Wicked Games
An Ivy Morgan Mystery Book 17
Lily Harper Hart
HarperHart Publications
Copyright © 2020 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.
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Contents
1. One
2. Two
3. Three
4. Four
5. Five
6. Six
7. Seven
8. Eight
9. Nine
10. Ten
11. Eleven
12. Twelve
13. Thirteen
14. Fourteen
15. Fifteen
16. Sixteen
17. Seventeen
18. Eighteen
19. Nineteen
Mailing List
About the Author
Books by Lily Harper Hart
Books by Amanda M. Lee
1
One
Probation was a nightmare.
That’s all Ivy Morgan could think as she used a metal stick with a pointy end to pick up garbage along the highway that stretched between Shadow Lake and Alden. Well, not the only thing. Ivy also wondered why criminals — and she counted herself amongst that group — were allowed to have pointy sticks in the first place.
What if they stabbed one another?
What if they stabbed an animal?
What if they stabbed the county worker who was tasked with watching them?
There were so many what-ifs in Ivy’s head she couldn’t decide which one took precedence. She was so busy watching the other people she was working with that she could think of nothing else. So, basically, she picked up trash in a haze ... and wondered how she’d allowed her life to get here.
In truth, she was well aware how she’d gotten herself into this situation. She’d used her magic, broken into a house, saved a woman, and put her fiancé’s case in jeopardy with her actions. Technically she couldn’t regret what had happened — she’d saved a woman, after all — but she felt as if she were being punished for something that wasn’t entirely her fault.
That made her bitter.
“Take a twenty-minute break,” a voice announced at the front of the group, drawing Ivy’s attention. There, Greg Decker stood with his hands on his hips. He wasn’t technically an employee of the court system. She’d learned that the first day. He was an independent contractor. It was his job to make sure those assembled fulfilled their duty to society. He watched, barked orders, and mostly kept himself separate ... including long bouts of him staring at his phone in the shade.
It wasn’t that he thought he was superior or anything, at least in Ivy’s mind. He was pleasant, answered questions, and wasn’t overly aggressive. Ivy was convinced she would end up with some militant drill sergeant barking orders. That’s why she was pleasantly surprised when she met Greg. That didn’t exactly mean that her community service was anything other than a drag. She was desperate to fulfill her mandated hours, though, and then move on and focus on other things.
That was easier said than done.
“Did you bring lunch?” The woman who sat next to Ivy on a fallen tree trunk was young. She was barely out of her teens, bright-eyed and gregarious, and she boasted a bubbly nature that made Ivy like her ... even when she occasionally fantasized about gagging her.
Ivy shook her head. Jack Harker, her fiancé, suggested she pack something because the shift along the highway was going to be long. She’d opted against that because she knew her stomach wouldn’t allow her to settle enough to eat. This was her first day of trash pickup — although she’d volunteered her services in several clerical positions before this to fulfill her community service requirements — and she was a nervous wreck. The last thing she could think about was food.
“I’m okay.” Ivy flashed a smile for the girl’s benefit. She barely looked old enough to be in the adult court system. “It’s Angel, right?”
The girl nodded as she pulled a peanut butter sandwich out of her bag. “Angel Hall.”
“Where are you from?” Ivy was mostly looking for dull conversation to get her through the rest of the afternoon. Angel didn’t strike her as dangerous — although, to be fair, none of the people on the trash team struck her as violent offenders — and Ivy was anxious for something to take her mind off the next few hours.
“Traverse City.” Angel flashed a pretty smile as she held up her sandwich. “Are you sure you don’t want half? I would hate to think of you going hungry for the rest of the afternoon. We’re getting into the rough stretch.”
“I’m perfectly fine,” Ivy reassured her. “We only have three hours left. Then the shift is over. I can make it. I’ll eat at home.”
“Uh-huh.” Angel’s expression was thoughtful as she bit into her sandwich and regarded Ivy. “This is your first day, huh?”
“I’ve been doing other things,” Ivy replied hurriedly. “They’ve had me doing paperwork at the county court and filing at the juvenile lockup house near Bellaire.”
“Clerical gigs, huh?” Angel pursed her lips. “Those are the coveted positions. How did you get those?”
Ivy’s mind immediately went to Jack. In addition to being her future husband — a position he relished — he was also a detective with the Shadow Lake Police Department. He had a stellar reputation and a lot of respect. Ivy had no doubt he tried to keep her isolated from others as much as possible when it came to her community service assignments. Even he had a limit to his powers, though.
“I’m not sure.” Ivy flashed a smile she didn’t really feel. “I’m here now, though.” She looked around, uncomfortable. “Have you been with this group long?”
Angel shrugged. She didn’t seem particularly bothered about her circumstances. Ivy wished she could be that relaxed. “This is my second week,” she replied. “I was with another group before this. They were quiet, too.”
Ivy studied the girl’s face, curious despite herself. Jack warned her not to question the people she served with too zealously because he didn’t want them to feel as if Ivy was
