Bastard’s Baby(11)
“Shit,” Rafa said. “Three days?”
“It’s fine,” I said. “We’ll figure it out.”
As I sat down at my desk, there was a knock at the door. I sighed and got back up, walking over to the door. I pulled it open and Lucas grinned in at me.
“Sup, daddy?” he said.
“Fuck you.”
He laughed. “Let me see her.”
I moved aside and Lucas stepped into the room. He smiled down at Kaley.
“So, you’re the trouble,” he said to her.
“I’m Kaley Kozlov.”
“Lucas Barone.”
She blinked. “The Lucas Barone?”
He smirked and I sighed. Lucas was famous in the city just because he was the son of Arturo. It could be obnoxious sometimes.
“The one and only,” he said. “And this is Vince’s son?” He moved over and looked at the baby. “He’s really cute.”
“Thanks,” Kaley said.
“Can I?”
Kaley looked surprised. “Sure.”
She handed Alex over to Lucas, and he held the kid like it was nothing.
“Hello there, little guy,” he said. “What’s his name?” he asked me.
“Alexei,” I said.
“Russian.” Lucas frowned.
“Yes, Russian,” Kaley said. “Remember where he comes from.”
I looked at her. “We won’t forget.”
She stared back at me, defiant and fucking beautiful. Without the kid in her arms, I was reminded of exactly why I’d took her home that night.
“I have kids myself, you know,” Lucas said.
“Really?” Kaley asked.
“Sure. Two boys.”
“What are their names?”
“Stokes and Cooper.”
“Wow. Cool names.”
He laughed. “My wife picked them out. I would have chosen something simpler.” He handed the kid back to Kaley and looked at me. “Come on. The boss wants to speak with you.”
“Is it about me?” Kaley asked.
“Yes,” Lucas said, “it is.”
“Let me meet with him.”
“No,” I said quickly. “Stay here. I’ll be back.”
She frowned but didn’t say anything. Lucas looked at her for a second and then we left the room together, heading toward Arturo’s office.
“Interesting girl,” Lucas commented.
“Yeah,” I said. “Strong willed.”
“That’s one way of putting it.”
We walked in silence until we reached Arturo’s office. Lucas knocked and then pushed the door open.
The office was as richly furnished as any other place in the house. Arturo himself was sitting behind his big wooden desk, and he gestured at the chairs for us to sit. We walked in, but Lucas stayed standing while I sat down.
“Vincent,” Arturo said. “I heard something happened today.”
Arturo had been the boss of the Barone crime family for most of his life. He was a legend in the city since he’d taken the family from a minor crime group to one of the biggest mobs in the whole country. Arturo was well respected and powerful, although he was getting up there in years.
“Yes,” I said. “Her name is Kaley Kozlov, daughter of Anatoli Kozlov, the Russian boss.”
“And she says her son is yours.”
I nodded. “That’s her story.”
“Is he?”
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “He could be.”
Arturo sighed. “You stuck your dick in some Russian whore, and now you have a son.”
I cringed at the way he said that. Kaley wasn’t a whore, so far as I knew. But you didn’t correct Arturo Barone, not if you were smart.
“Yes, sir.”
“Why is she here?”
“She believes her family is going to take her son away from her because he is an embarrassment to them. She’s here looking for my protection.”
Arturo nodded. “I see. And are you going to offer that protection?”
I blinked, surprised. “I assumed you’d be making that decision, sir,” I said.
“Lucas here believes that it would be wrong to turn away a mother in need,” Arturo said. “And I believe she could be useful. We’re always looking for an edge against the Russians.”
I nodded. “Practical. I agree.”
“But ultimately, this is your decision. If you take her in, there could be serious consequences from the Russians. Consequences you may be forced to pay.”
I frowned, looking down at my hands.
Was Alex my kid?
It was possible. It was very possible. When I’d held him, I knew I had felt something deep inside me. I didn’t know what that meant, if anything, but it had happened.
Then there was the girl.
Kaley was all fire and beauty. She was tough, but she was a Russian princess, everything I’d been taught to dislike. I wanted to fuck her, but I didn’t want to raise a child with her.