at the situation. I’ll let her calm down, but when we get to the safe house, she’ll have to pep herself up because we’re going to have company.
Whether she likes it or not.
Chapter Seventeen
VOID
Ivy’s quiet, she has been for the three-and-a-half-hour drive to Pearson Island. Leaving the clubhouse and her sister is hard, I get that. It’s all she knows here in America, but honestly, we had no choice. The safehouse is our best bet right now. I haven’t been to Demon’s safe house, but I’ve heard good things. It sits buried in dense brush with a creek running along the back as another layer of escape if you need it.
As we pull to the very back of the small island, a medium-sized house comes into view. A long driveway leads down to the main building. I turn off the road toward the yellow clapboard-clad bungalow.
A small stoop leads up to the front entry with a small porch out the front, and a couple of rocking chairs. To be honest, this looks more like Grandma Mavis’ retirement home than a biker’s hideout.
But I guess that’s the entire point, isn’t it?
Ivy sits higher in her seat taking it all in. The trees gently sway in the breeze of the afternoon Florida sunshine. It’s humid today as I swipe the sweat away from my brow.
“This is not what I expected,” Ivy murmurs under her breath.
I pull the truck up next to two bikes in the drive, relieved she’s finally talking to me. “Gotta keep a low profile, that’s the trick of it.”
She slowly nods her head, turning back to the window. “We have company?”
As if they hear her, Demon and Drake both pop their heads out of the bungalow to check on us. I raise my hand in greeting. “Demon’s the prez of Savannah, Drake’s their VP. This is their place, so they’re here to check us in.”
She turns to me, fighting the corner of her lips turning up. “Our very own biker motel.”
“C’mon, let’s not be rude to our hosts.”
Reaching out, I grab her fingers, lift them to my lips, kissing the back of her hand. Her soft lips finally stretch upward, they don’t quite reach her eyes, which are still dull with sadness. My chest aches for her as I turn to slide out of the car.
Demon and Drake stomp down the stoop toward us, Drake’s shaggy dark hair is a little more disheveled today than usual. “You took your sweet-ass time gettin’ here. We’ve been waitin’ for hours, Void,” Drake calls out, but he’s sporting a smirk.
I roll my eyes. “It takes longer to get here in a cage than on a bike, asswipe. You know that. Cut me some slack.”
“All I’m sayin’ is you need to push the accelerator pedal to the metal a little harder next time. I got places I need to be—”
“Drake, calm the fuck down. We need to show them around the bungalow.” Demon slaps his VP on the back but raises his chin to me. “Void… got yourself into some shit, I see?”
Ivy steps to my side, and I wrap my arm around her protectively. “Apparently… seems more like shit found us. We just don’t know who’s targeting us.”
Demon grumbles under his breath, “That old chestnut, hey? Well, you’re welcome here for as long as you need. Just don’t mess up the place too much, yeah?”
Drake’s eyes linger on Ivy, his eyes twitch a little as he takes a step closer. “You the one with that special blood?” he asks out of nowhere.
I furrow my brows as Ivy stands taller, puffing out her chest.
My woman isn’t scared of any damn thing. Not even an inhospitable biker she’s only just met.
“Yeah, that’s me. Fuck! Word travels fast between these clubs.”
Demon shakes his head. “Drake, keep yourself in check, man.”
Drake steps forward again, another inch closer to Ivy, but she doesn’t back away. “Can I have a sample?”
Ivy jerks her head back. “Of what?”
“Your blood?”
“Fuck’s sake,” Demon mumbles as I flare my nostrils in anger.
“Fuck off! What fucked-up shit is that, Drake? I know we owe Savannah for the use of the safehouse, but Ivy’s blood is not the toll.”
Drake huffs out a laugh, taking a step back, then rolling his shoulders. “Fine! But if you ever change your mind…”
Ivy chuckles.
She actually chuckles.
Girl’s got more compassion in her than a saint. “Yeah, yeah… I’ll call you.”
Demon grabs his VP, yanking him back by his cut. “You’re a weird fucker. Leave Ivy the hell alone. They