II. A Thoughtful Gesture

Ivory decided to retreat to her bedroom.

Ivory told Lily that she would see Lily later, and the two girls separated from the kitchen. Ivory felt that she would retrieve something from Blue, but she was unsure if Blue would consider giving her a bonus. Ivory opened her door and figured she could watch videos on her laptop.

Ivory made her way over to her desk but stopped when she saw a black jewelry box. The box was on her desk with a blue ribbon wrapped around it. Ivory chuckled when she saw the blue ribbon, knowing that Blue was behind the gift.

Ivory unwrapped the box and gaped when she peeked at what hid inside. Ivory glimpsed at the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen. Ivory picked up the tiny ring engraved with gold and silver stones in the center of the bright diamond. Ivory observed the ring before placing it on her finger.

Ivory read the note that came along with it. Rather than give her a check, Blue took the money and was thoughtful enough to take the money and purchase her a ring. Blue did this because he believed that she deserved something nice. Ivory never had a man buy her a present before. The kind gesture made Ivory smile, and she now felt the gang was where she belonged.

Lily entered Ivory's room. "Sorry to burst in, Ivory, ----" Lily stopped in her tracks as Ivory glanced at her good friend. "Ivory, where did you get that ring? It's so extravagant!"

"Blue got it for me."

"Blue? Really?" Lily gasped.

Ivory nodded and handed Lily the short letter that came along with the ring. Lily quickly scanned the words and shrieked.

"Ivory! Oh, this gift was so thoughtful! See? Blue's a decent guy when you show him your loyalty."

"What's going on in here?" Lucky asked as he and Hawks made their way into Ivory's room.

Ivory was so excited she could barely talk.

"Blue bought Ivory this ring!" Lily said cheerily and held Ivory's hand in front of the boys' faces. "Blue thought that buying her a ring with the bonus money was a better option than a check. He wanted Ivory to have something special. Don't you think this is sweet?"

Lucky studied the ring. "I like it! It looks expensive, but we all know Blue. Blue likes nice things."

"Blue does have exquisite taste," Lily smacked her lips.

"I wonder what his future wife will be like?" Ivory wondered.

"I bet she'll be dressed to the nine yards," Lily said.

Ivory noticed Lucky and Hawks weren't cracking jokes or goofing around. The two were acting strange.

"Hawks, don't you like it?" Ivory asked, noticing that Hawks was unusually quiet.

Hawks smiled, "I'm shocked, that's all. I don't remember him buying any woman a ring."

"Ivory was an orphan until she came here; I think Blue was being genuine, that's all," Lily grinned.

Ivory felt that Lucky and Hawks were awkward about the whole situation. It was like the brothers disliked that Blue bought Ivory jewelry. The young woman didn't ask the brothers because she felt it would make the situation even more awkward.

"Ivory, Blue spoke to me. He told me we leave in two days, so figure out what you're packing. We have an early morning flight."

"Why are we leaving early in the morning?"

"Mykonos from New York is ten and a half hours," Lily replied.

"What? Ten and a half hours?"

"Yeah, that's why Blue said we should leave in the morning. We can sleep most of the way there."

"Okay, that works," Ivory shrugged, worrying over the tormenting thoughts of a long and dreary flight.

"Hey, Lucky, have you ----" Ivory began, but she and Lily turned to see that the brothers were gone.

"They were acting strange," Lily said after a few moments of silence.

"You noticed that, too? I thought it was just me."

"It wasn't just you. Being in a gang makes you notice when people are acting out of character."

"Maybe the two were in a bad mood," Ivory concluded.

"It doesn't matter," Lily shrugged. "You should pack your stuff. Summer will be here soon. Mykonos will be warm."

"I'll start packing," Ivory smiled. "Thanks for inviting me."

"Of course, girl! We're best friends! I'll speak to you later or tomorrow morning. Once I finish packing, Harley and I are going to see a movie."

"That sounds like fun. See you later," Ivory said, and she watched Lily exit her room.

Ivory stared at her ring and watched it bling from the lights. Ivory wanted to thank Blue for the surprising and kind gift. Ivory knocked on Blue's bedroom door to see that his room was empty. Ivory ran to Blue's office to see him opening copy paper.

The gang leader was in his office alone, and he didn't seem to notice Ivory's entrance.

"Boss," Ivory said, catching the man's attention.

"I see you're wearing the ring," Blue replied.

"Thank you," Ivory said and hugged Blue around his muscular torso.

"I love my gift. It's beautiful."

Blue patted Ivory's head and gently rubbed her lower back. "No problem."

Ivory felt strange being so close to Blue, so she removed her grip. Ivory finally dared to ask Blue about driving. "I know you just bought me this ring, but when will I begin driving?"

"Why would you need to drive?"

"The other members drive. Plus, I don't want to carpool with the others. I figured it would be easier for everyone."

"The members have the chauffeurs drive them. The individual cars are for emergencies," Blue said.

Ivory nodded and was soon distracted by her pretty ring. Eventually, Ivory left Blue's office and went to pack her suitcase, as now would be the perfect time to prepare for her first-ever vacation. Blue silently watched Ivory trot down the hallway and smirked to himself.

When Ivory turned the corner, Blue walked back into his office, planning out the next few weeks inside his head. At least he had two weeks to think about the rapid changes.

Suddenly, Red and Spike opened the back door and exited the dark hallway.

"What is it, men?" Blue asked.

"I didn't think you gave little women presents," Spike spoke, thinking for a moment.

Red laughed, "Blue has a bit of a soft spot for Ivory."

"Oh, she's soft, all right," Spike said sarcastically.

Spike and Red laughed.

Blue scoffed and rolled his eyes. Then, he chuckled. "I think Ivory deserves the ring. Don't you?"

Spike nodded and handed Blue paperwork. "I have the data for this week. More and more people are buying weed. Soon, I think we'll harbor more clients."

"The Black Substance helps these people become addicted to our drugs," Red replied, "We'll wipe out those pathetic little street gangs."

"Any data on the meth?"

Spike shook his head. "The same people are buying the meth. I have no new buyers yet."

Blue checked the chart Spike printed for him and was content. "Good work, Spike."

"Spike," Red began, "Have you noticed that Hawks and Lucky have been acting strange?"

"Yeah, I overheard Lily tell her sister before they left the base."

"I wonder what those twerps are up to?" Red began thinking.

"They're probably on their man periods," Spike rolled his eyes.

Blue and Red made eye contact.

"Boss, I have something to show you," Red began, not sure how to break the news to Blue.

"Sure, Spike, you're dismissed," Blue replied.

Spike nodded and exited through the back door.

Red remembered what Harley had sent him and told Blue about the conversation he and the vindictive spy had earlier this morning. Blue silently listened to Red and sneered at the photo Red showed him. Red and Blue spoke more about the situation, and then the two leaders developed an inference onto why Hawks and Lucky were behaving oddly.

Blue told Red his big secret. Blue explained why he had Ivory working for him. Blue admitted that Hawks and Lucky knew the reason why Ivory was affiliated. The two were supposed to be keeping an eye on her. Blue concluded that Hawks probably doesn't believe that the rules apply to him. Blue told Red that the gang had two weeks to settle the conflict, and Red agreed.

"Ivory's ring shows that I have control over her," Blue laughed. "Ivory's files were destroyed. Ivory has nowhere else to go. Hawks is a fool if this little rumor is indeed true."

"Why do you have Hawks here anyway?" Red asked.

Blue leered, "Hawks is obedient; he's good at attracting what I need."

Red choked, "I sometimes forget what a genius you are."

Blue shrugged, "Hawks is a pretty boy; he charms many girls. It's too bad he's using his looks to his advantage. Let's go and plan this out."

Blue and Red left the office, discussing future events. Blue and Red knew that whatever took place behind the scenes always unraveled. In the end, Blue knew he would be victorious. Blue always won; he loved when people thought they could sneak around behind his back. Blue always proved everyone wrong, and if some members didn't believe it, they would start acknowledging Blue's intuition soon.

Blue loved games, and he felt ready to investigate.

No one was smarter than Blue, and he would prove it, too.