Page 28 of Lust and Honor

He sets it down on the nightstand and says way too cheerfully, “Perfect timing. You’re up.”

I glance at the pillow lying on the bed and glare at him. Dragging myself to the edge of the mattress, I grab the coffee and take a sip. One gulp is enough to snap my brain into gear. I’m in my own room, back at Carlo’s mansion, wearing nothing but a pair of pants.

Carlo drops onto the two-seater couch by the fireplace. “If I were you, I’d stay out of Brando’s sight for a while. Word is, you pulled a gun on him when he tried to yank your hand out of some girl’s panties. Then you mistook him for one of the girls and tried to kiss him, and to top it all off, you puked on him.”

I drag a hand through my hair, trying to recall anything from last night, but all I get are vague, scattered flashes. The godawful stench of vomit clinging to me makes it clear he’s not bullshitting.

That’s when my whole body tenses. I shoot to my feet.

“The carrot! Is she okay?!”

He squints. “Carrot?”

I dig through my foggy brain, panic rising with each second. I’ve got a daughter. A daughter. And I can’t even remember her goddamn name. “Aurora.”

He nods. “Carrot and Strawberry are both fine,” he says and I get it, he means Carrot’s mother too.

I barely know a damn thing about the woman I had a kid with. But right now, knowing they’re both safe is enough.

The breath trapped in my chest finally escapes. I sit down next to him. “They here?”

“No. First I had to figure out who this girl was and why there’s a bounty on her head. I didn’t want to risk Emily and the kids. So I took them to your place.”

I just nod, waiting for him to lay it out.

“Her name is Ava Wilson.”

Ava. Even her damn name sounds pretty.

“Nico Fidenco’s after her. Apparently, she’s the daughter of one of his old slaves, and he’s been hunting her for years. Nico killed her mom. The girl ran, linked up with some nun, managed to swap out her ID, and started working with her help.”

So, Ava lied to Carlo during her job interview. My hand curls into a fist before I even realize it.

“You’re not gonna make her pay for lying to you, are you?”

If there’s one thing Carlo doesn’t take lightly, it’s his wife and kids, and that dumb girl put all of them in danger. Maybe she deserves to have her skin peeled off, but little Carrot needs her mom.

“No, Maxim,” he says without hesitation. “It’s your call whether Ava gets punished.”

My shoulders loosen a bit. Then the memory of that day hits me.

“Brando knows too.” It’s not a question, it’s a statement. And Carlo doesn’t deny it.

“How long have you known the kid’s mine?” My tone turns bitter despite myself, but Carlo brushes it off.

“Remember a few days ago in the game room when Emily walked in acting all weird?”

I nod. He goes on.

“During Ava’s interview, she told me she had her kid from a one-night stand with some stranger she met at a bar. A few days ago, when Emily went to see her, Ava opened up about the night she spent with you. This time, she mentioned Heaven and your name. She didn’t think Emily was related to you. Emily told me, and I sent your glass and a few strands of the girl’s hair to the lab. Results came back this morning.”

He pulls out his phone and shows me the report. Ninety-nine percent match. No doubt about it, the carrot’s mine.

I frown. “So, when they snatched her, you still weren’t sure she was mine?”

“I couldn’t take the chance. When I sent her to her mom, I slipped a tracker necklace on her. Didn’t know a psycho was after them back then, or I’d never have let her out of my sight. Even if there was a slim chance she was yours, Maxim, I wouldn’t have rolled the dice on her safety.”

I rest my hand on his shoulder in silent gratitude. Just imagining what could’ve happened if Aurora had been taken sends a cold shiver down my spine.