“But you’ll live, even though you don’t deserve it.”
I pulled the gun back.
“Come on,” I said. Kaley took us down the hall and opened a door in the kitchen. The stairs went down. “Rafa, stay,” I said. “We’ll be a second.”
He nodded. “Hurry. This place is burning.”
I went down the steps two at a time, Kaley at my back. The basement was finished and pretty nice. Sitting on the couch cowering in fear was an older woman, an older version of Kaley.
“Mom,” Kaley said. “Please. My baby.”
The woman stood, tears running down her face. “I never wanted this,” she said. “I begged him to let you keep Alexei. I begged him. The only reason Alexei is here, now, is because of me.”
“I know,” Kaley said softly. “Your only mistake was marrying a monster.”
Kaley’s mom put the baby into Kaley’s arms. I nodded at her. “Thanks.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Are you my grandson’s father?”
“Yeah,” I grunted. “Vince.”
“Vince. Nice to meet you. I’m Vera.”
“Come on, Kaley,” I said, pulling her along behind me.
We quickly went back up the stairs. Rafa was waiting there and nodded.
“Let’s roll,” he said.
Gunshots rang out again, and Rafa stumbled back, small bursts coming from his chest.
“Fuck!” I yelled, shoving Rafa down. I rolled out and came up firing.
Anatoli Kozlov collapsed to the floor, riddled with bullets. I felt a sharp pain in my right leg, but that didn’t matter.
I dove on Rafa and tore off his vest.
No blood.
He coughed. “Undressing me already, boss?” he asked weakly.
“Shit,” I said. “You’re okay.”
“Bulletproof vest.” He grinned. “Hurt like fucking hell though.”
I laughed, relief washing over me. “Come on,” I said, helping him up.
“Vince, your leg,” Kaley said.
I felt it before I saw it. In the mayhem, Anatoli must have gotten a bullet in me.
“I’ll live,” I said. “Come on.”
I helped Rafa up and we moved out the back door and back out into the night. Kaley followed closely, holding Alexei, holding our son.
“Getting shot fucking sucks.”
I had my legs propped up on the couch, and despite the painkillers, my wound still throbbed.
After getting back to the mansion, I went right up to Arturo’s rooms. He was pissed, but my bleeding bullet wound convinced him that I meant business. After a short discussion, he agreed to let Kaley stay under my protection.
Next stop was the fucking doctor, who gave me a nice long lecture on taking care of my body better while he tore a bullet from my calf and stitched me up.
Kaley laughed. “Aw. My poor, big man.”
“It hurts,” I grumbled.
She rocked Alexei in her arms. “Want me to make it feel better?”
“Is he asleep?”
“Not yet,” she said, smiling.
“Tell me what you’d do to me first then,” I said.
She smiled devilishly and put Alexei down in his little chair. She came over to me and crouched down next to me.
“I’d take that nice, thick cock of yours between my lips and suck you nice and hard,” she said softly.
“Go on,” I grunted.
“I’d suck you hard and sloppy, just the way you like it. I’d moan of course, because it makes me dripping wet sucking your cock. I’d let you lift me up and turn me around, and you could just rip my leggings open.”
“What next?” I asked.
She reached down and grabbed my hard cock. “Next you’d slide this thick cock between my legs and fill my tight little pussy up,” she said, and she slowly stroked me.
“Fuck,” I said. “You drive me fucking wild.”
“I’d moan and say your name over and over, because your cock fills me just perfectly,” she said. “I’d work my hips while you fucked me rough, pulling my hair, slapping my ass. You like that, don’t you?”
“Fuck yes I do,” I groaned.
And then Alexei decided he wanted to be a part of the fun. His cries made Kaley laugh and stand up.
“Guess we’ll have to wait,” she said, picking him up.
“Being a father is hard,” I said.
“You’re always hard,” she said back, smiling. “You’ll be okay.
“Hey,” I said. “Come back here.”
She crouched back down, looking at me.
“I love you,” I said, and I meant it.
“I love you too,” she whispered.
I kissed her, pulling her and Alexei against me. She was laughing and smiling and I thought she might be crying, but I couldn’t be sure, because all I could see was my beautiful baby’s mother, the only light in my fucking life.
I pulled back and kissed Alexei’s head. “I love you too, little man,” I said.
She laughed, smiling.
And I felt okay.
Despite the fucking wound on my leg, I felt good. I felt right. I could be a father. I could be more than that with Kaley.
Maybe it took me a while to figure it out. Maybe I had some work to fucking do to get there.
But I was in love with her, and I wanted to raise my son the right way. He didn’t deserve to grow up without a daddy, and I was going to be that man for him.