Page 84 of LA Reign

My anger is boiling and bubbling beneath the surface. This is the man who told Alana he could take her away from me. That I wasn’t good enough for her. Maybe I feel that occasionally, but this asshole has no right to comment on our marriage. He has no right to even breathe the same air as Alana. Maybe, if he carries on like this, he won’t have the right to breathe any air at all…

“You look mad. You don’t like being challenged, do you? At least not by anyone who isn’t a weak little woman. What are you going to do? Kill me? There must be a dozen witnesses that saw you walk in here to threaten me today. There’s CCTV all over this hotel. My father is a district judge. I’m not some lowlife scum you can just make disappear.”

He clearly knows nothing about Alana, and I take comfort in that. If he did, there is no way on earth he’d refer to her as a “weak little woman.” Not my fierce queen.

I flex my neck and the sound of my muscles cracking reverberates around the room. I step toward him and am pleased to see him flinch, but to give him credit, he stands his ground.

Maybe Bobby has some balls after all.

Which will make it all the sweeter crushing them.

I stand in front of him, so close I can hear his breathing coming fast and shallow. His brain wants him to stand up to me, but his body is in fight-or-flight mode as it senses, quite accurately, that there is a predator in the room.

“Funny you should mention your father, Bobby. I looked you up, in exactly the same way you looked me up. Your father, it turns out, is a district judge with a particular taste for high class hookers. I also know all about your married lady friend from the Upper East Side. And, in case you were thinking I haven’t been thorough, I even learned about that little misdemeanor you think you got away with in college.”

I watch in satisfaction as his face turns a strange shade of grey.

“I d-don’t know what you’re talking about,” he stammers, all the fight going out of him. I’m kind of disappointed.

I smile. “Oh yes, you do, Bobby. You see, I know you think I’m a thug. A stone-cold killer. And I’m not going to lie, you’d be right. But I am also a very resourceful man. There are very few skeletons that manage to stay buried when I’m looking for them. Although killing is always an option, I generally find there are much cleaner and easier ways to control my enemies. You, in case you were wondering, are one of my enemies.”

His nostrils flare as he stares at me, trying to control his anger and his fear. It’s gone beyond the physical now. He could recover from broken bones, but he could never recover from the damage to his reputation that all my illicit information could do.

“That being said,” I add as I take a step closer to him, “I never hesitate if I do need to kill. So I warn you, Bobby, if you ever go anywhere near my wife again without my express permission, you will understand the depths of my viciousness like no-one ever has before. You think that witnesses and security cameras can keep you safe from me, cabrón? For every rumor you have ever heard about me, I can guarantee the truth is far more terrifying. I have done things that you couldn’t even imagine in your wildest dreams. I know many wonderful ways to inflict the maximum pain on a man’s body while still keeping him alive. I could take you from this room right now and make sure that no trace of you was ever found. And I would get away with it too. I’m that good.”

He blinks, his pupils dilated in terror, his breathing becoming even more labored.

“And to answer your earlier questions, no, I have no doubts about my wife. She is not a liar or a cheat. Am I a possessive demon when it comes to her? Yes, I fucking am, because she is mine, and I would never be stupid enough to let her go. Like you were. But just to be clear, I have no worries at all that she will realize it’s you she wants. She didn’t want to fuck you when you dated, and she doesn’t want to fuck you now. You’re goddamn lucky she’s such a good influence on me, because I should cut out your tongue for the things you said to her. I will not be so merciful a second time. Do you understand me, Bobby?”

“Yes.” His lip quiver as he speaks, and the word comes out almost against his will.

I look down at his suit pants, noting the large, wet stain on his crotch. I smile. He deserves every second of this humiliation. “Good! I’m glad we understand each other.”

Chapter

Thirty-Four

ALANA

After the incident with Bobby a few days ago, I’ve restricted my time at the shelter to just two afternoons a week. It’s enough to keep feeling sane, but the limited hours help stop Alejandro worrying about me.

Today is one of my shelter days. I’m chatting to a colleague in the break room when Kristen pops her head in and asks if she can have a word.

We head to her office, and I sit across from her. I smile as I look around. I love her office. She always has the sweetest smelling diffusers dotted around, statues of the Egyptian Goddess, Isis, a collection of Buddhas, as well as dozens of bright green plants. It feels earthy and natural and spiritual without being too much.

“I’m glad you called me in, Kristen,” I tell her. “I really need to talk to you about Bobby.” She frowns and look uncharacteristically annoyed.

“That was why I wanted to talk to you, too. Mr Conroy’s organization have pulled out. They will no longer be using us to pilot their app, and they’ve also withdrawn their funding offer. I was wondering if you could shed any light on that.”

My heart sinks, and I shake my head. I know things didn’t exactly go smoothly with Bobby and I, but he said he was still going to donate. He showed no signs of backing out. He even ended our conversation saying he’d see me around. What the hell has happened?

“Why would they do that?”

“I have no idea. Someone from their HR department called me and simply said we weren’t the right fit.” Kristen says. She rubs her eyes with her fists, and I see how stressed she is. It was a lot of money and a great opportunity.

I can’t believe Bobby has done this. Definitely one-hundred-percent asshole now. I want to reach out and find out what the hell is going on, but I promised Alejandro I would have nothing more to do with Bobby, and I need to keep my word.

“That’s infuriating. I’m so sorry”