CHAPTER 29

 

 

Alex went up to check the progress of the banquet rooms set-up. They were on schedule for the wedding tomorrow still. His phone vibrated with a text on his way down.

FYI, She went to church, her office, then the market, she’s back home now.

Romero had texted him a couple of hours ago to let him know Valerie was on the move. He really began to feel somewhat underhanded. The whole thing had started for her safety. In the beginning, they’d only let him know if something was wrong. Ever since his confrontation with her at the hospital, Romero started checking in with him on her every move.

He was trying hard not to read too much into everything. But this morning she’d made it clear she couldn’t swing by the restaurant even for just a little bit. Her office was even more out of her way. Did it really take her two hours to go to the market?

As tempting as it was to shoot Romero a text asking how long she’d been at the office, Alex held off. He’d get his answers soon enough and straight from the source.

He thought about calling her but then thought better. The day he found out about her breakfasts with Luke, he waited and waited for her to mention it. No way was he having another one of those exasperating conversations with her again. This could wait until he saw her tonight.

Back downstairs, he checked in on the food. The main dish would be Birria, the Mexican version of pot roast—only a lot spicier. This was a complex dish because it had to cook slowly for 24 hours. For a wedding as large as tomorrow’s, they’d have to watch it closely.

“Valerie don’t tease me.” He shifted in his seat in case anyone walked in, his situation wouldn’t be so noticeable. “So, why didn’t you?”

Alex sat still for a moment and then it hit him. Suddenly there were other parts of his body hard and rigid but not in a good way. “With Luke?”

“No, not with Luke.” She replied. “I might see him there, but I’m not going with him.”

“What do you mean might, Valerie? He bought the tickets together. His ass will be sitting right next to you the whole time.”

“Not necessarily. It’s not like a concert. There are no set seats. My ticket just gets me in the door. I sit where I want.”

If Luke had even a fraction of a brain, he’ll be there saving the seat next to him for her. That wasn’t even what bothered him the most. There was no way Hank or Steve would be able to keep an eye on her in a setting like that. Bruce was getting ready to make a move. She had to be extra careful.

He stood up. “It’s dangerous.”

“What? I’m going to be in a conference surrounded by loads of people. The only times he’s ever tried anything was when I was alone.”

Alex almost growled. The coward. “I still think it’s a risk, babe. This guy is unpredictable.”

“Alex, the place is going to be full of security. A resort that fancy has cameras all over. I highly doubt he’d choose that place to try anything.”

He thought about what might’ve happened to her if Hank hadn’t been there to see Bruce try to force his way into her apartment. Alex had a bad feeling about this. Ever since Romero told him about the D-day entries in Bruce’s journals, he’d been plagued with the dread of something really bad happening soon. He just couldn’t allow her to take such a chance.

“I don’t want you to go, Val.”

She was quiet for a moment. “You can’t just tell me what to do, Alex.”

He felt like punching something. “I’m not telling you,” he said through his teeth and took a deep breath. “I’m begging you. I really think you should lay low for the next few weeks. Until we know what his next move is. I’ll get you tickets to see this guy later. I promise.”

“Alex, I can’t let Bruce hold my life captive.” Then she added with even more conviction, “I won’t.”

Alex paced, frustrated. Valerie’s strong will had always been one of the things he most admired about her, but at a times like this he wished she could be a little more submissive. “Maybe…” He couldn’t believe what he was about to say. “Maybe it is best if Luke stays close by you while you’re there. Just so you’re never completely alone.”

The dread seeped in slowly. He stared at Romero. This wasn’t going to be good. He could tell by Romero’s anxious disposition. “Valerie, I’m gonna put you on speaker. Romero’s here. He wants you to hear.”

“We got a date. Shit, we got his entire fucking calendar.” Romero smiled, smug. “Mr. X found it. It has all the dates this guy’s confronted Valerie. He has a small V on every one. If we had had this when he attacked her at the apartment, we would have known before hand, because he sets it up in his calendar ahead of time. The next one is Monday.”

“Monday?” Both Alex and Valerie spoke at the same time.

“What’s going on Monday?” Alex asked.

“I don’t know.” Romero said. “But all the other dates had a small V in black in the corner. This one has a big V in red takes up the whole square.” Romero looked back down at the phone. “You have anything special planned for Monday, Val?”

“No… nothing.”

“Think, baby. Any properties you showing? Or any events going on?” Alex’s own mind raced as he asked trying to think if she’d mentioned anything or if they’d made any plans.

Alex heard her sigh. “I didn’t want to say anything until I knew for sure. Luke got me an interview with someone from corporate. It’s in downtown San Diego. They’re looking for someone to manage a second office that will be opening up here in La Jolla. That’s what those breakfasts were about. He didn’t want to talk about it in the office. I’m the only one he’s recommending.”

His hand squeezed the phone a little tighter. What else was Luke willing to try to get in Valerie’s good graces?

“If I get the position, it means I won’t be working with him anymore.”

“You’re not going.” As good as Valerie leaving Luke’s office for good sounded, she wasn’t leaving his side Monday. Bruce would have to go through him to get to her, and that was final.

“But Luke pulled strings to get this interview for me. Don’t you see, I won’t have to see him everyday anymore. I thought that’s what you wanted.”

“Then that’s probably when he’s planning it. Mr. X said he came across the calendar last night. But the big V wasn’t in the calendar until he checked it about an hour ago.” He turned to Alex, eyes lit up. “We can set up a trap.”

“No way. She’s not going anywhere, Monday.”

“It could work, Alex,” Valerie chimed in.

“Hell no!” He’d give in to Valerie on a lot of things, but not this. He took her off speaker and brought the phone to his ear. “It’s not happening, Z. Understand? You’ll be with me all day Monday. Even if it means I have to handcuff you to me.”

“Just what gives you the right-”

“I’ll tell your dad.” Oh yeah, he was pulling out the big guns now. If she wasn’t listening to him, he was sure her dad would have a thing or two to say about this. In his state he knew that’s the last thing Valerie would want him worrying about. Alex felt a little dirty about the threat, but she left him no choice.

“You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

Romero charged him. “Alex, listen to me. This is our chance. You can’t be there with her every minute, forever. You cancel this shit, and his ass will come up with something else. Let’s end this now!”

Alex put the phone behind his back and turned back to Romero’s face. “Damn it, Romero, I’m not putting her up as bait, so think up something else!”

“You can be there!” Romero stood his ground. “I might have a plan. But if you think this psycho’s gonna give up just like that you’re nuts. Let’s get him now.”

“Yeah, I figured that much.” He glared back at Romero’s dogged stare. “I’ll talk to you tonight…” He turned away from Romero. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

He hung up and loomed over Romero. “This better be good.”

 

 

 

*

Romero’s plan was actually not half bad. They’d have Valerie park her car in Alex’s attached garage Sunday night so that Monday morning Bruce wouldn’t see Alex slip in the back seat. Hank and Steve weren’t going to be the only ones tailing them. Romero was going to put a few more guys on the job.

He was also working closely with Mr. X trying to find more details to Bruce’s plan. Today he’d be driving down to the building where Valerie would be interviewed to get an exact visual of what they were facing. He said he would plan a place for each of them to park so they’d have Valerie covered from every angle.

Alex had to admit he was little impressed with how fast Romero had come up with a plan. He filled Valerie in on it last night when he went to see her at her dad’s. She didn’t seem nearly as apprehensive about this as Alex was. The only good thing was that Alex would be there the whole time. He’d been so immersed filling Valerie in on the plan and making absolutely sure she would be prepared for Monday, he nearly forgot to ask anything about Luke.

His concerns about Luke had lost a little steam, especially after learning about Valerie’s plans to leave the office and why she’d met him for breakfast. Even the seminar today had moved down on Alex’s list of most screaming worries. He still had this wedding dinner to deal with.

Valerie would be at her seminar all day. She’d be out of there by eight tonight, then go back tomorrow in the morning. Hank and Steve were still keeping a close eye on her. Alex wasn’t taking any chances, but he felt fairly certain she’d be safe there.

Just after eight in the morning, Alex headed into the restaurant. He had to check on the Birria and make sure it’d be ready on time. They couldn’t afford to screw this up. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint the old man.

Both Sal’s and Angel’s cars were already there. Angel had only flown back in from his honeymoon last night, and he was already back at work. Angel was opening, but Sal was supposed to be there tonight to work the wedding. He must’ve had the same thought as Alex and decided to come in to check on the food.

The delectable spicy scent of the Birria hit him almost as soon as he walked in the back door of the restaurant. He headed straight for the kitchen. Sal and Angel were both in there looking into one of the huge pots of Birria. Sal turned when Alex walked in and smiled. “Looks good.”

“Does it?” Alex welcomed some relief finally.

“Yeah,” Angel confirmed. “I feel like having some.”

Sal started toward the door. Angel was still picking at the food. Sal lifted his eyebrows at Alex. Damn. The moment of relief hadn’t lasted long before having to think about what he had to do now.

Sal tapped him on the shoulder. “You gotta tell him.”

Even though this might be something that would hopefully be over on Monday, Alex couldn’t chance it. He’d never forgive himself if anything happened to Sarah, and he hadn’t warned Angel at all.

Some of the cooks had just arrived and started things up for breakfast. Alex glanced around. This might get ugly, so he decided the kitchen wasn’t the best place to have this conversation.

Angel turned immediately. Alex knew that would get his attention. If his expression was any indication of what the conversation might be like, he was definitely not looking forward to it.

They walked out back. Angel had already asked what about, twice. By the time they were outside, Angel had lost his patience.

“What?” Angel looked ready to kill. Alex knew the feeling.

“He mentioned Sofie, too. He was just trying to get in my head. Let me know that he’s done his homework and knows all about me and my family.”

“What did he say?” Angel demanded.

Alex filled him in, giving him more details than he’d originally planned but that was only because Angel was so damned adamant. They weren’t even done talking before Angel was on the phone checking on Sarah. She was with her mom, and Angel made her promise she’d stay there until he was off.

Though he didn’t really think it was necessary, Alex offered to have someone watch her.

“I don’t want anyone following her. Just make sure you schedule us to work together until this psycho is caught.” He stuck his phone in his holster. “I’ll watch her.”

Alex tried to reassure him that she’d be okay, but Angel was visibly shaken. Alex understood all too well. He was glad now he’d agreed to go along with Romero’s plan. He wanted this thing over with.

 

***

 

The resort was as glamorous on the inside as it was on the outside. The entire theme was tropical, from the enormous salt-water aquarium in the front entrance to the vast assorted plant life that decorated every inch of the hotel. Valerie had been to Vegas several times, and this place almost measured up to some of the more sensational casinos she’d been in.

She walked through the place, feeling excitement build as she glanced around. This was such a welcome retreat from all the stress of the past week. Before she left her dad’s house that morning, she made him promise he’d behave. She and Norma went over her dad’s lunch and dinner menu. Norma laughed, saying her ears would be ringing when she served him his less than exciting, healthy lunch.

Luke had given her the meet-and-greet pass ahead of time, in case he was running late. It was a good thing too, because he’d been a no-show. She wondered if perhaps he’d only gotten her a pass and not himself. Had he only said they were both going to get to Alex? The way he acted that night, she wouldn’t put it past him.

The first part of the seminar was everything she’d expected. George Stone didn’t disappoint. He was as moving as all the books she’d read. His wit was just as quick as in his books even with the impromptu questions he took from the audience.

Valerie was surprised she still hadn’t seen Luke. The first break came. They had an enormous set up. Bagels, pastries fruit juices, coffee, and this was just a break. She could only imagine what lunch and dinner would be like.

She sat at a table with her bagel and coffee lost in thought, George Stone’s amazing speech still on her mind. Feeling like she was being watched, she glanced up and saw the guy across the room. He looked younger but his eyes were very penetrating. She remembered these hard-ass guys back in college, trying to intimidate with their sexy stares—much like Luke’s—but she was way past that.

He made his way to her table, and she looked away. There had been plenty of times she had to reject guys, and she prepared to be nice. When he reached her table, he smiled. It wasn’t a bad smile. He was tall, and very handsome.

“Hey, I noticed you the moment I walked in. I haven’t heard a word George Stone has said.” He reached out his hand. “You’re breathtaking. I’m Abel, what’s your name?”

Valerie nearly spit up her last bite of bagel. Bruce wore a suit and tie, blending in right along with all the others there to see George Stone. He stood a few inches taller than Abel, nose to nose. “I appreciate your taste in women but this one’s ALL mine.”

Abel backed off, putting his hands in the air. “I meant no disrespect. I’m sorry.” He gave Valerie a quick rueful smile and walked away.

Valerie sat frozen in her chair. Bruce took the one beside her, cradling her chair between his legs. “Have you seen the suite yet?”

Her breathe was caught somewhere between her throat and her chest. “What suite?”

“The one lover-boy got for you? It’s pretty cool.” He stood up, holding his hand out. “Let’s go check it out. This place is going to be on lockdown soon anyway.”

“What?” Her heart pounded wildly.

“Moreno’s is busy today.” He tapped his pocket. “You wouldn’t want it blowing up on a day like this now would you?”

“What are you talking about?” Her heart felt like it was going to rip through her chest. She glanced at her purse, thinking of the taser gun and phone that sat in it. She glances back at Bruce.

His menacing eyes stared at her, pleased. He leaned over, closing in on her face and stopping when she flinched. “Be pleasant, darling. We have an audience… a small inept audience at that, but an audience nonetheless.” He tilted his head. “You always knew this day would come, didn’t you?” His eyes twinkled with malice now. “I always did.”

“What are you talking about—blowing up Moreno’s?” She demanded as she stood.

He stood with her and hushed her, leaning in and reaching for her hand. “Now, now I’m a reasonable man, Valerie. I’d say I’ve been very patient. Nothing is going to happen to Moreno’s if you just do as I say.” She pulled her hand away. Bruce tapped his pocket again. “It’s up to you, Valerie. Take my hand and come with me, or we’ll be hearing about the tragedy at Moreno’s on the news very shortly. But first,” He leaned in close enough so that she could smell the liquor on his breath, “kiss me.”

“Go to hell,” she hissed, backing away.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. “You’re trying my patience,” he hissed back, then kissed her brusquely. Valerie closed her lips tightly, her thoughts going wild with worry. Would Bruce really do something to Alex? She concentrated on staying calm but at this point, she was close to screaming.

There was a commotion near the entrance of the hotel and Valerie turned to see what was happening. Bruce didn’t seem at all interested. Instead, he tugged her along, picking up his pace. A security guard rushed past them in the opposite direction. Bodies began to hurry in either direction and voices started to buzz all around them.

“What’s happening, Bruce?” She tugged at his hand but he held it tightly. “Where are you taking me?”

“Oh, you’ll see in just a few minutes. Don’t worry about what’s happening, Val. It’s all part of my plan.”

She stared at his evil smile. Alex had told her many times if she ever got caught in a scenario like this to fight her way out no matter what she had to do. Never get in a vehicle with anyone attempting to kidnap her. But Bruce wasn’t headed outside. He was headed for the elevators.