‘Yet?’ she asked.
He didn’t exactly smile, but his frown was far from sight. He squeezed past her, and she heard him move through into the bathroom to take his shower. Ivy wasn’t sure where he was going, but it was admirable of Serg to show such loyalty to Dax. That proved to Ivy that Dax had respect among Mauri’s men that outshone the loyalty they had to the Starks. She just hoped that was enough to help them get to the bottom of this.
Ivy was going stir crazy, it had been an hour since Dax had closed all the blinds and curtains then kissed her and left the apartment. There was plenty for her to do, she could watch TV and clear out the fridge, or finish packing Dax’s belongings ready for them selling this apartment.
But no matter what she did, Ivy couldn’t forget that Dax was out there, in the streets, and a target himself. Anyone who wanted her knew her as Ravager’s wife. So they might try to use him to get to her. Dax could take care of himself in a fight, but that didn’t save him from bullets and knives.
Ivy was on the couch in the living room, tapping her cell phone on her knee when it rang. She jumped to her feet. ‘Hello?’ she answered, having not even checked the number.
‘Ivy?’
The voice was female, so definitely not Dax, and the quiver of the tone made Ivy frown. ‘What is it? Who is this?’
‘He… he’s dead.’
Her first thought was of Dax and the ice of the breath she drew in parched her lips. ‘Dead?’
‘Yes, oh Ivy, I’m so sorry, I… I didn’t know what to do. He said I could use the pool, and I came out and… I didn’t hear a thing, but there he was on the carpet, in the living room, dead.’
‘Wait? Who is this? What are you talking about?’
‘It’s Carina,’ she sobbed. ‘I’m talking about Vegas. I’m talking about Saul.’
‘Saul?’
It disgusted her that her first emotion was relief. One wave crashed over her, and she immediately experienced revulsion. Hearing about the death of a man she once loved shouldn’t please her, and it didn’t, but she was pleased to know that Dax was still alive.
‘They must have come in while I was swimming, maybe they didn’t see me, I don’t know. But he’s dead.’
‘Did you call the cops?’
‘I… I called the cops then left, I hired a car and came back to California.’
‘You’re back in California? Why?’ Ivy asked, sitting on the couch again.
‘Yes, I came back here to Mauri, I… I don’t have experience with these things. I knew… I thought maybe bounty hunters were looking for you. I wouldn’t have been able to answer the cops’ questions, I… I didn’t know what to do.’
‘You’re at Mauri’s? Now?’
‘Yes!’ Carina said. ‘He told me that he would keep me safe. We’re all in danger now, anyone who has been near you… Saul died because you went to him. That means Dax is in danger and me and Rosie and—‘
‘Rosie,’ she exhaled. Her sister had left Mauri’s without any form of protection. Anyone watching the house who may have seen Rosie enter with her and Dax could have taken her.
‘It’s ok. I’m sure she’ll be ok.’
‘Rosie should be long gone by now,’ Ivy said.
‘I hope so, Carina said. ‘Mauri said you should come here, you and Dax, it’s just not safe on the streets.’
She had no interest in going back to Mauri’s, but if it was the only safe place, then Ivy would have to put her pride and personal prejudices aside. ‘Stay there, Carina, I’m going to call Dax.’
‘Call him? You mean you’re not together?’
‘Just stay there, Carina,’ Ivy snapped. ‘Worry about yourself.’
Disconnecting the line, she immediately dialled Dax. He answered on the second ring like he too had been holding the phone waiting for it to ring.
‘Dax?’ she said the moment the line was active. ‘Carina called, she's back at the Stark mansion. Saul is dead, the bounty hunters got to him.’ She hated the panic in her voice but guilt came with clarity; Saul was dead because of her and the people who had done it could be right on their tail. ‘What do we do? Mauri said we should go over there, but—‘
‘Listen to me, babygirl, I need you to stay where you are. I need you to stay in the apartment.’
‘Are you coming here? Is everything ok? You sound like... Like you're on a mission.’
‘I am. It's a mission to keep you safe. We got him. We know who's behind this.’
‘You do? Who?’
‘It's Bruno, babygirl. He’s been hiding out at Benny's that worthless piece of shit. Bruno just left there, but we're on his tail. We’ve got him. This will be over soon. I need you to stay right there. Get naked and get into bed, ‘cause when I get home, I'm gonna expect you to be very grateful to me for saving your life.’
‘Don't flirt with me when you're walking into danger, tough guy. I love you.’
Gratitude didn't begin to cover the maelstrom of emotion warring in her now. Her love and guilt swirled together because the danger wasn't over yet. There was still a chance that Dax wouldn't make it through this and if she lost him it would be her fault.
‘I can meet you, help you,’ Ivy said, trying to quell her desperation. ‘I don't want to lose you, Dax. I can’t.’
‘You won’t. Have faith and trust me. Of every time I've told you to stay put, this is the most important one. Please, babygirl, will you do as I say?’
She didn't know where he was or where he was going. But he was asking for her faith and she wouldn't give it to anyone else. Through her life, Ivy had believed that she was the only one who would act in her best interest. Altering that mind set wasn't so hard when she heard the hope in his.
‘I'll stay here. Just be safe. Come home to me.’
‘I will. I'm not giving you an escape route because I plan to be at your side again. Soon.’ The line went dead. She’d been dismissed. Now all she could do was wait.
Bruno had been one of his top candidates, but Dax hadn’t wanted to spend the time chasing down the guy until he had a clear lead that indicated him. Bruno could’ve been sunning himself in Barbados this whole time, and he would have loved for Dax to show up ready to take him down for something that he had nothing to do with. Bruno would take great pleasure in hearing that Ivy was in danger and that Dax had wasted his time chasing down Bruno.
But now he knew it for sure, that piece of shit Benny had folded like origami the moment Dax and Serg closed in on him. Benny had never had the stomach for keeping secrets, and he loved his face too much to risk having it rearranged.
Bruno had put up the bounty after he and Mauri had their fight. According to what Benny had told them, Bruno had gotten a call from Mauri less than an hour ago, and he was on his way to the mansion, which was where Dax was going right now.
Dax had told Ivy that he wouldn’t go back to Mauri’s mansion, but this was a one off necessity. Hoping that Ivy heeded his advice and remained at the apartment, Dax prepared himself for this to be wet. He didn’t want Ivy to have any blood on her hands. It could get messy enough that Dax would worry about his own safety, and he didn’t need to be worrying for Ivy’s too.
‘I’ve never seen you this pissed,’ Serg said from the driver’s seat.
It was a good thing that Dax wasn’t driving, he didn’t have the inclination to adhere to any speed limits and if a cop thought about stopping him now… He was too in the mood for a fight for that to go down well.
Serg had never seen Dax this angry because nothing had been personal in the past. When they went after guys who needed to be taught a lesson, it was all business. This situation involved his wife, the woman that he loved, and their future. Someone thought that they had the right to take that future from them, and now that someone had a name.
‘Just get there,’ Dax said, judging from the time and speed they were less than a minute away.
It wasn’t smart of him to go in there ready to combust, but Dax couldn’t calm himself enough to be reasonable about this. Ivy would tell him to have a plan, to be prepared for different contingencies. But the only occasion in which he spent time predicting his opponents’ next move was in the ring and it was never a bad idea to be adrenaline-pumped in that location.