Chapter 45
Chapter
Forty-Five
Alana
Ipop into the first open place I find—a diner—and choose a quiet booth with a full view of the door. I don’t think Blake followed me, but my heart still pounds in my chest and my blood thunders in my ears.
I have no idea where Lucy is. I need to make sure she’s okay, and I need to get home before anyone notices I’m missing.
But I gave the driver all my cash, and my phone is in pieces back in that alley.
What the hell am I going to do? I don’t want to risk walking the few blocks back to the shelter in case he’s out there, waiting for me.
A waitress comes by the table. “You okay, sweets?”
I nod and blink back tears. “I need … Do you have a phone I could use”—I read the nametag on her shirt—“Janine?”
She tilts her head to one side and studies me. No doubt I have a huge red mark on my face and look a little worse for wear. She takes pity on me and pulls out her phone. “Sure, honey. Here, take mine.” She puts in her passcode and hands the phone over.
I dial the only LA number I know by heart—Alejandro’s hotel. All those hotel pens on my desk must have implanted the number in my brain.
I get through to the receptionist, who makes it clear she has no intention of connecting me to Alejandro until I tell her I’m his wife and that he’ll be incredibly annoyed if he finds out she didn’t at least check to see if he wanted to take my call.
A few moments later, he’s on the other end of the line. “Alana?”
I swallow the knot of anxiety in my throat. I’m terrified for Lucy and myself.
“Yes, it’s me. I’m really sorry to bother you at work. But I’m … Could you send a car for me? I’m at Betsy’s Diner, downtown near the shelter.”
“Why do you need a car? Why didn’t you call my cell? Where’s your security?” He fires off one question after the next.
I take a deep breath to stop myself from crying. I’m a big girl, and I’m allowed to leave the house whenever the hell I want. “I … left without any security today. Someone took my purse. I don’t have any cash or my cell.”
He’s breathing heavily like he’s trying to calm himself down. “Stay right where you are. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He ends the call before I can tell him that all I need is a car. The last thing I want is him storming in here and shouting at me for leaving the house without a bodyguard.
“Is someone coming for you, honey?” Janine asks, and I realize I’m still holding onto her phone.
“Yes. Thank you so much for your help.” I hand it back to her. “Am I okay to stay until he gets here?”
“Of course you are, sweets. You want a coffee while you wait? On the house?”
“That’s really kind of you,” I say as a fat tear rolls down my cheek.
She leans down and squeezes my hand. “Not a problem, honey. How about some pie too? We do a killer cherry.”
I smile at her kindness. “Just a coffee will be perfect. Thank you.” I couldn’t eat anything and keep it down. My stomach is churning so hard the milk from my breakfast might turn to butter.
I look up expectantly every time the diner door opens, wondering if every person is either my attacker or Alejandro and not being entirely sure which I’m more terrified to see.
It feels like an eternity passes but must be less than half an hour when Alejandro walks in.
He looks so fierce that I consider making a run for the back door.
He scans the room quickly until he catches my eye.
The look on his face is murderous, and it’s enough to make my knees shake while my heart thumps persistently in my throat.
The adrenaline from earlier has worn off now, and it seems like my entire body might start trembling uncontrollably if I don’t get ahold of myself.
Alejandro stalks across the diner. Silently, he slides into the booth opposite me, his eyes raking over my face.
There must be a mark because he gently brushes his fingertips across my cheek.
His touch is soothing, even if his demeanor is anything but.
He snarls, vibrating with rage. “Who the fuck did that to you?”
“Some guy named Blake. He’s the ex-boyfriend of one of the girls at the shelter. Lucy. You met her, remember?”
“Is Blake the same guy who took your purse?”
I nod.
He sits back in his seat and takes a deep breath through his nose, his hands clenched into fists on the table. He’s really working to control his temper, and I bet he’d quite like to punish me right here at this booth.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Do you have any idea of the danger you put yourself in? How many times have I warned you about leaving the house without protection, Alana? Sometimes it feels like you want to get yourself killed. Do you?”
Is he serious? “Of course not.”
He shakes his head like he doesn’t believe me, his nostrils flaring and jaw clenching.
He leans forward, his deep brown eyes blazing with his ire.
“Half of me wants to put you over my knee right here in this diner and spank your ass so hard you won’t be able to even think about leaving the house without remembering the pain. ”
“And what about your other half?”
His jaw works back and forth. “The other half is just glad you’re safe.” He scans the diner quickly. “Let’s get out of here. You can explain yourself in the car.”
He stands and I do too, feeling like a runaway teenager who’s about to get a lecture from my father.
Then he reaches for my hand and squeezes gently.
It’s comfort and protection and warmth. A rush of love for him completely blindsides me.
Even in his anger, he can make me feel safe and loved. This man who claims not to love me.
He jerks his head at the empty coffee cup on the table. “Who bought you the coffee? And whose phone did you use?”
“Janine, the waitress at the cash register there.” I point her out.
Alejandro nods and rubs a hand over his jaw. “Let’s go.” He leads me through the diner and stops when we reach the waitress.
“Janine.” He offers his charming smile. “I really appreciate you helping my wife out this afternoon. You have my deepest gratitude.”
She returns his warmth. “It was my pleasure, honey.”
Alejandro takes something from his pocket and hands it to her. “Well, thank you for your kindness.”
We walk out of the diner and Janine calls out an excited thank you after us.
“What did you give her?”
“A few hundred bucks,” he says, distracted as he scans the street, alert for any potential threat. “It was all I had on me.”
“That was very generous of you.”
“Well, she looked after you, so …” He steers me toward his new Maserati, and I smile in spite of the circumstances. I’m not really into material possessions, but this car is a thing of beauty. Like a gentleman, he opens the door for me, and I slide into the expensive leather seat and inhale.
Alejandro climbs into the driver’s seat and presses a button. The car roars to life, the sound rumbling through my body.
I should probably remain quiet and contrite, but I’m too worried about Lucy. “Do you remember Lucy? The young girl you met at the shelter?”
Alejandro nods.
“That’s why I went out today. She called me and she was scared and in trouble and it’s Hugo’s day off. Jacob had taken the car to the garage,” I ramble on. “But I need to speak to the shelter and make sure she’s safe.”
He hands me his phone.
“Thank you,” I say, touched that he’s being kind even when he’s boiling mad at me.
“The number is in there already. It’s saved as Princesa Work.” Him having my work number saved in his phone is a small thing, but the fact that he took the time to program it makes me happy.
I dial the number and ask to speak to Lucy when someone answers. My heart almost bursts out of my chest with relief when they tell me she’s there.
“Alana! Are you okay? I’ve been so worried. I was going to go back and look for you, but I was so scared he’d be waiting for me. I’m so sorry!”
“Lucy, I’m fine. I promise. Are you okay though?”
“Yes, I’m good. I’m safe.”
“Promise me that you won’t leave the shelter until I can figure out what to do about your situation. We’ll need to speak to Kristen about everything.”
“I know,” she sniffs.
“But you’ll stay there, won’t you? Promise me.”
“Yes, I promise.”
“And if you see Blake anywhere near the place, then you call the cops, okay?” I advise, although I suspect Blake won’t be in any position to go anywhere once Alejandro deals with him. “We can fix all of this, but you need to keep yourself safe.”
“Okay.”
“What’s Blake’s surname?” I ask.
“Blake Fielding.”
“Blake Fielding?” I repeat for Alejandro’s sake. I want him found and dealt with as much as he does, if only for Lucy’s safety.
She confirms, and I tell her I have to go. “But stay safe, and I’ll speak to you soon, okay?”
“Okay. And thank you, Alana. I don’t know what I would have done if …” Her sentence is cut off by another loud sob. God, she’s so young and vulnerable and all alone. I need to speak to Kristen as soon as possible.
“You’re welcome, sweetheart.” I hang up, wishing I could do more, and hand Alejandro his phone.
He brushes his knuckles over my cheek. “Are you okay?”
How do I even answer that? Someone I care about was put in danger because I didn’t act quickly enough when she told me she was in trouble.
I was just assaulted and had my purse stolen.
My husband is so pissed at me I can almost see the steam coming from his ears.
But actually, right now, in this car with him, I am okay. “Yeah.”
“Is Blake Fielding the name of the piece of shit who did that to you?”
“Yes.” I’m condemning the man to his fate, and it sits uneasily with me, but it’s a price I’m willing to pay if it ensures Lucy and her baby’s protection.
“You want to tell me what the hell is going on?”
I rub my temples, trying to stave off a threatening headache. “It’s a long and complicated story. Can I tell you when we get home?”
He growls. “You shouldn’t have gone out alone.”
“I know that. And I’m sorry that I’ve inconvenienced you—”
“Inconvenienced me?” he barks. “You think I’m mad because I had to drive a few miles to pick you up?”
I shake my head, tears burning my eyes. I feel foolish and guilty, and I stupidly just want him to tell me everything will be okay. “I don’t know.”
“Alana, I am incensed because you almost got yourself killed! Do you have any idea how reckless you’ve been? How …” He inhales sharply.
“I understand why you’re mad. But she was desperate, and I had to help her. This life is a big adjustment for me. I’ve never had to worry about leaving the house or had to ask permission to do anything before. I’m a grown woman—”
“This is not about your independence, Alana. It’s about your fucking safety. How can I do my job knowing you’re out there getting yourself hurt? How do I even fucking breathe when I don’t know if you’re safe?”
His voice cracks, and I feel even more foolish.
He’s afraid of me being hurt. “I know it’s about my safety.
It’s just hard to adjust. Sometimes I feel like I have absolutely no control over my life anymore.
” A tear rolls down my cheek, and I angrily swat it away.
He’s right, but that doesn’t mean I’m wrong, and I don’t want him to think I’m crying to manipulate him.
We stop at a red light, and he takes his eyes off the road to look at me, but I turn to the window because I can’t handle seeing his disappointment. It hurts more than what Blake did.
I go on staring out the window while he makes a few calls. He speaks mostly in Spanish, but I hear Blake’s name mentioned and presume he’s now a very wanted man. It soon becomes clear we aren’t headed home.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“You’ll see.”
Oh god, is this some sort of test? “Are you going to punish me for going out alone?”
He doesn’t take his eyes off the road. “Yes.”
Panic grips me, and there’s a tremor in my voice. “Is that where we’re going?”
He takes my hand and brushes the backs of my fingers lightly across his lips. Warmth spreads through me. “No, Alana. Have I ever given you any reason to fear me?”
“No,” I admit.
Alejandro makes another call, this time to Jax, whom he always speaks to in English, and he leaves the call on speaker.
“Hey, amigo,” Jax says. “Everything okay? You ran out of here like your house was on fire.”
“Someone attacked Alana,” Alejandro says, anger bleeding into his tone again.
Jax is going to think I’m pathetic now too.
“Shit! Who? Is she okay?”
I’m touched by Jax’s concern for my wellbeing. He’s Alejandro’s closest friend, but I’ve barely spoken to the man.
Alejandro squeezes my hand. “Some cabrón. He’s being handled as we speak. Alana’s okay. She’s here with me now.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“I’m going off-grid for a few days. Can you cover everything?”
He is? And where is off-grid?
“Of course I can, amigo,” Jax answers without pausing to think. “When will you be back?”
“Two days.”
Jax says, “Not a problem. I’ve got you covered.”
After Alejandro hangs up, he does something I’ve never seen him do before—he switches his phone off. “Now we’re both uncontactable.” He winks at me, and I’m not sure whether I should be terrified or delighted. I opt for the latter.