Man of the House: A Dark Bad Boy Romance(119)

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 f*cking kid.

So I was going after them like f*cking 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.

I got up and charged him.

I wasn’t thinking. I knew he was dangerous, but it was my father. I wanted to hit him, scream at him, make him let me go. But as soon as I got close enough to strike out, he shoved me back, knocking me to the ground.

“Don’t get up,” he warned. The door shut behind him.

I tried to get up.

He kicked me in the side, and pain flashed through my body. I tumbled back to the ground.

“Kaley,” he warned. “I take no pleasure in this. Do not get back up.”

I tried to get up again, my eyes flashing fierce anger. “Fuck you. Where’s my son?”

He kicked me again, sending me sprawling. I coughed as pain blinded me for a moment.

“He’s safe,” my father said.

“Give him to me, you bastard,” I said.

I tried to get up again. I wanted to hurt him so badly.

“Kaley,” he warned.

“Fuck you.”

He kicked me again and again until I began to cry from the pain.

He backed off finally, sighing. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

I got myself together after a minute, the pain rushing through me. I wanted to get up and hit him, but I couldn’t move. Everything hurt; everything was broken.

“Give me my son back,” I said.

“Kaley, none of this would have happened if you hadn’t run off to those f*cking swine Italians,” he said. “You know that, right? I’m your father.”

“I’m your daughter and Alexei is your grandson,” I spat.

“That baby is not my grandson,” he said. “That baby is part Italian. That baby is a f*cking stain on your family.”

“You’re a stain,” I whispered. “You disgust me.”

He nodded. “I understand you feel that way right now, Kaley, but in time you will see that this was for the best.”

“No. Never. I hope they kill you.”

“Maybe,” he mused. “Maybe they will. But I very much doubt it.”

He leaned up against the wall across from me and looked down at me.

“What do you want?” I asked.

“I want to know their weaknesses, Kaley,” he said. “For every piece of information you give me, I will bring you back one luxury. First up will be the right to use the bathroom.”

“Go to hell,” I said. “I’d rather starve than help you.”