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“The conversation with Chase and Brian went well. They said they spoke with Carlos Larussio and his family too. They want these people out of their territory and out of the business of running women too. We’ll definitely be expanding. It’s just a matter of how.”
“That’s great news.”
“I just hope the guy that attacked Allie will talk.”
“We’ll get the information, Marenah. The Larussios don’t mess around, and Tommy and his men will get the truth out of that asshole; it’s just a matter of how long it takes.”
“What if we don’t learn anything and they keep coming? Do you think they want the girls alive to find out who they told, or who else knows about Darwin? They must think they know more than they do or something like that; don’t you think?”
Every muscle in my body tenses. “They just want Lexie and Allie in the ground, dead and silent so if they did tell anyone nothing could surface in the court of law and be substantiated.” I feel her before I see her, and look into wide green eyes swimming with the shock of my words.
“Gotta go.” I click off with Marenah and close the distance between Allie and myself in three quick strides as she pales. “Look at me, love. No one is going to hurt you or Lexie, but the situation is serious.”
“They just kept coming the last time too. And now Darwin’s people are back, and even more of them are coming after us? How many more? When does it end?”
My instincts may be to scoop her into my arms and hold her against me, let her take strength from me, but she’s not there yet. She has to sort through her trust issues before we can make a real go of this, and I have to remind myself that keeping distanced, even at times like this, is for the best. For the long game, which is what I have my eye on, it has to be.
“It ends when I end it. Take a seat. I’ll reheat your plate and get you a cup of coffee.” I glance at my messages and pour her coffee, waiting for brunch to finish in the microwave.
“I’ve lost my appetite.”
“Try a few bites. You should eat before I tell you the rest.”
I place her plate and cup in front of her, and she absentmindedly begins moving the food around with the fork, but not one bite makes it to her mouth. It takes effort not to take the situation in hand and feed her myself, but she finally stabs a small bite of French toast.
“Dip it into the powdered sugar. It’s the icing on the cake,” I tell Allie, hoping to give her a little encouragement, but she’s still far from ready to smile. I could change that look if I distracted her, but it’s just too soon, far too soon.
I’m just pouring myself another cup of coffee, and my cell rings. “Hello.”
“This is Chase. Do you have a few minutes?”
“I do. I’m with Allie right now. Sheldon’s with Lexie, and the perp’s on ice.”
“That’s what I heard. I told Trent when he called that you and Sheldon should take the ladies to the Prestian Corp Towers. You can use the penthouse, and there are three other towers, so plenty of room. However you guys want to handle the sleeping arrangements, but the condos are all at your disposal.”
“Thanks, Chase. I’m texting Sheldon now. We’re going to take you up on your offer. We have time to get there before the other men get off that plane. We’re going to need to help the other ladies as soon as we get more information, and they’re bound to have an army of men guarding them. Sheldon said you were going to contact the Larussios?”
“I spoke with him. Carlos, Brian, and I all agree. We have the resources to put things in place to try to stop some of this, and we’re planning to do that. Carlos will call me and Brian back when he gets some details worked out on his side. But he’ll provide whatever it is that you need right now. He said to assure you that you can call on Tommy and his men anytime you need to, and I’ll round back with Marenah and the rest of the group as soon as I know something definitive. In the meantime, get those ladies to the Prestian Towers and call if me or Brian can be of any assistance.”
“Thanks, Chase.”
He disconnects. I place my phone on the table, take a drink of my coffee, and watch Allie. Finally, she puts down her fork and pushes her plate away.
“It was delicious, right?” I remark, looking at the empty plate in front of her.
Allie smiles. “It was the fresh strawberries. I seem to have a thing for fresh strawberries lately.” The centers of her eyes have dilated, and fuck if the way she’s looking at me isn’t one of the most erotic things I’ve ever watched. It takes real effort not to hoist her into my arms and cart her into her bedroom and make all of her worries go away, but that would be short term, and then we’d be right back to square one.
I push that thought aside because there’s work to be done and things she needs to know, and there’s no time like the present to rip the bandage off. “You heard some of the conversation I was having with Marenah. Darwin’s friends and partners in the trafficking business are heading this way. They’ll get to LaGuardia around three this afternoon.”
She looks at the clock on the wall, and her lips part. “Not a lot of time.”
“Agreed. We need to make some changes to plans today. First, you need to call in sick. We anticipated needing to guard you at the hospital, but that’s when we thought you were going to work this morning and not this afternoon. And we were dealing with three men at that time, Allie. We don’t know how many men like the one at the park are going to jump out of the woodwork. Until we get answers, Sheldon and I need to keep you and Lexie safe.”
Allie’s face has gone serious again. “I’ll call in, Nick. I’m not going to fight you guys on this. I still feel terrible that I did last time. Lexie could have died, and it would have been my fault. But I need to make sure the department has coverage. Let me just give the daytime charge nurse a heads-up. She’ll organize coverage for me. I’ve done it a gazillion times for her.”
“Good. Get her on the line while I tell you the rest.”
“I’ll page her. It’ll probably take her a few minutes to get back to me,” Allie says, placing her phone down next to mine on the table.
