Page 44 of Filthy Dirty Dom
She was going into shock as she watched Alex go through the pockets of all the men, pulling out more phones but nothing else.
She stared at the man closest to her.
Minutes ago, he had scared her. Hurt her.
Now he was dead.
“Don’t look at him” Alex ordered. “Look at me.”
She ripped her gaze away from the dead man at her feet. Alex’s gaze was steady, firm. She could lean on his strength, because hers was sapping away.
“You’re going to be okay. I swear it.”
“I know,” she whispered.
Still staring at her, Alex tapped the earpiece in his ear.
“Luke,” he said.
His conversation with Luke was a series of questions and commands that blurred together in Leslie’s mind. Then the conversation was over.
“Leslie, you need to follow my directions,” Alex said. “Put on a jacket and boots. Grab your purse, cell phone, and charger. Any prescription medicines. Put everything in your jacket pockets."
“Why?” she asked dully.
“Because I don’t know who these men are. Because more men are coming, and I don’t know how far away they are. Because I’m getting you to safety.”
She started stumbling around her studio, grabbing her cell phone and charger the way he’d instructed. After grabbing her jacket, she turned to see Alex standing in front of her, a pair of hiking boots in his hands.
“Put these on. Now. We don’t have time to wait.”
With shaking hands, she put on her boots. Gun drawn, Alex led her downstairs. He scanned the interior, then opened the door and scanned the outside. Crouching low, he guided her to his truck and got her bundled inside.
In minutes, they were in the middle of cross-town traffic, weaving in and out of cars—Alex’s way to ensure they weren’t being followed.
“Where are we going?” she finally. “Will you take me to Branden’s penthouse?”
Alex shook his head. “No. I don’t know if those men were targeting you because of your brother. I’m taking you to a hotel.” His gaze darted to his rearview mirror, and she grew silent.
Her mind whirled, trying to sort through all the events of the last twenty minutes. She had so many questions, so many fears. Her mind felt fuzzy, as if unable to form clearly delineated thoughts and instead was seeking meaning in shadows. But one thing she knew was that she was in the safest place possible—with Alex.
The hotel he picked was luxurious and exclusive, near Park Avenue. Instead of using the valet, he parked the car in the underground lot himself, murmuring to her that he needed to know the exact location of his car and keep his keys with him. He helped her out of the car, then walked with her held tight to his side, his gaze darting around in all directions until they reached the hotel lobby. Instead of stopping and speaking to the front desk, he headed straight for the elevators. Inside, he checked his phone.
“When I called Luke to tell him I had you, I had him arrange a room for us. I also told him to double security on your family, Leslie. They’re safe.”
Thank God, Leslie thought.
A few minutes later, they entered their suite, where Alex made a quick sweep of the place before gesturing for her to take a seat on the sofa. He tilted her chin up, staring down at her face, his expression murderous while his thumb caressed her cheek. “We need to get you some ice for that bruise. I’ll have some brought up.” He sat beside her, one hand on her knee while he used his other to make another phone call.
“I need ice, then I need the concierge to arrange for things to be bought and brought to us. A few outfits. Toiletries.” He rattled off sizes, shockingly accurate with her measurements down to her bra size. He asked for a few more other items, everything from a deck of cards to a specific type of backpack, then ended the call. He leaned forward, his forearms against his thighs, his hands held loosely in front of him.
“Alex—”
“I’m sorry.”
She cocked her head, uncertain if she’d heard right. “You’re sorry? For what?”
“For all this. For those men.”