Page 55 of Clint & Ivy
CLINT
After arriving backat the condo garage, I nearly picked up Ivy and carried her the rest of the way. She looked beaten down after a long day. I knew she had fun. A part of her didn’t want to leave, but exhaustion was written all over her face.
I thought back to my first trip to Disneyland. I couldn’t get enough and never wanted to leave. That first night, I was both exhausted and hyper. My parents stuck me between them in bed and told me boring stories until I crashed into sleep.
I didn’t plan to bore Ivy into submission, but I decided bossing her around might work. First, I told her to take a shower and change into nightclothes. I went through my messages while she shuffled away with Hanzee supervising her every move.
Rock had texted earlier about a meeting with the Black Rainbow Motorcycle Club. I was a little surprised when their president, Zodiac, didn’t play coy and drag out the process. There was bad blood between him and the old Little Memphis club. Ford took a bat to a few guys, including Zodiac back in the day. When I asked my dad today about that encounter, he claimed not to remember the details.
“I’ve hobbled many men, son. Don’t expect me to memorize each one. Life isn’t an exam.”
If Zodiac held a grudge, he hadn’t shown it yet. Rock said the meeting was scheduled for next week. My VP asked me for a list of people to bring.
I’d finished sending my choices when Ivy appeared in her two-piece sleepwear, looking sexy as hell. Despite her petite build, Ivy owned plenty of curves. The soft pale orange top clung to her perky tits and did little to hide how she was cold. Her nipples were begging for my attention.
Fucking would need to wait. Ivy yawned painfully while standing halfway between the bedroom and the kitchen.
I had her join me on the couch, where we found a TV show to watch. I encouraged Ivy to rest with her head on a pillow. She soon snuggled under a blanket. Every time I glanced at Ivy, she was watching me rather than the TV.
Hanzee sat on her feet, already attached to the new person in our life. I felt the same way. Today at my parents’ place was fun, but I felt possessive of Ivy. We needed more time alone. Unfortunately, tonight, she was exhausted.
“If you wake up and I’m gone, don’t worry,” I said as she watched me with barely open eyes. “I need to take Hanzee down to the courtyard for his last piss break of the evening. Sometimes, I see people and get to talking.”
Ivy stared at me with worried eyes. “I should have done things differently today with your parents.”
“No, today was good. Just rest.”
“I’m worried Uncle Linus will find me.”
Cocking an eyebrow, I asked, “Is your uncle a dangerous man?”
“No, but he had that loan shark and the hired muscle.”
“The loan shark wants money from Linus. He doesn’t care about you. Those men won’t come here to grab you just to pay off your rich uncle’s debt. They’ll shake him down instead.”
“How can you know?”
“There are loan sharks everywhere. In Little Memphis, they pay protection to my club or the Jokers, sometimes both. To keep people in line, I need to understand their businesses. That’s why I know a Reno loan shark won’t spend his money in Arkansas to pay back a debt from someone they already have access to.”
Ivy glanced at the windows nearby. I knew she had affection for the uncle who put her in this position. However, if he showed up in Little Memphis, I would have zero hesitation about burying him in the quarry. Linus Humphreys was my enemy, no different than anyone else who messed with my people.
Ivy’s paranoia about her uncle was mostly from exhaustion. The reality was he had no way to find her unless she gave him the address here. Maybe that reality set in because twenty minutes into an episode of “Survivor,” she was asleep.
I admired Ivy as the last of the sun disappeared. The sparkling city outside my windows felt different now that I had her in my life. I’d gotten set in my ways. Life hadn’t been chaotic for a long time. We handled threats quickly. Maybe I’d even gotten lazy.
The need to protect Ivy filled me with paranoia. I wanted her to have space to breathe freely. What kind of woman would she be without anyone sticking her in a cage?
I carried Hanzee out to the hallway, so his bell wouldn’t wake Ivy. He looked back at the condo door like we were forgetting someone. I started walking, knowing the little guy would follow. For all his barking bravado, Hanzee was no leader.
On my way down, I checked the courtyard’s security cameras to find Tricky with his dog, Fuzz.
My childhood friend had been building his club fast, seeming to double in size overnight. Though Rock figured Tricky would challenge us for Little Memphis soon, I wasn’t so sure. Tricky grew up with his father’s large club filled with menacing men. He figured size mattered.
