“That’s his brother, Altin,” Tarek whispered. “I’ve never met him but Llir seems to think we can trust him.”
“What do you think?” she asked.
“I’m not sure yet. Besides Llir, I don’t trust anyone else with the last name Tirana. He called his brother just before we left the airport in Albania. He thinks Altin won’t turn us over to his father. He said, that out of both of his brothers, Altin hates what his family stands for the most. He’s apparently been trying to get out of the Tirana syndicate for years now. It’s why he lives in America—less interaction with his father that way.”
“Does he work for his father?” she asked.
“Yes,” Tarek said. “But according to Llir, he wants out too.”
“How will we know if he’ll help us?” she whispered. “How will we know if he’s on our side?”
“We can’t know for sure,” Tarek admitted. “He’ll either call his father, to turn us in, or he won’t. It’s as simple as that.”
“They can’t make us go back to Albania, right?” she asked.
“I have no idea,” Tarek said. “I know that Alek Tirana’s reach is far and his word is powerful. How that plays out for us remains to be seen.” She watched Llir as he seemed to listen to his brother. Altin didn’t seem very pleased with his older brother, and Elira felt as though she was holding her breath, waiting for Altin to make up his mind as to what to do about the three of them. When his brother nodded and pulled Llir in for a hug, she let out the breath she had been holding.
“Thank fuck,” Tarek breathed. Llir and Altin walked across the almost empty terminal and she couldn’t help her smile. He looked so much like Llir except Altin seemed to have the weight of the world on his broad shoulders. Elira wondered if that was how Llir used to feel before he met her. He seemed so uptight the night he took her, but now, Llir was more laid back and she had a feeling that had everything to do with walking away from the demands of his family.
“Guys, this is Altin, my brother,” Llir said.
“Good to meet you, Altin. I’m Tarek and this is Elira.” He held out his hand and Altin shook it and then turned to offer it to Elira. She shook Altin’s hand and nodded.
“Good to meet you,” she almost whispered.
“You too,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot about you already, Elira. Although, I’m not sure that what I’ve been told is one hundred percent true.”
“It’s not,” Llir spat. “Father told you things to make you want to turn her over. She’s not a—” Llir didn’t finish his statement, but Elira knew the nasty names Alex Tirana called her. He told Llir that she was a whore who deserved to be taken against her will. He didn’t know her, but that didn’t make his accusations sting just a little.
“I got the picture,” Altin said. “No need to finish what you were about to say. Father filled me in on your display at the auction a few months ago. I won’t lie and tell you that you didn’t completely surprise me, man. It’s not like you to go against father or the family.”
“I know,” Llir agreed. “But when I saw Elira up on that stage, I couldn’t stop myself. Something inside of me seemed to click into place and leaving her up there to be bid on by some asshole who would have hurt her—well, I couldn’t do that.”
“Playing the role of the hero suits you, Llir,” Altin said. “I’m just happy you got out of there in one piece. Father had every man on his payroll coming after you two. You,” he said, pointing to Tarek, “flew under my father’s radar. I already like you,” he teased. Tarek and Llir laughed.
“Gee, thanks,” Tar grumbled. Elira could tell that Tarek was holding back around Altin. He was careful not to touch or even look at Llir while his brother was around. Elira knew that he was being cautious in not outing his brother. Llir had a hard time telling his family about being bi and Elira wondered if that extended to his brother.
“I have a man who can help you out with a place to stay. He has a safe house in upstate New York—you’ll all be safe there, assuming that you three will be staying together,” Altin asked. He was prying to see just what was going on between the three of them and honestly, that was a question Llir could field.
“We will be staying together,” Llir growled. “Any problem with that?” he asked.
Altin chuckled and shook his head. “Nope,” he said. “Dad might have been blind about who you are, big brother, but I’m not. I just want you to be happy.”
“I’ll be happier as soon as this shit storm is over, man,” Llir said. “Right now, I’d settle for a hot shower and a warm bed.” He looked back at Tarek and Elira and she felt her skin heat and knew that she was blushing.
“Here,” Altin tossed Llir a set of keys. “Take my SUV. You’ll need a vehicle and I’ll text you the address of the safe house just as soon as I get in touch with my associate. For now, just head north on I-81, and you’ll be on the right track.” Llir pulled his brother in for a hug and slapped his back.
“Thanks, Altin,” he breathed. “I owe you one.”
“Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll collect someday,” his brother teased. Elira was fascinated by their relationship. She didn’t have any siblings, but she never thought that brothers from a major crime syndicate would act so—normal. That was the best way to describe Llir’s relationship with his brother—normal.
“For now, how about you just keep in touch and let me know if you need anything,” Altin ordered.
“Will do, man. Thanks,” Llir said. He grabbed her suitcase from her and then took her hand. Elira let Llir lead her to the waiting SUV, Tarek flanking her other side. She was going to have to get used to them both being alpha cavemen. This was all so new to her; she wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to it though.
Tarek
Tarek wasn’t sure how or why he had gotten lucky enough to have both Elira and Llir give him a chance, but he knew he wouldn’t blow it.
When he showed up at Llir’s apartment, he expected to have a fight on his hands, when it came to convincing Llir to give his idea a chance. Having Elira jump on board so easily was a nice surprise, but he also knew that for the three of them to work, they were all going to have to work their asses off to make that happen.
Not returning to Albania was the only downfall to the whole plan. He hated that the three of them would never be able to go home again. Making a home, just the three of them would be something that he pushed to the top of their to-do list. Tarek had money. He had a successful career as a photographer and he had saved quite a bit of money, so they wouldn’t have to worry about Llir being cut off from his family’s fortune.
They pulled up to the house that Altin found for them. It was literally out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by miles and miles of forest. This was Tarek’s first trip to upstate New York. He had been to the city for work, numerous times, but never knew that the state offered more than just the bustling city.
“It’s beautiful here,” Elira said from the back seat of the SUV.