After a few long minutes of Frankie quietly stroking my back while I cry myself out, I lift up my head and sniff, breathing easier, still not okay but…pulling myself back together. “How are you feeling?” he asks quietly, loosening his arms so I can stand up straighter as I sniff. “Um,” I say, ra
And then further back – his father, Tony, and Lorenzo – with Frankie’s bullets in their heads at Christian’s order. And perhaps these deaths were not completely for threatening my safety, but at least in part, under the full knowledge that they were coming after us – that they wouldn’t let us live.
Frankie moves quickly, pulling me through the bedroom to the closet, and I immediately cede him control. “Get dressed,” he murmurs to me, dropping my hand and moving for the door, quickly flicking the lock. “Fast. Put on…whatever, Iris. Something warm. And shoes.” I do as he says, stepping into Ch
And Frankie, if he gets caught stealing me from beneath Christian’s nose…god, but Christian will kill him. He’ll absolutely kill him. My hands begin to shake. “No going back, Bambs,” Frankie says, taking my chin sharply in his hand. “We already decided. Yes?” “Yes,” I whisper, realizing the
Frankie and I drive for a long, long time. As soon as the adrenaline of leaving the Romano family home leaves my system I immediately begin to feel ill again, the affects of…whatever Elio gave me still ravaging my system. Frankie gives me a water bottle from the back seat and apologizes that he do
“We begin,” Frankie says, turning his eyes back to the road, “with a frank discussion of how fucked we actually are.” My eyebrows go up a little at this, but I steel myself against the emotions that begin to well up in me – especially the idea that I dragged Frankie into this, that he’s only fucke
I nod a little, knowing he will see it, still looking down into my lap. “Christian surely noticed pretty fast that you were gone – at most an hour after we left. We got out quickly and with minimal people knowing what happened but…Christian’s not dumb. It took him maybe half an hour more to check
“Hi!” I say, falling into the cheerful persona that always works best in the clubs that I’ve worked at the moment we step through the door. Frankie follows coolly at my heels as I stride forward towards the manager, playing idly with my hair, knowing it makes me look silly and a little dumb. “Um, I