This made Alba lift her head. “Black Rose?”
“It’s a nightclub.”
“Will we be there?” she asked.
I nodded my head. I was curious at what that fucker intended to do.
Alba typed the message, and then showed it to me.
“Hit ‘send.’”
She pressed the button, and then handed the cell phone back to me. I pushed it into my pocket, because I knew nothing else was going to come.
I was disappointed in Roberto. He didn’t even take two minutes to ask about his daughter. That pissed me off, although I shouldn’t have been surprised. The man was a piece of shit and only cared about his own personal business.
Alba looked deflated. She scooped up her eggs, and the enjoyment she had was completely gone. I hated to see that sadness wash over her.
“Is there any place you’d like to go today?” I asked.
My day was wide open. Alba could pick wherever the hell she wanted to go. Only, she shook her head. “Nowhere?”
“There’s nowhere that I know,” Alba said.
That didn’t surprise me. My sources said that Alba spent most of her time indoors. She was taught by private tutors, and most of the time it was her sisters that left the house.
“Then I’ve got a place I can take you.”
We finished up breakfast, and I know I surprised Alba by actually cleaning the dishes with her, but I was a man that didn’t like to come back to a mess.
Grabbing Alba’s hand, along with a couple of jackets, we made our way toward the elevator, and I was helping her into her jacket as we stepped into it. I clicked the button to take us to the ground floor, where my car was parked.
My men were stationed where they needed to be. All of them loyal. I had rid myself of those that thought loyalty meant nothing. I knew trust had to be earned, and these men had earned mine.
As I opened the door for Alba, she climbed in and thanked me. I slammed it closed, then walked around the car and climbed in. Turning over the ignition, I opened the gate and pulled out of my driveway. I nodded toward my men, and then headed toward the city. Parking would be a bitch, but I would find somewhere.
I did not own a flashy car. The car I was driving was just standard, one I had built with my father so many years ago and was still working to this day. It helped to blend in. Flashy cars were expensive and like a honing beacon for trouble, and trust me, I knew. There was a short time I attempted the flashy car. All it did was bring me nonstop trouble, so now I don’t do any of that shit at all.
I had completely forgotten the bookstore had its own personal parking, and I was able to find a parking space.
Bookstores had been struggling a lot over the years. The desire for reading went up and down like a damn yo-yo. Alba was a lover of books, and as I parked my car, she looked behind her toward the store.
“You brought me to a bookstore?” she asked.
“And it has a café as well, so I get to sit and have coffee while you spend.” Pulling out my wallet, I handed her my card. Alba took it, but she was shocked.
“Enjoy,” I said.
“I can’t … this is…”
“Enjoy,” I said again, and climbed out of the car.
Alba no longer waited for me to come around to her side of the car to open the door. There was a lot of training from her parents that I had to break down, but the one bonus, she was more than happy to have it broken down.
Putting my hand to the base of her back, we walked into the bookstore. Many of the bookstores had survived by learning to branch out, and this private store also added a personal café, which was perfect. People could go and purchase a book, and then enjoy a delicious coffee at the end of it.
I left Alba to go and shop, while I had a coffee.
Chapter Three
