Katy looked up at Poison through tear-filled eyes. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. I’m clean now. I have alifenow. All because of her.”
Poison flipped the dagger in her hand, but she didn’t stab Katy again. Instead, she pushed the blade into its sheath at her back before she squatted down in front of Katy.
“I am Ivy,” she told the younger woman. “Rose is my little sister. It wasn’t until you said your name that I recognized you, but I do recall a little girl named Kat who used to run around with Rose at her birthday parties and such.” Poison wiped a hand down her face. “Truth be told, I was even jealous of you at one time, because people thought the two of you were the siblings while I was practically a stranger to my own sister.” Pulling out her phone, Poison showed Katy the text message she’d received from Rose two weeks ago. “She’s in trouble, Katy. I don’t know who found her and I don’t know where she is. All I know is thatIhave to find her.” Katy’s eyes widened as she read the short message. “Will you help me?”
“You stab me and you expect me to tell you anything?” Katy asked in return, accusation clear as a bell.
“I won’t apologize for that,” Poison answered ruthlessly. “But one of my club is a former paramedic, and he’ll look at your leg. Right now, though, you’re not my priority.Roseis. And if you won’t help me, then you’re in my way, because I will burn this world down, with you in it, to find my little sister.”
There was a charge in the air, like the club was re-energized by Poison’s declaration. They all stood straighter, widening their stances as if preparing for battle.
Finally, Katy nodded. “I’ll tell you what I know, but it’s not much.”
“Let’s start with where Rose is.”
“That I don’t know. I swear,” she added hastily. “I’ve only ever gotten anonymous messages like you.” She tipped her chin towards Poison’s phone. “Just little things here and there to check in with me. But if someone came after her, and notmeas her, then it can only be one person.”
“Who?” Poison demanded.
“Tyson Kennedy. He’s her first handler with the Marshals.”
Tabs continued to type to Keys. A second later her phone dinged and she turned it to show the rest of the club the picture Keys sent of a man in a suit. It looked professional, and there was a distinctive silver star badge around his neck.
Poison studied the picture for a long moment, but she didn’t recognize him. “And why would he be after her?”
“Because Rose put him in jail for pimping out his female witnesses,” Katy told them, causing every person in that room to stiffen. “He’s also the only person who could have guessed about the swap.”
“He was released just over seven months ago,” Tabs said, reading another message from Keys. “Get this, says he was released into the custody of the U.S. Marshals.”
Christ, it was like a vicious cycle that just wouldn’t end.
“She said ‘they’.” Poison reminded her club, though she spoke to Katy. “Whoelseis after her?”
Katy, though, shook her head, making her blonde hair fly about. “I don’t know. He’s the only one I can think of, I swear!”
Before Poison could respond, though, her phone rang. Poison’s heart hammered loudly in her chest as she looked down at the unknown number.
Putting it on speaker, Poison answered, “Rose?”
There was some rustling on the other end, and for the first time, MV’s voice came across unmodulated. “Ivy. I told you not to look for me.”
Poison swayed, unsteady on her feet, as she heard her baby sister’s voice again after six years of thinking it gone from this world. “Where are you, Rose? I’m coming for you.”
“Not this time, Big Sis. This is one battle I have to fight on my own.”
“Why?” Poison demanded, clutching the phone. “Why would you do any of this?” Poison’s voice cracked on the last word. “Why couldn’t you have told me who you were? Why lie to me?”
There was a long pause over the line. “Because it finally felt like you were my sister, and I didn’t want to ruin that when you found out all my secrets.”
“Rose…” Poison’s voice came out utterly miserable. “Please, just tell me where you are. Let me help you.”
Silence filled the line, though slightly shorter this time. “I wish he hadn’t told you, but I’m also glad he did. Take care of yourself, Ivy, and forgive the kitty cat. You deserve to be happy.”
There was a distinctiveclick, followed by thebeep-beep-beepof a disconnected call. Poison let out a shout of fury and hurled her phone at the cement wall. “FUCK!”
* **
Keys answeredhis phone less than a second after it started ringing.
