Page 88 of LA King

He jerks his head at the empty coffee cup on the table. “Who bought you the coffee? And whose phone did you use?”

“Janine, the waitress at the cash register there.” I point her out.

Alejandro nods and rubs a hand over his jaw. “Let’s go.” He leads me through the diner and stops when we reach the waitress.

“Janine.” He offers his charming smile. “I really appreciate you helping my wife out this afternoon. You have my deepest gratitude.”

She returns his warmth. “It was my pleasure, honey.”

Alejandro takes something from his pocket and hands it to her. “Well, thank you for your kindness.”

We walk out of the diner and Janine calls out an excited thank you after us.

“What did you give her?”

“A few hundred bucks,” he says, distracted as he scans the street, alert for any potential threat. “It was all I had on me.”

“That was very generous of you.”

“Well, she looked after you, so …” He steers me toward his new Maserati, and I smile in spite of the circumstances. I’m not really into material possessions, but this car is a thing of beauty. Like a gentleman, he opens the door for me, and I slide into the expensive leather seat and inhale.

Alejandro climbs into the driver’s seat and presses a button. The car roars to life, the sound rumbling through my body.

I should probably remain quiet and contrite, but I’m too worried about Lucy. “Do you remember Lucy? The young girl you met at the shelter?”

Alejandro nods.

“That’s why I went out today. She called me and she was scared and in trouble and it’s Hugo’s day off. Jacob had taken the car to the garage,” I ramble on. “But I need to speak to the shelter and make sure she’s safe.”

He hands me his phone.

“Thank you,” I say, touched that he’s being kind even when he’s boiling mad at me.

“The number is in there already. It’s saved as Princesa Work.” Him having my work number saved in his phone is a small thing, but the fact that he took the time to program it makes me happy.

I dial the number and ask to speak to Lucy when someone answers. My heart almost bursts out of my chest with relief when they tell me she’s there.

“Alana! Are you okay? I’ve been so worried. I was going to go back and look for you, but I was so scared he’d be waiting for me. I’m so sorry!”

“Lucy, I’m fine. I promise. Are you okay though?”

“Yes, I’m good. I’m safe.”

“Promise me that you won’t leave the shelter until I can figure out what to do about your situation. We’ll need to speak to Kristen about everything.”

“I know,” she sniffs.

“But you’ll stay there, won’t you? Promise me.”

“Yes, I promise.”

“And if you see Blake anywhere near the place, then you call the cops, okay?” I advise, although I suspect Blake won’t be in any position to go anywhere once Alejandro deals with him. “We can fix all of this, but you need to keep yourself safe.”

“Okay.”

“What’s Blake’s surname?” I ask.

“Blake Fielding.”