by Alexia Praks
William chuckled, pretending amusement. “First, thank you for worrying about me. Your concern is truly appreciated. Second, as you can see, I’m still alive. And third, they fucked with me first. I lost twenty million last week because they dared to double-cross me. You know nobody double-crosses a Bosworth.”
In fact, it was a given nobody in their right mind would dare double-cross the five elite families who ruled Las Vegas and were its lifeline.
The Maxwells were considered the most powerful and influential, with James now the head of the family and the CEO of the multibillion-dollar empire that stretched all over America. Scott and Eric, James’s younger half-brothers, were the left- and right-hand men.
The next most powerful was probably the Sinclairs, and the head of that family’s empire was Mark, whose friendly attitude and pleasant smile belied his ruthlessness where business was concerned.
The Masudas, a formidable clan of Yakuza, though mainly doing business in Japan, had some of their hotels and resorts here in America, and especially in Las Vegas. The very influential family was one of the top multibillionaires in Asia, and Tory Masuda, with his sociable personality and cheeky smile, was the heir to the extensive empire.
The Cains’ organization, of which Matt was the heir and next in line to inherit the vast wealth, mainly did their businesses with the Maxwells. And last but not least, the Bosworths, of which William was the current CEO to the enormous enterprise.
Matt said, “When the hell are you going to learn not to do stupid things by yourself? For fuck’s sake, you’re the head of the Bosworths now. Stop behaving so irrationally. You know every gang in Vegas wants you dead.”
“Yes, I know,” William snapped. “I fucking know.”
He was tired. So fucking tired that he just wanted to slip into a coma. It’d be great if he didn’t have to wake up again and deal with all these shits. It’d be nice, too, if he managed to lose his arrogant demeanor and his independent and controlling nature once in a while, which would allow his friends to step in and help him out.
But William was William. He had been a lone wolf since he was a mere boy, and despite how close and loyal the five friends were, having them aid him was out of the question. He preferred to operate alone where his personal business was concerned. When it came to him assisting his friends, however, he’d step in without batting an eyelid, regardless if it involved the risk of losing his money or his own life, which were common threats in their dark and dangerous world.
James said, “You should get your wound looked at.”
William sighed, exhausted. “I’m fine. Just scratches,” he said as he collapsed onto the sofa.
Ah, comfortable, soft sofa. Fuck, he wanted Savanah to sit on this couch.
No. Scratch that. He didn’t want her to sit on this expensive thing. He wanted her to sit on his lap while he sat on the sofa. Yes, that was fucking better.
Matt snorted, which drew William’s mind away from sweet Savanah.
“I can see your bruises from here. How many ribs have you broken this time?”
William scowled. Fuck! He didn’t know. He just knew his body hurt like a bitch, and that his chest cavity was aching. Maybe he really should get himself checked out.
James said, “Look, next time, if you really want to get even with those fuckheads, or any fuckheads, for that matter, let us know. We’re sworn blood brothers, for fuck’s sake.”
“Look, James, Matt,” William said. “I appreciate your generosity, but some things are personal. And I promise I won’t leave you both out if I’m keen for a showdown next time. Now, if you could please leave. I’m fucking tired and sorely in need of some shuteye.”
James ignored him and turned to the butler. “Call in the doctor, Joseph.”
Joseph grinned pleasantly as he nodded his head. “Of course, sir,” he said before heading away.
William frowned and muttered darkly, “Who the fuck told you to order my butler around?”
James folded his arms across his chest and said, calmly but darkly, “I made it my business to remind him of his duties, and his duty is to take good care of you, even if you, yourself, are too thickheaded to do that. A lot of people depend on you for survival, William. Your existence matters. Your health matters. Your actions matter.”
“I got it,” William snapped. “No need to repeat it like a fucking broken radio.”
Yep, this was why he never liked James Maxwell. He was fucking nosy where William’s life, or any of the friends’ lives, were concerned. In fact, he resented James, who seemed to wield power with ease. Every single one of his men followed him like a fucking smitten pup and obeyed his every order to perfection. Whereas for William himself? Fuck, he didn’t know where the boundary was, and he sure as hell didn’t know who was loyal to him and who was planning to stab him in the back. He had only become the head of the Bosworth group a year ago, and already, he was losing it.
“I’ll inform Mark and Tory of what has happened, just in case things get nasty,” Matt said, referring to their friends who were currently residing in New York and Japan, respectively.
“Nothing is going to happen,” William muttered, as he opened his eyes again. “They won’t dare do anything stupid.”
James said, “They keep count, William. We all know that.”
“I fucking know that,” William said tiredly.
“Then watch your back,” Matt said coldly.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to let anyone murder me,” he said, waving them away. “I still have a long reign ahead of me.”
Yep. He wasn’t going to let his guard down and give his many foes the opportunity to make an attempt on his life, like what had happened to his father, who was currently in a fucking coma from an attempted assassination.
A few moments later, James and Matt left, and William finally relaxed. Sitting there on the leather sofa, he sighed and then groaned in pain.
Fuck! His chest hurt. In fact, he was fucking sore everywhere.
“Dr. McKenzie will be here soon, sir,” Joseph said from the distance. “I would imagine he’d would want to do some X-rays as soon as possible to make sure you don’t have any broken bones. I’ll get things prepared.”
William nodded in agreement. He was too fucking exhausted to argue, despite how much he hated going to the hospital. Why? Because his notorious billionaire of a father was there in that place, and he was neither dead nor alive. The one man who had always been there for him, the only person who truly believed in him and loved him, was basically braindead.
Yep, William had just lost the most important person in his life, and it was fucking hard carrying on living, taking care of business, and pretending nothing was wrong when every fucking thing was wrong.
Chapter 9
Savanah
I lay there in bed, my head in a daze as I stared up at the ceiling, my fingers continuously caressing my lips.
William had kissed me. That fact still had not yet fully registered in my mind. Yes, William had kissed me. But I thought he didn’t like a girl like me…so why would he kiss me?
I shook my head and tried not to think about it too much. After all, he probably just felt sorry for me, or maybe it was simply a sort of gratitude type of kiss because I had helped him tonight.
I didn’t know, and I refused to think further of it as I turned on my side yet again, trying to sleep.
My resolve not to think about what had happened didn’t last long, however, and as I finally drifted off to sleep, William and his kiss still played brightly in my mind.
When I next woke up, it was nearly nine o’clock in the morning. This didn’t surprise me, because I had gone to bed quite late and had spent the majority of the night tossing and turning, thinking about William and his kiss.
As I sat up, my fingers immediately flew to my lips, my mind racing. Suddenly, I wondered if William had woken up yet. If he had, I wondered if he wanted breakfast, which would be what Mr. Collins had kindly given me yesterday and so
me leftover stuff in the fridge.
Hastily, I got out of bed and rushed to the door. It wasn’t that I was keen to see him, but that I had entirely forgotten he was injured and wondered if he needed any pain medication, since I hadn’t given him any last night.
I rushed across the hall and into the living area, my heart racing with eagerness. Once at the door, I scanned the area for William but found that the place was empty. I frowned.
“William?” I called out into the small living space. “Hello?”
Silence greeted me.
“William?” I called out again, this time louder.
Curious, I headed back to the hallway and to the bathroom. I noted that the door was closed and wondered if William was in there, getting ready for the day.
I hesitantly knocked as I asked, “William? Are you in here?”
Silence.
“Hello?” I tried again. “William, are you in the bathroom?”
Still silence. Thinking he might have collapsed and hurt himself even more, or worse, fallen unconscious, I turned the knob and flung the door open, my heart racing. I searched the area, my eyes darting from one corner to another. I made sure I did a thorough scan of the place so that I didn’t miss anything.
When it dawned on me that William wasn’t there, I felt a little mystified.
Still wondering where he could be, I headed back to the living area and sat down on the sofa, my heart sinking.
He must have left already. But without saying goodbye?
Well, it shouldn’t have surprised me. He would have to leave sooner or later, wouldn’t he? But why was there this intense painful jab inside my chest?
I sighed and collapsed on the sofa, feeling more than a little depressed and lonely all of a sudden. I picked up the blanket and covered myself with it to keep warm. Instantly, William’s smell danced around me, which made me feel more than a little dazed.
God, his scent was wonderful. I couldn’t help myself and buried my nose against the blanket as I made myself comfortable on the sofa. That was when I saw the note on a piece of paper sitting on the coffee table. I picked it up and read.
Thanks for your generous hospitality, Savanah.
William.
Suddenly, I felt this crushing pain inside my chest again, and tears flowed down my cheeks.
“Stupid man!” I muttered under my breath. He should have at least waited until I woke up to say goodbye. What an unappreciative man he was.
In my resentment, I made a promise to myself that I wasn’t going to say hello to him if I ever had the chance to meet him again in the future.
So pissed was I with his inconsiderate action that I ripped the note to pieces. After throwing the torn paper in the garbage, I headed back to my room and started getting myself ready, determined not to think about the ungrateful man.
Once I was done, some half an hour later, I sat down and started having my brunch of a toasted sandwich. While I was doing so, I had a book on the table. I was determined to multitask—eat and read at the same time.
As I was munching on the overly toasted bread and some leftover ham and cheese, I couldn’t concentrate on the book, however. My mind kept wandering off, thinking about William.
Did he get home all right? Did he encounter any more gang members who might have been waiting to ambush him when he was alone? And why did he leave without saying goodbye to me?
It wasn’t like I knew where he lived, for God’s sake. Then again, it wasn’t like we knew each other that well, either, or that he owed me such a great deal that he was obliged to tell me anything.
I sighed. There were so many questions popping up in my head right now, questions regarding William and his wellbeing, questions I had no answers to, that I began to have a headache.
Dismissing the thoughts of William from my mind once again, I quickly finished the rest of my food and decided I’d go out for a walk. After all, I needed to get some fresh air, clear my head, and stretch my legs. There were still four more hours until my shift at the convenience store started, so there was plenty of time to cruise about the neighborhood and even catch a bus into town.
After cleaning up the dishes, I grabbed my jacket and backpack and headed out the door.
I took my sweet time strolling along the neighborhood as I headed toward the bus stop. Not surprisingly, the streets didn’t look sinister, which was a blessing. If the atmosphere was anything like last night, I’d probably lock myself in the apartment and wouldn’t dare step out, even for a breath of fresh air.
As I came to the main road, it didn’t take me long to realize I was being followed. I glanced over my shoulder and noted a car cruising along the street at a slow pace, right behind me.
My heart raced instantly, and my whole body tensed. Shit. Shit. Shit. What should I do?
My eyes darted about the streets, searching. Luckily, there were people about, so I knew whoever was in that car wasn’t going to do anything stupid, like kidnap me or something, in broad daylight.
My stomach continued to flutter anxiously as I joined others at the bus stop. I noted the car had stopped, too, and parked only a few feet away, which didn’t help. I was extremely conscious of its presence, and more so, the intense gaze that was directed at me. My nerves were on edge as I tried to ignore the car and the apprehensive feeling that was building up within me. About ten minutes later, I couldn’t help myself and I glanced at the vehicle.
Inside, through the windshield, I saw two bulky men staring at me. They wore sleek black suits and looked more like bodyguards than some street gangs who wanted to kidnap and do horrible, unmentionable things to me.
I frowned. Maybe they weren’t following me. Maybe it was my imagination.
That was when I chided myself for being silly. After all, I didn’t know these people. In fact, I had never been involved with anything weird or illegal before, so there was no way these men were following me. Sure, it was notoriously common in Vegas for things like this to happen, but that was only if you happened to be in that type of business, which I wasn’t.
Feeling as though this made sense, I finally relaxed.
A few minutes later, the bus arrived. I hopped in along with other people, paid my fees, and took a seat near the back—my favorite spot. Once everyone was seated, the driver maneuvered the large vehicle into the flow of the traffic.
There I sat, making plans as to where I should make my stop and which fashion stores I should visit, where, undoubtedly, I’d spend the majority of my time ogling the beautiful, expensive dresses and daydreaming about wearing them and owning them. Maybe I’d get so inspired that I’d start drawing my own design and work on it when I had time.
After deciding on my destination, I thought maybe I should also add the public library as my last stop before starting work, because I needed some new books to read. I wondered if I should, in addition to my usual mystery, thriller, and fantasy novels, get some romance books, especially where the hero had ash-blond hair and pale blue eyes like William.
“Shit!” I swore under my breath and berated myself for going off track—thinking about William again.
Why couldn’t I stop thinking about him? Why?
Without realizing it, my fingers touched my lips once again. I remembered William’s warmth and scent when he had been close to me. Instantly, my body felt weak and my head a little bit dazed at the thought of him.
Just as quickly, I told myself to forget about William. After all, it wasn’t likely that I’d get to see him again. He was gone. Without saying goodbye, at that!
I moved in my seat and decided to clear my head by concentrating on the scenery of the neighborhood, instead. As I was looking around at the familiar sights, I spotted something that made my heart race.
Shit! That car was right behind the bus. What the hell?
I sat there, feeling more than a little frightened and sick all of a sudden. Maybe, just maybe, the people in that car were really following me.
Oh, God! I wanted to go home.
I wanted to hide in my room. I wanted to call the police or something. But then, if I did call the police, what do I tell them? That two very intimidating-looking men, driving a sleek black car, were following me?
Was I being paranoid because I had read too many mystery and thriller books.
The bus turned the corner, and that was when I couldn’t take it. Mr. Collins’ convenience store was just around the corner, and if I could get there before anything were to happen, I knew I’d be all right.
Once the bus stopped at the next terminal, I got out as quickly as I could. With my backpack bouncing up and down behind me, I power walked to the next block, my steps quick and erratic.
I knew I was probably acting weird and stupid, but I couldn’t help myself. Not when I thought my life could be in danger. I was currently alone, and the fact that I was a young female made me an easy target, whether I had any business with some notorious gangs who controlled this part of the neighborhood or not.
When I neared Mr. Collins’ convenience store, I looked over my shoulder to see if the black car was still following me. It was nowhere in sight, and I breathed a relieved sigh.
Maybe I was being silly, after all. Acting all paranoid because I had read too many fiction novels where gangs, stalking, kidnapping, and murder were common plots. Could these ideas be affecting the way I thought and behaved?
Once I was inside the store, Mr. Collins raised his head and smiled at me in greeting. “Savanah, good morning. Here to get something, are we?”
I shook my head in the negative. Before answering, I glanced over my shoulder at the door to make sure some strange people didn’t just suddenly turn up, especially men in black suits.
Noting that it was clear, I returned my attention to my boss and shook my head.
“No,” I said, my voice just a little bit weak and shaky. “I was bored at home so I thought I’d just drop by.” I lied through my teeth.
Mr. Collins frowned at me. Probably because he could sense how edgy I was. Well, I couldn’t help showing it, considering the sharp gazes those two men had given me before, which terrified me to my core.