Page 46 of Filthy Dirty Dom
“I wish I knew. Did Luke give you the specifics?”
“Yes, but he might have left something out.”
Luke? No way. “He didn’t, Branden.”
“Fine. What now?”
His mind went back to the man who’d called Leslie his girlfriend. To her argument that she had been his objective separate from Alex. But right now it didn’t matter why Leslie had been targeted. What mattered was keeping her safe.
“I’m going to put out feelers,” he told Branden. “Call around, see if I can get any hints about threats to you, to Leslie, to me. I’ll let you know when I have news.”
“Keep her safe, Alex. Whatever it costs, I don’t care. Just keep my sister safe.”
“I will do everything in my power to do that, Branden. Trust me.”
“I trust you, Alex. With Leslie, there’s no one I’d trust more. I’ll talk to Logan though and—”
“Don’t,” Alex snapped. Logan was a Brooklyn cop who’d just been shot while undercover. He’d made it through surgery and was now adjusting to the fact his lower half might be permanently paralyzed. His pregnant girlfriend, Iris, was Branden’s fiancee’s best friend.
“Why the hell not? He’s in a wheelchair but he can help. He’s got connections.”
“And any one of those connections can be on the take, Branden. We don’t take that risk. Not with Leslie’s life at stake.”
A heavy silence filled the line then Branden said, “I don’t like this, Alex.”
“I know, but will you do as I ask? Don’t talk details about this to anyone but Lee or Luke. Not even your families. Not even Cara. We have to lock down this situation first. Get a handle on what we’re dealing with.”
“I don’t keep secrets from, Cara. But as for the rest, we’ll handle it your way. I want regular updates.”
“I’ll try my best, Branden.”
After another minute, Alex hung up on Leslie’s understandably going-crazy-with-worry brother. He saw a couple of texts had come through and determined they could wait. Then, eyes on Leslie in the bedroom, he made more calls.
Soon, the ice arrived. Immediately after that, the concierge delivered a package. Inside was a sealed envelope marked “Duke Family”.
Inside were passports and drivers’ licenses for Leslie, her siblings and her mother, all of them with different names on them.
Suddenly, he caught sight of Leslie leaving the bedroom and walking up to him. She looked at the documents he’d spread out on the table.
“You got us all fake ID’s?” she asked quietly.
He nodded. “Security measure. In case my team needs to get one of you somewhere safe and off the grid.”
“Wow. That’s…”
He turned to face her and took both her hands in his.
“Necessary. And I will do anything necessary to protect your family and you, Leslie, I won’t leave your side until you’re safe. I swear it.”
20
Alex leaned heavily against the doorway, his broad shoulders almost filling the entire space. His gaze was riveted on Leslie, cocooned in the plush hotel bed as she slept. The sight of Leslie was in stark contrast to the fear he’d seen on Leslie’s face earlier in the evening.
The dim glow from the bedside lamp cast a gentle light on her face, illuminating the bruised flesh of her cheek. The sight was a brutal reminder of the violence she'd suffered.
The slap echoed loudly in his ears and he could still see the sharp arc of her head as it whipped to the side, hurt and shock mirrored in her wide, terrified eyes.
The memory inflamed the embers of his fury, a firestorm of rage that consumed him from the inside out. The muscles in his body tightened in response, a coiled spring of pent-up energy and aggression. It was his duty, his responsibility to protect Leslie, and he’d failed. The enormity of his failure was a crushing weight, a metallic and sharp taste on his tongue. At the same time, his protective instincts roared to life, a primal force that dulled the guilt and rage.