.

“Ivy?” I called out.

After a few beats with no answer I went in search of her. Nothing. She wasn’t home. I checked my phone; no missed text or call.

I dialed her number and after a few rings it went to voicemail. I disconnected and called again – straight to voicemail.

What the fuck.

“Ivy, call me.”

Five minutes later, my impatience was through the roof. I’d reread Ivy’s last message, she was coming straight home. That was almost an hour ago. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed.

“Hey.”

“Where’s Ivy?”

“Nice to talk to you, too.” Jasmin chuckled.

“Where is Ivy?” I tried again, pacing the living room.

“How the hell should I know. She left here like over an hour ago.”

“Was she upset? Did someone say something to her?”

“Are you for real? No, she didn’t leave here upset.”

“What did you guys talk about?”

“Nothing.”

“Jesus Christ, Jasmin. What the fuck did you guys talk about?”

“The fuck is your problem, Z? We didn’t talk about anything. Jaxon and Violet setting a wedding date. Erin being a pain in the ass. We talked about babies and shit. Girl stuff I guess. ”

“You guess?”

“Not like I have a lot of female friends. So, yes, I suppose that’s what women talk about when they convene with each other. What the fuck is your problem? You’re being extra dickish.”

“Ivy’s not here,” I told her.

“Okay?”

“She’s not fucking here, Jasmin. She said she was coming straight home. I called, it rang three times, and I was sent to voicemail. I called again and her phone is off.”

“Well, you big prick, why didn’t you start with that?

I’ll send Linc over to your place and I’ll call the girls and see if they’ve heard from her.

She was fine when she left. Smiling and happy, wanting to get home to you.

” I heard noise in the background before Jasmin yelled. “Linc! Get to Z’s. Ivy’s gone.”

“Yo.” My brother’s voice came on the line. “I’ll call Jax and Leo. Jas will handle the girls - I’ll be to you in five.”

“Copy that.” I disconnected the call but continued to stare at my phone. In a moment of sheer terror I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do next. What if something had happened to Ivy? What the fuck would I do?

Tex.

I needed Tex.

I slid my thumb across the screen and found the number I needed.

“Yo.”

“My woman’s gone,” I blurted, unable to think of what else to say.

“How long?”

“An hour.”

“We’ll find her. Is she chipped? ”

“Fuck!” I shouted. “No.”

I hadn’t gotten around to asking Tex to make me one of his special tracking devices. Wolf and his team all had chips in their women’s jewelry for times like these, something I’d failed to do for my woman. Leo even had a chip on Olivia.

“Last known?” Tex continued, ignoring my outburst.

“Linc and Jasmin’s.” I rattled off the address and jogged into the bedroom to double check nothing had been moved or was missing.

“What vehicle is she driving?”

“My Rover. It has tracking. I can have Garrett run the…”

“No need, brother. I’m in your system now, pulling the intel I need.”

“I don’t even want to know how you breached my security protocols so quickly.”

If I had been in the right frame of mind, I would’ve been pissed Tex was able to hack into my network, but right now, with time not on my side, I was grateful.

“Your car is on Elm Road.”

“Elm Road,” I repeated, mentally canvasing the area. “That’s about ten miles from Linc’s. What direction is the car moving?”

“It’s not, Zane. Air bags have been deployed.”

“Fuck. Thanks, man. I owe you.”

I didn’t wait for him to respond before I hung up, grabbed my keys, and dialed Linc.

“She’s been in an accident. Elm Road. You should be passing her soon. I’ll be right there.”

The trip from the elevator to the parking garage was painfully slow, the drive over to Elm Road was excruciatingly far.

All I could picture was Ivy bleeding and injured, trapped in the car – or worse.

She had to be breathing. I’d know if she wasn’t.

There was no way Ivy could’ve been taken from this earth and my heart still be beating.

I locked the brakes and came to a screeching halt when I saw my Rover in a ditch, front end smashed into a tree. I barely got the car in park as I jumped out and ran to Linc as he circled the Rover.

“She’s not here,” he informed me.

“What the fuck?”

“Shit, Z. I don’t take this way home; I take the shortcut through the back roads. I’m so fucking sorry.”

I was stunned into silence. What the hell did Linc mean Ivy wasn’t here? I looked around for evidence she’d been taken to the hospital, but I knew that wasn’t the case. Someone would still be here to tow the car. Something wasn’t right.

A million scenarios played out in my mind. All of my enemies that would give zero fucks hurting an innocent woman to get to me.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I fumbled, trying to pull it out as quickly as possible.

“Yeah,” I answered.

“I tried to track her phone, it’s off. Last known was 495 - 95 split, headed south.”

“She’s not here.”

“Did you hear me? 95 split,” he repeated.

“She’s not fucking here.”

“She’s headed south.” Tex’s tone was even and matter-of-fact.

“Someone is going to die,” I spit out.

Fear mingled with anger and the panic melted away to a white-hot rage I’d never felt before.

A deep burning in my soul. I didn’t care what the consequences were or if there were repercussions for my actions, someone was going to bleed.

Fuck rivers of blood, there would be oceans.

And any man who stood in my way would suffer the same fate.

“Zane!” Lincoln hollered from the mangled mess of smashed-up metal. “Brother?” he tried again.

“Fuck!” I roared.

I would find Ivy. If it’s the last act I carry out on this earth, I would find her.