Sins of a Bad Boy (The Original Bad Boys Book 1) (30 page)

“Jesus Christ, Ivy!” he spoke in a tormented tone while jumping to his feet. “You used me to get revenge against Jeremy?”

“No, it just played out that way. I didn’t plan it. I ran away from your guard because I knew you saw me with Sean. Then I rushed to Sins, hoping to give you time to cool down. And that’s when Jeremy caught me. I didn’t want him to tell you who I was, because I wanted more time with you, William.”

He shook his head while closing the distance between them in one long step, then tangled his fingers in her hair to cup the back of her head. “Don’t you see what you’ve done?!”

She rested both her palms on his chest. “No! If you just look beyond your anger, nothing has changed. I’m still the same person. I didn’t con you! I can pay you back the money I stole from the office. Please! I’ll find a way to pay you back. Just let me go. I’ve been honest now. I told you everything,” she implored.

“We are far beyond the point of simply returning the money you stole, Ivy. You’re not Ivy Ravensdale, so I no longer have the option of your father making sure you keep your mouth shut to save his own life. You’ve witnessed what happens in my clubs. You’ve witnessed how Charles and I guarantee our empire stays viable. You’ve witnessed how far we go to ensure our place in this world. You know we don’t play nice. You’re a liability to us. You’ve confessed to being a con woman! Nothing you say can be trusted. You’ve endangered yourself by living in my world under another name.”

“But I’ll never tell. What do I have to gain by revealing your sins?”

He made a derisive sound. “That’s what they all say.”

“William, don’t forget that
you
kidnapped
me
. Don’t pretend to be a saint and make me the only sinner.”

His eyes were vacant, devoid of any emotion, which made the situation ever more foreboding.

She stood on her tiptoes, sliding her palm up his neck to rest on his cheek and kissed his mouth, then whispered brokenly against his lips, “Please, there’s always a way out.”

“There isn’t for you.” There was a strain in his voice dismissing his cold words. He sternly let her go and paced to the elevator without looking back once.

“Where are you going? William! William!”

She went after him, but the door closed before her eyes.

CHAPTER 35

William

William’s mind spun. He hung on the edge of true madness. Persistently, the encounters since the first time he saw Ivy troubled him.

He should’ve known.

When William first met Ivy, he’d believed they were so different. But in reality, she came from the same poor place as he. Only, she was still stuck in that seedy position of being someone society looked down upon. 

The task to focus and keep his bearings was impossible. The strangest thing was how his temper had flared when Ivy confessed what Jeremy had done to her in that alley. And since William had lost his grip on his emotions, he headed down the corridor to his private room.

Bursting inside, he went straight to Jeremy.

“Did you talk to Ivy?”

William clutched Jeremy’s dark hair. “I did.” And he swung his fist into his face, over and over. “You raped her!”

Blood gushed from Jeremy’s nose, and he didn’t even get the chance to speak in between blows. William punched him until his knuckles bruised, and only then did he release Jeremy, out of breath.

Jeremy’s chin dropped to his chest as spit fell from his mouth.

William clenched and unclenched his fist, attempting to control his ragged breaths, seeking a calmness that wouldn’t come.

No more delaying. Surely Charles eagerly awaited an update. That conversation would seal Ivy’s fate.

Seldom had William endured spiraling emotions like those that were rioting inside him. They left a bitter taste in his mouth. While he wasn’t looking forward to executing his initial plan, he dreaded what was bound to happen next.

Inhaling a deep breath, he entered Charles’s office, apparently just as Charles arrived himself, as he was hanging his hat on the brass rack.

“William, you’re right on time to inform me of what’s going on.” He took his usual place behind his desk.

“I need a drink,” William mentioned without sitting down.

Charles’s brows furrowed, but he poured a generous amount of whiskey from the decanter on his desk and leaned forward to hand it over.

William consumed it in one gulp and set it on the table. Then he placed his hands on the edge of the oak desk.

“William?” Charles prompted.

“The woman upstairs isn’t Ivy Ravensdale.”

“That’s impossible.”

“It
is
possible,” William countered.

“What happened at Alfred’s? Charles beckoned to him to sit, but William’s tensed body failed to oblige.

“I told him I have his daughter. Alfred replied that she’s in England.”

Charles’s eyes widened. “Are you positive he’s telling the truth?”

“Yes! I asked
you
who she was months ago when I first met her, and you told me she was a Ravensdale. You didn’t identify her correctly.”

“I distinctly remember seeing her with the nametag ‘Ivy Ravensdale’ at some soiree,” Charles defended.

“That’s correct; you did see her with that tag.”

“Who is she then?”

“She’s Ivy Hunter. She’s a con woman,” William expressed.

Charles began to put together what had happened. “So is she conning us? No, wait. First tell me how you handled Alfred.”

“I took care of that simply. I told him that now we know his daughter is in London and that I was only threatening him, but if he doesn’t pay up in two weeks, I’ll make the threat a reality.”

“Good thinking. Did you confront Ivy when you returned?”

“I did. She says she’s not scamming us, and I believe her. She says she fell in love with me and couldn’t follow through with any of her deceitful plans. However, she and her accomplice, her brother, are the perpetrators of the club thefts the last couple of months.”

“And the money from my office?” Charles inquired.

“That
was
her doing. Oh, and listen to this. She knows Ben.”

“Ben?”

“The boy that witnessed me killing the caretakers on the day you and I met,” William explained.

Charles poured himself a drink as well. “Well, this just keeps getting better. How does Ben fit in?”

“Ben is one of her accomplices. The day you and I met was the same day she met Ben. She’s also an orphan, by the way. She, Sean, and Ben had the initial plan to target us. Ben’s idea, of course.”

“Does she know about what happened at the orphanage with you ten years ago?” Charles sipped his whiskey.

“I’m not sure. I’m inclined to believe she doesn’t.”

“Where is she now?”

“Still in my apartment.”

Charles hesitated before voicing his next statement. “Deep down, we both felt she was untrustworthy. This explains everything.”

“I know.”

“She has seen private dealings of our business that may never be made public, William. Do you realize that with discovering she’s a con woman, she—”

“Is a liability to us? I understand that perfectly,” William interrupted in a cold tone.

In turn, Charles grasped the turmoil William felt.

“Anything else I need to know?” Charles asked.

“No. Oh, she’s eighteen, by the way.”

“So she’s young, poor, sly, and a good con woman. William, I only see one option left for us. We need to get rid of her. We need to eliminate her. She can’t be trusted.”

William straightened, combed his hair back with both hands, and clasped his fingers behind his head. His throat burned as he stared at a random point on the painted wall. The annoyance that pinged inside switched to hurt.

How could he eliminate the one woman he cared for? Yesterday, he’d just come to terms with letting her go. Now he had to erase her from this earth? As if she never existed. As if she hadn’t turned his world on its axis.

“William, promise me that we haven’t killed men and fought for years and years to have this empire just to jeopardize it over this slip of a woman?”

“We haven’t,” he replied, without moving a muscle.

“Are you sure?” Concern threaded Charles’s words.

No.
“Yes.”

“Do you want Silk to take care of her?”

NO!

“No, I’ll do it.” William mustered a wan smile.

There was a torment in his mind that wouldn’t ease. There was a pain in his chest that wouldn’t cease.

CHAPTER 36

Ivy

Ivy had thrown on the lilac dress when William left and was pacing back and forth in the living room.

“Shit, shit, shit!” she whisper-shouted.

What would he do when he got back?

No more time to brood over that; he’d returned.

Crossing the threshold, William cut quite a commanding figure.

She halted mid-pace.

William blankly stared at her, and then he headed to his bedroom.

As her mistrustful eyes followed him, she witnessed blood on his hands and discolorations on his knuckles.

What had he done?

Ivy stayed in the exact same spot. She heard the faucet running. A drawer being slammed shut. Then he strode back.

Although all hope had fled, she still attempted one last time to reason with him. As usual, she felt the tightening low in her stomach and the slow drum of her heart when their gazes collided.

“William, what happened to your knuckles?” she murmured, daring to inch closer to him and lift his hand in hers. While she touched the marred skin, a burst of hope resumed. “Did you go to Jeremy? Did you hit him?” Her head shot up to look at William.

He was silent, his expression betraying not the slightest flicker of emotion as he took in her features.

“You did, didn’t you?” Ivy tried her hardest to blink back impending tears. She brought his hand up to her mouth and rained soft kisses on his knuckles.

“Ivy.” His voice was so soft that she could’ve imagined it.

She seized the moment and kissed him. He didn’t participate at first, but when she licked his lips, they opened, and his fingers tangled roughly in her curls. His tongue danced with hers in a startling provocative duel.

Don’t turn away from me. You’re the man my heart has chosen.

Ivy wasn’t brave enough to speak those words aloud. She’d already confessed to loving him while he might be plotting to get rid of her.

They moved closer to each other, and his hands rapidly drifted down to cup her ass. She hooked her legs around his waist when he lifted her up, slamming her back against the wall as they shared an alarmingly pleasurable kiss.

Ivy moaned into his mouth and groaned louder when his erection pushed against her center. Arching her back, she grasped his hair as their teeth clashed. William pressed her against the wall fiercely. Uncontrollably. Both lost in a savage moment of turbulent attraction that seemed to permanently brew between them.

Ivy’s hands glided down his neck, into the collar of his dress shirt.

He found bare skin under her skirt and nudged her panties aside, rubbing her slit.

“Oh, William,” she whimpered.

All of a sudden, he stopped, breathing unevenly against her lips.

“William?” Ivy whispered.

“We can’t do this.” He slid her down and palmed his neck.

“Why?” she asked, even though she knew the answer.

“Don’t start distracting me. You’re quite sly.” His voice had gone flat and hard.

Her breath lodged. So, seducing him had failed for the first time. He definitely had already conjured a plan. William had probably discussed her with Charles. Apprehension clamored inside Ivy, along with indignation. Why should she declare love over and over again to make things up to him while he wasn’t innocent in all of this either? He fucking kidnapped her!

“At least I fight for us. What’s your plan, William? Did you discuss me with your boss? Your mentor?” she spat, reaching her boiling point.

His displeasure finally became palpable, and the lines of his profile hardened. Gone was the man who had reined in his feelings from her since he came back five minutes ago.

She adopted the haughtiest expression she could draft. “You’ve let Charles decide the course of your life for so long. I expect nothing less than his giving you orders about how to deal with me.”

“Shut up!” he snapped, revealing that she’d hit a soft spot and was right.

Nonetheless, Ivy continued, “You will listen to what I have to say. I’ve kept quiet for months while you played your game as well. You’re an exact copy of Charles. Only, his darkness is more contained than yours. Where you’re volatile, he’s calmness. Perhaps that makes him even more dangerous than you. He’s molded you into what you hate most. You claim to hate the upper class, but you’re just like them. Your greed has infected your mind. How much more money and power do you need? You always talk derogatorily about the upper class society, but you’re one of them, only, you’ve been so focused and ruled by your greed for so many years that you can’t even see it. You are judge and jury. You think you’re above the law. Do you think all your money and power will keep you warm at night? One day, Charles will be dead, and you’ll be all alone, and you cling to him now because you don’t want to be alone. You’re just too scared to trust people. And that doesn’t make you strong. No, quite the opposite, it makes you a coward. At the end of day, you have a lonely relationship with your precious money.” Her tone lowered. “Emotions, you shy away from them. Love is a weakness to you. You’re afraid to love me while I tried to make you feel more, to make you see that I’m here, to love you, yet you refuse to budge. So what if I’m a con woman? No other woman could stand beside you. You’re a sinner too! And a bigger one than I am.”

William fisted his hands at his side and crowded Ivy.

“You want to hit me? I’ll hit you back if you touch me,” Ivy said.

Towering over her, his nostrils flared violently. He wasn’t used to any backtalk from anyone. Everyone blew smoke up his ass.

“The truth hurts, doesn’t it?” she commented spitefully.

If looks could kill, she would’ve been dead.

It was the first time in months that she’d felt like her old self. Being Ivy Ravensdale had been daunting. Being submissive to him had been arousing, yet also challenging. Often times, she’d wanted to provoke him more, but as a Ravensdale, she couldn’t. Even though, she did suspect that’s what fascinated him about her. In the beginning, she believed they thrived on provoking one another. Now, she refused to show him her fear. If he planned to end her, then she wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Ivy’s full lips tipped up into a sad rendition of a smile. “You have nothing to say now?”

With that comment, he exploded. William braced both hands beside her head. Then he smashed his fist once, twice, three times into the wall beside her ear, breaking the plaster.

Ivy winced, turning her head to the side, and tried to push him away. William didn’t waver a beat. Steam came from his ears, and his chest heaved violently.

“You better shut up now,” he said through clenched teeth.

Ivy swallowed, rendered silent by his unrestrained and terrifying fury.

A pregnant silence ensued, and eventually, he spoke. “Come with me.”

“Where?”

He cocked his head. “Stop asking questions. I won’t answer them.”

From the reluctance that flashed behind his silver-grey eyes, she realized he might have been ordered to eliminate her. William had already explained she was a liability to them. And she’d seen how Charles and William easily made people disappear.

Her courage reappeared in full force. “Where are you taking me?”

He snagged her wrist and hurled her forward, to the elevator. “Move.”

Inside, he faced Ivy. Inspecting her in a way he’d never done before. William was torn; he didn’t even try to hide it.

A sense of foreboding alarmed Ivy. William was on the verge of obeying orders. She feared her life would end within minutes.

How could he do this to her? Had every kiss, every touch between them meant nothing to him?

Ivy had possessed the absurd notion for much too long that she could tame William’s wild heart, but she finally got that doing so would be impossible. She’d convinced herself of foolish dreams.

“You’ll regret this one day. This day will haunt you if you hurt me,” she stated with tears stinging her eyes, adamant not to let them flow freely.

And then, the inconceivable occurred: he winced. For only a nanosecond, but she’d noted it. William could act all tough, but she’d come to know the man beneath the hard exterior of a fighter. And he’d never understand how killing her would wound him more than it would ever hurt her.

“Are you sure about that?” he countered viciously, cradling her cheeks to angle her head up. Then he kissed her roughly. “Nothing fazes me. What do you think these months have done to me? You played your game while I played mine, sweet Ivy.”

“I don’t think you were playing a game anymore. And stop handling me like I’m one of your nitwit whores. You said yourself that I’m crafty. I know you feel something for me. But your damn pride or greed is overruling your mind now. Just stop and think for a goddamn second what you’re doing. What the repercussions would be! I have a brother who’ll never give up on finding me. And he already knows I was kidnapped by you. Furthermore, so many people have seen me in both of your clubs. And there’s also Ben.”

She used the last card she had. Ivy had always suspected that something highly important had gone down between Ben and William. Something that evidently troubled William, since hearing Ivy mention Ben had made him tighten his fingers in her hair.

“Ben?” just the one word.

“Yes, Ben,” she bluffed.

“What about Ben?”

“Do I need to spell it out?”

His eyes narrowed, the silver irises appearing as shards of ice. “Yes, you need to spell it out.”

She pursed her lips and continued her bluff, “I
know
.”

His brow arched insolently.

The elevator stopped as they glared at one another.

Then the corner of William’s mouth quirked up into a knowing grin. “I’ve enjoyed your sass. But you know nothing.” Another hard kiss, then he whispered against her lips, “I promise you that I’ll never forget you.”

This was the end.

Think, think, Ivy.

“William, don’t do this,” she pleaded.

He seized Ivy’s arm and shoved her out of the elevator, refusing to speak any more.

She scanned the hallway. He’d taken her to the second underground floor that housed his private room and the fight club.

The passageway in the second underground floor has an exit that leads to the ‘L’ train station.

She recalled Sean’s words. This was the passageway he was referring to.

William dragged her along the familiar hall to his private room.

She needed to get away from him. Once he locked her in his room, it was over for her.

“William!” Silk came out of the dimness further down the corridor.

“Silk, not now. I don’t have time,” William said agitatedly.

Silk still asked his question, “Do you have Jeremy?”

“What? No. Isn’t he in my room?” William kept his fingers around Ivy’s bicep.

“Jeremy’s gone,” Silk announced with wide eyes.

“How’s that possible?” William replied in frustration and unwittingly loosened his grip on her.

Ivy broke free with all her power and sprinted in the other direction.

“Motherfucker!” William roared.

She had a head start since William needed to instruct Silk first.

“Find Jeremy. Right now!” Ivy heard William yell to Silk as she turned the corner.

She ran to the end of the hall, rounding corners as fast as she could in this maze of corridors to keep out of William’s clutches.

“Ivy!”

William was gaining speed on her, following her effortlessly as the heels of her boots clicked loudly off the concrete and she bumped into the narrow walls of the unending passageways. The further she got, the darker it became, until she was having trouble focusing her vision or seeing anything.

Then after spinning into another hallway, everything became black.

Sweat trickled down her nape as her breathing increased and fear trembled her legs. How she despised the dark and being alone in this creepy flight path.

William had stopped calling her, but she could hear his fast paces closing in on her.

At last, Ivy slowed and, taking unsteady steps forward, was able to feel her way around. Then, not feeling that the corridor had ended, she banged her face against a cold wall, and a splintering pain shattered through her forehead.

Dread almost paralyzed her; however, she forced herself to stay calm, inhaling and exhaling. But it didn’t work, and she was in a mindless state of panic. Ivy couldn’t go back. She’d come so far, and now she was stuck!

Wearily, Ivy felt around with both palms pressing against opposite walls. On her right, she touched a cold railing. Her fingers traced it to the shape of a square. Extending her arm, she sensed another square – it was a ladder. So she looked up, squinting her eyes. She wasn’t sure, but there was a flicker of light at the top. It must be a pipe.

She stepped onto the ladder and climbed up.

“Ivy?” William shouted. He was in the dark hall beneath her.