Page 10 of Alejandro's Prey

Gina didn’t have a chance to say anything. Alejandro disappeared around the side of the darkly tinted SUV as she was dragged to her feet and pushed inside. She crawled to the opposite door and peeked through the window. A bullet slammed into the glass next to her face and ricocheted off. She screamed and lunged back.

Trying to steady her breathing and heartrate she sat up again and stared out the window looking around frantically for Alejandro. He was around the back of the SUV, his dark head bobbing in and out of her line of sight as he shot at the men emerging from the crashed Lexus across the street.

“You okay, Ms. Giancarro?” her bodyguard asked, shoving his head back through the door.

“Yes!” she yelled back. “Just startled.”

“Keep your head down, ma’am,” he shouted. “It’ll be over soon.”

She nodded and ducked against the leather seat, clutching the seatbelt against her, as though it could keep her safe. After a moment, when she heard nothing she glanced back up. She couldn’t see anything so she crawled closer to the window and took a good look. She gasped and covered her mouth. Alejandro was standing in the road, his tall form hulking over top of a prone body in the road. Rage suffused his features, an emotion unlike anything she’d seen on his face before. It filled Gina with awe. She knew it was because of her, because these men attacked him in public while she was with him.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw that her bodyguard had stepped away from the SUV. She clutched her purse tight and reached for the door handle, cracking it open. She could hear Alejandro’s low voice growling in fury. “… dare to attack me and my woman, you weak fuck. You will die slowly for this,pendejo. There will be no coming back from the hell I send you,putomotherfucker.” She peeked around the side of the door in time to see him spit on the man for emphasis.

Gina saw the other attacker a split second before Alejandro could spot him. She knew he was good at his job, knew that she should leave him alone to work. But she couldn’t. Every instinct in her body screamed at her to save the man she loved. She jammed her hand into her purse, pulled out the switchblade Casey insisted she carry everywhere and opened the door of the SUV. She screamed a warning as she ran at the man who was making his way stealthily toward Alejandro, his gun hand extended.

Alejandro twisted to the side, ducking the shot as it went wide while Gina jumped on the man’s back, sinking her tiny blade into his side. He screamed in pain, dropped his gun and flung her away from him. She flew sideways and hit the street hard, rolling before landing on her back. She came up on her elbows and looked around to find the man lunging toward her. Apparently, he knew his best bet at staying alive was to get his hands on the prize. She tried to scramble backwards but he was quickly on top of her, reaching down to grab her.

It didn’t matter, Alejandro came up behind him, yanked Gina’s blade from his side, pulled him against his chest and slammed the knife home in guy’s neck once, twice, three times. The attacker fell to his knees between Gina’s spread legs, blood pouring down his throat and chest. He flailed, one hand reaching for the wounds, trying to put pressure on them while the other continued to reach for Gina.

She watched in frozen horror as Alejandro gripped the man by the hair and held him upright, away from Gina but still close enough that she could watch every moment of his life drain from him. Alejandro watched her face as she stared at the scene before her, sobs spilling from her lips. He leaned forward until his lips were next to the dying man’s ear and he spoke clearly, his words travelling to Gina, “No one puts my woman in danger.”

His terrible, cold eyes held hers and she knew he was speaking directly to her. Another lesson. No one put Gina in danger, not even her. A shudder ripped through her and she forced herself to swallow a gag as he threw the now dead body away from them. Gina pulled her legs back so the man wouldn’t touch her as he fell to the pavement. Alejandro crouched next to Gina and gave her a quick once over.

“Are you hurt?” he asked coldly.

She shook her head sitting up and hugging herself against the chill of the night. She refused to look at him now, instead focusing dully on Fredo and his man as they collected the guy Alejandro had captured.

Alejandro stood and held a hand out for her. This time she felt none of the happiness or elation she’d felt earlier when she took it. As he helped her to her feet and escorted her to the car she knew she was truly in the hands of the mob. As though his prediction had come true much sooner than either of them could have thought; he’d made her unhappy. The man she loved was a monster. A monster that loved her back and would never let her go.

Chapter Nine

She was covered in blood. It had been his responsibility to make sure Gina was safe and happy and he couldn’t even manage to do that for a single evening in the city. She distracted him, a man well known for his ice-cold resolve, and there had been consequences. Now she was walking through the lobby of their fancy hotel, blood splattered across her chest, arms, dress and legs. He suspected she didn’t know or she might have freaked out in the car. Instead she’d remained silent on the ride back, sitting next to him in a numb haze as though waiting for her execution. He knew he’d been hard on her. Shouldn’t have killed the guy in front of her with such brutality. But fuck, he needed to show her that he could handle himself without her interference. She needed to obey his orders and stay safe for fuck’s sake.

The elevator arrived and wordlessly he pointed Fredo toward the stairs. He felt the tense vibes pouring off the other man. Fredo didn’t want them alone after that attack, not even for a second. He didn’t care. He wanted Gina to himself. He pushed her into the elevator and punched the button. The second the doors closed he punched the wall panel beside the door, enjoying the satisfying crunch and shatter of glass as it broke and hit the floor at their feet.

Finally, Gina came alive, letting out a terrified squeak and jumping back from him. He turned to her, grabbed her arm and pushed her against the same wall he’d kissed her against earlier. Only this time he wasn’t in the mood to kiss her. He wanted to slap her, to shake her, to wake her up and make her see sense.

He put a finger in her face and watched fear flare in those beautiful grey eyes. “The next time,” he said in a deadly quiet voice, “I give you a fucking order, you listen. You don’t listen to me,cariña? You don’t sit down for a month, you don’t leave the house for a year. Understand?”

She nodded quickly, her nose brushing his finger. Fat tears gathered in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. He touched one to his finger and put his finger in his mouth. The elevator stopped on their floor. He calmly placed a hand at her back and escorted her off the elevator and into their suite of rooms, ignoring his men who exited the stairwell and took their places along the hallway.

Without a word, Gina moved immediately toward the connecting door, reaching for the knob as though it were a lifeline.

“Gina.” She stopped but didn’t turn around. Her stiff shoulders spoke for her. “Leave the door open. I’ll be able to hear you in case you need anything. The ceremony is tomorrow at noon. Someone will be in your room at 9 to help you get ready.”

She stopped breathing for a moment, just stood frozen, her body a beautiful bloody statue. Then she nodded jerkily and thrust the door open, disappearing through it. She left the door open as he’d commanded but didn’t turn on a light. He could barely hear her shoes on the carpet as she moved around her room.

He decided the best thing for him to do was have a smoke, calm his nerves before he did something they would both regret. Like beat or fuck her into her into obedience. The blood lust and anger were still riding high in his system. He knew his annoyance with Gina was a symptom even if she deserved the lash of his tongue for the stunt she’d pulled. Still, he didn’t want to frighten her more than he already had. Though she’d proven she had spunk, she was still a soft woman with a soft heart.

He stalked toward the balcony, jerked the doors open and stepped into the cool night. It occurred to him that she must’ve been cold without a wrap or jacket, yet she hadn’t said a word. He would have to remember to take better care of her. After he lit the end of his half-smoked cigar, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and hit his employer’s contact.

Reyes picked up immediately. “Alejandro,” he growled. “I was expecting your call sooner.”

Alejandro blew out a stream of smoke and answered, “I needed to get the girl safely back to the hotel. Called as soon as I could.”

“Sheissafe?” Reyes snapped, annoyance clear in his voice. “My wife is beside herself with worry.”

“Si, though not for lack of trying on her part,” Alejandro said coldly.

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