Chapter 20
20
A lex leaned heavily against the doorway, his broad shoulders almost filling the entire space. His gaze was riveted on Leslie, cocooned in the plush hotel bed as she slept. The sight of Leslie was in stark contrast to the fear he’d seen on Leslie’s face earlier in the evening.
The dim glow from the bedside lamp cast a gentle light on her face, illuminating the bruised flesh of her cheek. The sight was a brutal reminder of the violence she'd suffered.
The slap echoed loudly in his ears and he could still see the sharp arc of her head as it whipped to the side, hurt and shock mirrored in her wide, terrified eyes.
The memory inflamed the embers of his fury, a firestorm of rage that consumed him from the inside out. The muscles in his body tightened in response, a coiled spring of pent-up energy and aggression. It was his duty, his responsibility to protect Leslie, and he’d failed. The enormity of his failure was a crushing weight, a metallic and sharp taste on his tongue. At the same time, his protective instincts roared to life, a primal force that dulled the guilt and rage.
He would not fail her again.
The hotel’s landline phone rang, and Alex narrowed his eyes. Was it just the front desk calling with some kind of question about their check-in or bill? Careful not to disturb Leslie, he retreated into the living room to answer the phone.
"Alex, It's Luca."
Shock reverberated through him and his grip tightened on the phone, his knuckles white. The world seemed to narrow so that all his senses homed in on that voice.
Luca.
As in Luca Marino .
A name he hadn't spoken in almost a decade. A name synonymous with his past life, a world filled with shadows and secrets, blood and betrayal. It was a world he had fled, had fought tooth and nail to stay away from. Yet now, it was ominously creeping back, reaching for him with tendrils of past deeds and consequences.
Tonight, of all nights, Luca chose to reach out. There was no way it was a coincidence. The implications of this call, the potential for disaster, swirled in his mind like a tornado. His past was no longer merely knocking on his door; it had blown it off its hinges and was marching in, uninvited and unwelcome.
"Alex?" Luca's voice interrupted his spiraling thoughts. Luca’s voice had always been like a sharpened blade, icy and cutting. Only one other time had it been different. And just like then, there was a hint of concern in Luca’s tone now.
With his heart hammering like a war drum, Alex braced himself for what was coming. He could have asked Luca how he’d known where to find them, but that would have been a waste of time.
Luca owned this city.
Alex’s past and present were about to collide in a twisted game of fate.
And he had the front-row ticket to the spectacular disaster that was about to unfold.
"Tell me," he said.
The silence stretched on the other end of the line, making his skin prickle. Alex could almost hear the wheels turning in Luca's mind, each second ticking by a test of his frayed patience.
"The men you killed tonight," Luca began, and Alex felt his pulse quicken. "One of them was the son of a high-ranking officer in the Bratva."
Alex's grip on the phone tightened. Bratva. The Russian mob. A sick sense of realization began to spread through him. "And they think Leslie was my..." He couldn't finish the sentence, his throat constricting around the words.
"Girlfriend. It appears that way, yes."
Ice cold dread washed over Alex. He'd known the night had been about him, but the news that the Bratva was involved brought an entirely new level of danger into play.
"Is this connected to Mia?"
There was another pause on the other end of the line, long enough for Alex's heart to pound a staccato rhythm.
"No evidence of it being connected, but it stirred up a storm, Alex. A storm that’s making its way across all the families."
Families.
Not families in the domestic, ordinary sense, but families, as in the organized crime families. Alex had hoped to never be involved with them again, but the past seemed to have a cruel way of dragging one back.
"No evidence is one thing, Luca. What about any hint as to why they would target her? Is there a connection to her family?"
"I don't have those answers, Alex. Not yet. But I'm digging. Digging deep."
"Why?" The question was more an accusation than a query. Luca shouldn’t have a stake in all this unless…
As if Luca cold read his mind, a bitter laugh echoed from the other end of the line. “This isn’t about me or my family, Alex. In fact, I have a tenuous cease fire in place with the Bratva that I sure as hell don’t want to jeopardize. But I’ve kept eyes on you, just as I said I would, and now you've been pulled back into the vortex. And this woman, Leslie Duke, she's part of it now. She means something to you?"
"Yes." The word felt like a declaration, a commitment spoken into existence, binding him to a path he couldn't yet see.
Luca sighed. "Then that's reason enough for me to lend you a hand."
It made twisted sense, and a helping hand was a precious commodity, especially from a man like Luca.
"Have some trust,” Luca said. The words would’ve been amusing if the situation were less dire.
"Would you trust you, if you were me?" Alex shot back, the challenge stark in his words.
"Initially, no. But considering the mess you're knee-deep in, the stakes you're playing for... if Leslie was my woman, I would gamble."
“Gamble on what?” he said, his voice wary. He knew all too well that every step he took now was fraught with danger, but it was a risk he was willing to bear if it meant securing Leslie's safety.
"Go to Caris," Luca said, the name of the tropical, secluded island dropping like a heavy stone in the pit of Alex's stomach.
Caris—an isolated, luxurious haven in the Caribbean teeming with lush greenery, azure waters, and sun-kissed beaches. The last he knew, the compound on it was fortified with a high-tech security setup that was almost impenetrable. But to Alex, it was more than just an island. More than just a well-protected place. A rush of memories hit him, unbidden and unwelcome. His instinctual response was to vehemently refuse, but he managed to clamp down on it, letting the silence stretch over the line.
"I know it will bring back memories, but you understand its security, how it's locked down like a fortress. You know that if Mia had been there when it happened, we probably could have intervened in time."
At the raw mention of Mia's name, Alex sunk into a nearby chair, the weight of it all threatening to crush him.
Bratva. Caris. Luca. Mia.
None of them were words he’d ever wanted to associate with Leslie for obvious reasons. The possibility of further violence, of bloodshed, hung in the air like an ominous thundercloud, and beneath it, the smoldering need for vengeance, stirring back to life.
It was a sobering thought, a chilling reality.
Alex pressed his fingertips to his temples, attempting to ease the tension knotting there. The implications of Luca's offer were not lost on him. The island was a fortress, but even the most secure compound could be penetrated by a determined enemy.
He'd told Branden he'd try to keep him updated, but now that was impossible. To keep Leslie safe, he'd have to sever ties with the outside world. He couldn't risk a traceable call or a vulnerable connection. He had to make Caris as impregnable as he could, fortifying its defenses beyond any point of reasonable doubt.
It was a hard, brutal decision, but one he knew he had to make. Leslie's life was at stake.
"You're right, Luca," he said finally, his voice laced with a bitter resignation. "Things might have been different if Mia had been on Caris that day. If the Bratva is indeed involved, my options are severely limited. If Caris is an option, it’s one I’ll take. Trusting you is a risk I’ll take.” His next words came out slow and deliberate, a chilling promise. "But if this is some kind of trick, if our truce is over, and you think to play me—"
"It's not that, Alex," Luca interrupted, his voice calm despite Alex’s impending threat.
Ignoring him, Alex continued, the fire of vengeance burning bright in his voice. "I will gut you like a fish and feed you to the sharks."
"Duly noted," Luca replied, a hint of a grim smile evident in his voice. "Now get your woman ready. The jet leaves JFK in an hour. You’ll find it because it’ll be the one guarded by armed men."
The silence that followed the end of the call was deafening. Alex stared at the phone in his hand, the screen now dimmed. Was he doing the right thing, aligning himself with the devil he knew, trusting in a truce that had already been tried and tested in the fires of betrayal?
Yet the world didn't house just one devil; there were many. Monsters that lurked in the shadows of power and greed. Monsters like the men who had dared to touch Leslie. Monsters like the man Alex himself had once been, and perhaps, in many ways, still was.
For a long moment, he stood there, wrestling with his inner demons. His past was a twisted, violent maze that he'd sworn never to tread again. Yet now he was on the precipice of the very abyss he’d once warned Leslie about in Montana.
He felt an iciness creeping up his spine, but he steeled himself against the fear. Fear was a luxury he couldn’t afford to give in to.
Slowly, he turned and headed back into the bedroom. He watched Leslie sleep, her brows furrowed, a testament to the turmoil that plagued her. He moved towards her, gently brushing the loose strands of hair off her face. Her skin was warm against his cold fingers as he nudged her awake. "Leslie."
Alex watched Leslie as she slowly began to rouse, her long eyelashes fluttering in the soft light of the room. Her green eyes, hazy with sleep, struggled to open and make sense of her sudden wakefulness. Before she could form any words, he reached out and gently pulled her into his arms, drawing her warmth into him. He cradled her against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of her heartbeat against his own.
His hand found its way to her hair, fingers tracing the soft waves that cascaded down her shoulders. His touch was gentle, almost reverent, the action grounding him further, strengthening his resolve.
When he finally pulled back, his gaze locked onto her eyes. He saw the questions in them, the silent plea for an explanation. Instead of giving her one, he closed the gap between them, his lips finding hers in a soft, tender kiss.
"We have a plane to catch," he whispered.