Chapter 12 Rules

• LOGAN
• “Fuck!” I threw my phone on the seat beside me and leaned forward, burying my face in my hands. "Are you okay?" Alain asked, but I didn’t answer.
• “Logan?” He called again as I sat up straight, then leaned back and ran a hand through my hair, frustrated. “The lead went cold. The footage's lost.”
• “What? How?”
• "A story about their systems crashing. This is a fucking nightmare," I muttered, mostly to myself, but Alain's expression indicated that he had heard me. "Francois's team is doing everything they can. I’m sure Laurent will come up with a new lead soon,” Alain said, trying to reassure me, but it didn’t help. I was beyond frustrated, and the fact that she slipped out of my grasp made it even worse.
• I couldn’t believe she pulled the rug right out from under me. Stephen and I got the surprise of our lives when we woke up and realized we had fallen asleep unintentionally.
• I was supposed to go to the casino last night, and if I had not set my alarm, I would not have realized Vera had drugged me and taken off. After rushing to find Stephen, I discovered he was also passed out, and when I woke him up, we realized Vera had drugged us.
• Stephen discovered some powder in her room, and when we reviewed the footage, we saw her spiking my wine and Stephen's drink in the kitchen.
• I immediately dispatched my men after her, but she was long gone, and they were still looking for her after two leads I had managed to obtain went dead. This was why I had to go to her family and pretend to be assisting.
• They were looking for her now, and I didn’t want them to come across my man searching for her and have questions. I also wanted to know if they had any leads. Giving the baby away was no longer an option. And my men had clear instructions to terminate both problems.
• "Please, Laurent is fucking useless," I said, grabbing my phone as the driver opened the door. Alain and I exited the vehicle and headed inside. As soon as we walked in, I went straight to the liquor cabinet and poured a large glass for myself, as well as Alain.
• "Thank you," he said as I handed him his drink and we headed to the sitting area.
• "Can I ask you something?" he asked, making me look at him.
• "What?"
• “Why are you so bothered by this? I mean, it's not like you and Vera were friends or anything," he said, locking eyes with me as I took my seat across from him. "Look, it is crazy, and I said so, but you are being weird about it, and people are coming up with some pretty crazy theories," he added with a shrug, crossing one leg over the other.
• “Crazy... like what?”
• “Like the possibility of you being Vera’s child…”
• “Father?” I finished for him, watching him pause and sip his drink before he could say it.
• “Are you, man?” He asked, taking another slow sip of his whiskey, the look in his eyes clearly indicating that he was unsure whether he had crossed the line.
• "I am," I admitted, and he nearly choked on the liquid, his face instantly turning pale.
• "Wha-what?" he asked, placing his glass on the table. “You’re the dude she can’t remember?”
• “No, I’m the dude whose face she can’t remember. "She remembers me; she just does not remember my face," I corrected, not liking the way he said it.
• “Why? I thought you didn’t like her.”
• “Seriously?” I raised an eyebrow at him, an incredulous expression on my face. Did I like every girl I fucked?
• "Fine, stupid question," he replied, raising his hands in surrender. “I’m just shocked. I… why didn’t you come forward then? Why did she tell us she didn’t know who she slept with, that she didn’t remember? She was told to give the baby up for adoption…” He trailed off, probably noticing the expression on my face. "You know... and wanted the child to be given away?" he asked, his tone more like a statement than a question.
• “My father and I are tight; you know that. And part of what makes us so is the trust he places in me. He doesn’t interfere with how I live my life. He trusts that they raised me well enough to make my own decisions, but there are rules. And the number one unbreakable rule is to never impregnate outside of marriage. I despise it because I know it is not even about doing what is right, but about my father's guilt over his mistakes. But there’s nothing I can do.
• He doesn’t have many rules, but he doesn’t compromise on the few he has. If I break them, there’ll be consequences. If he had found out, he would have forced me to marry her, and I was not going to let that happen. Which is why you will not tell anyone what I just told you."
• “Of course, I’ll never tell anyone.”
• “Good.”
• •••
• CAMILO
• “I’m fine; the doctor wasn’t for me. And there’s no need to apologize. I didn’t even know I would have to leave so soon. I had an emergency too, so I understand. We will get a drink next time, though, I promise. Thank you again for the help.”
• I walked into the kitchen to hear my sister say to the person on the other end of the line, and as soon as she saw me, she told them she had to leave and ended the call.
• “Who was that?” I asked as she placed her phone on the countertop, looking guilty after realizing I had been standing behind her the whole time.
• "You need to stop doing that, Camilo," she said, walking to the fridge, ignoring my question. But I pressed harder, watching her squirm.
• "Back at the hotel, who did you call for the doctor?"
• "It wasn’t him. It wasn’t Logan,” she said, now taking out some milk. “I’m making tea. Do you want some?”
• "No, thanks. I need to meet up with Pops." I said, deciding to let it go, knowing full well she was lying. Logan was the person she was speaking with; I knew this even when she told me she had contacted someone to assist her with the doctor. I knew she'd reach out to him.
• "I have to go. I’ll see her later if you’re still up. If not, then goodnight," I said, kissing her on the cheek, and she smiled, still unable to look at me.
• “Good night.”
• I turned around and walked away, but she called me just as I was about to leave the kitchen, so I paused and turned around to face her. “Thank you for helping Mera and allowing her to come with us,” she said, facing me this time, and I nodded.
• “Yeah, sure, but don’t try to go back on your word now. You promised to find her another place to stay. She cannot stay with us."
• "I know, and I promise to set up a place for her."