“Oh no.” Hope set her fork and folded her hands in front of her. “What did you do? Please tell me you didn’t sign me up for the high-intensity cardio class I mentioned a while back, because it was merely a passing thought. I wasn’t actually serious.”
“No, nothing to do with you. It’s about Sean. He’s done a lot for me in the last few weeks, actually more like the last few years. He’s trained me, built me up, supported me. He’s been like my best friend.”
“Hey!”
“You know what I mean.” Ivy rolled her eyes. “You’re more like a sister. Sean’s been—”Everything. The word hovered on the tip of her tongue, shocking her how easily she’d been prepared to use it to describe what he now meant to her. Not exactly friends-with-benefits territory.
But that was a thought for another day. A totally separate problem from the one she’d created a few days ago. “Sean’s helped me to start healing, in so many ways. And I wanted to do something to help him too. And well, I know things have been strained with his brother, and I was in Sean’s office when he wasn’t there, and his phone rang, and I really didn’t mean to answer it, but when I saw who it was, I did and—”
Something over Hope’s shoulder caught Ivy’s eye, halting her next words. Actually, not something, but someone. Someone who made her break out in a cold sweat.
It was only his profile, but she could swear it was him. He was sitting, leaning forward over a table, talking to a woman in harsh tones. The woman was cowering away from him, but he had a grip on her arm that Ivy knew would be bruising. His expression was fierce. Angry. So familiar.
“What is it?” Hope looked over her shoulder, following Ivy’s gaze. “Oh my God,” she whispered hoarsely. “That can’t be him.”
Ivy was only going by his profile and his actions and the thundering beat of her heart, but she was pretty sure it was him.Ethan. The man of her nightmares, asleep and awake.
She watched, part of her fixated on the present scene, part of her back in that dark frat room years ago. In the present, he lifted a hand as if to strike, and Ivy flinched as if she were the woman, and not several tables away. But he must have come to his senses and realized he was in a public place because he dropped his hand, fist clenched tight, before abruptly shoving back his chair and standing. He pulled the young woman up with him.
He threw money on the table, then dragged her toward the front door. The woman trailing behind on wobbly legs, glancing around frantically, fear in her eyes—fear Ivy recognized.
“I don’t think it was him,” Hope whispered. “I saw his face when he got up. I am pretty sure it wasn’t him.”
But Ivy was beyond listening. All she cared about was the look she saw in the woman’s eyes. It was the terror of knowing that she was about to be hurt and humiliated by someone much stronger than her, and she wasn’t strong enough to defend herself.
Ivy also hadn’t been strong enough once. But she was strong enough now, and this time, she wouldn’t cower and freeze. This time, she would have her vengeance.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Sean’s phone rang as he sat in his office in the gym afterhours, going over last-minute prep work for his trainees. He almost didn’t answer. He was one week out from fight night, and he was as nervous as his fighters. He wanted to make sure everything was in place, that they were all ready for the big event. But when he saw Hope’s name flash on his screen, he swiped. She rarely called him, and the fact that she was calling and not texting set off his inner alarm bell.
“Hope, what’s up?” he asked into the phone.
“Sean?” Her voice was high-pitched and breathy, like she was running.
“Hope? Are you okay? Where are you? What’s wrong?”
“It’s Ivy.”
Sean jumped out of his seat so fast his chair squeaked in protest as it spun behind him. He grabbed his keys and sprinted for the door.
“What about Ivy? Hope, where are you?”
“Oh God, she’s actually going after him.Jesus. I should’ve pounced on her.”
“Hope!” Sean barked into the phone, dread now pooling in his gut. “Gone after who? Whereareyou?”
“We were at a restaurant.” More huffing, and the sound of high heels clacking on cement.
He was halfway through his empty gym, but his legs might as well have been lead. They weren’t moving him fast enough. Not nearly fast enough.
Hope kept talking in his ear. “Oh God, I don’t see them. Where did they go? You have to come. I have no idea what she means to do. This guy doesn’t even know her, but she thinks he’s—She thinks—But he’s not, Sean. At least I don’t think so.”
“Hope, you aren’t making any sense. Slow down and tell meexactlywhere you are.” He’d made it through the front door, barely remembering to lock and alarm it behind him. He raced to his army green Toyota Tacoma, his heart thundering in his ears as Hope finally gave him her exact location.
“Okay. I’m ten minutes away. I’m going to hang up so you can call Gabe. And the police. Call the police.”
* * *
