Alexandra's Legacy

“Alexandra.”

She stilled. He rarely ever called her by her given name, always calling her Alex. When he did, it usually meant trouble.

“Yes.” She struggled not to squirm beneath his penetrating gaze.

“We need to talk. Tonight.” His eyes shifted away from her and he rubbed his hand over his face. She noticed that he needed a shave. Peering closer, she realized he looked tired.

Now she was really starting to get worried. “What’s wrong?” She leaned into his chest, wanting to comfort him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and the huge sigh he let out ruffled the hair on top of her head.

“There are some things I’ve got to tell you. Things you need to know about your heritage.” There was a grim note in his voice that she’d never heard before. Her father was her rock, her foundation, but she could tell this was something he was very apprehensive about.

“Is it about her?” Alex knew he would know she was referring to her birthmother. She’d never called the woman by her given name even though she knew it.

“No, it’s not about Charlene. It’s about me.” He drew back and cupped her face in his hands. “Just remember that I love you.” Leaning down, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Every decision I’ve made has been with your best interest in mind.”

Alex was quickly moving past worried and heading directly into the realm of deeply concerned. “Whatever it is, it’s okay.” The need to reassure her father overrode everything else, even her fears.

“I hope you can still say that after you hear what I have to say.” He dropped his hands and stepped back. “Tonight. I’ll explain everything tonight. In the meantime, don’t leave the garage without me. Promise me.”

She could sense the tension rolling through her father. Her own body felt tight. Stiff. “I promise.” She couldn’t help but sense that her world was about to change in some fundamental way and it would never be the same again. Another shiver raced up her spine and she hugged herself, wishing she’d layered another shirt under her sweatshirt.

His face softened for the briefest of seconds. “It will be all right, Alex.”

“I know.” She didn’t know anything at all at this point, but she was desperately trying to act as if everything was normal. She needed that if she was going to make it through today. It would do no good to demand he tell her everything now. He’d said tonight, so tonight it would be.

Work. She would focus on work. She’d been handling tools and working on vehicles since she was old enough to walk. She could lose herself in the beauty of a fine-tuned engine.

The door behind them slammed open, hitting the wall with a bang. Alex spun around and came face-to-face with a stranger. Huge was an understatement. Shaggy black hair framed a rough-hewn face, all angles and planes. His lips were thin, his eyes dark and piercing as they traced her body from head to foot. Menace seeped from every pore of his skin. Alex stood frozen in her tracks.

Her father jumped in front of her, a low growl emanating from deep inside him. Tension swelled, filling every nook and corner of the room. The stranger turned his gaze from her and focused on her father, but somehow Alex knew that he was still very aware of her.

His lips parted, giving him a strangely sensual, yet cruel appearance. “They’re coming for her.”