Page 3 of Alejandro's Prey

But was she done running from him? When she’d set this day up she’d done it with the full comprehension that she would be provoking a reaction from a very dangerous man. Unfortunately, she thought she would be back in the safety of her home, under her cousin’s wing when Alejandro’s wrath fell. Holding his terrifying gaze, she slowly shook her head and held her ground. She would rather deal with his temper within the safety of the compound.

“Are you refusing to go away with me?” he asked, almost pleasantly.

“Y-yes,” she whispered. The wind caught her honey-blond, layered locks and flung them across her face. He reached to move them away for her, tucking them behind her ear, his touch gentle. Still, she flinched.

He moved her to his side, retaining his hold on her arm. He pulled his sidearm and pointed it at Miguel, aiming for the doctor’s head. Miguel groaned and covered his head with his arms, as though his flesh could stop a bullet.

“You still refuse to get on the helicopter?” Alejandro asked, eyebrow raised.

She stared back at him and then said as defiantly as she could, “You’re a bastard, Alejandro, but I’ll go with you. Just please leave him alone.”

He released her arm and gave her a shove toward the helicopter. When she turned and walked slowly back the way she’d come Alejandro made eye contact with the pilot and gave him a twirling motion with his finger. The pilot nodded back and started the helicopter up again, setting the blades in motion. Gina looked back over her shoulder as she climbed on board. Trepidation clutched at her heart. Alejandro was crouched over Miguel, the gun pressed against the other man’s skull. He was speaking to him with a look of feral rage plastered across his face, a look she’d never seen before. She’d known him to be angry, but his anger was always coldly efficient, never this heated fury.

Alejandro stood and turned to where Gina was crouched in the doorway of the helicopter. His eyes devoured her for a second, taking in the way her skirt and hair lifted slightly from the breeze created by the blades as they picked up speed. Then he was striding toward her, intent glittering through his narrowed gaze. Gina quickly backed away from the door and took the seat she’d been in only minutes before. Alejandro swung through the door, closed and locked it as he settled in beside her.

When he reached for her seatbelt she tried to slap his hand away, mumbling that she could do it herself. He took her hands firmly in his. “You do not want to test my patience right now, Gina. It’s thin at best. Now be a good girl and shut up.”

Her mouth fell open and she sat in helpless silence as he latched her seatbelt, tugged on it to make sure it was snug against her body and then pulled her headset back on. Satisfied, he did the same for himself. Moments later they were airborne. Gina watched him through black-tinted lashes, cataloguing every move he made. Alejandro was beautiful, like a large, lethal cat when he moved. Maybe a panther. One moment lazy, the next he would strike with such quick efficiency, his victim was on the ground before he knew what was happening. For the moment though, he appeared relaxed in the seat next to hers, his elbows resting on the arms of the chair, his hands loose against his long legs.

It occurred to Gina that this was almost the first time she was left alone with Alejandro with a handful of exceptions. Absently she lifted her fingers against the pulse beat in her throat as it accelerated. After they had been flying for about fifteen minutes in complete silence she finally turned to him and asked, attempting to keep her voice steady, “Where are we going?”

He flashed her a grin. “Ah, so the little mouse finally gets brave enough to speak.”

“Alejandro,” she pleaded with him. “Please just tell me. Where are we going?”

The playful grin slid from his face, but the predatory look remained firmly in place as his eyes slid over her possessively. “We have a date with a priest,mi amor.”

Chapter Three

Gina chose to remain silent throughout most of their forty-minute flight to La Paz and Alejandro didn’t insist on conversation, not an easy thing to accomplish anyway even with the headsets. Gina didn’t want to question his implication of what a priest could possibly mean in case she was wrong. In fact, she must be wrong. He couldn’t possibly… no. Why would he want to marry her?

Of course, she knew he lusted after her, he made no secret of this. He’d spent a year stalking her with both his eyes and his actions. He’d done his best to keep other men away from her. She’d always sort of wondered what kept him at bay since he didn’t seem like the sort of man to deny himself something he really wanted. At first, she’d been relieved that he hadn’t simply taken her, but as the months passed a part of her had become gradually disappointed and hurt. After all, Alejandro was a very handsome man. It was both breathtaking and terrifying to be the focus of his attention. Plus… if she were being totally honest, her options were pretty limited way up there in the mountains.

According to the kitchen staff, he stopped touching any of the women on the mountain after Gina’s and Casey’s arrival. They assumed he must now be going into La Paz for his amusement out of respect for the women of the house. Another tiny shaft of hurt had quivered through Gina at the thought. She’d shrugged it off as simple annoyance because he was allowed to seek companionship elsewhere but was making damn sure the men within her vicinity knew touching her would mean instant death.

Thus, she and Casey had hatched a plan to ensure Gina finally got a little off-mountain time with the friendly doctor. Of course, Gina hadn’t confided in Casey the part of her plan that included prodding Alejandro and courting his annoyance. She wanted to see once and for all if the second-in-command was actually into her. Well, she got her answer when Alejandro ruined what had been a perfectly pleasant date. Gina sent him a tiny glare and twisted her fingers in her lap. She really hoped Miguel would be okay. He wasn’t built for fighting. It hadn’t been fair of Alejandro to beat him so viciously.

“I can see your thoughts, little mouse.”

His deep, measured voice coming clear through the headset after such a prolonged silence made her jump. She glanced sideways at him and then turned her face away and looked through the windows. They were clearing the valleys and the first sight of sprawling La Paz was coming upon them.

She jumped as Alejandro took her chin firmly in hand and forced her head around until she was facing him. His eyebrows were lowered over dark brown, snapping eyes. He didn’t look angry… exactly. More annoyed. Her breath hitched and she clutched the armrests of her seat. Alejandro had rarely touched her since her arrival in Bolivia, though he was always watching. Watching and waiting. As if for the perfect time to pounce.

He leaned in until his lips were inches from her face. He spoke as though she could hear him naturally instead of through the speaker and headset. “It would be a mistake to ignore me, Gina. Our courtship dance has ended, and it’s time for us to get serious.”

Her heart pounded furiously as his words and his intent came through loud and clear.

“There are certain things I won’t tolerate from you,amor,” he said, his voice sinister and silky at the same time. She shivered as he slid his thumb across her jaw. “Your thoughts will no longer linger on other men.” His eyes snapped to hers, piercing deep, pinning her. “Entender?”

She sat in place, not daring to move or speak. Her mouth felt dry and her palms were damp from clinging to the armrests like a lifeline. In that moment she felt fear like she hadn’t felt in the dozen years since Sosa, the Venezuelan Butcher, helped her flee the United States after a Mexican Cartel had targeted her family. She knew deep in her bones that her life was about to change significantly. She resented Alejandro for stripping away her new-found confidence and once more forcing her to feel such uncertainty. She’d loved the feeling of safety she’d found in Bolivia with Casey. Yet, she also knew that no man could keep her as safe as this one. He’d spent a year proving it as he helped Reyes run his empire. He ate, breathed and slept security. She knew beyond a doubt that Alejandro Morales would take a bullet for her and anyone in her family. It was one of the reasons she loved him.

“You need to answer me, Gina,” he growled, speaking in English for her benefit, his accent sharp around each syllable. “Silence will never be an acceptable answer when I am speaking to you.”

She dropped her eyes so he couldn’t see the anger that leaped into the grey-blue depths. Alejandro could and would read too much there. He was not second-in-command to Bolivia’s mafia kingpin for no reason. He was excellent at his job. Excellent at reading people. She jerked her head in a nod, pulling her face from his long, brown fingers.

“Si, Alejandro,” she agreed quietly. “I understand.”

He allowed her to pull away from him and settled back into his seat as the helicopter began its descent into Reyes’ private airport, located on the outskirts of La Paz. She felt his eyes on her but refused to lift her own. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. She wasn’t ready to reveal herself yet, not until she was sure of him. She needed to know, not just his plans for her, for them, but the way he felt for her.

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