Free Alejandro by K. Victoria Chase Page A

Besides, he couldn’t imagine a meaningless affair with Audrey — and he had tried. A woman like Audrey would require more — was worth more.
    “Ale!”
    Ale turned to a worker pointing to a late model muscle car two lanes over.
    “Trujillo said that one as well.”
    Ale nodded in acknowledgment. The DEA would get lucky this time. Twice the product. He moved to begin installing a compartment.
    Not normally working the floor, Ale chose a day of hard labor, forcing him to concentrate on what was important: the mission. Being around the guys after the arrival of Carlos, he might overhear plans of a gathering at one of their apartments, or at any one of the nearby bars. Unaware of how long Carlos intended to stay, any opportunity to talk to him couldn’t be wasted. The man wasn’t scheduled to work in the garage. Where was Trujillo hiding him?
    Ale’s mind conjured up image after image of Audrey’s big blue eyes, calling out to him for aid. Not paying attention to the screwdriver he was using, he applied too much pressure to the screw and it slipped, sending Ale’s hand forward into a jagged edge underneath the vehicle’s dashboard. Ale cursed, throwing the screwdriver down and leaning back against the seat. Against his will, his thoughts loitered in forbidden territory.
    Audrey didn’t blame him for Lana’s death, but she would once she knew the facts surrounding her murder. Lana had begged Ale not to send her to Trujillo the night she was murdered. “He knows,” were two of the last words he’d heard her say. Knew what? Lana had refused to tell him, saying she had to protect him. Him who? Angel? Ale now believed she hadn’t meant to protect him, but her son. Trujillo knew the child was his.
    Angry that she would keep something from him, Ale ignored Lana’s pleas and told her to bring him something concrete, and then he’d let her off the hook. He never saw her again.
    Ale groaned, the bile in his stomach from self-loathing making him utterly sick. What would Audrey say when she found out that he had a chance to save Lana’s life, and he’d chosen the other option? He had ordered Lana to her death.
    “ Oyé, Alejandro. ¿Estás bien? ”
    Ale slanted his eyes to his right. José’s solemn gaze assessed him. If only José wasn’t running drugs for Trujillo. Ale figured the two of them could be friends if they knew each other under different circumstances, but in the end, José would be sitting in a jail cell beside Trujillo and hopefully, Martin Alba. Ale nodded his response.
    “Trujillo wants to see you.”
    Ale’s eyes drifted upward to see Trujillo standing in the window overlooking the garage, staring at him. After exiting the vehicle, Ale slapped a hand on José’s shoulder. “ Gracias .”
    Taking the steps two at a time to the office, Ale halted at the door. Peace. He needed peace. Trujillo was a master manipulator, his skills of perception keen. If he didn’t keep his mind centered on the goal, Trujillo would attack without hesitation.
    God, help me .
    He wasn’t accustomed to praying — in fact, the last time he attended church was when he was seventeen and forced to go by his mother, and even then, he didn’t pray. Not since a boy in Sunday school. Yet, after spending all morning consumed with thoughts of Audrey, prayer couldn’t hurt.
    “Alejandro,” Trujillo greeted him as he entered the office. “You’re not busy tonight, are you?”
    Ale stood in front of Trujillo’s desk, crossing his arms over his chest. “No. Do we have another order?”
    Trujillo shook his head. “Carlos is coming in tonight, and he has word on one of our suppliers coming to San Antonio.”
    Martin Alba.
     
    ****
     
    Although his coloring was a bit darker than Penny’s, Angel had her nose, and her pointy chin. Audrey had been standing near the bed of her sleeping nephew, staring at him, for more than five minutes. Today they’d spent the entire day getting to know each other. After playing upstairs in