Fierce Queen (L.A. Ruthless Series Book 2)

I looked up and down the familiar hallway and couldn’t help but feeling a pang of loneliness. I had missed this place so much, but I kind of felt like I didn’t belong here anymore. Taking a deep breath, I rang the doorbell. A few seconds later the door was opened I felt a rush of emotion at seeing that familiar face. I had missed those sparkling green eyes and that huge smile so much.

‘Alana! What the hell are you doing here?’ my best friend, Kelsey shrieked as she threw her arms around my neck and squeezed me tightly. ‘Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?’

Tears pricked my eyes ay the thought of telling her why I was here. I sniffed as I pulled back from her. ‘It was a spur of the moment thing,’ I said with a shrug.

‘Oh, honey,’ suddenly her face was full of concern. ‘Come on in.’

I followed her into her tiny apartment, the one that was just like the one I used to live in too, and it made me realize that I missed my new home so much, I started to cry.

‘Alana,’ she said softly as she guided me to the sofa in her living room. ‘What is it honey? What’s happened?’

I wiped my cheeks with the back of my hand. ‘So many things. It’s such a long story, Kels.’

‘Well, why don’t I pour us a huge glass of wine and you can tell me all about it,’ she said with a reassuring smile.

I smiled back. It felt so good to be here with her. I’d missed her so much, and I knew I hadn’t been in touch as much as I should have, but my life in L.A was so far removed from New York. At first I hadn’t wanted her to know that my marriage was a business arrangement, and then I’d been so wrapped up in Alejandro. I felt ashamed of the way I’d treated her.

‘I’m sorry, I haven’t been in touch much, Kels.’

‘Hey,’ she admonished me. ‘I haven’t called you as much as I should have either. But, we are home girls. We will always have each others backs. Besides, you’ve just got married to that fine ass billionaire. I didn’t expect to be invited for a visit any time soon,’ she laughed. ‘Now, sit your ass down and I’ll fetch us some wine.’

Half an hour later, I had told Kelsey about Lucia, and Alejandro, and my visit to the doctors earlier that day. She listened intently, handing me a tissue and topping up my wine whenever I needed it.

‘Wow!’ she said with a shake of her head. ‘Sounds like you’ve had some six months, honey!’

I laughed. ‘You could say that.’

‘And so you just jumped on a plane to New York and didn’t tell anyone where you were going?’

I nodded. ‘Kind of. I sent Lucia a text telling her I just needed a few days. She’ll tell Alejandro. But, I just couldn’t face talking to him. I still can’t,’ I said as I thought about my cell phone in my purse which was still switched off. ‘Do you think I did the wrong thing?’

Kelsey held her hands up. ‘Only you know that, honey. You were upset. You have every right to come here and visit your best friend.’

‘But?’

She sucked in a breath. ‘From what you’ve said about Alejandro, it sounds like he’s not going to be satisfied with you sending a text to your houseguest. Maybe you should give him a call?’

I chewed my lip and looked at my purse. ‘I don’t know. I’m still so pissed at him.’

Kelsey nodded in agreement. ‘And you should be, honey. Letting his daddy say those things about you is kinda fucked up.’

‘But?’ I said again. One of the things I usually loved most about Kelsey was that she was open and fair. She always tried to look at all of the angles before making a decision. But, sometimes, like now, I kind of wanted her just to nod and agree with me.

‘Well, maybe he did say something to his daddy after you left? Maybe he was just hurting too, honey? Not that that excuses his behavior, but it sounds like he adores you, and I think you should at least hear him out.’

‘And I will. After I’ve calmed down and don’t feel so goddam emotional.’

‘And you’ve made him sweat for a while?’ Kelsey added with a wicked grin and a flash of her eyebrows.

I lifted my wine glass to my lips. ‘Well, that’s just an added bonus,’ I grinned back. I didn’t know if it was the wine, or talking to my best friend, but I was feeling a whole lot better about the entire situation.