“I recognize you,” he said. “Miss no names.”
“My name is Kaley Kozlov.”
“Anatoli’s daughter?”
I nodded once. “That’s right.”
“So you’re a Russian mob princess.”
“No,” I said fiercely. “Not at all.”
“Who’s the kid?” he asked, nodding at Alex.
“This is Alexei. He’s the reason I’m here.”
Vince frowned. “Are you about to try and convince me that this is my kid?”
I held Alex up slightly so Vince could see him. “He is your son, Vince.”
Vince laughed and shook his head. “I’ve had a lot of crazy fucking chicks come after me, but this is by far the craziest.”
“Thirteen months ago. Remember? Alex is about four months old.”
He sighed. “So what? You could have gone home with a guy every night of that week. How do I know I’m the dad?”
“You’re the only guy I went home with that month,” I said. “And I haven’t been with another guy since.”
He laughed, shaking his head. “This is fucking crazy. You’re fucking crazy. No way that’s my fucking kid.”
“It is your kid,” I said, getting angry. Alex was squirming, and I could tell he was about to get fussy. “He’s your son, and we need your help.”
He raised an eyebrow. “How much?”
“What?”
“How much do you want?”
“I don’t want your money.”
“So what the fuck do you want then?” he asked. “I’m getting annoyed.”
“I need protection.”
He sighed, rubbing his head. “Protection from what? Spell it the fuck out, or else I’m leaving.”
“My family is very conservative, as you well know. Alex is an embarrassment to the whole mob since I’m not married. My father was going to take him away and put him up for adoption, pretend like he never existed.”
Vince frowned. “So what? Might make your life easier.”
“Nobody is taking my son away,” I said angrily. “Your son.”
“Okay. So you want me to protect you from your fucking father?”
“Yes.”
He stared at me and then burst out laughing, shaking his head. “You really are crazy.”
“He’s your son,” I said. I moved closer to him, holding Alexei up. They really did share some features, but I wasn’t sure if Vince could even see it.
He looked, though. And for a second, I thought I saw recognition flash across his face.
But it was quickly gone and his cocky smile returned. “Cute kid.”
“Please. I don’t want to be here, but I have nowhere else to turn.”
Vince looked at me seriously for a second before speaking slowly. “I’ll let you inside,” he said. “For the day. If you can prove he’s my son, then we’ll talk about something longer.”
“How can I prove it?”
He shrugged. “I’m sure we can arrange a paternity test.”
“Those take weeks,” I said.
“We’ll worry about that later. This is one fucking shit morning, and I’m sick of standing out here getting yelled at. So if you want to come in, then fucking follow me. Otherwise, go away and don’t come back.”
I stared at him, not sure why he was letting me in, not sure what was happening. But he turned and started to walk back toward the golf cart, and so I quickly followed him.
The guards watched us go. I stopped in front of the cart and nodded to the other man. He was younger, with light brown hair and blue eyes. “Who’s the bitch?” he asked.
“Apparently that’s my baby’s mother,” Vince said, smirking.
“No shit? That’s your son?”
“His name is Alexei,” I said.
“Russian,” the kid said, making a face.
“Kaley, this is Rafa. Rafa, this is Kaley Kozlov.”
“Kozlov?” Rafa said and then laughed. “You’re fucking kidding.”
“No joke,” Vince grumbled, getting behind the wheel. “Come on, get on the back.”
I went to the second row and sat down. Vince turned it around and we were speeding back toward the house.
4
Vince
I didn’t know what the fuck I was doing bringing this girl into the mansion.
There was no way what she was saying was true. Sure, I’d fucked her, and it was a good fucking night. I thought about it fondly from time to time. But there was no way that was my kid.
I’d worn a condom. I always wore a condom. I never stuck my dick in a stranger without protecting myself; I wasn’t a fucking idiot.
But there was something about that kid. As soon as she’d held it up, I felt it, a shudder run down my spine, a weird feeling in my chest.