Sins of a Bad Boy (The Original Bad Boys Book 1) (28 page)

CHAPTER 32

Ivy

Ivy sat with her head bent down when the door creaked open, and she looked up with blurred vision.

William edged closer and kneeled before her, thumbing away the tears flowing down her cheeks. There was such an undercurrent of sorrow on his face.

“I’m going to end this tomorrow, Ivy. I’m going to your father.”

Her world stopped with those words.

Ivy ran a hand through his thick, dark hair, breathing in his scent and resisting the urge to sigh. She couldn’t withstand more of his interrogation and tried to avoid him picking up the conversation where they’d left off before Charles barged in.

“I want you to erase Jeremy’s touch.”

No other words were needed, and he accommodated her plea.

William’s mouth found the curve of her throat, and his tongue teased out to drag along the line of her pulse. His fingers worked to unbutton the dress shirt she wore, sliding it off her shoulders.

As he stood, she hooked her fingers inside his boxers and tugged them down, skimming her hands over his rigidly sculpted chest and stomach
.

Not for a moment during their ministrations did their eyes leave each other.

Then she lay back on the center of his bed and he settled over her, nestled between her legs. He braced one hand on each side of her head and dropped his mouth to just below her ear, running his tongue along the delicate skin there.

Ivy wrapped her arms around his neck while rubbing her soaking sex against his hard length and stroking his shoulders. Her heart slammed in her chest as emotions tightened her throat.

William moved a palm down her side, over her stomach, and down her center, circling her clit with his finger and thumb in the most intense way. She didn’t feel any pain down there from what had happened earlier that night.

He eased himself off Ivy and rolled her to her stomach to kiss his way down her spine and to her ass, where he bit her, like he always did, branding her, and she loved it. Then he licked her once.

Again, he steadied himself on top, but she turned her head to say, “William, I want to see you.”

He shifted them back into their original position, dragging her against him and spreading her legs. She was wide open as he teased the head of his cock at her entrance and sank inside, inch by inch. One of his hands came around her middle, behind the small of her back, and the other hand weaved into her hair.

Ivy arched her back as he slid in and out and trailed her fingers down his face, hooking her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips as their lips touched. His tongue slipped into the depths of her mouth.

They fucked in the same rhythm as they kissed.

Although their movements were slow and deliberate, there was a fraught hint to the way they touched each other. It wasn’t fucking; they were making love. It was a goodbye, and they both felt it without speaking the words.

She could feel the thudding of his heart, sense its increase in tempo as she met his thrusts with soft moans. Her whimpers urged him on.

Both his hands cupped her ass, and he slammed harder, deeper. She felt his touch in every nerve ending of her shaking body as she screamed his name while riding the tide of pleasure. Her whole body tensed, quivering.

He trembled as he came with a growl of ultimate bliss, gripping the flesh of her ass while he slanted his mouth over hers.

Their kiss was the exact opposite of their lovemaking. It was frantic. The saddest farewell.

Ivy kept stroking his hair as he rested his head on her chest.

For ages, they lay in that position, holding each other.

Ivy found comfort in his arms. She knew it was the last time he’d touch her like that. Once he uncovered the truth, he’d probably kill her.

Her escape plan assembled in her mind throughout the night while sleep was all but nonexistent.

CHAPTER 33

William

“What did Silk do with Jeremy last night?” Charles wanted to know as they strolled just down the street from the high-rise where carriages and vehicles bustled toward the park.

“He bandaged Jeremy’s hand, gave him painkillers and a sedative, and locked him up. Silk believes I should rethink my decision to let him go. According to him, releasing Jeremy can only lead to more trouble. He says a guy as vindictive as Jeremy will strike back somehow.”

William had left his bed that morning before Ivy awoke and checked in with Silk. William didn’t want to talk to her; he needed to extricate himself from her clutches in order to execute his plan with Ravensdale.

“He makes a good point. Let’s not forget that Jeremy is a privileged young man. He’s not wily enough to look at the big picture to see how vengeance could get him killed.”

“Perhaps.”—William rolled his sleeve up to his elbow, exposing his tattoos—“I’ll talk to Jeremy later, before I make any decisions.”

They stopped because they were splitting up to go in different directions.

“I wasn’t expecting Alfred to return my message within an hour this morning, so I’m annoyed I can’t join you, but I can’t cancel this appointment with the accountant,” Charles apologized once more that William had to confront Alfred alone.

“I’ll handle it. Don’t worry. I’ll return as soon as I’m done.”

Charles tipped his hat. “Good luck.”

William headed to Alfred’s townhouse to end what had started on a random night when Charles and William were low on cash and made a rash decision to kidnap Ivy.

This was what it all came down to, what they had worked toward. Well, what
he
was
supposed
to have been working toward, but Ivy had distracted him nicely for a long time.

He breathed in the fresh air and walked on.

***

“Mr. Kade,” William was welcomed into the extravagant brown-brick house by a skinny footman.

“Mr. Ravensdale is already awaiting your arrival in the formal room. Please follow me.”

William trailed him through the decadent hall adorned with Turkish carpets. Massive oak dressers decked with fresh flowers in porcelain vases lined the wall.

William couldn’t imagine Ivy living here.

The wall was filled with pictures. He glanced at them as he passed the frames and frowned when he didn’t see Ivy in any of them. William looked up and down, keeping up with the man, searching for her face. But she wasn’t captured in any of the photos.

“Mr. Kade has arrived.” The servant stood in the doorway and extended his arm.

William entered as Alfred made an attempt to stand up from his sofa. “No need to stand on my account, Ravensdale.”

They waited until the servant closed the door as he left, giving them privacy.

Alfred waved his hand toward a chair opposite the sofa. “What do you want, Kade? I receive a message from Charles first thing in the morning to request a meet, and then he sends you?”

William sank down on the cushion, resting his ankle over his knee. “I think you know why I’m here.”

Alfred leaned back, placing his arm along the back of the sofa. “I haven’t been in the gambling club.”

“I know. But you still have an outstanding debt with us.”

His eyes narrowed. “Did you come to collect now? Because I can tell you that I don’t have it yet.”

“I was afraid you’d say that, but we’ve given you enough time, wouldn’t you say?”

Alfred played it cool, but the tapping of his foot on the carpet betrayed his nervousness. “So what do you want?”

William leaned forward, placing his elbows on his thighs and clasping his fingers together. “Aren’t you missing something?”

A wrinkle appeared in Alfred’s forehead. “Missing? No.”

This was not the answer William expected. “I have your daughter.”

His brows hit his hairline before he frowned. “What do you mean
you have my daughter
?”

“I have Ivy.”

“Did you kidnap her?” he retorted and stood ramrod straight.

This was certainly not the reaction he was expecting. How can he not know that his daughter has been missing for months? William didn’t move a muscle and calmly repeated, “I have Ivy.”

“That’s impossible. Not even you and Charles have power that extends all the way to London.”

London? What the hell was he talking about?

William concealed his complete surprise and was starting to feel as confused as Alfred.

For a second, he closed his eyes, and the last few months flashed behind his lids.

Ivy was often unreadable.

Ivy was unladylike.

Ivy didn’t have a strong British accent.

Ivy cursed like a man.

Ivy’s attitude shifted so often.

Ivy was so receptive to his debauchery.

No pictures of Ivy in this house.

The truth slammed into him ruthlessly, crumbling him. William felt the stab of her disloyalty and betrayal. Rage rumbled like an unquenchable fire. The woman in his apartment was not Ivy Ravensdale at all. That ever present sensation that something didn’t add up with her had found its validation.

He snapped his eyes open to an Alfred that had started to pace, yet he didn’t come near William. As sweat trickled down William’s neck, he managed to keep his composure unruffled.

Audaciously, William eased back into the chair and moved his arms to the armrests, stretching his long legs, ankles crossed. Since he didn’t actually have Ivy Ravensdale as a captive, he needed to change the plan right then and there.

“Stop pacing, Alfred.”

“I’m going to contact London right now.”

“No,” William stated, “You’re going to sit.” He pointed to the sofa.

Alfred hesitated, with nostrils flaring, and then he obeyed William and sat. “Do you have her? Where? How?”

“I don’t have Ivy. But, I do know where she is now, don’t I? This is your last warning though. I’m giving you two weeks to pay up, or this threat will become reality. Trust me, Charles’s power
does
extend to England. You’ll never know if Ivy is truly safe as long as you owe me money.” And he ended the conversation.

It took all his strength, but he didn’t barge out of there like he wanted to. No, he strolled out the same way he came in. And the minute his feet hit the pavement outside, William bolted to his apartment, in a hurry to get to Ivy and aggravated that he hadn’t taken the car.

Who the fuck was the woman he’d kidnapped?

***

The return journey had given him time to collect his thoughts. He had a million questions for Ivy, or whatever her name was. As he marched down his own street, he remembered Ivy’s strange reaction to Jeremy Dechamps and how quick she had been to persuade William not to give Jeremy a chance to speak. Jeremy might know more about this woman.

Instead of rushing up to his apartment, he hurried to his private room on the second underground floor.

Unlocking the door, he was confronted with a pale Jeremy, awake and still secured to the chair. His wrists were tied to the arm handles, and he was still gagged with the satin rope, but his knuckles had been bandaged, just as Silk had said he’d done.

William stood before him as he looked up. “I’m going to remove your gag to ask you some questions. Don’t scream; it’s no use. No one can hear you down here.”

Jeremy just glared at him with tired eyes.

“Nod if you understand?”

Jeremy nodded, and William loosened the knot of the gag, releasing it from his mouth.

“The woman, who is she?”

“You fucking cut my fingers off… I have no career anymore!”

“Are you going to answer my question, or should I gag you again?”

Silence bristled between them, so William moved to retie the gag.

“No! I’ll answer,” Jeremy said.

“Who is the woman?”

“Ivy?”

What?
William’s bewilderment only amplified.

“Ivy who? How do you know her?”

“She’s Ivy Hunter.”

So, her first name actually
is
Ivy.

“And…” William prompted, circling his wrist, prompting Jeremy to talk faster.

“I know her because she stole my wallet and the money in it from me once.”

Mystified still, William demanded, “Why did she steal your wallet?”

“Because she’s a con woman. I wanted to tell you yesterday, but you only had ears and eyes for her. Is she swindling you?”

William disregarded his question. And he knew that Jeremy was telling the truth. Undeniably, she was a con woman. He should’ve trusted his gut instinct instead of letting his cock lead the way. She had planted a wallet in his jacket the second time they met. The robberies in the gaming club and the fight club must somehow also have been her doing.

Maybe she isn’t working alone?

“What else do you know about her?” William probed.

“Not much.”

“Does she have any partners in crime?”

“I don’t know. I only met her that one time at the party where I caught her. Instead of confronting her there, I followed her to some seedy part of the Loop.”

William needed more answers. He was nonplussed as an array of feelings stirred his insides. And much to his chagrin, those feelings stemmed from his obsession with Ivy. She had conned him.

He dashed out of there to the elevator, to question Ivy Hunter.