“Are you sure we’re alone?” she asked.
“Yes.” William, lacking the skill of consoling damsels in distress, racked his brain on how to calm her. “Are you standing or sitting?”
“I’m standing.”
“Sit down, Ivy. Give yourself a moment to regroup. I’m so proud of how you handled yourself.”
“What do you mean?”
“Did you sit down?” William, who knew Ivy by now, expected her to keep standing.
“No, but I’m doing so now.” She gave a brusque snort, probably feeling emotions similar to his.
This night, horrendous as it was, had somehow brought them closer together.
“Good. I’m proud you never gave up hope,” he kept on talking to appease her fear, and then he took a steadying breath, struggling to pull the other hand from the rope.
“I didn’t think you noticed.”
“I notice everything about you,” he revealed.
Why was it easier to open up to people when you didn’t face them? Or perhaps it was only like that between them?
“Do you honestly?”
“Yes, I’m very aware of you. There’s an inexplicable sensation that overcomes me when you and I are in the same room.” William’s skin was on fire from extracting one hand from the binds. One more pull, and finally, his other hand was free.
“I’ve known you for longer, William.”
“I’m free!” he rejoiced.
“What?”
“I pulled my hands free. I’m now untying my feet, Ivy.”
“Oh my god, hurry, William, before we’re caught again.”
“I am.” He untied the rope around his ankles and raced to the container, checking the lock and door.
“William?”
He was running around trying to locate anything he could use to bash in the door, but the warehouse only held containers, nothing else. William hastened from left to right, seeing nothing except a window at one end. No tools he could use. So he ran back to where Ivy was imprisoned.
His heart sank to his feet when he realized the door would be impossible to break open. He tapped the metal; it was thick.
“William? Please talk to me,” Ivy requested. She was standing right on the other side of the container door.
“Ivy, I don’t know how to break this door open. There’s nothing in this place I can use.”
She was silent before asking, “So what does that mean?”
“I’m going to have to leave you here.”
“No, you can’t leave me alone. Please, I beg you.”
William clutched his hair with both hands, glancing around, to the floor, everywhere, desperately hoping he would have a lightbulb moment on how to open the door.
“William? William? Are you still there?” Her voice became more hysterical with every scream of his name.
“I’m here. There’s absolutely no way I can get you out of there right now,” he whispered, but he knew she heard.
“What if he comes back when you’re gone? What will happen to me? Have you thought about that?” Ivy hit the metal in trepidation and, probably, rising anger.
He didn’t know where the warehouse was located. He didn’t want to fail again and have Markson catch him. All he knew was that he needed to act fast.
William’s only choice was to leave, and he was at a loss for how to explain it to her, so he only said, “Don’t think about that,” before he dashed out.
As if she sensed his departure, she cried out in a tone that would haunt him for the rest of his days, “William! Don’t leave me alone in the dark here! William!”
Although it tore at his heart, he went to the window and pried it open, jumping through it into the cold night’s air.
William ran as quickly as his mangled body could manage, ignoring the raw pain, disregarding his own anxiety over leaving her behind.
The wind kicked up and slapped his cheeks with stinging drops of rain.
Freedom!
But at what cost?
CHAPTER 22
Ivy
“Don’t think about that,” William said.
Ivy heard his retreating form and panic rose.
“William! Don’t leave me alone in the dark here! William!” Her palms hit the steel walls of the container.
All of a sudden, there was only silence, darkness, and her tears.
He’d left her.
Still, something inside her fortified. She wanted to believe that he would come back for her. Yet, there was also a good chance he wouldn’t.
Ivy slumped down to her ass.
Realizing that she needed to get used to the dark anyway, she focused on inhaling and exhaling, seeking calmness. Her bruised eye ached, and she didn’t know how this would affect her affliction, but she pushed that thought aside. Swallowing hurt too, and she caressed her hand down her sore throat.
Time passed as threatening sounds creaked outside. She could hear the rain pouring on the roof, which only increased her angst. Every unknowing sound startled her, and her body trembled nonstop. She hugged her knees to her chest as coldness enveloped her in the torn golden dress.
Ivy needed a plan, so she took a rare moment of quiet contemplation. It was all she could do while being locked up anyway.
After an eternity of battling her thoughts, she recognized a familiar sound: footsteps approaching the container.
Please be William. Please be William.
Ivy held her breath. Panic pounded in her chest when a key turned in the lock of the container. A sliver of light shone inside as the door opened. It was Markson with a pistol pointed at her.
“Get out,” he ordered. His face flamed with anger.
Ivy blinked profusely, eyes adjusting to the light.
“William seems to have left you,” he mocked.
Ivy ignored him and looked around, observing that Markson was alone.
What should she do now? There was only one option left, and that was to come clean. She needed to keep him occupied while she figured out a plan.
Ivy swiveled around with her palms facing him, capitulating. “It seems that he’s chosen to only save himself.”
“Did you think you actually meant something to him? Oh dear, cold-blooded businessmen like William only care for themselves.”
“I get that now. But this means I can now tell you the truth,” she replied.
Markson arched a brow, unquestionably intrigued. “Hmm, continue.”
She confessed, “I’m not who you think I am. I’m not who William thinks I am. I’m not Ivy Ravensdale.”
Part 2
Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. - Marcus Aurelius
CHAPTER 23
William
William sprinted over unknown darkened, drab landscapes in the pouring rain.
Where the hell had Markson locked them up?
For a second, he stood motionless, catching his breath and deliberating whether or not he should return. His entire being repelled the idea of leaving Ivy alone in the middle of nowhere. Her voice still ricocheted through his eardrums. Yet, he understood that they wouldn’t stand a chance against Markson in there. So he marched on, following the lights in the distance, hoping they would lead him to the populated area of the Loop or, at least, familiar surroundings.
***
Hours passed, and the rain had stopped.
The wind blew by his ears. Sweat poured down the side of his face. He’d tugged off the constricting golden-colored bow tie and black suspenders. Every inch of William’s body hurt when he prowled through the familiar area of the Loop. Only five more streets until he reached his home.
He could tell that dawn would break soon since the sky was turning from black to a blueish hue.
A pedestrian walking his dog spotted William. “Sir, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m almost home where help is waiting.” William continued on.
At the front door of Charles’s building, W
illiam rang the bell incessantly as he leaned with a palm against the bricks. The bell only alerted the gambling club. For the tenants, there was a different entrance around the corner.
The door flew open, and Silk dragged William inside the hall, propping him in a chair.
But William jerked up and spoke, out of breath. “Silk, where’s Charles? We need to get Ivy.”
“William, calm down. Charles has been driving around for hours looking for you two. What happened? You and Ivy just disappeared.”
“Markson took us. She’s in a warehouse somewhere. I fucking ran for hours to come back here, but I need to get to her.” William swayed on his legs.
Silk supported him by his shoulders. “William, you’re bleeding like crazy on your jaw and your stomach. You need to go to the hospital to get your wounds stitched.”
A servant came into the hall and Silk ordered, “Get water and towels. Now.”
“Christ! Silk, I don’t have time to visit the hospital first. Markson could be torturing Ivy as we speak. I’m not abandoning her there. Fuck!” He plowed both hands through his sweaty, rain-soaked strands of hair. “I need Charles’s car to drive to the warehouse.”
“Do you know how to get back?” Silk asked as the servant handed William a towel and a tall glass of cold water, which he gulped down.
“Yes, I made sure to remember landmarks and memorize most of my path—”
The entrance burst open, and Charles heaved a sigh of relief when he saw William. Then relief turned into concern as he gave him a once-over. “Where have you been? What happened?”
“We need to go get Ivy. I’ll explain on the way. Silk, get us three pistols. You’re coming with us.”
Silk ran off to get their weapons.
“Come. The car is out front,” Charles instructed and held open the door for William.
CHAPTER 24
Ivy
“I’m not who you think I am. I’m not who William thinks I am. I’m not Ivy Ravensdale.”
It felt strange to reveal the truth after being in character for a week. After acting and ensuring she made no mistakes with William so that he wouldn’t discover she wasn’t Ivy Ravensdale, it was slightly exhilarating, yet also sad. She had relished being with William too much.
Markson wasn’t shocked by her admission, which puzzled Ivy.
“I know that. I returned because I just found out that Ivy Ravensdale is in England at the moment.”
“So you know I’m telling the truth?”
“Yes, but I don’t understand why William thinks you’re her and why you’ve claimed to be her?” he clarified, targeting his weapon at her chest.
It had all been one enormous misunderstanding which led William to believe she was Ivy Ravensdale. “He assumed I was Ivy Ravensdale, and I never contradicted him when we met accidentally a few times at different parties.”
“So, who are you?”
“I’m Ivy Hunter. My first name is truly Ivy. Once, I took Ivy Ravensdale’s nametag at a party. I think William must’ve seen that. He or Charles assumed me to be Lady Ravensdale, because they both think I’m her.”
Markson’s dark brows dipped low. “Why did you take another woman’s nametag at a party?”
“Because I’m not part of that rich society. I don’t get invited. I scheme my way inside to pick pockets, to steal money. I’m a con woman. I scour the events of the elite.”
Ivy didn’t disclose the entire truth. It was true her name was Ivy Hunter. And Ivy Hunter had a brother, named Sean. With her brother and his best friend, Ben, they scammed and stole from people to buy food, to pay medical bills, to survive while living in their crappy one-bedroom apartment in the poorest part of the Loop. Ivy, Sean, and Ben were orphans, and she and Sean had met Ben while living on the streets during their teenage years. Since then, the three of them had worked together to make ends meet.
However, it was not true that William and Ivy meeting was a complete accident. Ivy had been instructed by Sean and Ben to cozy up to the rich William Kade; get to know him on a personal level. A plan that Ivy had loathed, but they’d urgently needed money, and the small amounts they were stealing weren’t enough to cover all the bills anymore. William was going to be their last scam. A big one before Ivy didn’t help her brother rip off people anymore; or at least, not the way she’d been doing all her life.
Ben had known William when he was younger and had said that he would always have the upper hand on William. Ivy suspected Ben knew something about William that he’d never told Sean or Ivy. Ivy had also seen how deeply Ben envied William for becoming successful, which had set off warning bells in her head regarding their plan for William. Her first rule as a con woman had always been to never make it personal.
But when William mistook her for the wealthy Ravensdale and she and William started their taunting, Ivy soon realized that William would be difficult to swindle, since he was suspicious of everyone, so they’d decided to just steal money from the gambling club, hoping that were would be a huge amount in the office. There had been a big amount, but not huge. And yes, Ivy did steal that money – William had been correct all along. Only, Ivy couldn’t resist gambling some of the stolen money to increase her winnings of that night because she needed more, much more. Unfortunately, William had caught her at the blackjack table. And apparently that, and Alfred’s supposed debt, had set in motion William’s vendetta against the Ravensdales. A family Ivy was part of, according to him. A family he sought retribution from.
In that regard, William had been partly right. He had kidnapped the woman that stole the money from the office. He hadn’t kidnapped Alfred’s daughter though.
Ivy had decided to play along after the first night William took her and fabricated a new scam against him. Perhaps if she could get close to him, she could embezzle a fortune from William.
Being con men, Sean and Ben knew that Ivy disappearing the night of the heist in the gaming club had been William’s doing, and it was only days later that Sean had found her in the fight club. Sean was the man Ivy spoke to when William caught her. Again, he was correct, but she had convinced William of her lie. Ivy, who was now executing a new plan, had told Sean to let her continue to deceive William, and she would contact Sean when required. She’d expressed to her brother that she was getting close to William. That things were going well, and she would somehow find a way to steal money from William. But first, she needed to learn more about the dealings inside both clubs. And while, initially, that had been Ivy’s plan, she had fallen head over heels for William. Ivy had broken her first rule of conning: never make it personal. While William had only known her for a few weeks, she’d had a crush on him from afar for ages. William the Unconquerable was the man she dreamed about when she lay in bed at night. And he was also the man that had saved her from her first beating ten years ago, which was also the day that she and Sean had met Ben. He’d been her savior when she was ten, and she’d been able to stay updated on his life when she found out that the boy who’d saved her was William the Unconquerable. And then she saw him around town more often as she grew up and started to con. Over time, her infatuation had blossomed into a kind of distant love. And when they met, she knew she needed to shield her heart from him. But by that time, she was powerless to resist.
After he took her, she was afraid but also intrigued to be in his life. And she’d failed to protect her heart.
I’ve known you for longer, William.
She’d almost confessed to William hours earlier, nearly revealed her true identity. She hadn’t though. She wanted more time with him. Ivy had grown too attached to William. Her crush had altered into something much deeper. Ivy often hurt under her growing attachment to William. Sometimes, she despised him; other times, she hated herself for falling in love with her enemy. She detested when he cuffed her, and her overconfident mouth couldn’t be contained in those moments. William thought her inconsistent behavior was the result of Ivy’s confused mind, but, in actuality, it was the result of I
vy Hunter’s feelings for him. She’d coveted his touch for so long that she easily allowed him to have sex with her, even the first night. And because she had desired him for a long time, jealousy materialized the night with Morgan. For years, she had witnessed William flirting with and fucking everything in a skirt, never imagining he’d notice her. Never in her wildest dreams thinking that she’d be able to ignite such intense passion in a man as experienced as William. And now, he’d finally noticed her – as Ivy Ravensdale. Still, the person behind Ravensdale was Hunter, and Hunter was the woman he was captivated with. Ivy could feel it in her bones that she and William had been going through comparable stages of attraction. Tonight, he even admitted his feelings to her. That pull between them was an undisputable force; he felt it too.
But hesitation still plagued her because William was a mastermind as well. Maybe he’d faked those emotions entirely? Of course, her feelings were more profound, but she chose to believe that William had a palpable weakness for her. And if he uncovered she wasn’t Ravensdale, their growing relationship would be ruined, which is what Ivy truly sought to avoid. She wished to prolong her stay with him as long as she could. Especially after tonight. As awful as the night had been and as much physical pain as she’d endured, this night had elevated their relationship to new heights. William had opened up to her. If he learned the truth, she’d lose him forever.
Moreover, a new issue had arisen: Ivy was certain that Sean had been the mugger in the fight club a few days ago, but she didn’t have anything to do with that. Clearly, Sean and Ben had also pursued their own plans.
Nonetheless, Ivy was at a loss in that moment with Markson. Since William left, and she had no idea if he’d come back, she was speculating her next move.
Markson was inclined to believe her story. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Perhaps you and I can rip William off together now?” she lied.
Sins of a Bad Boy (The Original Bad Boys Book 1) Page 19