Sweet Little Lies

Chapter Nine

Harry was pretty sure he was being stood up.

He sat at the table alone, a glass of wine at his fingertips, waiting for Ivy to show up. It had already been fifteen minutes. Not long, but not her style. Ivy was impeccably on time at all times. Harry had half a mind to send someone to track her to make sure was okay, but he was almost certain that this was a big middle finger given to him by the heiress herself.

Ivy hadn't been happy about his efforts to spy on her. Stalking her, is what she called it. Griffin was needed for something with Harry, so he had another one of his family's bodyguards follow her. She gave him the slip in record time, only to call Harry that night to tell him to fuck off.

"Stop sicking your hound dogs after me, Styles." She said through the phone.

"I wouldn't have to if you weren't lying to me."

"It's none of your business." Then she hung up.

This was definitely on purpose. Harry didn't know why it bothered him so much that she was keeping secrets from him. He was definitely doing the same, but he had an inkling that this one was dangerous. Important, somehow.

This display of defiance was annoying. There were people here to see him sitting alone, obviously waiting for someone. And who would that someone be other than Ivy Malone? This would set them back, and surely make her father angry, which she seemed remarkably careless about. They would need to put in quite the show next time, so no one expected anything.

Ivy was infuriating, but he couldn't help but give her credit. Not many would dare to stand him up. There was something about her fearlessness that satisfied him. This was the woman he would be stuck with for - presumably - the best of his life. At least she would keep him on his toes.

A ping on his phone alerted him to a notification. Flipping it over, he clicked on it, taking him to Instagram. He couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. There was Ivy, her cousin, and their friend dressed in semi-matching pajama sets sitting on a couch. The caption read, No boys allowed, followed by some emojis. It already had ten thousand likes.

That was a message if he had ever seen one. Waving down the server, he ordered his meal and another glass of wine. Why waste a good meal? The silence was welcoming, this whole week being surrounded by people. Whether in meetings at work, conversing with Griffin about their plans, or sitting through painful meals with his parents, he didn't have a lot of time to himself.

Usually when this happened, he found himself at the Hollow, facing a larger opponent. Tonight, however, he had planned for a different distraction. Ivy's refusal only made him want her secret more, so he text Griffin and told him to meet him outside the restaurant in an hour.

He found his guard outside as he requested, and silently they made their way down the street. There was a slight wind chill tonight, but not enough to scare the people of Queenstown. Everyone was out on a Friday night, in packs or couples, making their way to their next destination.

Without speaking, they knew exactly where they were heading. Griffin had been tracking the spider Ivy had hired. They headed deep into the heart of the city, closer to the west side where affiliation lines grew murky. Still, no one would bother them. Griffin was too big and intimidating for that.

It was almost as if it got darker as they neared their destination, even though the sun had set hours ago. The lights were less bright, the rain heavier, the people more shrouded. The weight of his gun was felt on his waist, the knives in his coat pockets clunky, reminding him of their presence.

Finally, they reached Alter Street. It was just as busy as downtown, businesses lining the street. Seedy bars emanated loud music and the stench of cheap beer. A couple across the way screamed at each other as if they had no audience. But their real destination was just before a strip club. An alleyway that led to housing.