Page 9 of Recovering Ivy (Red Team #4)

Ivy

“What?”

Zane set a photo on the table and slid it across the smooth surface.

It stopped in front of me and when I looked down, I knew I was screwed.

Someone had taken a picture of Forester meeting with a hooker in the lobby of the Bistro Inn, a small boutique hotel that featured fine dining, a bar, and thirty guest rooms. Sure as hell, there I was off to the side, caught spying, taking my own pictures.

“It’s not what it looks like,” I tried to explain.

“No? That’s not you watching Forester with a call girl?” Declan asked.

“It is. But I didn’t order her. I have nothing to do with his activities.”

“Then why were you there?” Declan continued his questioning. “And here. And here.” He pushed more pictures in front of me.

“Why does it matter to you? What I do with my time is none of your business. Why are you following Forester?”

Was this what big investors did? Did they follow upper management before they invested their money to make sure the investment was solid?

“Because he’s being investigated for corporate fraud,” Zane told me.

“What?” I sounded like a broken record, but I wasn’t understanding what was going on. “I thought you were investing in Techwatch?”

“And I thought your name was Ivy,” Zane sneered. I no longer liked hearing my name come from his mouth. Last night it was smooth and sexy, and now it sounded like a curse.

“My name is Ivy .” Shit, they knew my employment records were fake. “Why did you pretend not to know me at the bar?”

“Which time? When I took you home? Or tonight when I didn’t blow your cover? Would you have preferred I had thanked you for the fuck in front of your boss?”

“You’re an ass.”

“You played me,” he shot back.

Played him? Was he out of his mind?

“How did I play you? You picked me up. We had a good time. I left. I thought you’d be happy I was gone by the time you woke up. No awkward, get out of my house speech.”

“Get out of my house speech?” The man was infuriating.

“You want to do this now? In front of him.” I nodded in Declan’s direction.

“I’ll give you the room,” Declan said.

“I want privacy,” Zane told him. “Tell Garrett to cut the feed.” Were we being recorded? Great. Declan left and Zane turned to me. “Explain.”

“Explain what? I don’t understand why I’m here.”

“The get out of my house part,” he clarified .

“Nothing to explain. I don’t know why you seem so pissed. I left and saved you the trouble of asking me to leave. That’s it.”

“The men you’ve had in the past tell you to get out in the morning?”

“No. That’s never happened before. I’ve never had a… one-night stand before. Believe it or not, I don’t make a habit out of going home with strangers.” Why was that so embarrassing to admit?

“So you assumed I’m such an asshole I would’ve told you to get out?”

Why was he making this so difficult? He’d started last night by telling me it normally didn’t matter to him if he knew the woman’s name he was taking home. That was indication enough he was well versed in one-night stands.

“Why does it matter to you?” I asked.

“Fuck if I know. But it does. I’ve spent the entire day fucking irate that you slipped out.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Zane’s mouth twisted into a grimace and his brows knitted together. “I’m an asshole and a liar now?”

“I’m exhausted, Zane. I didn’t sleep last night. I was late to work. All I wanted to do was go home and sleep then Forester told me he needed me at an investor meeting. Now I’m here, bone tired, and I want to go home. Please tell me what you want so I can go home.”

Zane leaned back, and I studied him, studying me.

He looked different in a suit. Last night he was in cargo pants and a t-shirt; he looked hot as hell. But in a suit? Even being a dick, he made my insides flutter. There was an air of caution that surrounded him, but tonight, looking delicious, it was leaning far right into the danger zone .

“Tell me what you know about Forester.” His tone accusatory and assessing, I didn’t much like it and had no problem telling him.

“Nothing…”

“Cut the shit, Ivy. You’ve worked with him for nine months. You follow him. What. Do. You. Know?”

“He’s a scumbag. He hires hookers like three times a week.”

“Why do you follow him?”

“Zane. That’s none of your business.”

His fist came crashing down on the table with a bang, making me jump back in my chair. He leaned in, the look on his face scared the shit out of me, and left no room for argument - I may’ve peed a little.

“Fucking hell. I’m trying to help you.”

I thought back to all the times I’d heard that before.

I’m trying to help you, Sarah, here’s another hit.

I’m trying to help you, Sarah, here’s another pill.

How many times had my father plied my mom with drugs to keep the upper hand?

More times than I cared to remember. In my experience, no man was just trying to help you.

They wanted something in return. They helped themselves first and foremost.

“You don’t want to help me. You want to help whatever investigation you have. You don’t even know me. Why would you want to help?”

“We’re back to that, are we?” he replied.

It was time I turned the tables on him. I needed to know why he was looking into Forester and what he knew. The last thing I needed was him fucking up my plan when I was so close to nailing him.

“What do you know about Forester?” I queried.

“He’s a plant. He works for Smart Technologies and was sent to Techwatch to steal their launch plans and pricing structure. You’re the last loose end before we turn our file over to Smart Technologies and the Feds. He’ll be charged in the next few days.”

Holy shit. That didn’t work.

“No. You can’t,” I blurted.

“Really? Why’s that, Ivy? What’s your involvement?”

“I have nothing to do with any of that.”

Shit. He was going to screw everything up. I was so close. I almost had all the proof I needed.

Forester Grant was going to go down.

Zane’s face turned to granite. “Are you fucking him?” he growled the words and pinned me with his stare.

Fucking him? The thought made me want to throw up.

“Are you kidding me…”

“Then why are you protecting him?”

“I’m not.”

“Tell me, Ivy, if you’re not fucking the man, you’re not protecting him, you’re not involved, then what?

You like following him when he fucks his whores?

Do you take pictures of that, too? Does it turn you on knowing he’s taking some hooker into a hotel room and fucking her good and hard against the wall?

Is that why you caught fire the minute I slammed your little ass to the wall and fucked you silly?

Were you thinking about him as you came all over my cock?

Huh, Ivy, is that how it works for you?”

“He killed my sister, you fucking bastard!” I shouted and stood.

The chair tipped over, but it didn’t stop me.

Every ounce of guilt and anger I’d tried to keep in check lit and spewed out.

“I follow him so I can get the proof I need to finally take his ass down. My sister wasn’t the first, but she will be the last, if I have to kill him myself.

He fed her drugs, used her, whored her out, she ran his drugs, and when he’d had enough and was ready to move his new piece in, he killed her.

So, fuck you for saying I’m protecting him.

And I’m not some goddamn freak who gets off watching him, fuck you for that, too.

I know you think I’m no better than the hookers he fucked.

I let you take me back to your place and fuck… ”

“Enough.” Zane stopped my rant. Before I could stop him, Zane had my back to the wall, and both of his palms were flat against the drywall, caging me in. His eyes had gone funny and his features had softened. He looked like the man from last night.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I had to get you to talk.” His right hand left the wall and brushed an errant tear that had fallen.

“Move, Zane.”

“Not until you understand why I said what I did.” It didn’t matter.

Nothing did. Everything was ruined and Forester would never be held accountable for anything.

Joey was gone. I had failed her in life and now I was failing her in death.

I was so tired. I shook my head, not wanting to argue or continue talking.

“I needed you pissed, the more the better. I had to know how deep you were in so I could protect you.”

“I don’t need your protection. Now please move. I want to leave.”

“Whether you want it or not, you need it. Give me a second and I’ll take you home.”

He kissed my forehead and pulled back, grabbing my hand and leading me out of the room. Why did his kiss feel so good and his hand so reassuring? Why did it feel good to believe he wanted to protect me when everything inside of me told me it was a lie ?

No man gave without wanting something in return.

Deep down, I knew the cost would be too high. Zane had the power to ruin me, more power than my mom and dad and their combined years of drug abuse ever did. He’d be the blade that cut the final thread I was hanging on with.