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“Frankie Morris? I don’t know anybody by that name.”
“Spare me the stalling bullshit. This isn’t some child you’re speaking to, and you’re wasting valuable time. I know he’s with you. I’ve seen him on your property. I know he defected to your side the minute my grandfather was dead. And I know that fucker killed him. I want him, and I consider this a fair exchange. You hand him over, and you can have Elena.”
“You bring me Elena, and I bring you Frankie.”
“That’s correct.”
“Fine. On one condition.”
“You’re not the one setting conditions here. You are the one whose niece is in a rather unflattering position at the moment. I could bring her back to you smeared with much worse than makeup, Alvarez.”
He only growls at this. “I want you to bring that wife of yours with you.”
My body goes stiff, and my heart clenches, which is precisely what he wants. “And why would I do that?”
“To make sure you and that temper don’t get out of hand.”
As long as he continues to breathe, this bastard will find a way to surprise me.
“Fine,” I reply because there’s no way around it. This is the last thing I want to do, but it’s a means to an end.
“We’ll see you there in half an hour. And don’t get any ideas. Elena is counting on you. I don’t think I need to describe the amount of damage that can be done to a woman’s body in a mere thirty minutes.”
“You just remember how easy it would be for me to hurt that little wife of yours.” He ends the call, and I do the same, trembling with rage.
“Everything all right?” Prince asks, guarded.
“Just about.” I stare down at my phone, then look up at Elena. “He wants us to bring Alicia.”
“He would.” He snorts. “Like a rat, always looking for a way to save his ass. I almost admire him for it.”
“I’m going to need you to make it your mission to protect her.”
“You know I will.”
“No,” I snap. “Swear it. You will protect her tonight.”
His brows draw together when he frowns. “I will. I swear it.”
That’s all I have to hang on to as I climb the stairs, then knock on Alicia’s door while Prince handles the logistics of this meeting. As I swing the door open, it occurs to me that I don’t normally knock before entering. One of the small things that have shifted between us.
She jumps up from where she is seated on the bed, still fully dressed in her dinner attire. I wonder if she’s sat frozen like this since I left her in here. “Well? What happened?”
“Alvarez took the bait,” I murmur, noting her bright eyes and flushed cheeks. She’s in the moment with me, going through it by my side. This is the sort of wife a man in my position wants. She cares deeply and wants what’s best for the family.
She heaves a sigh of relief. “That’s great. I was worried he’d try to call your bluff somehow.”
“But…”
“But?”
“He wants you to come along to the meetup. That was one of his conditions.”
What did I expect? For her to break down crying? To beg me not to put her through this?
If I did, I should have known better. That’s not her way. She rolls her shoulders back, her lips set in a smirk. “Of course, he did. Why not use me as a human shield while he’s at it?”
I don’t think I’ve ever admired her more than I do now. “I don’t want you getting upset. This could be dangerous.” I place a hand over her belly, though my words more than likely convey the message without the addition of my touch.
