“What else did she tell you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Not much. All she knew was that he was alive, and Levin knew he was. That he is still with the Vasiliev girl. She doesn’t know where to find him, though. I-I had to leave. I couldn’t take looking at her.”
I swallowed and watched as Klaus drank again. He was hurting. I didn’t like it.
“You left because you felt betrayed that you’ve been with her and she knew he was alive and you were his father,” I said.
He shrugged and sank down onto the barstool and hung his head. “I don’t know. I was hurt, yes, but I didn’t want her to see me this way. Perhaps she worried for me, which is why she didn’t tell me sooner. Or maybe she didn’t feel like she knew me well enough to trust me to tell me. Either way, it hurts, but it is on me, not her.”
“Do you want me to speak with her?”
He shook his head. “No. She is a sweet girl. I-I don’t want her to be scared. I am also not ready for you to meet her. Not yet. I need time to sort through all of this.”
“Of course,” I murmured. I told myself I wasn’t going to push this matter on who the woman he was seeing was, but I was really growing irritated at not knowing.
Alessio returned with Bianca in tow a moment later.
“Sit.” I nodded to a chair in front of my desk.
She frowned and took it, looking expectantly at me.
So fucking beautiful it hurt.
I pushed away these thoughts and focused on the task at hand.
“Where is Stefan?” I asked, getting to the point.
Her lashes fluttered for a moment before she licked her lips. “Stefan is dead.”
“Bianca, don’t try my patience. Where is he? We know he’s alive,” I said, moving to stand in front of her. I stared down at her, and she looked back up at me with those too-blue eyes.
“Stefan is dead,” she repeated.
“He is alive,” Klaus snapped, getting to his feet and going to her. He glared down at her. “Tell me where my son is. I know you fucking know.”
“Easy,” I murmured as Alessio inched closer. Klaus was a loaded gun when he was upset.
“Stefan. Is. Dead.” Each word that came out of her mouth was clipped with venom.
Klaus was lightning fast. He reached out, grasped her face, and squeezed.
“Tell me where my son is.” His voice was hoarse. “Bianca. Please.”
“I don’t know where your son is. Heaven. Hell. It doesn’t matter as long as he’s away from you, you fucking monster.” Her bottom lip wobbled as she glared back at Klaus.
Klaus released her and backed away, a man defeated.
“Klaus,” I called out as he stumbled to the door. He’d drunk far too much to go driving. “Klaus!”
He didn’t stop. He stormed through the door, slamming it behind him.
“I will see to it that he is safe,” Alessio murmured.
I nodded at him, watching him turn and leave the room, before I focused back on Bianca.
“You are a very bad girl,” I murmured.
“And you are a very bad man,” she replied.
