Unexpectedly, Ivy ended her fidgeting. “Pull us apart? We’re not a team. You kidnapped me! If you hadn’t taken me, this wouldn’t have happened.” A sob escaped her lips while she continued, “My face is injured. I can’t see through one eye. I’m in so much pain because of you! Look what you did to me!” she shouted. Tears rushed down, wetting her bruised cheek, her blemished face.
For minutes, she wept with her head bent down.
It was the first time William had seen her cry like this. Not even after the incident with Markson in Sins did she sob like this. A sob that revealed how broken she felt.
Until now, she’d been arrogant Ivy, who deserved to be taken by him. In his mind, she wasn’t innocent until tonight. She was right; this was his fault.
Her tears singed his soul. William swallowed, at a loss for words after her rant.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered.
What the devil was happening to him?
An urge to soothe her rose in his chest. Since they were tied together with one long strand of rope, he could scoot the two feet forward and reach her chair. With his knuckles on the ground behind his back and his feet tied together, he shifted across the floor on his ass. Skin pulled at the cut on his ribs, causing excruciating pain. He grimaced, which caused the torn skin along his jaw to hurt. Nonetheless, he powered through.
“Ivy, please look at me,” he requested as he sat on the floor in front of her, exhaling raggedly.
Her tears fell onto her thighs. After her breaths were calm again, she met his eyes. “Did you orchestrate the scene in Sins?”
William sighed. “Yes.”
“Why?’
“Because I never had a sensible plan when it came to you. I decided to kidnap you at the spur of the moment when my establishment was losing money and being robbed. By you,” he emphasized since he still believed that she stole the money from Charles’s office. “And we had been dancing around each other before that as well. That might’ve clouded my judgment to hastily take you. Afterward, I needed to gain your trust somehow, to have you open up to me.”
“But you never once asked me about the money after the first day. Or about Alfred.” She fixated on a point beyond his shoulder, gathering her courage. “I’m feeling things I shouldn’t feel for you. Has it all been a lie? Have you been acting the entire time just to gain my trust? Am I just a fuck to you? A means to an end?”
Studying her beaten face, he gave her the truth. “At first, yes, you were a means to an end. But somewhere along the way, the lines blurred, Ivy. I don’t know anymore what to do with you. How to handle you. Haven’t you noticed how I don’t always treat you like a captive? I try to avoid you, but there’s this pull I feel toward you. A pull that’s messing with my head. God, I even enjoy…having you in my bed.” William divulged emotional details that made him extremely uncomfortable. The entire night was weighing heavily on his mind. He’d just confirmed his own suspicion about how she messed with his head. Never would he have revealed all of that if they were in Sins or his apartment. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. Dammit!”
“Maybe this is another ruse to appease me. How do I know this isn’t another lie?”
“You don’t,” he countered.
“You always go from hot to cold. I don’t understand anything that’s happening anymore. I-I… never mind.”
“Ivy,” he said with composure. “You do the same; it’s impossible to figure you out. This entire situation was already fucked up and has now become an all-out clusterfuck.”
“If you only knew,” she mumbled in a low tone.
“What?” A frown swept across William’s forehead.
“Nothing.” Ivy analyzed the length of rope.
She’d effectively shut down their intimate exchange, so William also concentrated on finding a way out. “The rope might be long enough for me to go around your chair and try to loosen the knots on your wrists.”
“Okay.”
He heaved himself forward again, reaching her hip, until the rope pulled tight. “I can’t get around. You try to turn ninety degrees,” he instructed and scooted away a little to give her space.
Ivy jumped in the chair, and it moved on its legs.
“Now, when you jump, rotate your body to your right, okay?” he guided.
“Yes.” She repeated the action several times.
The chair scraped across the concrete and pivoted slightly. Ivy was out of breath.
“Take a second to breathe, Ivy. You can do this,” he supported her. “I’m going to lean back against your hip to help you rotate more.”
Together, they managed to get the chair sideways and William continued. He reclined against the legs of the chair and attempted to push himself up. It worked.
William groaned from the stings in his body as he rose to a sitting-on-air position until he could feel Ivy’s hands. He rested against the back of the chair, fingering the knots around her wrist.
“No, you’re pulling them tighter,” Ivy complained.
“Fuck!”
The squat position he had to hold himself up in caused the muscles in his thighs to burn and the wound in his abdomen to burst open, causing a new flood of crimson to drench his shirt. The bandage didn’t help a bit. William squeezed his eyes shut and breathed through the unbearable ache.
Ivy twisted her wrists to try to keep her blood flowing.
“Hold still,” he demanded.
She complied. “Sorry.”
Sweat trickled down his brow, and he slouched down to the ground when his strength failed him.
“Ivy, you need to fall to the side so I can get to your wrists, because I can’t pull myself up again. The wound is killing me.” He peeked at her over his shoulder.
“Oh my god, what?! Are you okay?”
“Yes, it’s not literally killing me. It hurts like a motherfucker though. Now, drop to your side to the ground. And, Ivy, hold your head steady when you fall over. Don’t let your skull hit the concrete.”
“Okay...” she said, anxiety obvious in everything about her.
William glanced back to check on her as she hurled her upper body to the side several times. On the third attempt, she managed to hit the floor with a loud thud.
“Ow, shit!” she shrieked when her hip collided with the concrete.
“You did well! Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She craned her neck, and he could tell she was being tough despite her discomfort.
William shifted to her hands and started fumbling with the knots again. He counted three. They were secured tightly, and it seemed impossible to get even one untied. His nails kept sliding off the rope when he pulled, but eventually, the rope gave.
“Keep completely still. I…have…one end almost loose.” William yanked hard one more time, and finally, it slid through the knot. “Yes!” He placed his middle finger through the loop so it wouldn’t tighten again if Ivy moved and went to work on the second knot, which he untied much quicker. William slid fingers through loops and just tugged. “Wriggle your wrists now, Ivy.”
She moved her hands again, and their fingers caressed. Somehow, William was always achingly adapt to her touch. Even in this situation, it stirred him.
William pulled with all his power so that Ivy could free her hands, and she succeeded.
“Ivy, untie my hands. Then I’ll do our feet.”
She undid his wrists with a proficiency that amazed him. Then William turned and rose to his knees to release her feet.
When one ankle was free, a door creaked, startling them. All movement stopped as they locked eyes; hers were enormous.
Markson’s voice came drifting in from a distance behind one of the containers.
“Hurry, William,” she whispered, just as he released her other foot.
Ivy jumped up from the chair and bent down in front of William, who sat back down on his ass to free his own feet.
Boots clicked off the ground, closing in on William and Ivy as they continued to try to wrench th
e rope from William’s feet.
“I don’t know how you could be so stupid, Jerry,” they heard Markson scold him.
William snatched Ivy’s wrist. “You have to go now. Hide behind a container, and then get the hell out of here while I keep them occupied.”
“No!” she tugged at the rope to give it some slack. “Get up.” Ivy pushed her shoulder under his arm, helping him up.
Footsteps were approaching around the container. Two more seconds and they would be discovered.
Rising hurt the most, but when William stood, he could hop around the container to their left. Then he bent down to get rid of the rope and kicked it off.
“What the fuck! They’re gone,” Markson yelled. “Jerry, go to the front door.”
William grabbed Ivy’s hand and towed her behind him through the rows of containers since he knew Markson would first check the three containers that surrounded the area where he’d restrained them.
“Run on your toes, Ivy,” William whispered and strained not to make any noise.
After passing more than ten containers, they slumped against one to catch their breath. It was dark where they were standing, but William could clearly see a distraught Ivy right next to him.
She clung to him. “I’m scared.”
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tucked her into his side. “We’ll be fine. I promise you.” And he kissed the top of her head.
“William? Ivy? I heard you running, so I know you’re still in here!” Markson yelled.
“Door is locked,” Jerry’s loud voice confirmed.
“Fuck!” William muttered and inched forward, entangling his fingers with Ivy’s.
“Come out, come out wherever you are,” Markson taunted.
William halted abruptly and Ivy slammed into his back. He pivoted on his heel, pointing in the other direction to Ivy, and they sprinted away from Markson’s voice.
“Ivy, you’re in no danger from me. I just want William. If you come to me with William, I’ll let you go. Just give me that boy!”
Ivy ignored his words. They kept running, toward nowhere in particular. The place was gigantic, and they ended up finding themselves almost back at their original spot.
All of a sudden, a noise echoed through the warehouse and everything went completely dark.
Ivy clasped William’s hand harder as they came to a standstill.
There was no sound except for their breathing. No movement, no footsteps. Markson and Jerry weren’t moving either, or at least, William couldn’t hear them. And he didn’t know if Holden was with them or not.
William’s hand searched for Ivy’s face. She was standing in front of him when he quietly implored, “Don’t let go of my hand, okay? Whatever happens, hold on to me so that we can stay together.”
He felt her nodding as his thumb caressed her cheek. He could sense her trembling in fear and wished he could end this quickly. For her sake. A similar fear raced down his spine. He didn’t want to be apart from Ivy, because he desperately craved to protect her. Guilt burned in his cells.
In the obscure dark, William moved around and found the cold metal of a container, edging alongside it while holding a death grip on Ivy’s hand.
“This is really taking too long, and you two are pissing me off. There’s no way out!” Markson shouted.
Moving forward was growing problematic because of the blackness surrounding William.
“What should we do?” Ivy asked, plastered to his back.
“I’m not sure. I have no idea where the entrance is.”
“William, he’ll find us, and I can’t see a thing. Can you see anything?”
“No.” He turned, and Ivy embraced him.
“I’m terrified, William. I’m sure he’ll have a weapon.”
He was positive as well but sought to comfort Ivy. “We don’t know that. I swear to you that I’ll do anything to protect you. Do you believe me?” William caressed her hair tenderly as she laid her head on his shoulder and he hugged her back. Pain seemed inconsequential at that moment. All that mattered was getting them out of there in one piece.
“I do believe you.”
“Do you trust me?” he asked, whispering.
“Yes.”
“Then all I need you to do is stay with me. I won’t allow anything else to happen to you,” William vowed.
Apparently, in the dark, they were finally able to bare their true emotions. Ivy had not only become enamored with William. William was infatuated with her too. He’d known it for a while but only accepted it then and there. Under these dire circumstances, he was able to acknowledge how this girl had become important to him.
“How’s your eye?”
“It throbs badly,” she answered.
William kept stroking her hair, calming her, while he absorbed the sounds around him. “It will subside soon, I promise. I have salves to heal your skin without leaving any marks.”
Out of the blue, a voice rang out near William. “Oh dear god, aren’t you two just the sweetest.”
Ivy gasped and was being ripped from his arms.
“William!” Her distressed voice floated away.
“Ivy!” William lunged forward in the dark, feeling left and right in a wild attempt to get to her.
He bumped against containers and kept screaming.
“Will—” Her mouth was smothered.
Dread contaminated his blood while his main goal was to get her back.
He didn’t know which way he was going, yet he kept running. Biting through the stinging pain. “Ivy! Ivy!”
“Kade, calm down. Get back to where you were tied up. Will you do that? Say ‘yes’, and I’ll turn on the lights again,” Markson stated.
“Fuck!” Recognizing he didn’t have a choice, he answered tersely, “Yes.”
The lights turned on again, gradually shining brighter. Still, William had lost every sense of direction.
Just then, Markson started repeating, “Ivy is with me. Follow my voice, William. Ivy is with me.”
Pacing restlessly toward the voice, he found Markson and Jerry. Markson with his knife against Ivy’s throat while he held her against his chest. Jerry with a pistol targeted at William.
He treaded closer, afraid that any unexpected movement would prompt Markson to cut Ivy, and he didn’t want another scratch on her. Her face was already black and blue, and it hurt to see Ivy in that state more than his own injuries did.
“Stop right there.” Markson stepped back with Ivy, whose panic was palpable. “You’ve just made things worse for yourself. Although, I can’t really blame you for using the opportunity. Luckily, Jerry recognized his mistake of using the long rope that would enable you to reach her. And I have to say, your interaction with sweet Ivy was just adorable. I’ve never seen William Kade caring for anyone but himself.” Markson traced the tip of the blade along her collarbone, down the swell of her breast.
Tears poured from Ivy’s eyes as she stood motionless in his hold, looking at William.
Markson ripped the stitches of her dress right between her breasts so that it fell open, partially exposing her. “God, she’s beautiful, William.” He licked his lips. “I can see why she has your attention. Someone who’s captured your interest for longer than a minute must be an exceptional specimen.”
“What the fuck do you want?” William snapped, his patience lost. “Do you want to keep provoking and talking all day?”
“What if I do? There’s nothing you can do about it.” Markson tightened his hold on Ivy.
William saw her flinch and stepped forward again.
“Stay there!” Jerry pushed the barrel of the pistol against William’s nose.
“Because of your little stunt, you’ll be separated now,” Markson spat and shoved Ivy to the side to a container with an open door. She was pushed inside, and Markson slammed it closed while she banged on the metal in desperation.
“William!” she yelled.
“William won’t be able to help you.
Shut up!” Markson locked it by turning the key and then pocketed it.
Ivy’s pounding slowed and then stopped. It must have been under a minute but felt like hours to William.
Markson went to work with the chair next, straightening it and holding the rope.
“Jerry, bring William here.”
William quietly obliged as Jerry pushed him into the chair, hoping Jerry would tie him up again. And he did, after he gave Markson the pistol to aim at William.
“I’ll be back any second, so don’t even think about escaping again. I’ll fuck Ivy up, William! And I won’t be as nice as I was before. You’re lucky I’m in a hurry,” Markson told him while Jerry secured William’s wrists behind his back and his feet to the chair legs, just as they’d positioned Ivy earlier.
William kept his hands apart only a bit so that Jerry wouldn’t notice as he knotted the rope. He could take the risk since Markson and Jerry were sloppy and in an obvious rush.
“Have a good night, William,” Markson said and hit his temple with the butt of the gun.
The blow resonated through his skull, and he pretended to be knocked out by letting his head fall forward.
“What a pathetic fighter.” William heard Markson insult. “He’s out cold with one punch. Let’s go. I want to find Alfred Ravensdale as soon as possible. He’ll pay us to get his daughter back.” Markson’s voice traveled; they were moving away from William. “We have to be careful about Charles, though. I’m sure he’ll try to find me at Hookers, so we’re not returning there tonight.”
The door creaked once more, announcing their exit.
William’s eyes opened instantly, and he surveyed the room: alone again.
“Ivy?”
“Yes.”
“They’re gone.”
“What did they do to you, William?”
“Nothing. He tied me to the chair, but I have some slack and am trying to get loose.”
She cried softly.
“Don’t cry, Ivy.” William was in so much pain from the strain his body had endured, and his energy was low.
“It’s so dark. It terrifies me.”
“I know, but I’m here. Keep talking to me.” He took a moment to regain some strength since he had room to move his tied hands and pull one out. If he had all his strength, he would’ve been free already.
Sins of a Bad Boy (The Original Bad Boys Book 1) Page 18