“I can take care of that now. I saw two of our policemen walking around. I’ll instruct them to ensure the other officers leave.” Silk hesitated before saying, “I haven’t seen Charles. William, when did you last see him?”
William sighed, viewing the damaged gambling club, unease coursing through his veins. “I spoke to him a couple of hours ago in his office.” He regarded Silk. “This is not a good sign. I fear he was inside his office.”
“I fear the same,” Silk added with a glow of concern before addressing a police detective.
William went around the high-rise, to the other entrance that was still intact, and got into the elevator, ascending to the top floor, where Ivy wouldn’t be waiting for him. It was the first time in months that he didn’t go home with pleasure.
Rather than going into his own apartment, he went into Charles’s. William had a sliver of hope that Charles would walk through the door at any moment. Maybe he was at an appointment and not inside the club when it burned down?
He retrieved a bottle of whiskey from Charles’s kitchen and uncapped it. Without bothering to grab a glass, he tipped the bottle and took a long swig.
But as night fell, William’s hope evaporated. He was sprawled on the sofa, his thighs spread wide, the half-drained liquor bottle balanced on his knee. William drank and drank until he couldn’t see straight.
And with each drink, he became more livid and depressed simultaneously. No matter how drunk he became, two people consumed his thoughts relentlessly: Charles and Ivy.
Mostly Ivy though. Regarding Charles, he held on to that shred of optimism.
CHAPTER 38
William
William sat down across from the ginger-haired detective in a scant interrogation room after he was asked to appear at the police station the next day.
He’d raced to the station without bothering to shave or bathe. Dark circles rimmed his eyes, and hard, bitter lines were etched into his face. And he felt as bad as he looked, calmly rotating the edge of a paper coffee cup on the timeworn wooden table.
My god, he had a splitting headache.
“Mr. Kade, I’m afraid I have bad news. We’ve managed to identify all the bodies. Most people got out in time, but there were three bodies found. I’m sorry to say that one of them was Charles Lindon,” the detective said with a sympathetic tone.
William’s movement of the paper cup stopped. Emptiness. That’s the only way he could describe his feeling when he had confirmation that Charles was dead. All he wanted was to go home, but he had matters to settle with this detective whom he and Charles paid off for his discretion.
“Was Jeremy Dechamps among the bodies?”
“Yes. He was found in Charles’s office. Apparently, there had been a struggle between the two men.” The detective paused before continuing, “He seems to be missing his fingers on one hand.”
William remained stoic. “I don’t want that information to become public. His family can’t inspect the body. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir. I can dissuade his parents from seeing his corpse and ensure that he’s delivered to them in a closed casket for his burial ceremony.”
“How did the fire originate?” William had been going over scenarios all night and concluded there were only two suspects. Either Ivy or Jeremy. He inclined toward the latter.
The detective opened a file in front of him on the desk. “I received the report this morning and sent a messenger to you immediately.” His finger traced several lines on the paper. “The underground floors are both damaged. It ignited in the fight club. There was an explosion in a room with a liquor stockpile. Then the fire traveled upward toward the gaming hall where there was more liquor.”
“That’s quite plausible.”
The supply closets had been stashed with alcohol just a week ago. One inventory room was right next to Charles’s office. Jeremy must’ve started the fire and then gone in search of William in Charles’s office.
The detective added, “The underground floors are completely destroyed, and part of the first floor as well, Mr. Kade.”
“When can I access the floors?” William asked.
“Today, if you wish. Everything has been checked.”
“Is there going to be any further investigation?” William stood and inched to the door.
“No, I’ll alter the report to state that it ignited due to a fallen candle that caught fire in the curtains in the gambling hall. And that’ll be the end of it.”
“Good. I’ll reward you generously when I’ve seen the final report.” He turned the knob and left.
William walked home, detesting the chirping of birds on this fall day.
***
William surveyed the ashy interior of his gaming club, treading over debris. What once had been Charles’s dream went up in flames in not even an hour. As he evaluated the club, he could see him and Charles clinking their glasses on opening night so many years ago. Embedded memories sting the most when you’ve just lost someone.
Grief descended upon William, and his eyes welled up.
One day, Charles will be dead, and you’ll be all alone.
The words Ivy had spoken twenty-four hours ago resounded in his head.
“William?”
“Silk,” William greeted without turning around.
Silk came up next to William and placed his hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, man.”
“Thanks.”
“I have one message for you,” Silk commented. “An insurance guy came by earlier. He was looking for you, so I told him to return tomorrow. Maybe we should just do nothing today? All of this will still be here tomorrow. And I’ll help you as much as I can.”
William shot him a sideways glance. “I appreciate that.”
They stood in silence, sharing their grief in utter stillness. Silk had become a confidant too in the months since he’d started working for William. And right now, he was glad to have someone who could just stand with him without speaking.
CHAPTER 39
William
Life continued. Time continued. That’s the thing with time. It always just goes on and on. Even if you feel stagnant, the world around you keeps turning.
The weeks after Ivy’s escape and Charles’s death were a blur of paperwork and receiving condolences from everyone William and Charles had ever done business with. Most men came to gauge if he would be looking for new partners, and they were all eager to be part of his empire. Even at the funeral, these people dared to discuss business with William. However, he’d told them to back off until he was ready to talk. William wouldn’t be able to do anything with the clubs until he’d taken enough time to grieve the loss of Charles.
Surprisingly, even Alfred Ravensdale had come by and paid off his debt within the two-week timeframe William had set.
More setbacks pursued William when the insurance company notified him that they weren’t going to pay out anything. It had been a bureaucratic mess to even get a penny from them, so William let that go. He’d postponed making any decisions regarding rebuilding the clubs anyway.
Sadly, the urgency of the day never helped him to not think of Ivy. Apart from his anguish, he didn’t want to admit that he fucking desired her. Desire for her so strong that it pained him. And it never faded. How he wished she was with him still so that he could find comfort in her body. So she could caress him, soothe him to ease the first stages of mourning. To rid her from his mind, William drank himself into a stupor and worked out like a mad man in his apartment.
William tightened the laces on his black gloves as he stared at the red punching bag hanging off the immaculately painted ceiling in his workout chamber next to his bedroom. He punched the bag one time and rolled his neck. He swung his fists again and again until sweat trickled down his hairline, releasing all his sorrow onto the bag. His breathing became ragged as he kept up his grueling blows, lost in his own world, in his own regret. His concentration kept wandering to the one person he wanted to avoid thi
nking about, so he hit the bag even harder.
Still, Ivy invaded his thoughts. He’d never realized the depth of his feelings for her until she was gone.
A pathetic punch hit the bag.
Never could William have foreseen he would end up like this. He’d lived a life of highs and lows, and for a time, he’d had all the money in the world and a thriving business. But he ended up the same way he began – alone and with very little money. Since all the clubs were closed, he had no income.
The last punch was a fragile one before he pulled an arm around the bag to stop its swaying and leaned his weight against it. He couldn’t afford to be weak now. William rested his forehead against the cold red leather while two essential questions echoed in his brain.
How was he going to rebuild his business without any funds?
And how in the bloody hell was he going to find Ivy?
CHAPTER 40
William
During the fourth week after Charles’s death, Charles’s lawyer contacted William to discuss his will, and William presently sat in that lawyer’s posh office with Silk, who’d stood by his side and helped William as promised, next to him.
“Do you understand what that means, Mr. Kade?” the lawyer asked.
William glanced at Silk, who had a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“That I’ve inherited a fortune?” William replied.
“Yes. Mr. Lindon’s will states that everything goes to you. Even his London estate. Along with the money you’ll receive from his life insurance, you could say that you’ve inherited quite a fortune, Mr. Kade,” the lawyer confirmed with a smile. “Please sign on the dotted lines, and I’ll make sure everything is transferred to you in the next couple of weeks. Do you have any further questions?”
“No,” he answered while scribbling his signature.
Then he leapt to his feet and headed out, feeling better than he had in weeks. Finally, some positive news instead of perpetual grief and inconvenient bureaucracy.
Outside, Silk practically jumped on his back.
“Kade! Fuck, I’m jealous. You’ll never have to work again! That man must’ve had the best insurance policy. The insurance company must hate Charles.”
William released a laugh. “Probably. I never knew he had such a large amount of life insurance.”
“And the estate?’
“I knew he had the estate. He told me he’d renovated it; that’s also why he opened the fight club. He needed money for that estate. I guess I never realized how much money had actually gone into the renovations and that it was worth so much today.”
They sauntered through the park while leaves in colors of orange and red fell as the wind rustled through the trees. For the first time in ten years, William felt ordinary. He didn’t worry about fighting, or about money, or about his businesses. No, he felt like an average guy and wasn’t upset about it. Odd that mourning had made him feel normal.
The mourning period over Charles had forced William to take a breather and simply do nothing except grieve his mentor. And with the help of his Italian friend, Silk, he’d managed. Of course, he still felt the twinges of pain. But regardless of how that period had stabilized William, he had to decide what to do with the currently closed gambling club and two underground floors.
“Silk, do you want to be my business partner? I don’t want to reopen Sins and the fight club. It’s so much hassle to keep those illegal clubs up and running. The months that Sins was a prosperous business wasn’t worth the effort I had to put into it. I was thinking of locking down those floors and only reopening the gaming club. I can still get illegal liquor from Dechamps. That will attract people to our gambling club since almost none of the other clubs serve alcohol anymore – the state is importing less and less alcohol every month. And I want to add an area in the gaming hall where whores are allowed, so they can fuck inside the gambling club – no more hardcore sex games though.”
Deep down, William also didn’t want to return to Sins. It held too many memories of Ivy.
Silk held out his hand. “I’m flattered you asked me. I trust you, and I like your no-nonsense business attitude.”
“Then we have a deal.”
They shook hands, and William felt a renewed interest in the future.
Silk mentioned, “I’ve heard that two new sex clubs are opening this year in the Loop. Two S&M clubs with features similar to what Sins offered. The owners apparently saw an opportunity when Sins closed.”
“Really? Were either of the owners a member of Sins?”
“Yes, I’ve heard they were, so now the formula has been stolen anyway. You wouldn’t want to reopen Sins with two competing clubs opening in the same area, and on top of that, the Loop doesn’t need three hardcore sex clubs. I think we should focus on making the gambling club profitable again. In Italy, the Mafia only allows games that are almost impossible for the house not to win,” Silk informed him.
“See, this is why I need you as my partner. You have good ideas.”
“I do,” Silk replied arrogantly with a smirk.
They continued in silence.
William wondered how his life would evolve without fighting or working at all hours of the day and night.
Charles and William had schemed, plotted, and killed to maintain their wealth for ten years. In the end, Charles left him a fortune with his death, and William was finally going to take advantage of living the life he’d worked so hard to achieve.
CHAPTER 41
William
Fall turned into a cold winter while William continued on with his life.
Charles’s death had made William realize how volatile life could be. How it could be over in the blink of an eye. So instead of working constantly like he had throughout the last ten years, he and Silk gradually repaired the gaming hall to its original state with some additions. William honored Charles by having it restored in the same way Charles had initially built it.
During this time, Silk showed William how to enjoy life more. How to spend the money he’d inherited. Their friendship deepened, and William began to understand how he indeed had kept people at arm’s length when Charles was alive. He and Silk hadn’t bonded when Charles was still around, but now, without Silk, William would’ve been alone. Something a woman with sparkling blue eyes had predicted all those months ago.
On one Saturday night, Silk had dragged William out to have dinner. William had no idea how, but Silk knew everyone. From upper class people, to the baker around the corner, to every whore in town. Women groveled to Silk and his Italian charm. Silk was a lover of life – he loved good food, good wine, and good women. A love of good food and wine, William shared with him. But enjoying women was problematic lately.
Nevertheless, women still chased William, though someone might have ruined him. All his life, he’d sought to find fulfillment in nameless bodies and in pursuing wealth, but neither had given him the satisfaction that being with Ivy had provided. There had always been a devotion in her eyes that he couldn’t seem to shake the memory of. Perhaps she embodied what he’d searched for all along? Perhaps she would haunt him for the rest of his life and beyond?
“William.” A brunette plopped onto his lap as he finished the best steak in town in a quaint restaurant. “Do you have more tattoos besides these?” She traced the feather on his arm.
The touch made William recoil, and he moved his arm away from her fingers. The caress reminded him of how Ivy used to always stroke his tattoos.
“Sophia, you’re my woman for tonight. Get over here before I become jealous,” Silk interrupted, recognizing William’s inner turmoil while retying his bun with a smile.
William scratched his beard – these days, he didn’t bother to shave at all – and reclined back, taking an offered cheroot from the waitress. Then he grinned at the woman in his lap and the other three women at their round table. Or he should say ‘girls’. Sophia was a plump girl and was in the restaurant with her friends. Silk had persuaded the
ladies to join them, and William had enjoyed an entertaining evening with this group, almost feeling like his old self.
Before Sophia could obey Silk, the door of the restaurant busted open, and a furious tall man came to their table. “Sophia, what the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
“Oh, shit,” Sophia cursed. “My fiancé, Jet.”
Jet heaved her off William’s lap and then stood in front of him. “Get up so I can fight you for my woman.”
A lazy, white smile worked its way across William’s face as he slouched deeper into his chair, thoughtfully chewed the end of his cheroot, and appeared to contemplate the invitation with considerable relish. He perked a brow in amused inquiry. “Right here?” he asked, his smile widening.
That provoked Jet to aim his fist at William, but he dodged it easily and shot up, seizing Jet’s wrist and lodging his arm behind his back. Then William sank his fingers into his neck and pushed him face-down onto the surface of the table.
“Jet, I might not have been fighting for months, but I can still snap your neck like a twig. Now, are you done showing off for your woman? Or do you need me to rearrange your face?”
“I’m sorry,” Jet mumbled.
Silk let out a mocking laugh at Jet’s pitiful tone.
William eased his grip and calmly sat back down, picking up the cigar and lighting it.
Sophia hadn’t even screamed or shown any concern for her fiancé. No, she just winked at William as Jet heaved her out of the restaurant.
William and Silk chuckled.
“Women.” Silk shook his head.
One of the other girls, a brunette, scooted closer to William and straightforwardly said, “You and I could have a good time, William.”
William considered her blatant offer to fuck while taking another draw from his cigar.
Sins of a Bad Boy (The Original Bad Boys Book 1) Page 28