Wicked Honey (18+)

Chapter 26

I spend more time than I probably should in the shower. My skin is raw and red by the time I step out. But I don't mind, the tinge of pain distracts me from worrying about what's happening in the living room.

I wrap a towel around myself and head into Arrow's room. He's laid out a large pair of grey sweats and a loose maroon T-shirt. I don't bother with a pair of underwear, since I don't have any fresh ones anyways and I slip the sweats on.

Those assholes better take me shopping tomorrow. Or at least get me some fucking clothes to wear around.

I tug the shirt on and fold my hair up in the towel. Walking back into the bathroom, I search for a brush. All I can find is a comb.

Great. Any woman knows that using a comb to get through long tangled hair is absolutely brutal. But I do it anyways. Cursing the two men in the living room the whole time.

When I'm finally through, I hang up my towel and head back towards the living room.

I stop at Arrow's door just to gather myself.

Two was plenty. More than enough actually. But now add in a third crazy mob man and I was sure to lose my mind. Though watching Isaiah poke at Sin was funny. I imagine Isaiah and Arrow took turns driving him to the brink of insanity.

Squeezing my forehead in my fingers, I take a breath and open the door.

There's laughing. And I'm surprised when I realize one of the laughs is Sin's. I'm not even sure you can call it a laugh really- more of a dark chuckle. But I'm still so surprised that I stop in my tracks.

Something in my chest hurts. And I hate that when I walk out there the laughter will be over. At least for Sin anyways. And I know he made his own bed. He's being unreasonable and crazy but it still rubs me the wrong way that I'm going to be the one to ruin his happiness. Which is ridiculous because he has no problem doing it in return.

I shake my head and walk in. The laughter dies just as I knew it would.

I find Arrow, he's calmly laid back against the couch. His long toned arms stretched out over the cushions. "Do you have a charge?" I ask him, holding up my dead phone.

He motions for me to hand him the phone. I shuffle towards him, he plucks the phone from my fingers with one hand and pulls me down by my waist with the other. I land beside him on the couch. He reaches over to the coffee table beside him and unplugs what I assume is his phone and plugs mine in.

"Did you guys find anything?" I ask a little breathlessly. Trying to keep the awkwardness at bay and trying to ignore Arrow's hand as it settles on my thigh.

"The url where the hit originated isn't linked to anything," Isaiah rolls his shoulders. "But anyone who knows anything about this stuff knows how easy that is to do." Isaiah is sitting in front of a laptop and glasses are perched on his nose as he stares down at the screen.

"Can I see?" I ask. Motioning to the screen.

He shrugs and hands me the computer.

The screen is relatively dark. But the website actually looks extremely well designed. Right away, I can tell it's a real estate website. Well it looks like one. For a moment I thought Isaiah might've clicked the wrong website. But then my eyes catch on the listings.

There are listings. Tons of them. But I stop when I see my name. My listing.

Beautiful studio apartment in Sin Sity. Address: 873 Amber Loop in Sin City, apartment 12. Built in 1995. 1,100 square feet. Hardwood floors. A balcony over looking the city. AC cooling and heating system. No pets.

Price: $3,000,000
Current Owner: Ivy Lancaster

There was more but I stopped. The rest seemed pointless anyways.

Three million. Three million dollars to have me killed? Why the fuck would anyone pay three million to have me killed?

I stared at the screen. Maybe this was all a misunderstanding. Maybe this really was a real estate website.. and someone was trying to sell my apartment from me while I still lived there? For an impossible price? I was grasping at straws by the alternative just seemed even more insane.

"This is crazy." I think I say it out loud as I stare blankly at the screen. I must say it out loud because Arrow grabs the computer from me and passes it back to Isaiah.

Arrow squeezes my thigh.

I nod at nothing, still staring off into space. Seeing the hit on my head seemed to make it a lot more real. Before it was just something that Arrow and Sin had said. And they say a lot of shit. So it's always been hard to figure out what's real and what's not. But that- that was very real.

My brain catches on something Isaiah says to Sin and I perk up. I didn't catch the whole conversation but something Isaiah said sounded familiar. "What did you say?"

Isaiah looks at me. "I asked Sin if he knew an Alesso, that's the username of the person who made the listing. It's probably a fake name but it's worth a_"

"That's my fathers name."

The room quiets for several heartbeats.

Sin straights his back. "You're talking about Jared? Your step father?"

I shake my head. "No, my birth father."

"He's Italian?" It wasn't so much of a question as it was a statement. But I nod at Sin anyways.

"He was born in Italy," I clench my fingers together. "So was my mother."

The room goes quiet again. And this time the air is still with an intensity I don't recognize.

When Sin speaks, he speaks through clenched teeth. "Were you born in Italy, Ivy?"

"Yes."