Building a relationship with her that included compromise and trust would not be easy. But with time and open communication, Cooper had hope that they would work it all out. If nothing else, she hadn’t found a way to throw them off the plane, and that had to count for something. She’d responded to Dane’s dominance way better than Coop had expected. When she’d started to lose control, Dane’s commands had snapped her attention right back. And he hadn’t missed the way she’d smiled and turned yielding in the face of Dane’s sexually-laced arrogance.
Lan was the gentle one. He was the one she’d bend for because she hated to hurt or upset him. Dane was the Dom who could give her the firm foundation she needed.
Where the hell did he fit in?
Dane stood up and gestured toward the seats grouped together in the back. He and Lan followed. The cabin of the plane was small but luxurious. Alea was sitting close to the front, so they migrated away to let her sleep.
They’d all eaten breakfast together. The lovely but bland flight attendant had served croissants and Danishes, along with smooth, rich coffee, but it was the conversation that had really surprised him. He and Dane had started talking about activities they could potentially do in Sydney. Alea had joined in, discussing her favorite places in Australia. Lan had listened with an excited smile. Within minutes, they had all been laughing and teasing, especially after Lan had threatened to find a crocodile to wrestle because he was certain that no Aussie could be tougher than a Texan.
It felt natural and right to be with these people. In those moments of flowing laughter, they had felt like a family.
Then Alea suddenly seemed to realize she was this close to being happy. She’d excused herself, turned away, and fallen asleep.
“I wanted to talk to you guys about the investigators’ report.” Dane had a familiar folder in his hand. “I set up a conference call with the guys at Anthony Anders for the day after tomorrow. I refuse to be out of the loop just because we’re on a different continent. And we need to discuss her security protocols.”
“She should never, ever be left alone,” Landon said, frowning.
Coop didn’t even want to think about it, but he had to. “If her abduction wasn’t a random act and this is someone who knows Alea, then the question becomes who and why would anyone want to do this to her?”
This. God, he couldn’t verbalize the idea of someone torturing Alea or selling her into sexual slavery, sending her into a hell most people couldn’t imagine. It made him somewhere between panicked and violent.
But she hadn’t actually been raped, not in the most technical sense of the word. She’d been horrifically abused, and he didn’t know the full extent of what she’d been forced to witness or endure. It made no sense that her virginity had been left intact. That had been a deliberate choice on someone’s part. But why?
“I can’t imagine forcing this on anyone,” Lan said, looking through the file. “Much less someone like Alea. She was just going to school.”
“And she was working with a charity organization that helped battered women,” Dane murmured. “Why didn’t I know that?”
Cooper wasn’t sure either. From the beginning of the investigation, she’d very likely kept lots of information to herself. “She sure hadn’t let her cousins in on it.”
“Why would she keep something as kind as charity work a secret?” Lan asked.
“If I hadn’t, my cousins would have come in and made a big production of it,” Alea said, startling them all. “I just wanted to do something good. I had some free time, and I like charity work. I’ve done it all my life. If word had reached the palace that I was working at a women’s shelter, someone would have decided to use it as good press.” She was still sitting in her chair, but she’d turned it. She clutched the blanket he’d settled over her close. “I want to talk to you guys about whatever danger is still lurking out there. Don’t leave me out of the conversation when it’s my life. I get that you thought you were protecting me, but I have to know.”
Dane nodded slowly. “All right. From now on, I’ll include you. We have a conference call in a few days, baby. I’ll try to be better.”
“Good. Will you stop calling me baby?” she asked hopefully.
“Not on your life, baby,” Dane shot back without a hint of guilt. “Now according to the Anders brothers, you started working at the shelter the same week you moved to Manhattan. Why did you pick a shelter in the Bronx?”
Alea huffed a little. “Because that’s where the most help was needed. My roommate’s mom was a social worker there. I got very close to her.”