Page 87 of Fierce King (L.A. Ruthless 1)

Alana

I ranalong 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.’

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