I ran along the road and into the first open place I found, which happened to be a diner. I chose a quiet booth and looked around me. I didn’t think Blake had followed me but my heart still pounded in my chest and my blood thundered in my ears.
I had to get home. And, I needed to call the shelter and make sure Lucy was okay. But now I had no cash on me. I had no cell phone. What the hell was I going to do? I didn’t want to risk walking the few blocks back to the shelter in case he was out there, waiting for me.
Just then the waitress approached me. ‘You okay, sweets?’ she asked.
I nodded and blinked back the tears. ‘I need … do you have a phone I could use?’ I asked.
She tilted her head to one side and looked at me, as though measuring me up. ‘Sure, honey. Here take mine,’ she said as she took out her cell and keyed in her passcode before handing it to me.
I dialed the only L.A number that I knew by heart – the hotel. I had a bunch of promotional pens from the place on my desk in work and I spent so much time on hold to potential donors that I’d memorized the number printed on them.
I got through to the receptionist, who made it clear she had no intention of connecting me to Alejandro, until I told her I was his wife, and that he’d be incredibly annoyed if he found out she hadn’t at least checked with him if he wanted to take the call.
A few moments later, Alejandro was on the other end of the line.
‘Alana?’ he said.
‘Yes, it’s me. I’m really sorry to bother you at work. But I’m … Could you send a car for me? I’m at Betsy’s Diner, downtown near the shelter.’
‘Why do you need a car? Why didn’t you call my cell? Where is Hugo?’ he demanded.
I took a deep breath to stop myself from crying. ‘I … someone took my purse. I don’t have any cash or my cell,’ I sniffed.
‘Stay right where you are. I’ll be there as soon as I can,’ he said and then ended the call before I could tell him that all I needed was a car. The last thing I wanted was him storming in here and shouting at me for leaving the house without a bodyguard. God, what if he spanked me right in the middle of this restaurant for disobeying him?
‘Is someone coming for you, honey?’ the waitress asked, and I realized I was still holding onto her phone.
‘Yes. Thank you,’ I said as I handed it back to her. ‘Am I okay to stay here until he gets here?’
‘Of course. You want a coffee while you wait? On the house?’
‘That’s really kind of you,’ I said as a fat tear rolled down my cheek.
She leaned down and squeezed my hand. ‘Not a problem, honey.’
I looked up expectantly every time the diner door opened, looking for either my attacker or Alejandro. Less than half an hour later, Alejandro walked through the doors. He looked so fierce that I almost wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole. He was going to be furious with me for sneaking out of the house.
His eyes scanned the room quickly until he caught my eye and came storming across the diner. He slid into the booth opposite me. I assumed there must be a mark on my face because he reached out his hand and touched it gently.
‘Who the fuck did that to you?’ he snarled.
‘Some guy. He’s the ex-boyfriend of one of the girls at the shelter.’
‘The same guy who took your purse?’
I nodded.
He sat back in his seat and took a deep breath. I saw the rage in his body. His hands were clenched into fists.
‘I’m sorry,’ I said. ‘I didn’t mean for this to happen.’
‘How many times have I warned you about leaving the house without protection, Alana? Sometimes, if feels like you want to get yourself killed. Do you?’ he scowled at me.
‘Of course not.’
He shook his head and I saw him wrestling with his emotions. ‘Half of me wants to put you over my knee right here in this diner and spank your ass so hard you won’t be able to sit down for a month.’
‘And what about your other half?’ I asked.
‘The other half is just glad you’re safe,’ he said with a sigh as he looked around the diner. ‘Let’s get out of here. You can explain yourself in the car.’
He stood up and I stood too, feeling like a runaway teenager who was about to get a telling off from my father. Then he reached for my hand and squeezed it and I felt a rush of love for him that completely blindsided me.
He looked at the empty coffee cup on the table. ‘Who bought you the coffee?’ he asked. ‘And whose cell phone did you use?’
‘Marlene, the waitress at the cash register there,’ I said as I pointed her out.
Alejandro nodded and rubbed a hand over his jaw. ‘Come on, let’s go,’ he said as he took my hand and led me through the diner. We passed Marlene on the way and Alejandro stopped her.
‘Marlene,’ he said with his charming, killer smile. ‘I really appreciate you helping my wife out this afternoon. You have my deepest gratitude.’
‘It was my pleasure, honey,’ she said with a smile.
Alejandro nodded and then took something from his pocket and handed it to her. ‘Well, thank you,’ he said and then we walked out of the diner.
‘Thank you, Sir,’ Marlene shouted after us.
‘What did you give her?’ I asked him.
‘Just a couple of hundred bucks,’ he said with a shrug.
‘That was very generous of you.’
‘Well, she helped you out, so …’ he didn’t finish his sentence and instead he steered me towards his car. He was driving his new Maserati today and I smiled. I wasn’t really into material things but I loved this car. He opened the door for me and I slid into the expensive leather seat and inhaled.
A few seconds later, Alejandro climbed in too, pressed a button and the car roared to life.
We’d been driving for a few minutes when he finally spoke. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked me.
‘Yes,’ I said as I touched my face.
‘Do you know the name of the guy who did that?’
‘Blake someone. He’s Lucy’s ex-boyfriend, do you remember that young girl you met at the shelter?’
Alejandro nodded.
‘That’s why I went out alone. She called me and she was scared and in trouble and Hugo was on his day off. Jacob had taken the car to the garage,’ I rambled on. ‘I need to speak to the shelter and make sure she’s safe.’
He handed me his cell.
‘Thank you,’ I whispered.
‘The number is in there already. It’s saved as princess work,’ he said and for some reason, the fact that he had my work number programmed into his phone, made me incredibly happy.
I dialed the number and when one of the staff answered, I asked to speak to Lucy. My heart almost burst out of my chest with relief when they told me she was there.
‘Alana! Are you okay? I’ve been so worried. I went back with one of the girls to look for you, but you’d gone. I’m so sorry,’ she sobbed.
‘Lucy, I’m fine. I promise. Are you okay though?’
‘Yes.’
‘Promise me that you won’t leave the shelter until I can figure out what to do about your situation. We’ll need to speak to Kristen.’
‘I know,’ she sniffed.
‘But you’ll stay there? Promise me!’
‘Yes. I promise.’
‘And if you see Blake anywhere near the place, then you call the cops, okay? We’ll deal with everything else, but you need to keep yourself safe.’
‘Okay,’ she agreed.
‘What is Blake’s full name?’ I asked, knowing that Alejandro would need that information to find him more quickly.
‘Blake Fielding.’
‘Blake Fielding?’ I repeated.
‘Yes.’
‘Okay. I have to go, but I’ll speak to you soon, okay?’
‘Okay. And thank you, Alana.’
‘You’re welcome, sweetheart,’ I said.
We said goodbye and I hung up the phone and handed it back to Alejandro.
‘What the hell is going on, Alana?’ he snapped.
I rubbed my temples. ‘It’s a really long story. Can I tell you when we get home?’
Alejandro sighed. ‘You shouldn’t have gone out alone.’
‘I know that. And I’m sorry that I’ve inconvenienced you –’
‘Inconvenienced me?’ he snapped. ‘You think I’m mad because I had to drive a few miles to pick you up?’
I shook my head. ‘I don’t know.’
‘I’m pissed because you almost got yourself killed, Alana! Do you have any idea how reckless you’ve been?’
‘All I’m trying to say is that, this life is a big adjustment for me. I’ve never had to worry about leaving the house or had to ask permission to do anything before. I’m a grown woman –’
He turned and scowled at me before I could finish my sentence.
‘I know that’s not the issue, Alex. I just mean that sometimes, it’s not easy to be unable to make a decision on my own, on the spur of the moment. I feel like I have absolutely no control over my life any more,’ I sniffed as a tear rolled down my cheek and I swatted it away.
He looked at me and I looked out of the window because I couldn’t meet his eyes. I knew he was disappointed in me. I stared out of the window and listened as he made a few calls. He spoke mostly in Spanish but I gathered that Blake Fielding was now a wanted man. As we drove along, I noticed that we weren’t headed home.
‘Where are we going?’ I asked him.
‘You’ll see.’
‘Are you going to punish me for going out alone?’
He turned to me. ‘Yes.’
‘Is that where we’re going?’ I said, the tremor in my voice audible.
‘No,’ he said and then he reached for my hand and lifted it to his mouth, brushing the backs of my fingers lightly across his lips until I felt a warmth spreading through me.
Alejandro made another call, this time to his second in command, Jax, whom he always spoke to in English.
‘Hey, amigo,’ Jax said. ‘Everything okay? You ran out of here like your house was on fire?’
‘Someone attacked Alana,’ Alejandro replied and I blushed. Jax was going to think I was pathetic now too.
‘Shit! Who? She okay?’
Alejandro squeezed my hand. ‘Some Cabrón. He’s being handled. She’ll be fine. She’s here with me now.’
‘You need me to do something?’ Jax asked.
‘Yeah. I’m going off grid for a few days. Can you cover everything?’
‘Of course, I can, amigo. When will you be back?’
‘Two days.’
‘Not a problem. I’ve got you covered.’
‘Thanks, amigo,’ Alejandro said before ending the call.
Then he did something, I’d never seen him do before, he switched off his mobile phone before slipping it back into the inside pocket of his jacket.
‘Now, we’re both uncontactable,’ he said with a flash of his eyebrows and I wasn’t sure whether to be terrified or delighted.
