CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

"Do you think she'll like it?" I asked, glancing at the bag at the backseat. 

"She's gonna love it," he held my hand. "Especially when she knows you baked it." 

I scoffed. "You did all the work. I just watched." 

He kissed my hand gently, staring at me. 

"You're gonna cause an accident if you keep looking at me like that," I said. 

"I can't focus when you are with me," he chuckled. 

"I could leave," I teased. 

His fingers clasped around mine tightly. "I'm never letting you out of my sight." 

I stared at our hands with a smile. "I'm going nowhere." 

I was running out of time—still, I wanted that moment to last forever. 

"We could travel, get out of town for a little while," he turned to me. 

"What do you think?" 

I shifted slowly in my seat. "We can't just up and leave." 

I had a reasonable excuse for following him out of town after he got shot—to protect him on his business trip. But if Tony found out we went out of town for no reason, he'd grow suspicious. 

"Why not?" he asked. 

"What about work?" 

He chuckled. "I'm the boss." 

I scratched my head. "What about Lily?" 

"It was her idea," he said. 

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. 

I was running out of excuses. 

"Yeah. She thought getting some fresh air would be nice," he stopped at a red light and turned to me. 

I glanced at the mirror and noticed the black car behind us.

"We just got fresh air when we went to Canada," I argued, my eyes still on the car. 

"That was solely for business, and I spent a good chunk of that time hating you." 

I couldn't afford to go on a trip at the moment. It was too dangerous. 

The bag containing the desserts for Lily fell to the ground. I picked it up quickly and placed it on the backseat.

I paused. There was something about that car that made my hairs stand up. It was weird.

Were we being followed? 

"So, what do you think?" Damon asked, breaking my train of thoughts. 

"I'll think about it," I said, and adjusted my seatbelt. 

The light turned green and he changed the gear. 

"Damon," I called. 

"Yeah?" his hand reclaimed mine. 

I bit my lip nervously, and he paused to look at me. 

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. 

"Have you ever thought of taking Alan's offer?" I asked. 

I knew Alan was a sore topic. We'd avoided it like a plague. Alan was no ordinary target; he was a mafia drug pin who ruled over the West and had influence in every part of the system. To get rid of such a powerful man, I'd need power—lots of it. Maybe Damon taking over from Alan wasn't such a bad idea. 

His clicked his jaw. "Not once." 

I caressed his palm. "Can I ask why?" 

He glanced at me. "There are some things I haven't told you about, Ivy. To be honest, part of me doesn't wanna tell you either." 

He paused, grabbing the wheel tightly. "I'm scared you'll run off if I tell you." 

"Try me," I said softly. 

"To most people, Alan River is a prominent businessman, but that is far from the truth," he turned to me. 

"I told you how he abused me when I was young, didn't I?" 

I nodded. 

"Truth is, that's not all," he hesitated, gritting his teeth. 

I could sense how hard it was for him, and I held his hand tightly. 

"He kills people, Ivy. People who oppose him or try to fight him suddenly disappears, and no one questions it, not even the police." 

He scoffed in derision. "He has them on his payroll, so no one dares cross him." 

"Mom sacrificed everything to get us out of that life, why would I go back?" he asked. 

It made sense. Going back would mean all those years of sacrifice and effort go to waste, not to mention how much pain it'd bring to Damon. I had to find another way to get rid of Alan without hurting Damon. 

"There's also Niall too," he hit the wheel in anger. 

"What about him?" I asked. 

He sighed. "A couple months ago, when Mom got diagnosed with cancer, he threatened me." 

I folded my fists. "What did he say?" 

"I think he might have known Alan wanted me to take over, so he threatened to kill my mom if I ever returned home." 

I hit the dashboard in anger, and he jumped in surprise. 

"I'll kill him," I seethed. 

Damon smiled wryly and I glanced at him. 

"What?" 

He patted my head. "I like that you're angry on my behalf." 

"But I'm fine. I've managed to stay alive and keep my mom safe till this day," he turned back to the road. 

Wait. 

"You knew Niall sent the attacker, didn't you?" I asked. 

He nodded slowly. 

"Wait," he stared at me in surprise. "How do you know that?" 

I hit his arm. "Why didn't you do anything? Kill him or punish him, do something." 

He sighed. "I can't, not when Mom's vulnerable." 

"What?" I asked. 

"If I take action against him, he's going to hurt my mom," he smiled. 

"I have to protect her." 

"Damon," I called, my heart breaking in pieces. 

I knew how it felt to want to protect someone you loved, even if that meant risking your life. I was in the exact position as him. 

"I'll be fine," he grabbed my hand again. 

"Besides, Niall only sent him because I broke our deal," he glanced at me. "I went back home, remember?" 

He pulled into the parking lot and turned off the engine. 

"Mom's waiting," he reached for the bag. "Let's go." 

I brought out my phone and shot a text to Tara. 

'Find out everything you can on Niall King.'  

The three dots popped up. 

'You know you're not my boss, right?' she replied. 

'Please.' 

'Fine.'