With those words, she acted as if he had struck her.
Vincent started to cut off more of John’s circulation. “What else have you done to her, motherfucker?”
“Vincent, please!” Lake cried. If he kept going, she was sure John’s head would pop off.
He gave one more squeeze of John’s throat before letting him fall to the floor where he lay, trying to catch his breath.
“If I find out you laid a finger on her, I will come back here and slit your goddamn throat.”
Going up to him, Lake lightly touched his arm, somewhat afraid to touch the rabid animal. “Let’s go. Please, let’s go.”
“I said you’re not going anywhere. You’re mine, you piece of shit,” John snidely said through rough gasps.
Vincent kicked him in the teeth in one swift movement. “You better say your prayers, motherfucker, because the only reason I’m not sending you straight to Hell now is because she’s here. You do not own her, and you will never own her. Lake is mine. She will never see you again. Try and you will find out what happens to fuckers who mess with the Caruso family.”
Clearly satisfied, he grabbed Lake’s shaking hand and went down the hall.
As he passed a horrified Pam and Ashley, he gave them a warning. “That fucking goes for all of you.”
Terrified, she let Vincent take her to his car.
When he got in the driver’s side and started the engine, she was ready to piss herself. She couldn’t see Vincent anymore. In his place was a man she was utterly petrified of. She knew he had a personality problem, but that was the most extreme she had seen him and he had actually admitted he was holding back because of her.
If this is him holding back, then… One thing was for sure, she needed to get the hell away from scary Vincent.
“W-where are w-we going?”
He forcefully squeezed the steering wheel. “Right now, I’m thinking about turning the fuck around.”
No!
“D-don’t.” She couldn’t stifle her crying.
He gritted his teeth. “Why the hell not? You’re already fucking scared of me, so I should at least give you something to be scared about. ” Vincent pulled off the road and put the car in park. “He deserved a lot fucking worse than what I did, Lake. I’m the one who tried to walk away for you. He was the one asking for it by running his goddamn mouth. I’m not stupid. I know you’ve been taking shit for a long time and if I had my way, they would all be fucking dead right now!”
“I-I know, but she’s my mom, regardless of what she did. She’s my family.” She tried to keep her body from shaking so much while she was wiping away her tears.
Lake understood it was his fucked-up way of trying to save her, yet she didn’t like this Vincent.
I never wanted to be saved. She was too afraid the price would be her mother’s head.
He took a long, deep breath as he smoothed his hair down. “Where is your house?”
She quickly looked over at him through her watering eyes. “What, my dad’s?”
“Yes, your dad’s, unless you want me to go back to your mom’s.” He put the car back in drive.
No way did he need to go to her dad’s if what had just happened would happen again.
“I don’t want you to go there,” she whispered.
“Why the fuck not?” His voice started to rise again.
Because you’ll make me homeless.
“You just can’t.”
He went to pull out. “Fine, I’ll fucking take you to mine.”
“Wait!” Lake quickly grabbed the steering wheel. She thought for a moment, trying to decide whether it was worse to be homeless or virgin-less. “We can go to my dad’s.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
It’s A Crime To Cut Off The Crust
Lake looked out the car window to see the complete opposite of her mother’s house. They were no longer in the suburbs, but instead a rundown part of the city. The only good thing about the street was it was semi-safe at night since most of the people who lived on it were the hardworking-class of the dirt poor.
“You aren’t going to leave without coming inside, are you?” She thought she would at least ask.
“What do you think?” He put the car in park and turned it off.
Lake took a deep breath. Figured.
Getting out of his car, she went up the stoop of the dirty-looking condo then pulled her keys out of her bag before putting them in the slot.
Before she could unlock the door, she turned to Vincent. “Don’t tell my dad about my mom. He doesn’t know anything, and it would kill him to find out.”
“Just get inside,” he hissed.
Figured that, too.