“Thanks,” I grunted and stood. “Let’s go see Louisa.”
Lucas nodded, stood, and we walked out of the room in silence. We headed toward Louisa’s wing of the house, not speaking another word.
We ended up outside her room not long after. Lucas knocked.
“Louisa,” he called out. “Open up.”
She pulled the door open a minute later. “Hello, big brother.”
“We have to talk,” he said.
Louisa looked at me. “Sorry,” she said.
“For what?” I grunted.
“You know what.” She turned and walked into the room. We followed her inside and watched as she sat down on her couch, stretching out.
“Lou, Vince wants to ask you some stuff about Kaley,” Lucas said.
She stared up at me. “I don’t have much to say.”
“I just have one question,” I said. “Why did she leave?”
Louisa stared at me for a second, her dark eyes piercing. It felt uncomfortable to be held under her gaze like that, but I didn’t back down.
“Do you care about her, Vincent?” she asked.
“What? Just answer me.”
“You give me what I want; then I’ll give you what you want.” She sighed and stretched. “Do you care about her?”
“Yes,” I said.
“How much?”
“She’s the mother of my son.”
“Besides that.”
I glanced at Lucas. “Yes. I care about her.”
“How much?” she repeated.
“Enough to do anything to get her back.”
She looked at me for a second and then slowly nodded. “She said her best friend from home told her that her family would take her back. She said her family was going to let her keep her baby, too.”
I cocked my head to one side. “Sophie?”
“She didn’t say the name.”
“Sophie, must be Sophie,” I grumbled. “Why would they change their mind?” I asked, looking at Lucas.
“I don’t know,” he said.
“Truth is, boys, I’m bored of this,” Louisa said. “I helped her because I thought it was the right thing to do. If she’s in trouble, well, it’s your call.”
“Did she seem afraid?” I asked Louisa.
“No,” she said. “Like I said, I thought it was the right thing to do. She doesn’t belong here, Vincent.”
“Yes, she does,” I said, surprised by my own anger. “She belongs with me.”
There was a silence as both Louisa and Lucas stared at me. I was shocked by my own words and feelings, but I knew it was true.
Kaley and Alexei belonged with me. I wanted them here and didn’t want them to ever go away. I was angry and upset because she was gone, and for no other reason.
I wanted her back.
“Thanks,” I said, and then turned to leave.
“Wait,” Lucas said. “If you’re going after her, I’m coming.”
I laughed. “You have kids.”
“Yeah, Lucas,” Louisa said. “You’re not going.”
“Fine,” he grumbled. “I’ll give you gear at least.”
“And I’ll tell you where to go,” Louisa added.
I looked back at them. “Thanks.”
“If I knew how you felt, I would never have let her go,” Louisa said softly. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I have to go now.”
She nodded. Lucas was grinning at me.
“Shit. Lou never apologizes,” he said, laughing.
I cracked a smile but quickly walked from the room, heading back to the office.
I had to go, and I knew Rafa would come with me, but I couldn’t ask anyone else to put their life on the line for this.
It was my problem. I’d reward Rafa well enough for this, and he knew it. But nobody else could come; nobody else could risk getting shit from Arturo and the other captains.
No, this was my thing. With Lucas’s gear and Louisa’s information, I’d have more than enough.
They weren’t expecting me.
But they should have been. They took away my woman, my fucking kid.
So I was going after them like fucking fire and lightning.
35
Kaley
My own father locked me up in my bedroom with nothing but a mattress and a bucket.
I knew what the bucket was for, but I didn’t want to think about it.
Sophie had betrayed me, unless my family had lied to her, but I couldn’t imagine she’d be so stupid. No. Sophie had sold me out, and I was stuck in a locked room because of my own trust in her.
And my baby was gone. I had no clue where he was or what they were doing to him, and terror clutched my stomach.
I couldn’t believe my father was doing this to me. I knew he was a hard man, a dangerous man, but he hadn’t been so bad to me growing up. He never hit me, rarely raised his voice. Sure, he was strict, but he never locked me up in my bedroom and tore my baby away.
This was just so messed up. I should never have left, never have run away from Vince. I should have talked to him first.
There were two aches in my chest. One was for my baby, and the other was for Vince.
I sat alone in that room for a few hours before someone finally came. The door rattled, and I sat up straight on the mattress. My throat hurt from screaming for so long and my whole body felt like lead.
The door opened and it was my father.