Chapter 19 – Alana
Chapter
Nineteen
ALANA
As soon as the plane touches down on the runway, Alejandro and Jax turn on their cell phones. Both of their devices ping to life with message alerts and missed calls. They frown at each other and, before either of them can say a word, Alejandro’s cell phone starts ringing in his hand.
“Hola?” he says as he lifts it to his ear.
I can’t hear the conversation or even tell who is on the phone, but my heart sinks as I watch his face turn an unusual shade of pale. Jax and Hugo look just as concerned.
“We’ll be there as soon as we can, Mama,” my husband says quietly.
“Si. Te quiero,” he adds before ending the call.
He takes a deep breath and then turns to me.
My pulse quickens, and I feel nausea building inside me as I wait for him to deliver news I know is going to be terrible.
“Papa has been shot. He’s in ICU,” he says matter of factly.
His voice sounds calm, but there is a muscle working in his jaw that gives away how upset he truly is.
“What?” I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth. “Shot?”
“What the fuck?” Jax hisses as his own cell starts ringing. “By who?”
Kelsey looks at me wide eyed, even more bewildered than we are.
Alejandro shakes his head, his eyes narrowing as he thinks it through. I’m at his side, holding his hand. He’s pretending to be all business, and maybe that’s what will help him get through this, but I need to let him know that I am here for him.
“I don’t know yet, Jax. But find out everything you can and then…” He looks around the small plane, seeming to remember that Kelsey is with us, and stops himself from saying anything further.
“I’m on it, amigo,” Jax replies, not needing any further clarification.
Family is sacred to Alejandro. Anybody who threatens or hurts his family is in for a world of pain.
Mateo might have been using some cruel words about me the last time I heard him, but he is still Alex’s dad. Still my father-in-law.
“Hugo, can you take Kelsey to the house please?” Alejandro says as he squeezes my hand. “You’re coming to the hospital with me?” he says as he turns to me. As if he even needs to ask. I nod immediately.
“Of course I am.”
“Good.” He turns back to Kelsey. “I’m sorry that this has been your introduction to LA, but Hugo will look after you.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I hope your father is okay,” Kelsey replies quietly before drawing in a shaky breath. I go and give her a quick hug.
“I’ll call you later, okay?”
“When you can, yeah, but don’t worry about me. I’m fine. I just hope your pop-in-law is, too.”
I glance at Alex’s ashen face, his determined expression, and that giveaway muscle twitching in his jaw. So do I. Alejandro’s last conversation with his father cannot be the fight they had over me.
Three cars are waiting for us as we get off the plane. One takes Kelsey and Hugo back to the house, and one takes Jax wherever he’s heading. Not to his date, I assume now, as he looks like he wants to murder someone. The third is our own car, along with our driver Jacob.
Alejandro and I sit in the backseat as we drive straight to the hospital.
I am as close to him as I can physically be, and I haven’t let go of his hand.
He is quiet, understandably distracted. He won’t have a second’s peace until he knows more.
I wish there was something I could do or say to make him feel better, but all I can offer is my presence, and my love.
So far, all we know is that Mateo was shot in the chest this morning.
He was on his way to the hotel to talk to Alejandro, obviously unaware that his son wasn’t even there.
He was rushed into the ER, and the best surgeons in the city are currently working to save him.
It feels unreal. Making our way along the busy roads, normal life going on all around us.
How can this have happened? I thread my fingers through his, holding on tightly.
He continues staring out of the window, a deep frown on his handsome face, but he lifts my hand to his mouth and brushes my knuckles across his lips.
He knows I’m here, and I hope he knows I will never leave his side again.
As soon as we reach the ER, we’re met by Alejandro’s mom, Maria, and his two uncles, Phillipe and Carlos. Maria jumps to her feet as she sees us walking through the door. Her face is pale and drawn, and at the sight of her son, something seems to break inside her. Like she can finally let go.
“Mama,” Alejandro says as we reach her, pulling her into an embrace.
“Oh, hijo,” she sobs into his arms. “It is so good to see you!”
Alejandro kisses the top of her head, holding her close and letting her weep. Then he holds her back by her shoulders and looks her in the eyes. “He’ll be okay, Mama. Papa is the strongest man I know.”
Her face is streaked with tears. “You are right, Alejandro. I must have faith. Now go. You have business to discuss, I am sure. There is nothing you can do here right now. Go, find who did this.”
Alejandro nods, his two uncles staring at him with grave expressions. The three of them share the same silent fury. “Alana will sit with you, Mama,” he says, and the three men walk down the corridor.
I immediately put my arm around her shoulder and guide her to the waiting area.
We sit together, beneath the bright hospital lights, and she wipes her tears away angrily.
I know Maria is a tough cookie, but her beloved husband is fighting for his life in a hospital bed, and we both know that more trouble could be headed in the direction of our family.
I might be new to this life, but even I know that the attempted murder of Mateo Montoya is about to start an all-out war, and my husband and his generals are already planning their next move.
“Alejandro is right,” I tell her. “Mateo will be okay.”
She smiles at me and pats my hand. “I hope so, my sweet girl. He needs to get better so I can kill him again. He knows better than anyone that he should not have been out without his security detail. If I did that, I’d never hear the end of it, you know?”
I nod. “Oh yes, I do know.”
She manages a small laugh, blowing her nose on a tissue I find in my purse. “Montoya men… they are so easy to love, but they can be so hard to live with. I only hope that my Mateo stays around to make my life complicated for many more years.”
She gazes off down the corridor, to the sign that leads to the operating rooms.
“He will,” I tell her firmly. “He absolutely will.”