Blake: A Bad Boy Romance (20 page)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Darryl didn’t bother to hide that he was the one doing these things anymore. That was a small comfort. His fingerprints and boot prints were found all over the apartment. He was getting angry and careless and dangerous, which made the fact that the police still couldn't find him all the more frustrating. But, to Blake’s surprise, Ivy was surprisingly calm. She seemed to face this new attack with a detached determination. He was proud of her.

They left her paint-stained bedroom and the police behind. There were no tears from Ivy, no worries. They had a party scheduled for that night and Ivy refused to cancel. She told Blake she wanted to go out and so they left and went back to Blake’s apartment to change before the party. One of Blake’s biggest sponsors, RedHot Energy Drinks, had resigned him to an even bigger contract and there was a party that night for it.

“I want to go,” she said with a smile as the drove to his place.

Blake hired extra security for his building. Now there was a burly ex-Marine bouncer sitting on Blake’s couch ready to deal with Darryl if he stopped by to leave another camera lying around. Blake didn’t bother with protection for himself or Ivy. He could protect them both.

***

“Wow,” Ivy said as she looked around the room once they arrived to the party. She was trying not to laugh, but her lips were pursed as she shook her head. “This is something.”

The large banquet room a downtown club was decked out in RedHot swag. There were banners hanging from the ceiling and everything was stamped with the company's logo: a close up of the sun in its red/orange/black glory. There were also cardboard cutouts, huge posters, and large screens with his smiling face on them scattered throughout the room. It was loud and dramatic like everything RedHot did. Blake liked these guys and he was glad they were still sponsoring him.

“It’s fun,” Blake said with a smile as he knocked back a glass of champagne. There were scantily-clad women strolling about with trays of drinks, but Blake did his best to ignore them and made sure not to look for too long. He was looking for something else. He was on the lookout for anyone strange, anyone who didn’t belong, anyone lurking around the edges. Darryl was still out there somewhere and he wasn’t done with Ivy, the red paint had proven that. “How do you feel?” Blake asked Ivy, sidling up closer to her and putting his arm around her waist.

“Good,” she answered with a genuine smile. “How do you feel?”

“I’m serious, Ivy. The paint in your room, how are you coping with all of that?”

“I don’t know...” Ivy said, looking away before looking back. “It’s almost like that didn’t happen. It’s like, I put Darryl behind me when your charges were overturned. I flipped a switch and turned off the part of my brain that worried about him all the time. I honestly thought he was gone and it was nice to feel safe for once. And now...I don’t want to go back to being afraid or hiding. It’s been too nice not needing to live in fear.”

Blake smiled and leaned down to kiss Ivy when there was a bright flash to his right. A hired photographer gave a cheeky grin and said, “I’ll airbrush you two to perfection. Don’t worry you both look amazing,” and then he was off and Ivy and Blake were left stunned and half-blind.

Ivy giggled and pulled away from Blake as people stopped to stare at them. “I’m monopolizing you,” Ivy said as she stared out into the faces of the crowd below them. People in stunning ball gowns and tuxedos milled about with professional skateboarders and snowboarders in baggy jeans and beanies. Everyone was having fun; it was a celebration and the mood was infectious; even Ivy was having a good time.

“What are you thinking about?” Blake asked as he leaned on the bannister next to her.

“Everything,” she said with a shake of her head. “Every crazy thing that has happened to us. It’s over, but at the same time, we’re still in the middle of it.”

“I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Lambert,” a young woman with an earpiece said as she stood next to the two of them. “But Mike wants to do the speech in five and it would be great if we could get you close to the stage.”

“Yes, of course,” Blake answered standing up straight. “Do you want to wait in the green room?”

“No,” Ivy answered with a smile. “I want to see how you look on the stage.”

He leaned down and kissed her cheek before walking away. He hated leaving her alone. She was incapable of ignoring the online chatter surrounding them, every time he turned his back she was on her phone or her laptop driving herself crazy with things she couldn’t control. He wanted to be there to take the phone and computer out of her hand and distract her any way he could think of.

Blake felt hands on his back as he passed through the crowd on the lower level. He stopped and smiled for selfies and signed pictures of himself as he continued up to the stairs. But he was looking past his fans and admirers. Where was Darryl? Blake wanted to find him; he wanted the coward to show himself. A real fight between the two of them. Blake wanted to take him out and send him to jail for as long as possible.

Ivy had seen the promised land that was free of fear from Darryl. She had seen it and she had liked it and she wanted more of it. Blake wanted to give it to her. He wanted to see her smile free from fear for the rest of her life. But that would never truly happen if Darryl was still free. There would always be dangerous shadows where he could be lurking, vulnerable moments where he could attack. Blake couldn’t let any harm come to her, but how long could he reasonably keep her on a short leash.

He walked behind the woman and into the green room. There were a few other people back there including Mike, the owner of the company. No last name, no Mr., just the name: Mike. He was wearing a blazer, jeans, a t-shirt, and white sneakers.

He was the epitome of energy and he jogged over to Blake flashing a bright white smile as he held his hand out. “Blake Lambert, good to see you again!” Mike said, taking Blake’s hand in his and shaking it firmly.

“Mike, thank you so much for re-signing me after everything that happened,” Blake said.

“Please, don’t mention it. You punched a deranged stalker. I’m not dropping you for that. Where is the lucky lady?” He asked looking around.

“She’s not a big fan of crowds and being in front of people. She’s still a little shy.”

“I can imagine,” Mike said, “after everything she’s been through...” He shook his head and then a smile appeared on his face as he changed course in his conversation. “But let’s not dwell on darker times. We are celebrating tonight. The fight is back on and you are ready to win, yes?”

“Absolutely,” Blake answered.

“Good.”

From behind them came an announcer's cry as he introduced the head of the company. Mike flashed a smile at Blake and then headed towards the curtain and onto the stage as his name was announced. The curtains parted and Blake got a glimpse of the bright lights and the crowd as Mike took the stage.

He was back. He had stood on the edge of the precipice of his career, but now he was back. He had put everything on the line for Ivy and lived to fight another day. He could have everything he wanted: his career and his girl, even his mom happily married. It was all so close, all just within reach. He just needed to wait for the noose to tighten around Darryl. That little rich boy couldn't hide for too much longer. He would be found soon and all of this could be over.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

They took a limo home. Ivy felt pleasantly tipsy and warm from all of the champagne she had drank. She snuggled into Blake as the limo slowly traversed the crowded nighttime Seattle streets. The only other time Ivy had been in a limo she had been with Darryl. He refused to drive and took black cars and limos everywhere – even just to go to a restaurant around the corner. It actually annoyed her after a while.

Being in the limo with Blake was different. It was something special, a treat. The divider was up between them and the driver and she enjoyed the privacy it offered. It felt pleasantly strange to be in a car driven by someone else. It was a luxury. She could distract Blake as much as she wanted without having to risk an accident.

She leaned against his shoulder, careful not to smear any makeup on his pristine white shirt. She reached down and felt his leg with her hand. Allowing her fingers to lazily trace their way higher and higher, Blake smiled down at her. Behind him, through the rain streaks on the windows, she could see the lights of the city as they flashed past.

Ivy hadn’t heard from her father since their argument. He hadn’t said anything about the article on
BreakerSpin
or Darryl’s wanted status. This was a time for celebration. She had been vindicated. Everyone knew how crazy Darryl was. They knew how he had devoted his life to ruining hers and the torture he had inflicted over the last several years. But Jonas didn’t care.

Her father had dealt with all of Darryl’s stalking with her. He had been the one to encourage her to go to the police, to file the restraining order, and to never give up in documenting everything that happened. She only had this moment of success because of her father’s hard work. But now he wasn’t here to share in the victory. Ellen was here, so where was he? Sitting alone in the dark somewhere? Should she feel bad for him? Should she miss him? He was wrong about her relationship with Blake, though. He was the one who needed to apologize. But was she really going to let her relationship with her father fall to ruin over stubbornness?

And then there was the sex tape. No father wanted to see his daughter like that. Not that Jonas would ever watch it. But he would know it existed and his friends might watch it. It could be humiliating for him; it was humiliating for Ivy. But the sting of the sex tape had worn off somewhat. It was humiliating and demeaning, but there was nothing she could do about it. It was out there and nothing could ever remove it forever. There was no point in being mad or upset over something she couldn’t change. She wasn’t happy about it, but she had at least come to terms with it.

Yes, there was a video of she and Blake having sex out there. But she didn’t regret sleeping with Blake, she loved him. The passion they shared was something wonderful and not something she ever wanted to be ashamed of. If a bunch of sick weirdoes wanted to watch something they knew was private and had been made illegally, they were the perverts not her and not Blake.

They arrived at the house and the limo dropped them off at the door. Blake exited first and put out his hand for Ivy to take as she stepped out into the wet weather. Blake pulled her close and, together, laughing they raced up to front door as heavy raindrops began to fall around them. They entered the foyer of the building and hurried toward the elevator.

The grim face of the super and the doorman stopped them cold in their tracks. For one moment Ivy wanted to ignore them. She wanted to run past them and into the elevator just to hold onto this feeling of safety for another moment. She was happy and she knew from the looks on their faces they had only bad news to give.

“Mr. Lambert,” the super said stepping forward and Ivy felt the smile slip from her face.

“What happened?” she asked. But she didn’t feel afraid. She felt annoyed. She didn’t want to do this anymore; she was tired of Darryl and his cowardly nonsense.

“Mr. Lambert’s tires were slashed. We have called the police and we have security footage. But nothing concrete. Whoever it was hid their face from view. They were wearing a cap and a dark, long coat.”

“We know who it was,” Blake said. “You’ve called the police?” His voice sounded strong and Ivy could not help but hold onto his hand as he spoke. She wanted his confidence and his strength, she wanted to be as brave and unafraid as he was.

“Yes, sir.”

“I’ll call triple A and have them tow the car to a mechanic. Please be sure to let them in the garage when they come.”

“Of course,” the super agreed.

Blake nodded at the other man and then he and Ivy walked towards the elevator. They rode up in silence. Their moment of levity was gone. Their happiness was gone, sucked out of them by Darryl’s machinations. Blake squeezed Ivy’s hand and she shook her head. Even when she was strong and brave, Darryl still had power over her – the power to take her happiness away.

They opened the door to the apartment and saw the bouncer sitting on the living room couch. There were no issues, he told them. No visitors, nothing strange. He had been there all night and the apartment was safe. Blake walked the other man to the door as Ivy slumped down on the couch.

“Darryl Linden Still on the Loose.”

“Linden Stalks Again, Covers Victim’s Bedroom in Red Paint.”

“Have you seen the Blake Ivy Sex Tape? Leave Your Comments Below.”

Ivy rolled her eyes at the headlines. She knew it was bad to look, but she couldn't help herself. She hadn’t been foolish enough to comment or do anything other than look. But she needed to see. She couldn’t bury her head in the sand. She needed to know what people were saying even if she didn’t agree.

She stared out of Blake’s large windows down to the city below. Splashes of red paint, slashed tires. Was it possible Darryl was getting desperate? He was normally more suave than this. He was all about actions that were creepy and strange, but otherwise harmless. But the sex tape and the words on the door and the red paint and now the tires. He was escalating things.
He’ll be caught soon
, she said to herself.
He has to be.

***

The next morning, she sat in her pajamas on Blake’s couch. He had left for the gym before the sun had even peeked over the horizon. He had taken several days off from training, but the fight was back on and he needed to be ready. He left early and Ivy was going to work from home. She still had a few days until her return. Sipping coffee, she knew what she needed to do.

She dialed her father’s number and had to admit she was a little disappointed when it went straight to voicemail. It was a weekday at ten o’clock; her father was at work. He was near his phone. He was still deliberately ignoring her. She listened to his voicemail greeting; he sounded stiff and unsure of himself as if he had been self-conscious off the message when he had left it.

“Hi, Dad, it’s me,” Ivy said as she stood up and began to pace the apartment. “We haven't talked for a while and I miss you. I don’t want us to not speak to each other. I miss you and I love you. Please call me back.” She hung up the phone and placed it on the table in front of her and stared at it. She was hoping he would call her back right away. She hoped her offer of peace would be enough to bridge the gap between them, but her phone refused to ring.

At one o’clock Detective Diaz stopped by. She sat perched on one of the stools on Blake’s counter and she sipped a cup of coffee as they spoke. “It’s a manhunt across the entire country. He is wanted and dangerous. This is good. It’s what we wanted.

“But he’s still out there somewhere,” Ivy said.

“And he’s getting worse,” Diaz said. “He’s escalating his attacks and we’re worried he’s going to come for you, Ivy. He’s lost a lot and his family is distancing themselves from him. They might soon leave him to his own devices and then what will he do? He might think that with nothing else to lose attacking you is the only option he has left. But there is some good news.”

“Thank God for that,” Ivy said.

“People are coming forward. The elephant that was left on your door, we found a print on it, but it wasn’t Darryl’s. It belongs to a man named Henry Jennings. He’s an out of work ex-con and a heroin addict. He was hanging around a local hardware store, hoping someone would pick him up for under the table work. Darryl hired him and had him go out and buy the paint and the elephant. He thought it was strange, but he was paid a lot of money and he was given a fix. He’s been working for Darryl since then. He was picked up the other day for running a stop sign; they found heroin on him. Once we had him in custody he told us everything.”

“Does he know where Darryl is?”

“We set up a sting to try and grab him, but Darryl must have known he was arrested and he never showed. But we did learn something.”

“What?”

“Darryl is running out of money. He had to sell a watch to pay this man and he’s been sleeping in a cheap motel off the highway. He’s broke and his parents aren’t helping anymore. Like I said, he’s getting desperate. This is good for us, but dangerous for you, Ivy. You need to be careful; you need be aware. Darryl is still obsessed with you. He’s not done. But we’re on his trail and soon we will have him. I just want you to be careful in the meantime. Promise me, Ivy.”

“I promise,” Ivy said.

There was a light at the end of the tunnel. It was flickering and weak and far away, but it was there. Darryl was desperate. He was at his lowest point. He was broke and friendless with no one to bail him out. All it would take would be one slip up and he would be done for. She needed to be patient. She needed to give him enough rope to hang himself with. She needed to show how happy she and Blake were together. She needed to show him the sex tape didn’t bother her. That would drive him mad. That would drive him out into the open where the police would be waiting. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, but Ivy still had a great deal of darkness to traverse before she could finally reach it.