Lost in Paradise (Paradise Club #2)(80)

“I love you, Ivy,” I say, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She tenses against me, but she doesn’t say a word, and I don’t expect her to either. Not tonight.

“Come … let’s get you home.” I stick my hand out for a cab because I don’t have time to wait for my driver to turn up. We jump in, and I give the cab driver Ivy’s address.

It’s a silent trip all the way back to Ivy’s home. I didn’t expect there to be too much talking, but she’s extra quiet. I pay the cab driver and walk her to her door.

Ivy stops before entering and turns around to face me. “I want to be alone tonight, Alex,” she says coldly.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, not with the concussion you’ve got,” I add.

Ivy thinks about this for a couple of beats and sighs. “I’ll be fine,” she insists.

I don’t like this one bit.

“It’s dangerous to be by yourself. I’ll go first thing in the morning,” I plead with her.

“I’ll need you gone by the morning,” she tells me.

Not going to lie. That stung, a lot. But I can see it on her face she’s serious. If Ivy needs to be alone for a while, then so be it. Something traumatic happened to her tonight, and I can see she’s processing whatever happened. So I’ll do whatever she wants me to do.

Ivy turns around and opens the door. She throws her purse into the bowl beside the door and kicks off her heels then heads upstairs. I follow her as she’s still a little unsteady on her feet. Once we make it upstairs, she heads directly to the bathroom and closes the door then locks it. I let out a sigh and head back downstairs to make her a cup of tea, and by the time I come back up again she is tucked up in bed.

“Here’s some tea,” I say, placing it on her bedside table. She gives me a small smile. “I’ll check on you every hour, but I’ll be in the guest room if you need me.”

Ivy nods and sips on her tea as I close her bedroom door behind me and let the tears roll down my cheeks.

After a steaming hot shower, I lay down on the guest bed and pull out my phone.

I feel lost.

Powerless.

I don’t know what to do or how to help.

So I call my brother.

“Hey, buddy,” he answers cheerily.

“Is Camryn with you?”

“No, she’s at work. Why?” he asks, suspicion lacing his tone.

“Something happened tonight with Ivy.”

“You told her you loved her, and she isn’t ready, right?” My brother chuckles.

“I do love her, but that’s not why I’m calling. She was attacked at the awards ceremony.”

“She what?” His voice raises.

“She’s refused to go to the hospital. Her face was all bloodied. She went to the bathroom and never came back. I can’t fucking lose her,” I tell my brother as the all-consuming anxiety rushes through my veins.

“What the hell happened?”

“I don’t know,” I tell him as panic encases my body. “She was there one minute and the next she wasn’t. I didn’t protect her. I promised her I would keep her safe. That she could feel safe with me. I didn’t keep her safe, Nate.”

“This isn’t your fault. Does she know who attacked her?”

“Yes, but I haven’t dared ask.”

Silence falls between us. “You don’t think it was Holdsworth, do you?” my brother asks.

Every part of my body turns cold, and the altercation at the pub comes to mind.

No.

He wouldn’t, would he? I thought he was all talk.

Lying and cheating? Yes.

Stalking. Yes.

But physical assault? That’s something entirely different.

“Has Ivy ever told you about what happened between them?”

“Little bits and pieces, but definitely not all of it.”

“I don’t know much but from what Camryn did say it was an abusive relationship. Camryn had no idea how bad it was as she was living in America at the time, and Ivy’s friend, Olivia, had moved from the city up north. After a couple of years, they realized Ivy wasn’t the same girl she used to be. They tried to get her out so many times, but he kept reeling her back in until they kidnapped her when he let his mask drop as he thought no one was around. He raised his hand, and the girls saw it. They intervened, took her away, and she has been free of him ever since.”

“Fuck! What happens if it was him? How did I let her get close to that monster again? I should have protected her—”

“This is not your fault,” Nate reassures me. “Right now, you need to be there for Ivy. Be her rock. Camryn is going through something similar with her ex stalking her. I understand the feeling of not being able to protect the one you love.”

Damn! Has my brother fallen in love too?

“Should we tell Camryn about it? I don’t want to add to her plate if she is having problems too.”

“Let Ivy tell her. I don’t know if she’ll be happy if you share the traumatic news first. Don’t take away her control because she probably feels like everything is out of her control right now,” Nate explains.

“I want to kill him,” I curse.

“I want to kill Harris too. Wonder if Jackson can do a two-for-one deal for us,” my brother jokes.