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Jesus Christ.
“Elaina?” I asked him.
He barked out a laugh, but it sounded cruel and dangerous. “You ask as if I would ever allow anything to touch her or Antonio.”
“Not asking that,” I bit out in aggravation. “I’m asking so I know if I need to up the protection around here.”
Alejandro sighed. “Yes. Keep your men close and ready in case the rebels try to cross lines and come after Elaina or our son. If either of them goes anywhere, men are to be with them. I do not care how she feels about it.”
“She won’t get a choice,” I assured him. “Do you need some men?”
“No,” Alejandro said immediately. “Keep all of your men there. If I need help, I will reach out to the Savage Crows. Elaina and Antonio need to be your only concern. Can you handle that?”
That was a dumb fucking question.
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t ask something that stupid.”
He chuckled and then sighed. “Fuck,” he grunted. “I know we try to protect Elaina from this kind of shit, but I need you to let her know what’s going on so she knows why she has protection and doesn’t do something stupid, like trying to get away from them.”
Elaina didn’t like feeling trapped. He was right; if she didn’t know why she had protection, she’d do something reckless, like try to get away from them. If she was kept out of the loop but suddenly had followers everywhere, she’d feel out of control.
I sighed. I didn’t like worrying her like this, but if he thought it was that serious, then I’d explain it to her.
“She’s going to be worried sick, Alejandro.”
He grunted. “I know. Just tell her. I’ll make it all up to her when I come back, Joey. Make sure she knows that, too.”
I chuckled. “She might very well skin you alive.”
He barked out a laugh. “Then I’ll look forward to it.”
I snorted and ended the call. After putting the book I’d been working on back into the safe and locking it, I headed out of the chapel. Elaina was rocking Antonio to sleep. He may be four and damn well able to put himself to sleep without help, but Elaina coddled him.
Alejandro kept him in line, but we both knew Elaina would give her son anything in the world if it meant making him happy.
“Is he asleep?” I asked her, keeping my voice low just in case he was.
She nodded. I gently lifted his sleeping form from her lap and carried him down the hall to his room so he could finish his nap in his own bed. Elaina followed me, and she brushed a kiss to his forehead once I’d laid him down and was covering him up.
“We need to talk,” I softly told her, reaching out to grab her hand in my own.
A frown pulled at her lips. Concern washed through her eyes. Blowing out a soft breath, she nodded. I led her out of the room and across the hall to ours. Her hand was sweating in mine, a sure sign her anxiety was already acting up.
I fucking hated doing this to her. But what Alejandro was dealing with was too serious to play around with.
I took a seat on the end of the bed and drew her onto my lap so she was straddling my legs. I held her waist, running my eyes over her pretty features.
Fuck, I did not want to have to be the one to break this to her, but as her other man, it was my job—my duty. Just as it was my duty to hold her together and love her extra in Alejandro’s absence. And God only knew how long he would be gone for.
“Elaina, sweet girl, Alejandro called me.”
Her features fell. She knew it was bad if he didn’t call her himself. It meant he was trying to protect her and keep anyone from tracing him back to her.
“Joey…” her voice trailed off, trembling on my name.
I brushed my thumbs along her waist. “Something has happened, sweet girl, and he doesn’t know when he’ll be back. He’s okay,” I assured her when tears welled in her eyes. “But he wanted me to let you know what was going on. He’s ordering a protection detail on both you and Antonio, which means you’ll have men hovering until Alejandro gives the order to do otherwise.”
She sobbed, tears streaking down her cheeks. I hugged her close to me and gently rocked her side to side, doing my best to hold her together as she broke down.
“I can’t lose him, Joey,” she croaked.
I ran my hand over her blonde curls. “I know, sweet girl. He’s not leaving you. That man will never make you live without him, you hear me? He loves you way too much to ever do that to you.”
