Page 71 of Set In Stone

“I’m sorry, Alex. I was only trying to protectyou.”

He lowered his head, inhaled slow and deep, before connecting to my gaze once more. When he spoke again, he wasn’t nearly as gruff. Onlyresigned.

“I’m not worth that sort of risk,angel.”

“Yes, you are. I would risk everything for you. Even if it meant leaving myselfvulnerable.”

“Look, this isn’t worth fighting over. At least not right now. In time, you’ll understand the need to protect your privacy and why I shield you from the press. I might be furious, but I understand why you didit.”

“Youdo?”

“I do, even if I think it was the dumbest idea you’ve had to date,” he scoffed. “You don’t need to protect me. I’m just glad Hale got to you before you had the chance to talk with Mac Owens. He’s ruthless and not someone you want to tangowith.”

My stiff body relaxed and I placed a gentle hand on hischest.

“I’m really sorry,” I said againquietly.

He encircled my waist in his strong forearms and held metight.

“I know you are, angel. And so am I. For all ofthis.”

26

alexander

Krystinaand I climbed into the backseat of the BMW that I recently acquired for Samuel to drive. Hale had the Cayenne and I didn’t trust Samuel enough to put him behind the wheel of the Tesla. He needed his own set of wheels, not to mention the fact that I’d been itching to add the coveted badge to my collection. Still, I had to give Samuel credit. He didn’t even blink when I handed him the keys to the X6 M. If he was in awe, he didn’t showit.

Krystina, however, was notimpressed.

“Did you really need to buyanothercar?” she asked and rolled her eyes. I laughed and deliberately tossed her an arrogantgrin.

“It was chump change,baby.”

“Whatever,” she said, seeming amused as she fastened her seat belt. “So, what time do we have to meet Hale in themorning?”

“We?”

“Well, yes. If it’s okay, I just assumed I would go withyou.”

“I’m meeting him at nine. You don’t really need to go. You can relax in the morning. I shouldn’t be too long. I just want to make sure Hale’s mother is getting more individualized attention goingforward.”

“Actually, I’d like to go. I feel like I should. It's hard to explain.” She shrugged. “I only know that, as much as I joke about Hale being my shadow, he's become more than that to me. From what you said, he was pretty shaken up about his mother’s fall. Hell, even if you didn’t tell me, he took time off from work. That man never takes a minute for himself. That alone told me how upset he was. Plus, I know Hale means a lot to you. I want to be there forhim.”

I watched her intently for a moment before responding. I was always protective of what was mine. Hale was like family to me. The fact that she cared enough to go tomorrow nearly shatteredme.

“Alright. You can go with me. I think Hale would appreciate it aswell.”

She smiled, leaned her head against my shoulder, and we continued the drive in silence. We didn’t need to talk, but I knew what she was feeling. I wanted to stay mad over her visit to the DA and the idea that she may have put herself at risk, but I couldn’t because she only did it for me. I may have found her scheme to be outrageous, but I understood her desperation all too well. Now, there was an unspoken agreement between the two of us. There would be no more secrets. Not even the smallest of white lies. If there were any sort of walls left between us, they had effectively beendestroyed.

Twenty minutes later, we pulled up in front of thePavilion.

“A hotel?” Krystina asked inconfusion.

“Not the hotel. The Marquee Nightclub is on the top floor. That’s where we’reheaded.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me! The Marquee? I heard that place had a three-month waiting list just to get in. Ally is going tofreak!”

“It looks like she already is,” I said and pointed out the car window. Allyson and Matteo had just climbed out of the car in front of us. Allyson’s face was lit up and she appeared to be talking animatedly, one hand waving up at the hotel while the other gripped Matteo’ssleeve.

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