Vincent turned to try to catch her.
“You’re about an hour late. I assume she’s already somewhere that’s not worth the fucking time to find her.” He took a long hit, thinking about what he wanted to say next. “Lake is like a cat; she was born with nine lives. Sooner or later, however, she’ll be faced with her ninth and final one. Something tells me she’s more than halfway there, considering she just wasted another one with me.”
Fuck, Lake. Vincent nodded in understanding before going back out the door to leave and attempt to catch her before she could run too far away.
“If you find her, I better not see her fucking face. Beat some fucking sense into that girl, or I will.”
Vincent ground his teeth. “Yes, boss.”
Closing the door behind him, he headed straight for the elevator, pulling out his phone in a desperate attempt to call her. It went straight to voicemail, though.
“Motherfucker!” he screamed when the elevator closed behind him.
The thought of losing Lake was already too strong, but Vincent had made up his mind.
He would go the ends of the Earth for her.
Chapter Forty-Four We Are All Cursed
Vincent knocked on the front door. It felt strange coming there for the first time without Lake.
The door opened, only for it to be slammed on his face. Luckily his hand was out, ready to push at the door before it could close completely.
“Talk to me for five fucking minutes, please.” The last word was harsh yet vulnerable at the same time.
Finally, the pressure on the other side of the door released, and he was able to walk in. Looking around, his heart grew heavy with thinking about all the time he and Lake had spent together in that house.
Vincent walked into the kitchen, watching a man pour orange juice into a glass in the middle of the night. He had watched Lake do that several times during the month they had spent together.
“I’ve already told you once that she didn’t tell me where she was going, and if I did know, what in the fuck makes you think I would tell you?” He took his orange juice and sat down at the creaky, little table.
Walking over, Vincent sat down in front of him. “She’s your fucking daughter, so you know exactly where she would go.”
Paul stared at him. “Like I said, if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you. You think I want Lake to be with a man like you? Hell, I don’t want her to be with a fucking man like me. She deserves a lot more than a family man.”
Vincent slammed his hand down on the table. “You think I don’t fucking know that? Most of me doesn’t want to be able to find her, but the crazy in me can’t stop. I have to find her. There is nothing good in me anymore without her.”
“We are all cursed, Vincent. A family man can never truly be happy because of the life we chose. We always want something more or better. We want it so fucking badly till it kills us along with the ones we love. That’s why almost all of us are alone. When we love, we either bury them or destroy who we once were when they finally leave us.”
Paul took a drink from his glass. “When Lake’s mom left me for money, I had to find something to keep me distracted. I had a daughter, so I didn’t want to drink or get into drugs, because Lake was the only thing I had left in this world. If I had lost her, I was so fucked-up I think I would have killed myself. So, I started gambling. I don’t know, maybe at first I chose it in hopes to get rich so her mom would come back to me, and then it twisted into getting rich for Lake. But I let gambling consume me until, years later, it finally hurt Lake.
“That’s what always fucking happens to us. I’m just lucky enough that Lake got out alive. So don’t expect me to tell you where she is, because I’m not going to bury my daughter before me. I suggest you find a fucking hobby.”
“Like you, Lake is the only thing I have in this world, and I will not lose her just because, right now, I am fucked-up.” Vincent stood abruptly, the chair behind him almost falling to the ground.
He understood Paul for having the right to not tell him where his daughter was, and he respected him for that. Vincent merely showed his respect by telling him Lake was going to be his.
“Dante would like to see her dead or worse, Vincent. If you bring her back here after only a week, you are fucking risking her life.” Paul was pleading and warning him all at the same time.
Heading for the door and walking away from Paul, Vincent said, “I told you I’m fucked-up.” Vincent didn’t think he should tell her father the next part, and I’m going to do what you failed to do—teach her a fucking lesson about family men.
*
Vincent answered his phone the next morning.
A voice came over the line. “Get over here.” Then the call was quickly disconnected.