Sins of a Bad Boy (The Original Bad Boys Book 1) (36 page)

CHAPTER 46

William

Let me go.

Never!

William didn’t watch her leave the balcony or else he would’ve chased her. And he decided to follow Silk’s advice – give her time. He reckoned that she would cave soon. Ivy couldn’t stand seeing William with another woman, that much was apparent. After all, her jealousy had brought her back to him tonight after they’d fucked.

William crossed to the balustrade and propped his forearms on it. He’d already figured out that she had bad eyesight with the way she always squinted her eyes and didn’t see him until he stood close to her. But he didn’t realize it was leading up to a total loss of sight. William knew for certain that she was being truthful. In the months she was with him, her eyes were red often. And she always said she hated the dark but escaped through the passageways like a warrior. She evidently meant she hated the dark she was going to live in indefinitely in the future because of her impending blindness. William remembered how she begged Markson not to hit her head; that probably worsened her affliction. And he gathered that her condition must heighten the pallor in her normally sparkling blue irises.

It troubled William that Ivy thought he couldn’t handle her blindness. Her admission didn’t scare him away. Quite the opposite; William desired to take care of Ivy even more. His admiration for her doubled. She belonged with him. He owned her. And he would never let her go.

***

William was a fighter. He could take a punch like the best of them. Fighting bruised his body in black and blue, yet it didn’t hurt as much as love. Love marred him. It damaged his heart and soul. Her love smashed his heart with an irrevocable pain like no punch or kick had ever triggered. Not having her love wrecked him to his very soul.

Which was the reason why William couldn’t stay away from Ivy for longer than a day. Not even twelve hours after he’d fucked her in the library, he was pursuing her on the street, the midday sun brightening his path as he kept a reasonable distance behind the other pedestrians. 

The wind whirled beneath Ivy’s floral dress that floated behind her on the ground, and William wondered where she was heading off to. Ivy had a definite destination, and William disliked the idea of her still conning. One day, someone might catch and hurt her, just like what had happened with Jeremy Dechamps.

Unexpectedly, Ivy stopped near a brown-brick townhouse and searched the area.

William rushed back and hid around the corner of another building, spying on Ivy, who jumped over the fence and prowled to the side of the house, standing underneath a window and peeking inside.

She
was
planning a new con.

When Ivy disappeared into the garden, William couldn’t see her anymore, so he sped across the street to where the guard Silk had hired sat in his black car.

“Mr. Kade.” The guard was one of the best from the gambling club and had already seen William following Ivy.

“I want you to find out who lives in the house Ivy’s spying on,” William ordered.

“Yes, sir. I’ll do that as soon Ivy is back home.”

“I’ll send another guard to take over your shift later.” William paced away to meet his private eye.

***

“Did you find Ben?” William demanded without greeting the private investigator, who was waiting for him inside his office.

“No, sir. He’s not living with Ivy and Sean anymore since two nights ago. And he hasn’t been staying in any hotel or inn; I checked all the names he uses. All that’s left is for me to question other con men. Maybe they’ve seen him.”

William tossed the stack of envelopes that he’d retrieved from his mailbox onto his desk and sunk into his padded desk chair. “Then start questioning people.”

The man nodded and exited the office.

William guessed that Sean had heard Silk yell that Ben betrayed him and Ivy, and either Sean kicked him out, or Ben fled the apartment. However, William didn’t trust Ben one bit. The fact that he didn’t return to William to collect his compensation for telling William that Ivy was at the country dance two nights ago confirmed that Ben had a hidden agenda. Or his plan had blown up when Silk told on him. Either way, William needed to have a chat with Ben.

Silk barged inside the office. “Hey, you’re back.”

“I left Ivy while she was spying on some family.”

Silk raised a brow. “A new con?”

“I think so. I instructed her guard to get me all the details on that family.” William poured a glass of water from the decanter. He’d decided last night to drink less alcohol. He didn’t want his mind impaired in any way now that Ivy was back in the Loop. There wasn’t going to be an opportunity for her to leave him again.

“Well, while you’ve been busy with Ivy, I have good news about our club. We’re right on schedule to open next week.”

“That’s wonderful. But I guess that also means attending more balls this weekend.”

“Yes, and you’re not going to make me do that alone. You’re coming with me. Oh, I also placed four ads in the newspaper.”

“Good. I was going to ask you to anyway.”

“So I’m going to bolt the doors leading to the underground areas. Want to do that together? We’ll walk through Sins one last time, for old time’s sake. Even though it was a venture of only a few months, we did go through a lot of shit down there.”

“Maybe you did, but I have some good memories of Ivy and me in Sins,” William commented.

“Yeah, well, I only have memories of drunk people and a dead woman,” Silk remarked, then added with a playful grin, “And many hot orgies.”

William laughed at Silk’s eloquent words. “It was an odd time. People can be so different when all sexual restrictions are lifted.” William stood up. “Come on. I’ll help you bolt the door to the passageway.”

CHAPTER 47

Ivy

A week passed without Ivy hearing from or seeing William. She never imagined he’d truly let her go, yet he did. While she should’ve been elated, she felt more miserable. She’d been right in assessing him, in concluding that he wouldn’t know how to handle her deteriorating eyesight.

What Ivy hoped would be weeks before she turned blind went much faster in reality. Every day, she woke up with a narrowing vision field. It was as if she was looking through a tube in which the circle of vision narrowed often. She grasped that blindness would descend on her soon.

Today, she took her time while she traveled through the park to a brown-brick house that she visited regularly. She raised her face to the warm spring breeze, taking in the vibrant shades of the day.

Ivy touched the leaves and blossoming flowers of the hedges she passed and witnessed the happy couples strolling around. She watched children play ball in the grass and the most magnificently groomed horses trotting down the street parallel to the park. Every day, she wondered if it would be the last day she’d be able to see the world around her. Anxiousness filled her stomach because she was afraid of the unknown. Her entire life would change once her left eye gave up on her too. Even now, it was already challenging to make her way around the neighborhood with deficient vision.

Furthermore, she was at the end of her tether for funds. Money was scarce, and the little bit that Sean and she stole from wallets only bought them food. They hadn’t even paid the rent for their cheap apartment.

A ball stopped right before her feet, and she kicked it back onto the grass to a young girl in ponytails. The girls waved or made some hand gesture that Ivy couldn’t clearly see, so she just waved back as tears pricked behind her lids.

An acute sense of distress crawled up Ivy’s spine, so she craned her neck and analyzed her surroundings as best as she could, observing nothing out of the ordinary.

Slowly, she carried on, deserting the park to go to a townhouse she visited often. Until she couldn’t see anything anymore, she vowed to continue to sneak to that house.

Ivy casually opened the fence, ensuring no one discovered her, and lurked along the perfectly trimmed front garden path toward the side of the house.

“Fuck!” she cursed as she noted closed curtains behind the window that made it so that she couldn’t spy inside. They were probably out and about.

Instead of hiding in the garden, she returned to the park and spent the afternoon there, hoping to spot the family when they arrived home.

In the meantime, Ivy sat on a wooden bench next to an older gentleman in a suit. He dipped his chin as she joined him. Her hand inched to his jacket pocket and picked his wallet, which she hurriedly hid beneath her skirt.

After the man left, she checked the bills in the wallet, took them out, and flung the wallet behind her into the hedge. That’s how she spent the afternoon.

Alas, when nighttime came, the family she spied on still hadn’t come home, and Ivy had waited too long. Sean had warned Ivy many times not to stay out after dark because their shady neighborhood was dangerous for a woman alone. And now, the sky had turned black, and in the dark, she saw practically nothing, so she shuffled through the streets alongside street lanterns for light.

Ivy became aware of footsteps behind her and looked back over her shoulder, observing a shadow. She was unsure if the person was following her or simply heading in the same direction. Worriedly, she hastened forward.

Although she was used to living in unsafe areas, this part of town creeped her out. Ivy walked by a flickering street lantern as a dog howled into the night. Otherwise, the area was deserted as she paced on the pavement between two buildings.

Footsteps gained on her, and Ivy started to sprint, but she was too late.

Someone jumped on Ivy from behind, and she fell forward on her hands and knees on the concrete. Pain shot through her knees, but she refused to lie down.

Ivy’s attacker grabbed her arm and shoved her onto her back.

“Help—”

Her cry was oppressed by a sweaty hand, and she tried to bite him, in vain. The man leaned forward while he sat on her thighs. Then she froze in shock when she registered it was Ben.

“Shut the fuck up,” he ordered, digging one elbow into her arm and slamming her other arm on the ground beside her ear.

Ivy attempted to move with her feet.

“Ivy, if I remove my hand, will you scream?”

She shook her head, and he lifted his hand off her mouth.

“Ben?! What are you doing? You scared the shit out of me.”

He showed her a malicious smile, and she got that that had been his intention. Still, she tried to reason with him since she was all alone with a man who was much stronger than she was.

“Did I?” His palm rested on her throat and slid down to the swell of her breast.

Ivy could smell alcohol on his breath. “Ben? What’s with you?”

He narrowed his eyes while gawking at her. Slowly he slid the edge of her collar down and exposed her breast. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted you? And you’ve always treated me like I was your brother,” he slurred, adding, “And the second you have your William back, you and Sean toss me out.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Ivy bought time as she searched for an item on the ground while his elbow dug painfully into the front of her shoulder.

Sean had overheard Silk scream that Ben told them Ivy would be at the country dance. Of course, it hadn’t been a coincidence. Ivy and Sean instantly cut all ties with Ben because he was too untrustworthy nowadays.

“I fucking loved you for years, and you never gave me a chance. But a short time with the pretentious William Kade, and you fall for his charms,” he spat in her face. “Do you know he’s a murderer?” Ben regarded her with contempt.

Ivy didn’t locate anything on the ground, so her only chance was to fight him with all her bodily strength.

“If I can’t have you, no one can. Especially not a rich asshole like Kade. He has everything. Why does he need you?!” Ben whisper-shouted and pressed his lips to hers.

Ivy turned her head to the side to avoid his filthy kiss, and she attempted to roll over, but he was too heavy.

“Fuck off, Ben! You’re drunk and an idiot.
You
betrayed me and Sean.”

“Betrayed! I’ll fucking show you betrayal.” Ben flattened his weight on Ivy and jerked up the skirt of her dress. “I’ll fuck you, and no man will want you anymore once I’m done marking and bruising your entire body.”

“NO!” Ivy could finally move her arms and tried to scratch his neck and face, without luck.

Ben squeezed her bare breast painfully hard while she struggled against him. Then all of a sudden, she saw a knife in his hand that he brought close to her face.

Ivy stopped moving her head to avoid being cut. “Don’t! You’re drunk!”

He widened her thighs with his while she tried to wrap her fingers around his arm to force the knife away from her jawline.

Abruptly, Ben was dragged off Ivy. She blinked to distinguish what was happening, but she could scarcely see a thing in the obscurity of the night.

Her eyesight adjusted slightly, and she witnessed William ducking underneath a swinging knife. Then he seized Ben and hurled him against a stack of crates. The wood cracked and splintered beneath Ben, but he lunged up. William grabbed his collar with one hand and smashed his fist into Ben’s nose. A wail burst from Ben, and he brandished the knife in his hand. Just in time, William jumped to the side, avoiding the tip of the blade.

Ivy shrieked and scrambled up.

“Stay there, Ivy!” William bellowed in a wild tone.

The two men wrestled. William wrapped his hand around Ben’s wrist and twisted it until the knife clanked to the ground. Then William kneed him in the stomach, finishing him off with a solid blow to the chin, causing Ben to fall on his back.

With a lethal grunt, William pressed his boot against Ben’s throat. “You will pay for ever touching her!” And he kicked his temple. Ben’s head flew to the side. He was knocked out.

Instantly, William appeared at Ivy’s side, touching her face, head, and down her arms. “Are you okay?” he asked, out of breath.

“Oh my god, yes. Are you?” she retorted.

“I am.” William arranged her dress and pulled her into his embrace, and Ivy wept from sheer relief while holding on to his middle.

The terror that gushed through her veins minutes ago gradually subsided, and William caressed the back of her head soothingly. “Shhh…”

They stood like that for endless minutes. Ivy required his reassurance, just like she had many months ago when Markson had taken them.

Eventually, William pulled back and reprimanded her severely, “Why the hell are you out here alone at night?!”

Ivy’s welling tears returned with a vengeance, and William sighed. He swung her up into his arms, going back to the safer part of the Loop.

At one point, he set her on her feet, and she was ushered into a car.

***

Twenty minutes later, they drove up a familiar street, parking in front of the gambling club high-rise.

William guided her out of the vehicle, and they entered the building with entwined hands. In the entrance hall of the club, William called for Silk.

Silk came from down the corridor. “Hey, man,” Then he inclined his head to Ivy and arched a brow at William, silently inquiring about Ivy’s presence.

“Ben attacked her,” William informed him.

Silk gave Ivy a once-over. “Is she okay?”

“Yes, I got there in time.” William released her hand and slid open a drawer from a small oak desk on his left, snatching out a piece of paper and a pen to write something down while speaking. “Ivy, Silk will notify your brother that you’re with me tonight.”

So William had decided that Ivy was going to spend the night with him. Ivy didn’t refute William since she sensed an underlying fury simmering beneath his skin.

“Can you get Ben for me quickly from this address?” William showed the paper to Silk. “And inform Sean that she’s here.”

“Sure. I’ll take the car.” Silk folded the paper and pocketed it as William and Ivy headed toward the elevator.

Ivy had expected apprehension when they ascended, yet a serene sensation warmed her. She felt safe with William. Ivy felt safe with the man who’d kidnapped her a year ago, who’d protected her from Markson so many months ago, and who’d rescued her again tonight.

Ivy was besieged with fond memories as she walked inside his apartment.

In reality, she’d been his captive; nonetheless, she hadn’t constantly felt imprisoned those months he’d held her there. Of course, it was abnormal, but Ivy’s entire life had been unusual. Her happiest time had been in his home, with William.

But no matter how safe or happy she felt to be back there, she also wanted answers. “Were you following me today, William?”

His gaze settled on her after he tossed his keys onto the coffee table. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I refuse to let you go. Because I hate that you distance yourself from me,” he replied in a tormented tone.

Ivy moved toward him, resting her palm on his cheek. “Thank you for helping me.”

He leaned into her touch for a second, then took her hand from his face. “I’m livid that you put yourself in danger, Ivy.” And he stepped to the sofa, putting more distance between them.

Ivy couldn’t disagree with him. She was aware of how ignorant it was for a woman to roam that area alone at night, especially a woman that’s almost blind. Ivy realized that she was much more vulnerable with deteriorating eyesight and couldn’t run around town anymore like she used to do.

“I’m sorry. I won’t do that anymore.”

“No, you won’t. I don’t want you living there,” he told her in an uncompromising voice. Then he studied her intently. “Why are you squinting your eyes? How bad is your sight?”

“It’s poor. I can’t see anything with my right eye.”

“Do you need more light?”

She shook her head and explained despondently, “It’ll barely make a difference.”

Immediately, he moved to stand in front of her again. “You’re staying with me tonight.”

“I—”

William placed his fingers against her lips. “Don’t argue with me, Ivy. Give me this. I’m furious but holding it in merely to show you that I’m not the man you claim me to be.”

Stunned, Ivy could only follow him to his bedroom. Secretly, she was overjoyed he’d demanded her to stay. She yearned to be with him in the room where they fell in love one last time before her world turned black.

William drew back the ivory curtains hanging from the bedframe and gave her a charming smile, deliberately dispelling any tension, then he led the way to the bathroom.

Deftly, he unbuttoned her dress and slid it down her body. Ivy wore just panties underneath. William’s hand stroked her left breast, and she noted his jaw ticking.