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I gritted my teeth and sucked in a breath.
‘I’m sorry. But she’s just a kid. She was scared and alone. I just wanted to get to her as fast as I could.’
‘I understand that you wanted to help her. But, it was so fucking reckless, Alana. Sneaking out like a teenager and not telling anyone where you were going. What the fuck were you thinking?’
‘I wasn’t thinking,’ she said and I saw the tears in her eyes.
‘What happened next?’
‘The cab dropped me off and I looked for her. When I found them, he had her pinned against the wall by her throat. I distracted him and told her to run. He turned on me then and slapped my face. I kicked him in the groin and started to run as he was doubled over, but he came after me and grabbed my purse. I shouted for help and he must have gotten spooked and he ran. I made my way to the diner, and then I called you.’
She looked up at me. I felt the anger raging through me and I willed my heart to stop racing.
‘You’re angry,’ she whispered.
‘I’m fucking furious,’ I growled. ‘But not with you. With that piece of shit.’
‘Oh?’ she said and then she stood up and walked around the table.
I pulled her onto my lap and brushed her damp hair from her face. ‘You should have told me when you found out about Lucy. I could have helped.’
‘I know,’ she nodded. ‘But I wasn’t sure how to do that. This thing between us has been so difficult to navigate, Alex. I never know what you want from me. Sometimes, I feel like you would do anything for me, and other times, it feels like you’re doing all you can to push me away.’
I looked into her eyes and realized the truth in her words. I did push her away because I was terrified of letting her get any closer to me than she already was. ‘You know you’ll need to tell Kristen. And the authorities? Especially if she’s pregnant?’
‘I know. But what will they do with her?’
‘Probably take her into care,’ I shrugged.
‘But, she might not be safe. She wants to stay here in L.A, Alex? She’s terrified of going back to Chicago.’
‘I know some people who might be able to help. We’ll make sure she gets placed with a good family. And as for Blake Fielding, he is a fucking dead man walking,’ I growled, feeling the anger surging again. I had given his name to a team of my best men and was confident they’d find him by morning.
She opened her mouth to reply, but then obviously thought better of it. ‘Okay,’ she whispered.
I buried my face in her hair. ‘If anything ever happened to you, Alana … Lo eres todo para mi,’ I breathed. ‘I don’t force you to have a bodyguard for no reason. It’s for your own protection.’
‘I know.’
‘You know? So, why do you insist on defying me?’
‘I just wanted to help her. I didn’t think about putting myself in danger.’
I tucked her hair behind her ears. ‘Promise me, you won’t do something so reckless again?’
She bit her bottom lip. ‘I didn’t think you’d be so angry. You said your mom used to sneak out all the time with you when you were a kid. You almost seemed proud of her for it.’
‘And I was. But things are different now. My father’s enemies are not the same breed as mine. Back then there was a code. You never went after women and children. Or if you did, you were ostracized. But the world is different now, princess. My enemies would think nothing of hurting you to get to me.’
‘Would you ever do something like that? Hurt innocent women and children?’ she asked me, her eyes wide.
‘No,’ I told her truthfully. ‘Never.’
She must have liked that answer as she gave me one of her genuine, killer smiles.
‘Enough talking,’ I said as I stood up, lifting her in my arms. ‘It’s time for dessert.’
‘Ooh, what are we having?’ she asked.
