During the next few days, the police returned her purse containing her dead phone. Seeing her keys and untouched wallet nestled inside made Ivy breathe a sigh of relief before shivering as she remembered having it knocked out of her hand as they shoved her against the wall. They hadn’t cared at all about anything other than capturing her.
“Let’s go get your car, Ivy.”
“I don’t know if I can drive,” she said hesitantly.
“I’ll be right there with you. Storm? Can you drop us off at the bank?” Steele asked.
“Take your truck?” Storm asked, straightening up from the chopper he was working on.
“That would be best.”
“I don’t want to bother you,” Ivy apologized.
“No problem. We all have each other’s backs here,” the heavily tattooed guy pointed out.
“That must be nice,” Ivy commented as the trio walked toward a battered truck in the parking lot.
It looked like it had gone through a million battles and barely survived, but when Storm turned the key, it purred like an expensive sports car. The look on her face must have been pure amazement as she glanced back and forth between them because both men chuckled as Steele wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her close.
“Many things are much different under the hood than they appear on the surface,” Steele said with a wink.
Ivy cuddled against him, telling herself she was giving Storm room to maneuver as he drove. The two large bodies staked a large portion of the bench seat, making her feel protected. She felt invincible between them even as they drew closer to the bank.
When her head swam from the motion of the curves, Steele helped her shift to drape over his lap, so his bulk supported her head as well and didn’t move. His hand stroked over her back to comfort her as she relaxed, savoring the contact with his warmth.
“Last turn, Little girl. You can sit up.” Steele assisted her as she rose from her position.
Smiling at the sight of her car waiting for her, Ivy was happy to have a bit of normalcy in her life.
Storm parked in front of the sedan and Steele hopped out and turned to help Ivy slide off the high seat. She automatically looked toward the large plate-glass window in the back of the bank and noted several familiar faces assisting patrons visiting the drive-thru. She raised a hand to wave, but no one responded.
In her mind, Ivy made a bunch of excuses for their lack of acknowledgement. Maybe they’d been slammed with bank traffic earlier or the glare through the glass didn’t allow them to recognize her.
Steele wrapped his arm around her as if he felt her distress. “It’s okay, Little girl.”
“They aren’t even looking at me,” she whispered.
“Do you want to start the car before I leave, just in case?” Storm asked from his seat in the idling truck.
“It will be fine. Go ahead,” Steele answered and closed the door.
Storm nodded and headed out.
“I think we need to go into the bank,” Steele proposed, watching her face.
“I don’t know if I can go in there,” Ivy protested, moving closer to him as she turned away from the back entrance where those horrid men had kidnapped her.
“What’s going to be easier when you return to work—going back for the first time alone or having me with you now?”
“You,” she whispered.
“I have some checks to deposit. Come with me while I take care of business.”
Taking her hand, Steele led her around the building to the front entrance. She caught sight of her reflection in the window. Her jeans and T-shirt were not the perfectly pressed suit that had become her work uniform throughout the years.
She dragged him to a stop. “I’m not dressed right to go in there. I could just wait by the car.”
“You’re not leaving my sight, Little girl. Do you really think everyone believes you wake up in those formal clothes? Someone has seen you in jeans before.”
A few random encounters with bank employees outside of work popped into her mind. They knew she wore other things. She looked back at her image and grimaced at the large vivid green-and-purple bruising on the side of her face, wishing for makeup to disguise the damage she’d suffered.
Her gaze flew to meet his when Steele wrapped her fingers around the frayed vest he wore. She latched onto it with a fierce grip that made her knuckles white. Instantly, her anxiety diminished and Ivy’s shoulders lowered from a stressed position around her ears. She nodded at Steele to let him know she was ready.
As they walked into the lobby, Ivy paused to look around. The familiar feel of the financial institution calmed her further, but she didn’t let go of his cut.
“Ivy?” The woman at the front desk rose and rushed over to stand in front of her. Her hand lifted as if her first impulse was to touch the bruising staining her boss’s face before she caught herself and dropped her hand to her side.
“Hi, Virginia. I’m afraid the doctor hasn’t released me to come back yet. Steele had some banking business to do, so I came to pick up my car,” Ivy explained.
“The doctor? Mr. Harris told us you were on vacation,” Virginia whispered.
“On vacation? No!” Ivy shook her head and swayed when a rush of dizziness swooped over her. Steele wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her.
Squaring her shoulders, Virginia glared at the tattooed biker and asked her boss, “Do you need me to call the police, Ivy?”
Not understanding why she’d ask that, Ivy stared at Virginia.
“Ivy, I believe Virginia believes I injured you,” Steele said in a bored tone that expressed that this was not the first time people had assumed he was a criminal—or a woman beater. The rigid tension in his body next to Ivy was the only indication of his indignation at being stereotyped so harshly.
“Oh, no!” Ivy looked from him to Virginia and repeated her vehement rebuttal of that assumption. “He saved me. Those guys that abducted me when I left the bank tied me up and threw me in a dumpster like garbage.”
“Someone abducted you? From here?” Virginia covered her throat with one hand.
“I was in the hospital before Steele took me to the Shadowridge Guardians’ compound,” Ivy rushed to explain.
“The hospital? Ivy, we didn’t know.” She turned to look at the other employees, who watched their interaction closely as they worked. Virginia waved over a woman who hovered a few feet away. “Beatriz, a group of men attacked Ivy when she left the bank after closing.”
“What?” The color leached out of the young woman’s face. She rushed forward to hug Ivy. “Are you okay?”
Ivy tugged on Steele’s cut, drawing their attention back to the man next to her. “This is Steele, ladies. He saved me.”
Virginia straightened her spine and held a hand out to the handsome man next to Ivy. “Mr. Steele, thank you.”
Steele shook her hand and repeated the gesture when Beatriz offered hers as well. “Ivy actually saved herself by making noise.”
“And, in the process, caused a brain injury that has to heal. The doctor won’t allow me to come back until I’m less scrambled,” Ivy explained. “I don’t know why Mr. Harris told you I was on vacation. Perhaps he didn’t want everyone to be worried about their safety. That should be the focus now. Everyone should leave in groups. Could you spread the word for me?”
“Of course. They haven’t caught the horrible men who hurt you?” Beatriz asked.
“Not yet,” Ivy warned, peeking up at Steele, who squeezed her a little tighter before shifting Ivy slightly. She moved without asking any questions.
He leaned forward to say to her softly, “Don’t move from this spot.” When she nodded, he strolled to the window to complete his business and allow her to speak privately to the women as he kept her in view at all times.
“Are you safe with him?” Virginia asked.
“With Steele?” Ivy asked and laughed. “I’m safer than I’ve ever been.”
“When are you coming back?” Beatriz asked.
“The doctor won’t let me come back for another week. Then they’ll check to see how my brain is healing.” Ivy paused to wave a hand over her bruising. “I hate to leave everyone in a lurch, but my thought processes haven’t settled back into place yet. I’d be a detriment here.”
“People have been so mad. We’re all working extra days and longer shifts. Mr. Harris said it was because you had demanded to take vacation time without notice,” Virginia shared with gladiator-level rage etched on her face.
Ivy used all her business skills to not allow her anger to show as well. “I don’t know why he would tell you this.”
“Oh, we’ll be sure to spread the word about your vacation as well,” Beatriz assured her.
“Maintaining a professional atmosphere in the bank is more important than anything else. I do not wish to return to the bank to find a conduct violation report for you or anyone else.” Ivy tried to squash the rumor mill process before it could catch fire.
Beatriz nodded to acknowledge the warning. “Got it, boss. I can’t wait until you’re back. It will give people hope that this crap is temporary.” Daring to hug Ivy, she dashed off as the lines at the tellers’ windows grew.
“Several people are talking about turning in their notice. We’ll try to hold it together until you get back. Don’t worry about us. Just heal,” Virginia urged.
As the powerful biker returned to Ivy’s side, Virginia added, “Mr. Steele, keep her safe.”
“I’ll guard her with my life,” he promised, and there was no way to miss the truth of that solemn oath.