A Waltz With Wolves (Book II in The Harrison Inc. Series) | ✓

Chapter Thirty-One: My Guardian Angel

**

For a moment, I feel like my entire world has completely stopped spinning. It's been almost two weeks since I haven't heard Alejandro's voice, and suddenly now, with a burner phone supplied to me by my royal grandmother in Venetia, he's speaking. To me.

"Alejandro?" I mutter into the phone. I can hear him suck in a sharp breath at the sound of my voice.

"Leslie?" he says. "Leslie is this...this is you? Jesus Christ."

I want to say so much, but so little is coming out of my mouth.

"Leslie, I'm sorry," Alejandro says. "I'm so, so sorry. I'm sorry for leaving you. Believe me, I know I fucked up and I'm sorry."

"Why did you leave?" I ask him. The knot is forming in my throat, causing me pain.

"It's hard to explain. I really want to tell you everything, amor. I really want to. But I just can't right now."

"You just...you just left without telling me where you were going or why." I feel the warm tears slowly traveling down my cheeks and onto my hand. "I've been worried about you for weeks. I thought you were missing or worse, Alejandro. How could you do that to me?"

"I know, mi amor. I know. I'm sorry."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm perfectly fine," he assures me. "I'm not hurt. Nothing is wrong. Are you okay?"

"I'm a little better now, knowing that you're alright." I dread even the thought of asking him, but I need to know. "What happened in Bogota a couple of days ago...were you involved in that? Is that why Sebastian didn't want to tell me where you were?"

My fist shakes on my lap. I wait for his answer and beg God that it's the latter.

"What? No! No, I had nothing to do with that. I'm nowhere near Bogota. I'm..."

"Where?"

"I...I can't say right now."

"Why not?"

Alejandro sighs. "I can't risk the phones being tapped. But I promise you, I didn't come here to do anything dangerous. I came here for a personal reason; one that I can't fuck up. Telling you over the phone would be too risky."

He then asks me how I was able to get in contact with him. It's almost as if Ramona knows the question he's asked me once I look up at her.

"A friend," is all I say. Alejandro immediately picks up on who I'm talking about.

"Okay, good. That's good. Look, I can't stay on the phone too long right now, but call me back in twenty-four hours. I'll be able to talk to you again."

"Alejandro, I'm so fucking confused right now. Can't you just tell me what's going on?"

"I can't right now, but I'll be able to once I get back."

"And when are you getting back?"

I can easily tell that the question is one he doesn't want to answer. "Maybe another week."

"A week?" I breathe out.

"I know, I'm sorry. But please trust me on this, Leslie. Please."

I close my eyes, hoping that this is all a bad dream. "Does Sebastian know why you're there?"

"Yes, but only because he found out through someone else. I'm the one who told him not to tell you anything for your protection. I know you're probably angry at him, but it wasn't his fault. It was mine."