“Understood,” Cassian replies.
“I have to go,” I interject. “I need to do something with Ivy, but keep me updated on how things go with Valentina and the Romas.”
“They’re off the table, no?” Cassian asks. “If Kraven has admitted his son is the perpetrator?”
“Yes,” Bradley says, and a soft chuckle emits from him. “But it can’t hurt to press them a little.”
I hang up as I reach the car and slip inside.
“How did it go?” Ivy looks at me with wide eyes while drumming her fingers against her thigh. “Is it over?”
“Not quite,” I reply. “But you were right.”
“I was?”
Reaching over, I take her hand in mine and she immediately squeezes tightly. “It was Kraven’s son with a vendetta. The cause is technically unknown, but we have some ideas. Either way, thecall is out to find him and we’ll have him in custody before the day’s out.”
“And then…” She slowly licks her lower lip. “It’ll be over?”
“It’ll be over.”
“Oh, thank God.” She sags slightly in her seat and puffs out her cheeks. “It suddenly… suddenly feels like my life might actually return to some semblance of normal. Or, not normal but like… a life.”
“If it’s in my power to do so, then I guarantee it.”
Ivy chats lightly to me as we drive to Moira’s house, rehearsing what she wants to say to her best friend depending on the level of apology she gives her. Given the loss of her parents, it’s understandable that she wants to cling to Moira despite the pain she caused. If she can salvage their friendship, then it’s one score finally in Ivy’s court.
I pull up outside Moira’s house and lean over, kissing Ivy’s cheek. “Do you want me to come in with you?”
“No… it’s okay. I need to do this by myself. Thank you, Ruslan.” She affectionately squeezes my hand, then climbs out of the car and hurries up the gravel driveway to the door. I don’t take my eyes off her, half-tempted to do a perimeter sweep just in case.
The front door opens but instead of Moira, a smiling man stands there looking somewhat confused. After a short conversation, Ivy nods and turns around, then she hurries back down the driveway to my car.
“Everything okay?” I ask as Ivy slides back inside.
“Moira isn’t here,” she murmurs, pulling her phone from her jeans pocket. “That was her fiancé, but he said she’d nipped out and never mentioned I was coming over.”
“Maybe she thought she’d be back in time?” I suggest.
“Maybe.” She presses her phone to her ear, chewing slightly on her cheek judging by how it indents at her jaw. “Moira? Hi, I’m at your place. Where did you go?” She pauses, nodding slightly as Moira’s voice buzzes in the air. “Okay sure, where are you?” Ivy hums to herself and then hangs up. “She got waylaid with a call from work and wants to meet for a late lunch instead,” she says, leaning toward my GPS. She taps in an address and glances at me. “Can we go there?”
After checking the address of the cafe, I nod and we drive off once more.
“Not to be that guy,” I tease gently. “But does this mean you’ll eat something?”
Ivy chuckles softly. “I will. I’m actually kind of hungry.”
“Good, because I was not looking forward to trying to come up with cool things for you to eat. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely would. But my cooking is uhm…” Wrinkling my nose, I wink at her. “Raven is much better.”
“Noted.” Ivy laughs and then her face softens. “Do you think… I don’t know if this is weird.”
“What is?”
“Well… if this is nearly over, if you nearly have the guy who caused all this…” She sighs and her breath trembles. “Do you think you’d want to go on a real date with me?”
Her question is so soft and it catches me off guard. Warmth spreads through my chest until I’m smiling wildly. “After everything we did last night, are you really worried that my answer would be anything other thanyes?”
“I dunno.” She laughs, her own cheeks turning red. “Maybe I’m only attractive when someone is trying to kill me.”
