He jumped off the elevator, contemplating how to tell her she no longer worked downstairs. He had planned to tell her the night before, but the fight with David and sexual frustration between them had put that on a back burner. He had been saving it for the morning, but a phone call from Dante telling him to get the fuck in his office had kept him from sharing.
Pulling out his card, he remembered the way she had looked at the bottom of his bed, naked in only her lace, thigh-high stockings and high heels. It can wait twenty more minutes.
He slid the card in, unlocking the door, his need of wanting her outweighing telling her about how he had paid off her debt. Something told him it was going to probably cause an argument between them. He was positive Lake would tell him she couldn’t let him do something that crazy. Not that it mattered, because what was done was done. And no fucking way is she wearing my outfits in front of other men anymore.
Vincent was calling her sexy lingerie outfits his because the only times she was going to be wearing them from then on were in his apartment. The fucking bad part about it was he was going to have to play nice to Sadie because he planned to give her his card to fill his closet full of those outfits. He also planned for those ‘working girl only’ waxes to be available to Lake. Whoever the hell was waxing Lake was the fucking wax master with the magic touch.
Opening the door, he expected to see Lake downstairs. Maybe she’s still in bed. I bet she finally found the bathroom … Several dirty thoughts swirled in his mind when he found she wasn’t on the bed, and he headed for the bathroom. Today is a great fucking day.
Vincent’s sexual fantasies popped like a balloon when she wasn’t in there taking a bath like he had imagined. He felt like all his hopes and dreams had died in an instant. He knew she could only be at one place in the hotel, and he certainly wasn’t fucking happy about it.
Heading back to the elevator and putting in the code to the basement, he hoped Sadie had kept her big fucking mouth closed. He freaked out on the close button, trying to get it to hurry up. Fuck, hurry! He already knew he was going to have to sew Sadie’s mouth shut.
Once in the basement club, Vincent quickly moved through the bodies and into the dressing room, going straight to Lake’s dressing table and finding it empty, just like his apartment.
A hand ran up his back and squeezed his shoulder. “She’s not here anymore and I know she didn’t take care of your dick, but I can help out with that.”
He looked over to see Kim in nothing but pink panties. His hand reached out to grab her throat, giving it a firm squeeze.
“What did you fucking say to her?” His voice was lethal.
Kim grabbed at his wrist, trying to get more room to breathe and talk. “Nothing! I just saw her talking to Sadie, and then she stormed out.”
“You touch me again, slut, and you won’t get paid to fuck the highest-paying, dirtiest men in a clean room with a guard. You won’t even be one of the girls who fuck them in the hotel rooms. Your ass will be on the street corner, fucking the cheapest men, going to their nasty motel rooms and wondering if you’re going to be alive to walk back out that door. Do you understand me?” He squeezed her throat a little tighter.
Kim viciously nodded the best she could as Sadie came up beside them.
Vincent finally let go. “And stay the fuck away from Lake.”
Kim grabbed her throat, gasping for air as she looked at Sadie for her to do something.
Sadie crossed her arms and tapped her pump on the floor. “I don’t know what makes you think I give a shit, bitch. You’re lucky I didn’t get to you first. I don’t have to know what you did to know you deserved more than that. Now get the fuck out of my face.”
Vincent looked at Sadie. Why does ninety-eight percent of me fucking hate her guts, but the other two percent likes her at the same time? Because she was a fucking psychotic bitch, and he could relate.
“You told her, didn’t you?” he asked her.
“Yes, I fucking did when you neglected to tell her that her debt was paid.”
One percent.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. I didn’t tell her you paid it off, playboy.”
His eyebrow rose. “I never told you I did.”
“Do I look like a stupid bitch to you?” She began tapping her heel again.
He wasn’t going to answer that. “Where did she go?”
“I don’t know. She just fucking ran out of here when I told her you made me promise not to tell. I’m not having Lake mad at me because you didn’t have the balls—”
Vincent started running for the door.
“Really? You bitches need to learn some manners!” Sadie yelled at him.
Running through the crowd, he quickly came up to the elevator and hit the up button. Fuck-fuck-fuck, hurry up!
His gut knew exactly where she had gone, because Lake was fucking crazy enough to do it. Finally, the elevator door opened, and he punched in the code to take him to the top.
Face Dante Caruso once, God help you.
Face Dante Caruso twice, may He open the gates for you.
Chapter Forty-Three
Run
Lake licked her very dry lips as her knuckles landed on the black door.
“Come in,” a dark voice sounded on the other side of the door.
Walking into the dark room, she noticed Mr. Vitale pouring two glasses of whiskey while Dante sat in his throne.
Dante leaned back in his chair. “Well, Ms. Turner, I have to say I never expected to see you again.”
She watched Mr. Vitale set a drink down in front of Dante, giving her a warning look behind his back. She quickly looked back at Dante.
“I-I’m sorry. I was just curious about something which has to do with our agreement. I’m afraid Vincent isn’t keeping me in the loop, so I was hoping I could talk with you about it, Mr. Caruso.”
He took a sip of his whiskey. “Sit down, then.”
Lake took a deep breath then sat in the chair beside Vincent’s dad. Why does he always have to be here at the worst times?
Trying to calm her nerves, she spoke in a somewhat even tone. “I went to work today for Sadie to tell me I no longer work there. She told me my debt was paid, but I don’t understand how that’s possible.”
“He didn’t tell you?” Dante took another sip of his drink, seeming amused. “Vincent came in here a month ago and paid your whole debt off.”
He did what? She shook her head, not believing it.
“If that’s true, then why have I been working down there for a month? Vincent has been giving you money for all the tips I’ve made every week so I could pay you off faster, hasn’t he?”
“No, I can’t say I have received any money. I allowed him to pay off your debt as long as you continued to work for me for one more month. Unfortunately for you, you had made a big impression on David, and he is—was—my biggest customer. I’ve been giving your paychecks to Vincent. I assume you haven’t received them, as well.”
She shivered when he emphasized the word was, knowing he meant it as a dead. Also, knowing she had been forced to work down there because of David’s infatuation with her made her skin crawl even more.
She shook her head. “No, he hasn’t given me any paychecks.” She couldn’t believe Vincent had been keeping this a secret from her to the extent that he had been retaining all her money.
Dante looked her up and down. “For a girl who learned she is a free woman, you certainly came to the wrong place.”
Lake swallowed, unmoving.
“Has she been paid for her last week?” Vinny questioned.
Dante looked over at him. “No, I haven’t given it to Vincent yet.”
“Keep it.” Mr. Vitale set his drink down and reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out money then quickly counting out some and holding it out for her to take. “This should cover it. I advise you to take it and run off to college, anywhere that isn’t here.”
She had to use the chair to support herself
enough to stand. Sliding the money out of his hand, she went for the door while she still had the chance.
“Ms. Turner, I wouldn’t walk back through my door again if I were you,” Dante’s cold voice warned her.
She gave a quick nod before she left the room, closing the door behind her. Slamming her eyes shut, she tried to keep her breathing under control. Everything was hitting her like a ton of bricks—all the things Vincent had done and not told her about along with the fact that they had flat-out told her to run.
Lake wasn’t stupid; she knew when to run the hell away. Especially from a whole family of psychopaths.
Waiting for the elevator door to open, her mind was going a million miles an hour, wondering where the hell to run. One thing was for sure: she was heading straight home on a bus and packing up a bag of her shit. Lake Turner was finally going to do what she had always dreamed of, but she had never expected the mixed feelings of it all.
She had been preparing herself to leave her dad and Adalyn behind for months, but leaving Vincent stung the worst. She didn’t understand why that was, since it was clear to her more than ever that he was a lying, man-whore asshole who was totally fucking deranged.
A part of her wanted Vincent to appear when the elevator door came open, to talk her out of it, and to somehow make everything better while her judgment of him was still cloudy.
The elevator door opened with a ding.
Goodbye, Kansas City.
* * *
Vincent impatiently waited for the elevator to come to a stop, hoping Lake was going to be on the other side of the door when it opened.
However, when it finally did, Lake wasn’t there.
Quickly, he moved down the hallway, through the security room, and hastily knocked on Dante’s door then swung it open before the word ‘come’ came out.
Dante raised his eyebrow. “You knew she would come here, didn’t you?”
Vincent smoothed his hand down his hair, praying he had made it in time. “Where is she?”
Dante took his time lighting a cigar before he spoke, “Luckily for you, your father was here and gave her money to scram.”
Vincent turned to try to catch her.
“You’re about an hour late. I assume she’s already somewhere that’s not worth the fucking time to find her.” He took a long hit, thinking about what he wanted to say next. “Lake is like a cat; she was born with nine lives. Sooner or later, however, she’ll be faced with her ninth and final one. Something tells me she’s more than halfway there, considering she just wasted another one with me.”
Fuck, Lake. Vincent nodded in understanding before going back out the door to leave and attempt to catch her before she could run too far away.
“If you find her, I better not see her fucking face. Beat some fucking sense into that girl, or I will.”
Vincent ground his teeth. “Yes, boss.”
Closing the door behind him, he headed straight for the elevator, pulling out his phone in a desperate attempt to call her. It went straight to voicemail, though.
“Motherfucker!” he screamed when the elevator closed behind him.
The thought of losing Lake was already too strong, but Vincent had made up his mind.
He would go the ends of the Earth for her.
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, maki
ng 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 (Made Men Book 2) Page 21
