Wicked Places (An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 4)

C
opyright
© 2016 by Lily Harper Hart

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

“
W
hat are
you still doing here?”

Expecting the small Shadow Lake Police Station to be empty this late in the day, Brian Nixon pulled up short when he found his partner Jack Harker still sitting at his desk.

“Thinking,” Jack muttered, leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling.

“You look like you’re about to sit through a root canal,” Brian said, moving toward his desk and dropping a file on the corner. “You’re about to go on vacation – one you’ve handsomely earned, mind you. I expected you to be out of here already. You have nine days in a row off, son. Start enjoying them.”

Jack was a recent transplant to Shadow Lake, a small hamlet located in the northwestern portion of Michigan’s lower peninsula. He’d only been in town a few months, but his camping trip with his college buddies had been on the calendar since he was hired. Brian couldn’t figure out why Jack – who had been looking forward to his vacation – was so morose.

“I’m not sure I want to go,” Jack admitted, tearing his gaze away from the ceiling and focusing on Brian. “Maybe I should cancel my trip.”

Brian pressed his lips together in an attempt to keep from laughing, but failed and caused Jack to scowl when he loudly guffawed. “Do you want to know what your real problem is?”

“Not really,” Jack replied, irritated.

“Your real problem is that when you planned this little outing – and no offense, but you don’t strike me as a camping sort of a guy, so I’m worried you’re going to get lost in the woods and we’ll never hear from you again – you didn’t have a girlfriend,” Brian volunteered. “Now you have a girlfriend and you haven’t been separated from her for weeks – not even a single night – and you’re rethinking your trip because you don’t want to be away from her.”

Jack dramatically rolled his eyes. “I am perfectly capable of being away from Ivy for a week. I’m not some … wimp … who can’t live without his girlfriend for a few days.”

Ivy Morgan was Shadow Lake’s version of nirvana, at least if you listened to every man in her age group wax poetic about her during outings to the local bar. She was certainly Jack’s version of nirvana. After fighting the witchy woman’s wiles for weeks, Jack finally gave in and admitted he didn’t want to go another day without her. They’d been inseparable ever since.

They fought like cats and dogs – engaging in actual screaming matches because each one of them thought the other was overly bossy – but that only led to heavy petting and cuddling minutes later (and a few other things). They were passion and poutiness wrapped up in a pretty package, and Brian couldn’t help but sneer at Jack’s statement.

“I think it’s good you and Ivy are spending time apart,” Brian said, changing tactics.

Jack cocked a challenging eyebrow. “You do?”

“I know quite a few men who want to give her a call now that she’s dating, and they’re afraid to do it when you’re around because they think you’ll go all Hulk on them,” Brian said. “This will give Ivy a chance to explore her options.”

“I hate you sometimes,” Jack muttered, rolling his neck until it cracked. “Fine. Do you want to hear me say it?”

Brian crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

“I can’t go that long without seeing her,” Jack admitted, his expression rueful. “I’m a wimp.”

“Oh, you’re breaking my heart,” Brian deadpanned. “You know there’s a solution to this problem, right?”

“What?”

“You could ask Ivy to go with you,” Brian replied. “She knows how to camp. In fact, she’s pretty good at it.”

“I can’t do that,” Jack protested.

“Why not?”

“Because I’m leaving the day after tomorrow and she’ll take me asking her at the last minute as an insult,” Jack said. “Plus, well, I haven’t told my college buddies that I’m even dating someone. That will come out while we’re camping and Ivy’s feelings will be hurt.”

“You haven’t even been dating Ivy a month yet,” Brian pointed out. “She’s not so irrational that would set her off. If you want to know the truth, I have an inkling her feelings are already hurt because you didn’t invite her.”

Jack stilled, worried. “What do you mean?”

“Jack, you told me that your buddies are all bringing their wives and girlfriends,” Brian said. “How do you think it makes Ivy feel knowing she’s the only one who wasn’t invited?”

“But … crap,” Jack muttered, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead. “I didn’t think of that. I didn’t want her to think I was pressuring her so I didn’t ask, even though I wanted to ask.”

“It’s not too late.”

“She has a business,” Jack reminded his partner. “She can’t walk away from the nursery for an entire week with no notice. It’s not even fair to ask.”

“Michael can handle running the nursery,” Brian said, referring to Ivy’s father. “He works there five days a week. I’m sure he wouldn’t have a problem with it.”

“What about her cat?”

Brian knew Jack was grasping for excuses because he was terrified of asking Ivy to go camping with him. It was a ridiculous fear from Brian’s perspective, but Jack and Ivy were so passionately fiery he could understand his partner’s trepidation. He just couldn’t accept it. “Doesn’t Max watch that cat whenever necessary? It’s a cat. It’s not a kid you’re foisting on someone for a week.”

As Ivy’s brother, Max had been roped into watching her cat numerous times – including a few weeks before when Jack and Ivy took off on an impromptu road trip to Detroit to investigate a case.

Jack sighed, resigned. “She’s going to be upset when I ask her.”

“Would you rather be a coward and not ask her and have a rotten time camping, or would you rather swallow your pride and ask her and have a great time with everyone?”

Jack pushed himself to his feet. “Okay.”

“What are you going to do?” Brian asked, feigning curiosity.

“I’m going to go and beg my girl to go camping with me.”

“That’s what I thought you were going to do,” Brian said, watching Jack shuffle out of the department with a small smile. “Have a good vacation.”

I
VY MORGAN
leaned back
and studied the section of her flower garden she’d just weeded with a frown on her pretty face. She usually enjoyed working in her garden. She found it relaxing and rewarding at the same time. Today was a different story.

She never pictured herself as a petulant or clingy person, but the idea of her new boyfriend going camping without her – when other wives and girlfriends were going to be present – bothered her. She couldn’t explain it.

Sure, Jack and Ivy had been inseparable for weeks – and she’d enjoyed every moment of it – but she didn’t understand why he needed time away from her so soon after they got together. The idea that she was acting like a needy female – something she loathed – bothered her as much as her hurt feelings regarding the camping trip.

She had no idea what was wrong with her.

She turned when she heard a vehicle pulling into the driveway behind her, forcing a pleasant smile for Jack’s benefit as she watched him park and hop out of his truck. She was determined to send him on his way with happy feelings – and wait to pout until he was out of town and could really wallow in her self-pity without an audience.

“Hey, honey,” Jack said, moving to Ivy’s side and dropping a kiss on her perfectly pink lips. “What are you doing over here? I thought for sure you’d be at the nursery.”

“I was over there most of the day,” Ivy said, dusting off her knees. “My dad likes it when I leave him in charge. He says it makes him feel like king of the nursery. Plus, he was bugging me, so I had to get away. He said he would close up.”

“That’s good,” Jack said, gripping his hands together. If Ivy didn’t know better she would think he was nervous.

“How was your last day before your vacation?”

“Dull,” Jack replied, his face unreadable as he watched Ivy’s profile. “I … how was your day?”

“I just told you how my day was,” Ivy answered, swiveling. “What’s your deal? You’re acting … weird.”

“How?” Jack asked, his temper flaring. “I haven’t done one weird thing since I got here.”

“You’re about to rip your own hands off,” Ivy countered, pointing for emphasis. “If you say nothing is wrong, though, who am I to judge? What do you want for dinner? I was thinking of cooking a nice stir fry.”

“That sounds good,” Jack said, following Ivy up the steps and into her small cottage. The abode was homey and warm – just like Ivy was most days – but it was also bohemian and charming. He loved spending time with her there. “Can we talk a second?”

Ivy froze, her shoulders stiffening at the tone of his words. “Are you walking away?”

Jack scowled. He hated it when she naturally assumed he was going to leave her. It was the furthest thing from his mind. He didn’t blame her for her suspicions and reservations – he’d been forthcoming when he told her he wasn’t looking for a relationship when he first came to town – but it still annoyed him that she always jumped to that conclusion.

“Stop asking that,” Jack hissed. “I’m not going anywhere. I … it drives me crazy when you assume I’m going to walk out on you. I promised you I wasn’t going to do that.”

“Fine,” Ivy said, holding her hands up in a placating manner. “I apologize. You are going somewhere, though. You’re going camping.”
Without me
, she silently added. “Can we not fight? We only have tomorrow together before you take off.”

“That’s what I want to talk about,” Jack hedged, his eyes darting around the room as he avoided her pointed gaze. “I don’t want to go without you.”

Ivy lifted her eyebrows, surprised. “Since when?”

“Since … since we got together,” Jack responded. “I kind of lost track of everything over the past few weeks. Between fighting, getting together, fighting some more, and then that whole ghost possession thing … I forgot about the camping trip until it was already upon me.”

Ivy tugged on her limited patience as she watched Jack struggle. She never wanted to cause him pain. The past few weeks had been busy for the duo, his former partner’s murderous spirit taking over a woman’s body to stalk them. She didn’t blame him for losing track of the camping trip.

“It’s okay, Jack,” Ivy said. “You don’t need to feel like you have to invite me. I understand. You haven’t seen your friends in a long time.”

“Oh, don’t do that,” Jack countered, wagging a finger in Ivy’s face. “I don’t
have
to invite you. I
want
to invite you. I’ve wanted to invite you since I remembered the camping trip.

“The problem is, I spent the first few days after that worrying it was too soon for us to go camping with my old friends because I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable,” he continued. “Then I felt like an idiot for not asking you right away and I kept letting it go because I convinced myself you were going to say no.”

“I see.”

Jack made a face, her feigned disinterest squeezing his heart. “Would you have agreed to come with me if I asked?”

“Yes.”

“That’s what Brian said,” Jack lamented. “I … do you want to come camping with me?”

“Do you really want me to go camping with you, or are you only asking because you think you should do it in an attempt not to hurt my feelings?”

“We are completely dysfunctional when it comes to conversations like this,” Jack muttered. “The truth is, I don’t want to be away from you. It makes me sound like a wimp, but there it is.

“I would love to introduce you to my friends, but now I’m really worried if you say yes you’re only doing it to appease me,” he said.

Ivy wanted to string him along a little bit longer, but he looked so miserable she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “I want to go camping with you,” she said finally. “I don’t want you to feel obligated to ask me, though.”

“You know what? I want you to go camping with me and you want to go. We’re not continuing this conversation so we can both feel like … .”

“Jackholes?” Ivy supplied.

“You know I hate it when you use my name like that,” Jack muttered.

Ivy took pity on him and reached over so she could grab his hand. “I would love to go camping with you.”

“You could’ve said that five minutes ago and eased off on the mental torture,” Jack growled, tugging her to him so he could hug her. “I always want to spend time with you, honey. Please don’t ever worry about that.”

Ivy rested her head against Jack’s strong chest. “I like spending time with you, too.”

“We need to work on our communication skills.”

“I’d rather keep doing what we’re doing and have sex whenever we have an argument.”

Jack barked out a laugh and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You really are my favorite person in the world. You know that, right?”

“The feeling is mutual.”