Chapter 41

*RYKER*

"How are you Rkyer? You don't sound good!" Ivy had called me again. At one time her voice sounded like morning birds chirping or church bells to me. Now it makes my skin crawl. "Where are you, Ivy?" I said not returning her pleasantries. "Temper temper. I can't tell you where I am, that's not how this game is played. I wouldn't worry, our friend Theo is taking great care of your girl. Well, she seems to have become his girl. She likes him an awful lot. Just this morning I came, and he was sleeping right on her lap. She was sleeping comfortably like that. I think they are falling in love." Her words tore through me, but I assume that was her intent. I hadn't slept all night, and my nerves were raw, so I wasn't thinking clearly to begin with. "Where are you, Ivy?" I asked again. "I can't tell you that daddy" She sounded pouty. She didn't like that I didn't respond to her taunt. "Don't call me that." I growled. I could hear someone talking in the background. It was a different male voice. "Oh Theo! Lorcane will not give you his little treasure chest over there. He thinks she matters in this world. It's sad how wrong he is. He will find out." She was blabbering now, saying anything to get a reaction out of me. Still, I heard the man get louder. I could hear he was being protective of Iris. Instead of jealousy, I was glad someone was paying attention, keeping Ivy in line. "Let me talk to him, the fuck who wants my girl" I said, baiting Ivy. I wanted to get a feel for the man who is close to my woman. That Claud is a real piece of work, so I was hoping that Theo was different. "What's up Lorcane?" He had an accent. "Theo huh? If you touch her..." He cut me off. "You aren't going to yell at me bro." He chuckled and I could hear Ivy wanting the phone back. "You think you can stop love bro?" His words made me furious. "I kissed her neck and watched the bumps rise on her skin. I didn't force that pal, I suggest you get that Rodrick fuck available, or I'm going to have to romance her until she explodes." I tried to keep calm even though all I could see was red. "Listen, Theo, I don't care for many people in my life, and you are one of the few with you there. If something happens to her that she doesn't want to happen, if you hurt her, I will burn your whole world to ash." My words were forced through gritted teeth. Deacon stood nearby, pacing, waiting for them to give him something he could use to find her. "Well, when you do your part neither of us will have to worry about that will we?" He paused, "besides I don't think I will have to force anything." His chuckle started to get quieter as Ivy's voice got louder. "Lorcane listen, I won't let anyone do anything to her as long as we get what we want from you." She was lying, I knew she didn't care about Iris. Her words meant nothing to me. I could hear Iris in the background. She was trying to tell me they were lying. I looked up to Deacon, reaching him the phone, I started to vomit again.

"Hello Ivy." Deacon was calm, almost sounding bored. He was much better at keeping his cool than I was. "Deeeeacon! I miss you." Her excitement seemed genuine. It was funny to me considering he never liked Ivy. He warned me about her constantly. "Ivy, why don't you tell me where you are, save me some time." He kept the same even tone. "Oh, baby, I wish I could." She was trying to sound sweet. I leaned against the wall and looked down at the ground. "What did he say?" Deacon said, his tone changing a bit. "He said if you were a pirate, you would be close. Like Hunter nightshade or some shit." She laughed and yelled something at Theo. "Did he say nightshade or Nightwind?" Deacon seemed almost excited but wasn't showing it in his voice. "Theo! What's the pirates name? My friend Deacon is concerned about his name?" She yelled out. Deacon looked at me and smiled. "Hunter Nightwind, silly girl, he is a legend fucking pirate around here, where have you been?" Theo said loudly enough for Deacon to hear him clearly. Ivy giggled. "Well tell Lorcane he is running out of time." She said those words and the phone clicked off. "She is safe." Deacon said before he turned to walk back to the security building. "What do you mean she is safe?" I said following behind him, "She isn't fucking safe Deac, those people are fucking insane." I hated how desperate my voice sounded. "Hunter Nightwind." He repeated the name that Theo had said, the pirate. "What about him?" I said as we walked in the door. "Call Detective Britton." He was talking to Andrew who was sitting at the computer watching the face recognition software. He picked up the phone and started to dial. "Wait." I said softly but now they were all talking, and I was getting overwhelmed. "Wait." They weren't hearing me, and I hadn't felt small in a very long time. I felt rage boil up inside of me. I picked up a chair and threw it against the wall. "Woah, Ryk, man what's wrong?" Deacon looked at me with his hands up. "No one is telling me what the fuck is going on? You shits forget who signs your checks? Whose woman they took?" Deacon looked confused. He picked the chair up, "Brother, sit down. No one forgot. Let us call the detective so I know that I am right before I fill you in." He reached me my VOSS water and turned back to the phone. He was on the phone for a while, but I only caught bits and pieces. I felt like I was sitting in a tunnel, far away from the others in the room. The things Theo said to me ringing in my ears. He kissed her and she got chills. I remembered in my office on campus, when she got chills at my touch. Flashes of her standing in my corner, watching me as she held the bullet. All the ways I have had her. I kept telling myself it was a physical reaction, something she couldn't control. I felt someone touch me and looked up, Deacon looked worried. "You good, boss?" I nodded, "what's going on D?"

"I talked to the detective, and he is looking into it. The pirate that Theo mentioned isn't a famous one around here anywhere. It is a made-up name. Any person that would go undercover and bring other people to justice. A story. Theo made him a pirate, but I heard it a long time ago, the name." He was talking fast, obviously still excited about this pirate name. "What does that mean?" I asked feeling lost. "It's a name undercover cops bring up to let you know they are on the job." He said. "He's a cop?" I asked, confused to why he would be putting his lips on Iris at all. "I think so. I think when he realized he was talking to your head of security, he found a way to use that name. I gave the detective the name Theo, and who he was possibly going after." He squeezed my shoulder. "When he calls back, we will know for sure." I stood up, finally feeling grounded again. Like we have somewhere to start, to find her. "Why would he touch her if he is a cop?" I asked looking at Andrew and Deacon this time. "He has to play the part. I am sure he isn't going too far. You don't even know if what he says is true." Deacon smiled at me. "I hope not, I would hate to kill a cop." I said feeling like myself again. "I don't know what happened to me?" I was looking at Deacon. "Ryk, you care about her, and you're worried. I think you got some anxiety, anybody would in your position. I am worried too." His words made sense, but I am not someone who freaks out, or gets anxious. I looked up at the clock, hoping the detective would call back soon and tell us this man is a cop, that I don't have to worry about I'm being with her. That he will keep her safe. We sat there for a while, watching the face recognition program continually searching the faces from the city, but nothing popped up for Iris or Ivy. It seems to me that they took her to a stationary place. When the phone rang, my heart started beating fast again. I took deep breaths refusing to get upset like before. "Thank you, sir, thank you." Deacon was walking to the closet. He threw me and Andrew a bullet proof vest grabbing his own in the process. "He knows where they are."