“Harper, what’s wrong?” Ivy asks, rushing to the closet. “Oh shit.” I turn my head to look at her. She smiles and pulls out the box. “He wanted to
surprise you, but I’m pretty sure he wanted to be here when that happened.”
I pull the enlarged photo of my mom out of the box and lay it on the bed. “Ivy, it’s beautiful,” I say, running my fingers over her smiling face. “How did he do this?”
“We found a place that repaired photos and he took it from there. It just came yesterday.”
Just when I think my heart can handle anything, Zane surprises me with this, causing it to nearly beat out of my chest.
“I can’t believe he did this,” I whisper.
“He loves you, Harper,” she says. “Let’s hang it up and then we’ll go.”
I agree and we hang it by all the other photos. A tear runs down my cheek seeing it hanging up there. She deserved so much more than my father, but it makes me happy she has a home with me now.
I clear my throat and wipe my tears. “Okay, I’m good now. Let’s go.”
Riley is playing on his phone and I smack his head as I walk by.
“Hey,” he says laughing.
“Come on, we need to go,” I laugh.
Ivy’s still been driving my car, so it’s parked at the end of the driveway. As we are walking up to it, I grab her arm. “What?”
“Riley,” I yell.
He races over and grabs my arm. “What’s wrong?” he asks, checking me over.
“There’s a note on my car,” I whisper.
“Fuck,” he yells. He grabs it off the windshield and opens it. “Fuck!”
I yank it out of his hands and read it.
Your club knows more than you think. I told you to stay away.
My stomach drops and fear I haven’t felt in weeks wraps around me.
“What the fuck?” Ivy whispers.
I can’t get my phone out fast enough, but realize Riley is already talking to Zane. “Let’s go, I’m driving,” he says. The phone still pressed to his ear.
We get to Souls in record time and Zane is waiting out front for us. I don’t even get the door open and he’s pulling me out into his arms. “Are you alright?”
“Shaken, but fine.”
“Come on,” he says, leading me inside.
It feels good to be back at Souls. I haven’t been here in weeks, and it almost feels like coming home. The good memories start to flood me, which is a nice change from the bad shit I normally think of. I sit down and Zane goes into the back to talk to his club. It’s quiet when the strip club isn’t open. The stage is empty, the tables and chairs are scattered throughout, making it clear the guys stayed to enjoy themselves last night. That never happened at Club Kingsley. When the club was closed, the crew was there but no one else. There were no parties like there are here. Souls is like a warm embracing hug. It’s big, but with the warm colors and dark lighting it feels comfortable. The tables are meant for socializing, the large stage is seen no matter where you are standing, and the bar is inviting. That’s something I should’ve focused more on at Club Kingsley. The bar was nice, but it wasn’t like this one. The large cream colored granite bar top, big enough to accommodate stools, the heavy wood base, and the glass shelves that hang on the huge mirror behind the bar, make it another great space to hang out and socialize. It’s definitely a strip club that appeals to a man, which is exactly what you want.
“Now what?” Ivy asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Now we wait to see what they say.”
She shakes her head and rests it in her hands, letting out a loud groan. “What if they say nothing? We just wait until it happens again? I don’t understand this.”
“Sweetie, it’s not for us to understand. They need to find out who’s leaving the notes. It’s like the cops doing something, they need to collect evidence and follow leads. Sometimes it comes to a dead end. Sometimes it brings them to a suspect, but they need to prove it without a doubt. It’s not easy and it takes time,” I explain.