Chapter Twenty One
Vince
Carly and I lie flat on the bed I used to sleep in with Mia, staring up at the ceiling.
We both look like we’ve barely survived a war. That’s how I feel, and this is only day one.
“You weren’t exaggerating,” Carly finally says.
I turn my head to look at her. “No. We’re in Hell.”
She nods her head, still staring at the ceiling. “The way he drops bombs, man. Carefully orchestrated, one right after the other.”
“Gives you just enough time to catch your breath, to grab onto hope you’ll emerge, then he drops a new one.”
She looks over at me. “Are there more coming tomorrow?”
“I have no idea.”
“Well, do you have any other potential children running around? Any other ghosts I don’t know about?”
“I think he pretty much ripped the sheets off all of them today.”
“Damn. We should’ve packed whiskey.”
“He has some downstairs. I’ll go steal a decanter if you want.”
Carly smiles faintly. “Don’t do anything else to provoke him. Let’s just try to get through this.”
“You still want to get through this?”
The tiny smile melts right off her face. “I’m not sure,” she says, quietly.
My stomach twists, but I nod my understanding.
“I love you,” she tells me, firmly. “I do. I’m just struggling a little bit with this non-consensual situation that apparently led to a baby.”
“May have led to a baby,” I correct. They never actually verified Mia’s baby is mine. “I wasn’t the only…” I pause, realizing that doesn’t sound better. “When I took Mia, she was with Mateo. She wasn’t pregnant at the time, to my knowledge. She was sharing him then and she told me she couldn’t have the babies. So, when I… when I was with her, she shouldn’t have been pregnant.”
“And you didn’t use a condom. On multiple occasions.”
“Right. But the last night she was in Vegas, she wasn’t with me. My other cousin stepped in and took her to his house. He was into her and she was drunk, so he probably…”
Carly sighs, hiding her face in her hands. “This just keeps getting worse.”
“I’m just saying, there’s even a chance Dom could be his. I can’t tell looking at him. We all have brown eyes; our genes run strong so, as you may have noticed, we all bear a resemblance to one another. And then she came home to Mateo, so it’s not impossible the baby is his. It’s just… not only the timeline, but Mia’s reaction made me feel like… maybe not.”
“That poor woman. You all need to be punched in the dick multiple times.”
“Mia’s sort of the Morelli family whipping girl,” I admit. “That wasn’t even the first time. I never wanted to get into the details for obvious reason, but the first time Mateo had her… he didn’t ask permission.”
“I get why you wanted to save her. I understand now. I want to save her and whisk her away to a nice rehabilitation facility with a team of qualified professionals who can educate her on how to be a normal human being. She probably doesn’t remember at this point.”
It’s not funny since it’s true, but I almost smile anyway. “See? She’s brainwashed. I tried telling you. Everyone thinks I’m crazy.”
We go quiet again. There’s stuff I’d like to say, but nothing I can say since I know there are cameras in this room. It’s not an issue of if they’re being monitored; they’re definitely being monitored. Anything that’s said in this room will get back to Mateo, if he’s not watching it live.
The bastard gets to put my son in bed and go to bed with his mother, so I doubt he’s spending his time sitting in front of the security monitors tonight. Someone will be, though. Adrian or Alec, maybe someone else. Who knows? But he would definitely have someone keeping an eye on our every move while we’re here.
“You seemed to get along tonight,” I remark.
“I’m not going to be mean to her,” Carly says, levelly. “I only went in nice because you told me she was the jealous type and I figured that was the best way to make her like me, but now I feel badly about the way everyone treats her. I’m not about to be mean to the mother of my boyfriend’s rape baby.”
I grimace. That’s harsh. I guess it’s accurate, but it’s still harsh. “We don’t know—”
“I know enough,” she states. “It’s not happening. I’d lose my woman card if I acted like that.”
“Wouldn’t want you losing your woman card.”
“I think it’s in jeopardy just because I’m in this house,” she informs me.
I crack a smile. “Possibly.”
“I should’ve made her an Easter egg wreath,” Carly says, shaking her head. “An Easter egg wreath could have solved all her problems.”
“Maybe you should make her a brookie.”
“Yes,” Carly says, brightening. “A brookie can solve all manner of ills. Good idea.”
“Francesca can probably hook you up,” I advise.
Her humor dims a bit. “Yes, Francesca Castellanos. Dying to see her.”
I turn my head to look at her. “You never slept with Sal, right?”
She shakes her head. “I didn’t. I knew girls who did.”
I grimace. “Maybe don’t share that.”
“It was before he met her. Once he got married, he was faithful as far as I know. God, I hate men. I hate knowing things about men. Maybe I am glad I got out of Chicago.”
“Too many ghosts in this city,” I agree.
“It is haunted, for sure.” She turns to look at me, eyebrows rising. “He didn’t rape your ex, too, right? Maybe he’s Dom’s dad.”
I roll my eyes. “No. Sometimes I swear he was attracted to her, though. I don’t know if I’m just paranoid about it, or what.”
Carly shrugs. “She is stunning.”
“And sweet. Loving. When she’s not cheating on you, she’s pretty great.”
Carly grimaces. “Maybe we don’t have to talk about this.”
“Obviously you’re also great.”
“I’m not insecure, I just don’t want to remind you why you like the ex you once kidnapped. Now she has your baby, so I don’t want to inspire a double kidnapping.”
My eyes widen slightly and I lean over to whisper in her ear, “Remember, there are cameras. Don’t say things like that unless you’re trying to get me killed.”
She wraps an arm around me since I’m over here, tugging me on top of her. “Then remember I hold your life in my hands and keep me happy.”
“Oh yeah?” I murmur, leaning down to kiss her. “And how should I do that?”
“Kissing me… just a lot lower.”
“There are cameras in here,” I remind her.
She smiles up at me, one of her sultry little smiles that always nail me. “I’m not shy.”