Sins of a Bad Boy (The Original Bad Boys Book 1) (38 page)

“How old is that baby?” William inquired, feeling heat creeping over his skin.

“I don’t know exactly how old, but a newborn.”

A disconcerting hunch flitted through William, so he quickly conjured a plan. “A man is going to join us. When he stops beside me, I need you to repeat the sentence about the family members, of how they only have one child, okay?”

The guard nodded, and William beckoned Sean to them.

“What did you find out about the family members?” William repeated his question just as Sean stopped next to him so that he could see Sean’s facial expression.

“Nothing of importance. The man married last year and has a baby.”

Sean’s eyes rounded for a split-second, and he tensed up. Then his alarmed gaze shot to William. Sean whirled around to run, but William seized his collar and secured his arm around Sean’s throat, holding him imprisoned.

“Why the sudden rush?” William practically spat with simmering fury.

His instinct had been confirmed.

Sean fought against William, but William was much stronger than he was. “Speak! Tell me why you froze and wanted to run! And if you think to lie, remember that I have your sister in my apartment. I can do anything I want with her.”

William desperately wanted answers, yet he couldn’t fathom that she would betray him on this level.

“I-What do you want to know?” Sean expelled loud breaths of unease while William kept him in a death grip.

“Why does Ivy visit that townhouse?”

“I think you already know,” Sean replied.

“I want to hear the words from your mouth.”

“Because she wants to see the child.”

“Why?” William demanded.

Silence.

“Why?!” William bellowed in his ear, dreading the answer.

“It’s her child.”

“And? Say the fucking words!” William was on the verge of blowing up.

“And the kid is your child too.”

William released Sean harshly, swiveled him around, and shouted in disbelief, “She gave away
my
child?!”

He would kill for her, and she’d kept his child from him. She’d kept this secret from him while he’d wanted to start over with her?

This is why she had reservations about being with him. She was afraid of what would happen if he ever discovered that she’d given birth to his child and given it away.

Their relationship was still based on a lie. Nothing had changed.

“She gave away
my
child?!” he repeated bitterly.

“She sold her.”

William’s eyes widened in utter shock. Time froze. Feelings emerged. Her? A daughter? Ivy had lied to him – again.

Was William’s judgment so impaired when it came to Ivy? Had love blinded him? Possibly, because he now clearly remembered how Ivy’s body had changed. She was more voluptuous.

William dug his fingers into Sean’s neck. “Move.” And he heaved him forward as they bounded to the elevator.

CHAPTER 49

Ivy

Ivy inspected the ceiling while two emotions battled for attention. Partly, she was on cloud nine because William had finally admitted he loved her, which had calmed her soul. For months, Ivy had dreamed of this day. But it turned out to be bittersweet. Ivy couldn’t move forward with William without being honest. Entirely truthful for the first time in her life. And that made her nervous. No, it made her petrified.

Her musings were interrupted by a loud arrival in the apartment. Footsteps marched down the hall, and William appeared in the doorway.

“Dress,” he ordered. “Now! Your brother is here.” And he practically stomped away.

Ivy bolted up and put on her clothes. She combed her fingers through her disheveled curls a few times as she went to the living room.

Unease scorched her skin. Something was terribly wrong.

Sean stood at the sofa in a tousled state, and William paced at the door like a caged animal.

They were far enough apart that Ivy could only see one of them at a time because of her narrowed vision and blind eye. But vision wasn’t necessary; the tension and fury was indisputably palpable.

“You. Sold. My. Child?” Cool rage underlined William’s clipped words.

Ivy’s gaze shot to Sean, who shook his head in disappointment.

“Tell him, Ivy. Tell him the truth. I told you this was a bad idea from the start. He deserves the truth,” Sean advised.

William stopped to scowl at Ivy, prompting her into action.

“I-I didn’t know what to do…” she defended lamely. In actuality, she couldn’t defend her actions, because she’d regretted them the second her daughter was born and she’d accidentally seen her when the nurse carried her out.

“Are you fucking kidding me?! Tell me what happened, Ivy!” William took a step closer to her, and she shrank back.

Sean inched closer as well. “Don’t hurt her, Kade. Ivy, talk.”

Witnessing William’s eyes that where twin pools of despair, she revealed, “I found out I was a couple of months pregnant after I escaped. I delivered much too early. She’s a girl. I…I didn’t have any money, William. I thought you wanted me dead. It was a stupid choice made in desperation.”

“Don’t you dare make excuses for yourself! The child has a father that could’ve taken care of her. You should’ve told me. This…This is unforgivable!” William raked his hair back with both hands. “I can’t even…grasp how you could’ve kept this from me.”

“William, I thought you were going to kill me! I was at my wits’ end. Sean and I returned to the Loop right before I gave birth. I never planned it. The couple spoke to me on the street and inquired about my situation, then brought up the idea of them ‘adopting’ her. They wanted to pass the child off as one of their own; the woman had just miscarried. I got an advance on the money, which wasn’t much, and when they took her away from me, they conned me. They didn’t pay, and I couldn’t go to the police or anything.”

“You should’ve come to me,” William mumbled.

William’s gaze pierced right through Ivy, and he glared at her incredulously, as if his mind couldn’t understand the events unfolding before him.

“Is she healthy?” William asked whisper-soft.

“Yes, she was born healthy.”

William blinked and blinked. His face held no expression; his eyes were as calm as the sea before a storm. The most pressing silence she’d ever known settled over them.

Ivy turned her head to Sean, imploring him to help her.

“William,” Sean started, “while I didn’t agree with her decision, I did understand why she did it. We really aren’t in a position to take care of a child.”

Ivy moved in front of William and raised her arm to touch him, but his frighteningly calm demeanor halted her action, so she lowered her hand. “I was going to tell you today. I wasn’t planning on never telling you.”

William stared straight ahead, not looking at her.

“William, please…” Ivy’s hand slid over his beard while she nuzzled her face into his neck. “Please, I’m so sorry.”

She was truly regretful. With every fiber of her being, she’d hated giving their daughter away. But Ivy was also thankful that her baby now had food and a home. She went to that house every day to check on her.

If she had a second chance, she would do everything differently.

“William, I love you. Say something.” Ivy studied him warily.

He looked completely unaffected by her declaration, so she dropped her arm and stepped back.

William cupped her face, pulling her in for an embrace, a painful hug. He lowered his head to whisper, “I’m too angry to speak to you. Get out.”

And he let her go. Dumbfounded, Ivy reached for him, but he pulled away.

Then he repeated to Sean, “Leave now, Sean.” And William marched to the elevator, opening the door with his key.

“Come, Ivy.” Sean took her elbow and prompted her to walk.

In a daze, Ivy passed William, whose stare was fixed on the floor, and entered the elevator. She hoped he’d lift his gaze to her, but he didn’t. The door closed right after he swiveled around without ever saying goodbye.

CHAPTER 50

William

He couldn’t stand the sight of her any longer. He couldn’t watch her cross the threshold. William wanted to throttle her; therefore, he had to send her away.

There was only a thread of sanity holding him together right now, but that thread would snap the second he looked up, so he glowered at the carpet.

Her eyes bore holes into his back when he turned away from her and heard the elevator close.

Numbly, William sank onto his sofa, resting his elbows on his knees as he leaned forward, dropping his head into his hands.

The betrayal he’d suffered from Ivy flamed through his body. William was in a state of mindless rage. Ivy, the woman he loved, was still the same liar as before. Only this time, her lie was simply unjustifiable.

He had a baby girl. Out there, with strangers.

Promptly, he jumped to his feet and returned to the elevator, waiting until it came back up to take it downstairs.

On the first floor, William went in search of Silk, who happened to be heading down the corridor.

“Silk, come with me,” William instructed as he led the way while fishing his car keys from his pocket.

“Where to?” Silk followed him outside.

“To get my daughter,” William answered to a speechless Silk as he climbed inside the vehicle.

***

William parked right in front of the townhouse. The journey had strengthened his outrage over the fact that these people had bought his child.

William and Silk simultaneously opened and closed the car doors as they stepped out and made their way toward the front entrance.

As William rang the bell, he read the nameplate:
Edward Taylor
.

Faster than expected, the door unlocked, revealing a short, young brown-haired man that came up to William’s shoulder.

“Mr. Taylor,” William said as he glanced to the street. “I suggest you invite us in unless you want everyone in the Loop to hear about how you purchased a newborn.”

Silk cracked his knuckles as he stood imposingly next to William.

Edward’s scared expression intensified as he held the door open wider for them to enter. Then they followed Edward to the living room where his wife sat with William’s child.

Confidently, William and Silk speared the woman holding the baby wrapped in a wool pink blanket with a scowl that made her cower.

“Mrs. Taylor”—William halted right before her as she sat on her hideously green couch—“I’ve come to collect what’s mine.”

“What?” she said with a trembling bottom lip, cradling the baby close to her chest.

William couldn’t see the child’s face; that annoyed him. And he didn’t want to spend too long in here.

Silk knitted his fingers behind his back and casually raised his brows to Edward, who witnessed it all from the doorway.

“Don’t be ignorant. I’m not in the mood for games. That baby is mine. I’ve come to pick her up.” William bent and the woman reared back, but he easily pried the baby from her arms. “You two have illegally bought a baby. You pressured a poor woman into selling her child to you! Unfortunately for you, this is my daughter.”

“How do you know it’s yours?” Mrs. Taylor frantically inquired.

William cocked his head. “That doesn’t matter. She isn’t
yours
. I’d tread carefully if I were you…”

Edward jumped forward, but Silk easily gripped his throat with one hand and slammed him against the wall, holding him there.

“No!” the woman screamed and covered her mouth with both her hands.

“Calm down,” William ordered. “You have two choices. I can go to the police and have you arrested, or I can kill you.”

They gasped.

“I’m inclined to do the latter, but I’ll be lenient today.” William turned and walked to the door, holding the small infant in one arm. “Do you know who I am?”

They both nodded.

“Then I suggest you stay away from me, Ivy, and my child forever. If I ever see you near any of us, I will kill you. I don’t care what you tell your family or friends about the sudden loss of your baby, but you never involve my name. If you do speak of me or Ivy, I will find out and murder you in your sleep.”

William shot daggers at both of them, and Silk hit Edward’s stomach once, causing him to double over.

“You only get one warning from me,” William threatened as he exited with Silk in tow.

Outside, William told Silk to drive as he took the passenger seat.

Once on the way, William observed the tiny baby girl in his arms. She was asleep but started to stir.

He edged the blanket away from her round, pink face to see her hair. She had a few fuzzy hairs that were exactly the same color as Ivy’s curls.

“She’s so tiny,” William mused aloud as he stared at this little creature.

Then her eyes opened and she looked straight at him, blinking sweetly. Something tugged at his heartstrings. This baby girl was a perfect mix between William and Ivy. Ivy’s hair color and William’s silver-grey eyes.

Tears pricked behind his eyelids as he stroked his finger down her soft, chubby cheek. She stretched her short arms and legs while William held her firmly, afraid he’d hurt her. She was the smallest baby he’d ever seen.

“William?” Silk asked.

“Yes,” he said without shifting his stare from his baby.

“So now you have a baby? Um, do you know anything about babies?”

William shook his head.

“Well, neither do I, but I do know we’ll need help. Like, what does that tiny thing eat?”

“
That
is a she, Silk,” William replied around a smile. “And I guess we should find help today.”