Man of the House: A Dark Bad Boy Romance(118)

I clenched my jaw. “How?”

“Louisa.”

I cocked my head. “Really?” The time I caught them in the greenhouse came back to me.

Lucas laughed. “Turns out that Kaley and Louisa became friends. I asked Lou if she knew what had happened with Kaley, and Lou flat out told me.”

I shook my head. “Are you kidding me? She helped her?”

“No joke. Want to talk to her?”

“Yeah,” I said, “I do.”

“Okay,” Lucas said. “But drink up first. You’re f*cking pissed, and you know that shit doesn’t fly with Lou.”

I laughed and knocked the drink back, motioning for more. Lucas filled me up again.

Louisa was no joke in the Barone compound. The daughter of Arturo, she was probably the most feared person outside Arturo himself. There were rumors about her, rumors about why she never left her room, but most of them were false. And besides, ever since Natalie and Lucas got together, Louisa had started venturing outside her room more often.

But I knew the truth about her. At least I knew part of the truth.

Louisa was a skilled computer hacker. Since Arturo wouldn’t let her join the Barone crime family on her own, she had been using those skills for nefarious purposes for a long time.

Not a lot of people knew that about her. I was sure there was more to it that even I didn’t know, but I was smart enough not to press too hard. I was lucky that I’d found out as much about her as I had.

I knocked back my second drink.

“You okay?” Lucas asked.

“No,” I said. “I want to get the f*ck out of here and get Kaley back.”

Lucas nodded. “She left, man. Chose it herself.”

“I know that.”

“Do you though?”

I clenched my jaw.

At one time, I was Lucas’s second in command. I was closer to him than anyone else. But ever since I’d gotten my promotion, we had drifted apart. We’d been best friends once, and back then he wouldn’t have hesitated to strap on a gun and follow me into battle.

Things were different now. He still had my back, but not like the old days, not anymore.

“Listen,” Lucas went on. “I know you want her back. She has your son, and I could tell you were getting close. But be careful, Vince. She made this choice.”

I nodded slowly. “You think I’m not thinking that?”

“I know you are,” he said. “I also know you’re probably blaming yourself. But f*ck it, man. You can’t do that shit. No matter what you do, I’ll help as much as I can.”

“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.