Vincent (24 page)

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.

Quickly getting dressed, he felt almost numb until he knocked on the office door.

It had only been seven days since he had lost Lake, but it might as well have been seven months later. He had lost Lake once when he had walked away from her months before, but something in him knew she was the one for him. That was why he had fought with himself so hard until he had actually brainwashed himself to believe it. That month they had spent together had solidified his feelings. Then, the moment he had actually gotten her, she had been taken away from him. To lose something he had fought so hard for was a pain so cruel he didn’t wish it on his worst enemy.

Not waiting for an answer, he walked right through the door and quickly shut it behind him.

“Your dad isn’t here, is he?” he asked, turning around.

“No,” a deep, harsh voice sounded.

Fully turning around, he saw Lucca sitting behind his desk, inhaling a cigarette. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Lucca looked rough, like he had been awake for forty-eight hours. His ashtray was overflowing, making Vincent wonder how long he had been sitting there. Then again, with how hard he was inhaling the sticks, Vincent thought Lucca might not have been there as long as he had initially believed. To top it off, he didn’t seem to be in a good mood.

Lucca pointed his cigarette at him. “Really, fucker? I could say the same to you. You look like shit. Now sit down.”

Vincent took that as, ‘
Don’t ask me what’s wrong again, motherfucker, ‘cause I sure as fuck ain’t telling you.’

He took his seat in front of Lucca and beside Sal, who was on his laptop.

“Sal found your girl,” Lucca said, dropping his ashes onto the tower in the tray.

“You did? Where is she?” Vincent practically stood from his chair.

“No, I
think
I fucking found her,” Sal corrected him. “I’m still working on it.”

Vincent smoothed his hair down, trying to calm his nerves.

“Okay, so he
almost
found her, but why should I let Sal tell you where she is? She was a pain in my fucking ass for the five minutes I was around her and an even bigger pain in the ass to Dante. That girl doesn’t belong here.”

He had known Lucca was going to say that.
She belongs with me.

“I already know. This time, I’m going to really teach her how the family works, what she can and cannot do. I promise you, she will not bother you again.”

Lucca sucked his cigarette hard. “What I would do is lock her fucking ass up. Keep her in your house or bedroom and don’t let her ass back out.”

Vincent stared at Lucca like he was deranged.

“That’s what
I
would do if I were you, of course.” Lucca managed to put out the butt without too many ashes falling onto the desk.

That didn’t seem like he was talking about me or Lake…

“Almost got it,” Sal interrupted his thoughts.

Lucca pulled out another cigarette and flicked his lighter open, taking his time to light the end. “I give you back your girl, and you’ll
owe
me.”

Vincent thought about his words, understanding what he meant. The last person in the world anyone wanted to owe was Lucca Caruso, because one day he would call in his favor, and that person had just better hope they had lived a full and happy life before that happened. It didn’t matter; he was dead without Lake anyway.

He nodded in agreement.

Lucca took a hit. “Tell him.”

Sal stared at his laptop as he talked. “I’ve been trying to find the address for Paul’s parents. For some reason, they dropped off the face of the Earth. Coincidently, around the same time Paul became a soldier. I’m not promising she will be there, but it’s the only place you haven’t looked. Her name isn’t popping up in the system anywhere, so I’m thinking she has to be with family.”

Vincent had spent the week driving and looking everywhere for her. She had little family that he knew of, and he had started there. Going to her mother’s first, he’d practically kicked the door in on those assholes, asking if they knew where she was. He didn’t expect her to be there nor did he expect them to give a shit, but he
did
have a fun fucking time scaring the shit out of them. Then he had gone to the college she had wanted to attend. Nothing. This was the first he had heard of her having any grandparents.

“Okay, so where is it?” He was anxious and ready to get her back.

Sal clicked a few more buttons before he started laughing. “I suggest you go home and get fucking changed out of those clothes.”

Vincent and Lucca stared at him, waiting for him to tell them where she was.

Sal calmed his laughter so he could finally spit it out. “The address is in Treepoint, Kentucky.”

“Kentucky?” Vincent sat, stunned. He tried to imagine how in the hell Lake had made herself go there.
Never mind. Fucking desperation, that’s how.

“Well, have fucking fun there.” Lucca leaned back in his chair, smiling and clearly enjoying that he wasn’t the one who had to go.

Sal jotted down the address for him when he finally stopped laughing.

He looked down at the piece of paper. “What the fuck do they wear there?”

That made Sal laugh all over again. “Camo. Lots and lots of camo.”

“I’d talk as little as possible and keep your thick Italian accent to yourself. They’ll probably fucking shoot you there.” Lucca actually laughed a little when he told him the last part.

Vincent stood, storming out. “Fuck off.”

Chapter Forty-Five

Leather and Tats

Lake walked into the diner behind her grandparents’ house. She had left Kansas City the week before, coming to the only place she had family left—Treepoint, Kentucky.

If she was honest, the thought of living in Kentucky had made her skin crawl at first. She hadn’t been sure what it was going to be like, but she had known without a doubt that she wasn’t going to be in Kansas City anymore. Lake was born a city girl; therefore, stepping into a very rural small town was a bit of an adjustment.
I think that’s an understatement.

Lake had called her father when she got home, but he had pushed it straight to voicemail. She cried hard at having to tell her father she was leaving through a voicemail. That was the hardest thing she had ever done. She didn’t tell him where she was going, afraid Dante might use it against him. The less he knew, the better.

Her father had kept an old piece of paper with a number hidden in a box with old stuff. She remembered him revealing to her the contents of the box once when she was a little girl. He had showed her the pictures of him when he was younger, where he had lived before his family had moved out to Kansas City, and he had even kept pictures of her grandparents. She wouldn’t have known whose number it was if he hadn’t written, ‘crazy fucking mother,’ above it.

Thankfully, her grandmother had answered, and then Lake had packed a bag and hopped on a bus straight there. Granted, she did have to beg them to come out. She could say they had been slightly paranoid about the mafia and life in general. Lake had simply told them she was trying to find a better life away from the mob, and she had assured them no one was looking for her.
Basically, I just lied my ass off.

She had sat in the back of the bus, silent tears rolling down her face with Kansas City in the distance. It wasn’t leaving the city she was born and raised in behind that had destroyed her; it was leaving Vincent.

As bad as she wanted to hate him, she couldn’t. She cared about him, whether she wanted to or not. What’s more, she had shared with him something very special that she could only experience once. It didn’t matter how much time would pass, no one could never forget about their first. It was an impossible thing to do.

Thankfully, the waitress came and took their order, relieving her of her thoughts of Vincent.

“No, no, no, no!” her grandmother cried, looking at the door.

Lake turned her head to see a huge gang of bikers walk into the diner. From what she had gathered from her grandmother’s ranting, they called themselves ‘The Last Riders’ and owned some kind of survivalist company.
Only in fucking Kentucky could you hear something as ridiculous as that.

When they pushed a bunch of tables and chairs together, her grandmother stood up. “We’re getting the hell out of here.”

Lake’s eyes grew big with how loud she had said it. Getting up, she watched her grandparents scurry out of the place so fast only the ding of the bell had her realizing they had already left.

Walking toward the door, she couldn’t help looking at the table full of bikers and their women, who had clearly heard and watched the whole thing. There was a sweet blonde with twins at the end of the table who had particularly looked upset.

She found her feet had stopped moving, feeling terrible for her grandmother’s actions.

“I-I’m sorry. My grandmother is, well…”—her eyes drifted slightly away from the blonde and onto some of the rough, tough-looking men in leather before she snapped them back to the pretty blonde—“um, old.”

“I completely understand.” She smiled softly, shooting the men around the table annoyed glances at their laughter. “I’m Beth.”

“Hi, I’m Lake.” She smiled back; the woman’s was contagious.

“I haven’t seen you around before. Are you new to town?”

“I’m just visiting my grandparents for the summer.” She watched the waitress come up and ask if they were ready to take their orders. “Well, I will get out of your way so you can eat.”

“You’re welcome to stay and join us,” Beth said. “If you had already ordered, she can bring it out with ours.”

Lake bit her lip, contemplating if she should stay. She did feel bad that the waitress had probably already put their order in, and at least her food wouldn’t go to waste. Even though the bikers looked scary, they couldn’t possibly be too bad if they had children at the table.

“That would be nice.”
Thank you, God. I can get some peace away from my grandparents.

A man beside Beth rose from the table, hastily pulling a chair away from another while glaring at the occupants when they would have said something. He placed the chair next to him, between him and Beth.

“You can sit here next to me.”

“Down boy.” Beth rolled her eyes. “That’s Rider. He always likes to get to know anyone new who comes to town.”

Rider? I have made a huge mistake.

Going to the other side of the table she squeezed between them, although Rider wasn’t making it easy for her. Lake would have told them something had come up, but she didn’t want to hurt Beth’s feelings again.

Beth waited until she settled in before she introduced her. She started with the twin closest to her and went around the table. “These are my little boys, Chance and Noah; Razer, my husband; Lily, my sister; her husband, Shade; John, their son; Cash; Rachel; Train; and you already met Rider.”

Lake smiled at each one she was introduced to. She thought Rider was bad, but hearing Razer followed by
my husband
had her wondering if she had made a wrong turn somewhere.

Each man was covered in leather and tats. The one called Shade was definitely the one nobody fucked with in their group since it looked like he had the most tattoos, which seemed like they went down from his neck to his feet. Cash, however, drew her attention the most; something about him had her staring at him for a few seconds.

“It’s nice to meet you all.” She hoped she didn’t sound a little frightened when it came out.

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Rider cut off Beth when she opened her mouth to reply. “Where are you from? From your accent, it doesn’t sound like it’s Kentucky.”

Lake licked her lips, wondering what she should tell them. She didn’t think she should tell them the truth, considering Dante could come after her.

“Arizona.” She went with the first thing that popped in her head. It was where her dad had grown up.

“Really? Do you know any cowboys?” Lily asked. “I’ve always wanted to meet a real cowboy.”

The one covered in tattoos threw her a dark look. “I thought you said I’m your cowboy?”

Lily brushed his cheek with a brief kiss. “You are. I was just going to ask her if it’s true if they drink a lot or if they like women with short hair.”

I have no freaking idea.

She looked at Lily’s long, beautiful, black hair. “They like lots of orange juice, and they definitely prefer long hair. The longer, the better.” Lake was quite shocked to find that the two were married, and with a cute little baby boy at that. Lily was arguably the most beautiful and timid girl she had ever seen, while Shade… well, he could probably take out half of the Caruso Mafia by himself.

Lily turned to her husband, giving him a suspicious look. “We could always go to the Grand Canyon on vacation,” she suggested.

“Not going to happen,” Shade said, slipping an arm over her shoulders before whispering something in her ear, which had her face flaming.

“If you’re going to be in town for a while, stop by our clubhouse for a drink sometime,” Rider suggested.

“She’s not old enough to drink,” Beth snapped.

“I didn’t mean liquor,” Rider said to Beth before turning back to Lake, giving her a wink. “Unless she wants one. One beer isn’t going to make her drunk, is it?”

Hell to the no.

She took a long drink of water before she could answer, contemplating on the right thing to say, not wanting to piss off a biker. “I’ll think about it.”

The food came just in time, breaking the awkward conversation. Lake’s eyes drifted to Cash again, unable to help glancing at him from time to time. He was tall, blonde, dangerous, and outrageously handsome with just the right amount of tattoos. When he caught her eyes and smiled at her, it finally dawned on her why she was attracted to him. Cash was a perfect blonde god, exactly like Vincent.

Finally realizing the root of her attraction, it still didn’t mean she didn’t like staring at him, despite him not being Vincent. He was clearly very happy and very much in love with the pretty redhead beside him. Still, it was hard not to look at him from time to time, and she hadn’t seen Vincent’s perfection in a week.

Blondes are clearly my kryptonite.