Chapter 4
Gray
B reakfast meetings were a pain in the ass. Whenever coffee was involved with a meal, people felt the need to linger. I wasn’t sure why that was, but I knew if I could choose any other meal to give the appearance of civility, I’d pick it. Fortunately, the old friend I’d convinced to share a meal with me hadn’t had a lot of time. After catching up I’d offered to pay for his meal—a formality, considering I always paid for his meal—and he’d taken off like a scared rabbit. Not very becoming for a federal officer, but that wasn’t my problem.
I was still sitting in the booth, finishing up my coffee and staring blankly out the window analyzing every word he’d said when something caught my attention. Across the street, in front of a nondescript building, a crowd had formed. There didn’t seem to be any kind of sale going on—there were usually signs for that—and they weren’t lining up. They just seemed to be standing there, waiting for something.
“Stupid protesters,” the waitress grumbled as she cleared the plates.
“What?” I glanced at her over my shoulder.
“Outside the clinic, there,” she replied, jerking her chin toward the window. “Don’t know why they don’t have better things to do with their time than harass teenagers.”
“There’s quite a few of them.”
“Sometimes there’s more, sometimes there’s less. Just depends on the day and the weather outside.”
She ambled away, and I looked back at the group who were becoming more animated by the moment.
I felt like I’d been sucker punched when a familiar face rounded the corner of the building and walked right into the crowd. There was no fucking way she was out there protesting at an abortion clinic. Rising a little so I could get a better look, I watched as Frankie jerked to a stop and took in her surroundings.
I didn’t look away as I pulled my wallet out and threw some cash on the table.
She wasn’t there for them. I hadn’t imagined she would be—that wasn’t her style. Still, I almost wished she had been because as soon as she realized what they were doing, her entire body visibly stiffened.
I shoved out of the booth, my eyes still on the window as Frankie’s shoulders straightened, and she barked something at the woman in front of her. The lady bristled, taking a step back, but another one took her place.
I watched the windows as I headed toward the front door.
As I stepped outside, Frankie shoved a guy out of her way. I couldn’t tell what she was saying, but by the expression on her face, it wasn’t excuse me . The group crowded her, and the noise from across the street grew louder.
I’d just taken a step off the curb when the front door of the building opened, and a security guard waded into the melee and herded Frankie inside with him.
My stomach pitched as the door closed behind them.
There were a thousand reasons she could be at that clinic. They did all kinds of testing. Even yearly checkups. She wasn’t necessarily there for anything big.
But the way she’d engaged with those protesters didn’t sit right. I’d seen Frankie in a hundred different scenarios, and for the most part she ignored people who were being assholes. It wasn’t unless they were directly targeting her or the people closest to her that she felt the need to put them in their place. If she’d been there for a checkup, she would’ve laughed in their faces and sailed right through them, accidentally stomping on a few feet.
Whatever she was doing in that clinic wasn’t any of my business, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to stand by and watch her get hassled by those protesters again when she left.
I made a few calls.
Fifteen minutes later, I was striding across the street with my cousin Draco, Brody, Mick, Otto, Cian, and Bas. It wasn’t a large group of us by any means, just the few who were at a point in their work where they could take a break to help out.
It was enough.
“Where’s your cape?” Draco joked as we reached the opposite sidewalk.
“Left it in my saddlebags,” I deadpanned.
“I’m always down for some menacing, but is there a reason for this particular group?” Otto asked.
“I don’t like them.”
Otto grinned.
As we moved inward, crowding them into a smaller and smaller area, I tried not to laugh. The protesters who’d felt so righteous that they’d been yelling things at Frankie were too timid to say a goddamn word when they were faced with a group more intimidating than they were.
“What are you doing?” one of the men asked gruffly, puffing out his chest with his thumbs caught in his front belt loops. Ah, so one of them had a backbone.
“You got a permit to protest here?” Bas asked with mock seriousness.
I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Frankie.
Stay inside until I tell you to come out.
“This is a public sidewalk,” one of the women called out shrilly. “We have every right to be here.”
“Feelin’ pretty proud of yourself?” I asked as I stuck the phone back in my pocket. “Out here harassin’ girls for seein’ a doctor.”
“This clinic kills babies,” the man spat, taking a step backward. “Anyone who utilizes it deserves to be harassed.”
“Anybody here agree with a woman’s right to choose?” Mick asked in amusement.
The seven of us raised our hands.
The man scoffed.
“You’re going to round up your little group,” I said quietly, leaning in. “And you’re going to get the fuck outta here.”
“I am not,” he replied stubbornly.
“You are,” I continued, keeping my tone civil. “Because if you don’t, my friends and I are going to start swingin’. None of us are real interested in hittin’ a woman, but there’s five of you men and seven of us. The odds wouldn’t be in your favor even if there were twenty of you.”
“That’s assault,” he blustered.
Cian laughed.
“We’ve all done time.” I shrugged. “I could use the vacation.”
“Let’s just go, Dave,” a woman behind him said, glaring at me. “Come on. They can’t stand out here forever.”
“Don’t come back,” I warned as Dave’s woman tugged on his arm. “I find out you’re here, you won’t get another warning.”
There was plenty of grumbling and yelled insults as the group hurried away. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it back out. Frankie had texted back.
Who is this?
“You know they’re gonna be right back out here tomorrow,” Bas said, watching the protesters as they climbed into cars in the adjacent parking lot. “Fuckin’ hypocrites.”
Gray.
How the hell did you get my number?
Easy to get. Just stay inside.
Wait. Where are you?
“Well, I feel accomplished,” Draco said, slapping me on the back. “We done here?”
“Yeah, man. Thanks.”
“No worries. Got me outta the garage for a minute.”
I’m outside , I texted her back.
“You comin’?” Brody asked as the boys lined up along the curb. The protesters’ cars were pulling out of the lot, most of them flipping us off as they drove away.
“I’m gonna wait a minute, make sure they’re not circlin’ the block,” I replied. “Thanks for the assist.”
“Never a dull moment,” Mick said with a grin, waving as they crossed the road. “My wife’s gonna love me for this.”
“Jesus,” Otto said, shoving his brother.
I walked over to the building and leaned against it, watching my brothers as they separated and climbed on their bikes. I’d never known a time when the Aces didn’t have my back, and I’d been in some tight situations when they’d saved my ass. There was something to be said about a group of men who would drop whatever they were doing to help you out, no questions asked.
What the fuck? Frankie texted.
Ten minutes later, when I knew that the protesters were well and truly gone, I texted Frankie that she could come outside whenever she was ready. Letting out a deep breath, I settled in to wait. She’d only been inside for about half an hour, and I’d never known any doctor appointment to take less than a full one, so I figured it would be a while. Tilting my head back, I let the sun beat down on my face.
There had been something about Frankie’s expression before the security guard came out to get her that was eating at me, and it took me a minute to figure out what it was.
No fear.
Twenty people were crowding her and yelling at her and there hadn’t been an ounce of fear in her expression. She’d been ready to take on every single one of them by herself. No hesitation.
I wasn’t sure if it was stupid or brave.
When the door hinges squeaked, my eyes popped open.
“What are you doing here?” Frankie asked dully, letting the door swing shut behind her.
I straightened. She looked like hell. Her skin was so pale she was nearly gray, her eyes hollow.
“You all right?” I asked, pushing off the wall.
“What are you doing here?” she repeated.
“Saw you from across the street,” I replied, looking her over. The fearless woman who’d gone inside had come out as something else. Fragile. “Thought you were gonna take that guy out.”
“He was an idiot,” she said quietly, glancing at the restaurant. “Are you the one who cleared them out?”
“Me and the boys,” I confirmed.
Frankie’s eyes widened in horror.
“Didn’t tell them you were here,” I reassured her. “They were more than happy to clear them out on principle.”
She nodded.
We stood there for a moment, but she was somewhere else in her head.
“You drove here?” I asked. “Where’d you park?”
“Uh—” She looked around in confusion. “In the back.”
“Come on, I’ll walk you,” I said, gesturing toward the parking lot.
She walked silently beside me as we rounded the building. There were only a few cars in the lot, and her Tahoe was easy to spot. I was glad that I’d told the boys to meet me at the restaurant. If any of them had gone around the back of the clinic, they would’ve instantly noticed her rig.
When we got to the Tahoe, I waited for her to pull her keys out, but she just stood there, like she wasn’t sure what she should be doing.
“Frankie?” I called softly. “What’s goin’ on?”
“What?” she asked, her gaze sharpening. “Nothing.”
“You gonna unlock the doors?”
“Oh, right,” she muttered.
She still hadn’t reached for her keys.
“Come on,” I said finally, setting my hand between her shoulder blades as I led her away.
“Where are we going?” she asked. It didn’t sound like she cared.
“I’ll take you home on my bike.”
“All right,” she murmured.
My stomach clenched as she allowed me to lead her across the street without a single word about leaving her Tahoe parked there or how she would pick it up later. When we got to my bike, she halfheartedly helped me put my helmet on her head. She wasn’t fully out of it, but it was enough that alarm bells were ringing loudly in my ears.
Something was seriously fucked, but I was too concerned that I’d make it worse if I asked what the hell was going on.
Frankie’s arms wrapped around me snugly as I pulled out onto the road. We were ten minutes from her place, and she didn’t let go or shift at all the entire ride there. She sat still as a statue, her fingers curled into fists, gripping the edges of my cut.
The neighborhood was quiet as I pulled onto her street. Cian’s bike and Myla’s car weren’t outside their place, and Frankie’s driveway was empty, too. Lou must’ve been at work. Made sense.
I parked close to the front door and turned off the bike.
“Climb off, baby,” I said gently, peeling her fingers away from the leather when she didn’t move.
Watching over my shoulder, I tracked her as she climbed down and stood next to the bike. There was barely enough room for me to swing my leg off, and she still didn’t move.
Reaching into the purse that hung across her chest, I felt around in the bottom until I found her keys.
“I can get them,” she said flatly just as my finger caught on the key ring.
I handed them to her and followed as she carried them to the door.
I’d gotten her home safe, and there really wasn’t anything left for me to do, but I found myself following her anyway. She left the door wide open as she shuffled into the house. Inside, she hung her purse on a row of hooks by the door and dropped her keys inside without looking. She wasn’t speaking to me or giving any indication she even realized I’d followed her as I trailed her down the hallway to her room.
When she got there, she didn’t hesitate as she moved straight for the bed. Crawling onto it fully dressed, she rolled onto her side and pulled the blankets up to her chin.
I stood in the doorway as her body relaxed inch by inch. Her eyes were wide open, staring at nothing.
“You want me to call Lou?” I asked, crouching next to the bed so I was in her line of sight. “Or Myla?”
“No,” she replied, her eyes finally focusing on me. “They’re both at work.”
“Someone else, then? Bas?”
“No thanks.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing,” she replied dully. “I think I’m just going to take a nap.”
“Yeah?” I brushed the hair out of her eyes.
“I’m tired,” she replied with a weak smile. “Thanks for the ride.”
Rising to my feet, I moved to the end of the bed and pulled the blankets back. She’d climbed in with her boots on. I gently pulled them off and set them next to the bed before tucking her back in.
She was wearing neon pink socks with cats all over them that said You’re Purrfect . The sight of them was a strange juxtaposition from the mood in the room. She’d put them on that morning, probably for a little brightness in her day, and between then and now, something had gone really wrong.
When I moved back to the head of the bed, Frankie’s eyes were closed.
I grabbed the keys from her purse as I left the house and locked the door behind me. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I opened my contacts and made a call.
“Hey, honey,” my mom answered.
“Hey, Ma. You busy right now?”
“Just sitting in my pajamas working on some stuff for Grandpa,” she replied. “So no, not really.”
“You think you could come pick me up and drive me over to get a friend’s car?”
“I’ll never refuse time with my favorite son,” she joked. “Are you at home?”
“Nah, I’m at Myla’s.”
“Is it Myla’s car?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm. A mystery,” she teased. “Give me about ten minutes.”
“See you then.”
I took my time walking over to Myla and Cian’s place. I was trying really hard not to speculate on what the hell had happened at the doctor, but I was worried. What the hell could’ve happened that had made the normally unrestrained Frankie so subdued? Had they found something wrong with her? My chest felt tight as I sat down on Myla’s porch steps to wait.
Mom pulled up just a few minutes later, rolling down the passenger window as she stopped at the curb.
“My boy,” she called out happily.
“Hey, Ma,” I greeted as I walked toward the SUV. “Thanks for pickin’ me up.”
“Are you kidding?” she asked as I climbed in. “I live for this shit. You never ask me for anything anymore.”
“Untrue.”
“You used to ask to come in the bathroom with me while I was pooping,” she told me with a grin. “Now where am I going?”
Her brows lifted in surprise when I told her.
“You have something to tell me?” she asked, a little nervousness threading through her voice as we drove out of the neighborhood.
“Nothin’ to do with me,” I replied, reaching out to tug on the end of her long braid. “Just doin’ a favor.”
“Fair enough. So, what’s new with you? Anything exciting? You still dating what’s-her-face?”
“Emma? She’s still around. Nothin’ serious.”
“If it’s not serious then why are you still seeing her?” she asked in exasperation.
“You really want me to answer that?”
Mom’s nose wrinkled in disgust.
“You need to find someone you want to build a life with. I don’t want you to turn into one of those guys who sits in the clubhouse every night because you don’t have anything else going for you.”
“Tell me how you really feel,” I replied with a smile.
“I want grandbabies,” Mom announced. “And you better hurry so I can catch up with Rose.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“What, never?” she whined.
“Not for a while.”
“Yeah, no shit, since you don’t even have a girlfriend.” She held up her hand. “At least not one that counts.”
“Emma’s not my girlfriend.”
“Good, we’re agreed.”
“You don’t like her?”
“From what Harper said, she’s rude, and you don’t seem to like her very much either.”
“She’s okay. Can we talk about something else?”
“Sure. Talk your sister into coming home for good, would you?”
“If it was that simple, don’t you think she’d already be home?”
“I swear, I shouldn’t have been so intent on making sure you two were independent. I dug my own grave with that bullshit.”
“She’ll come home when she’s ready.”
“So, never,” Mom said with a sigh as she pulled into the clinic’s driveway.
She let out a whistle as she parked right next to Frankie’s Tahoe. “You want to talk about this instead?”
“Nothin’ to talk about.”
“I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that’s unequivocally false.”
“Saw her from across the street.”
“You were at the diner?” she asked. “That’s a strange coincidence.”
I shrugged. “Protesters hassled her on the way in.”
“There aren’t any out there now.”
“Me and the boys took care of it.”
“Oh, really ?”
“Made sure they were gone by the time she got done,” I continued, ignoring the smirk on her face. “So, she didn’t have to deal with that shit on the way out.”
“Okay, so I raised you right. But that doesn’t explain why her car is still here, and she’s not.”
I paused with my hand on the door handle. “She was pretty out of it, Ma,” I said, leaning back in my seat. “Didn’t think it was safe for her to drive home.”
“Out of it, how?” she asked, her gaze sharpening.
“Total space cadet. She pretty much just followed wherever I led.”
“That doesn’t sound like Frankie.”
“No shit.”
“Did she tell you anything?”
I shook my head sharply. “Didn’t think it was the time to ask.”
“You’re probably right.”
“She was in bed when I left the house. Climbed in with her shoes on.”
“Shit,” Mom said quietly.
“Not sure if I should just drop the Tahoe off and leave or stay with her until Lou gets home.”
“Did you call Lou or Myla?”
“She didn’t want me to.” I scrubbed my hands over my face. “Pretty sure she doesn’t want anyone to know.”
“The boys—”
“They didn’t realize she was inside,” I explained. “Made sure they were gone before she came back out.”
Mom smiled and reached out to pat my cheek. “I did a good job with you.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“I’d play it by ear,” she told me, dropping her hand. “Check on her when you get back and go from there. Maybe she just needed a minute to get her bearings.”
I nodded and swung open the door.
“You’re a good man,” my mom called, making me pause just outside the car. “Proud of you, bud.”
“I’m a grown ass man,” I said, looking at her in disbelief.
“You’re still my little buddy,” she sang. “Love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Turning, I moved to shut the door. “You’ll keep this to yourself?”
“Don’t keep anything from your dad,” she reminded me. “But it won’t go further than that.”
“Thanks, Ma.”
“Anytime, kid.”
I shook my head as I closed the door and unlocked the Tahoe with the fob. Frankie wasn’t that much shorter than I was, so I barely had to adjust the seat when I got in. Hopefully if she noticed, she wouldn’t be too pissed about it.
The SUV was a nice ride. Frankie took really good care of it, and the inside was spotless except for a travel coffee mug that was sitting in the cupholder. She was getting low on gas, so I took it through the gas station and filled it before I headed back to her place. Next door was a car wash, so I ran it through there, too.
When I got back to the house and opened up the door, I was surprised to hear music playing in the kitchen. Following the sound, I found Frankie on her hands and knees, mopping the floor.
“Decided against the nap?” I asked, dropping the keys on the counter.
“Fuck!” she screamed, spinning to look at me and falling flat on her ass.
“A little light cleaning?”
“You scared the shit out of me,” she said, one hand pressed to her chest.
“Brought the Tahoe home.”
Her mouth dropped open in surprise. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Wasn’t a big deal.”
“That was really nice of you. Thank you.”
“You wanna tell me what this morning was about?”
“Not especially,” she said, rolling back to her knees.
“All right.”
Her gaze shot to mine. “Really?”
“You doin’ better now?”
“Yeah.” She shook her head. “Sorry about that.”
“Nothin’ to be sorry about. Glad I was there.”
“Me too.” She shot me a small smile. “But seriously, I’m fine. I was a little distracted earlier, but I’m over it now.”
“Quick turnaround.”
“What can I say? I bounce back quickly.”
God, she was pretty. Her hair was pulled back in a big knot at the top of her head, but little wispy pieces fell out all over, framing her face. Freckles covered her nose and the tops of her cheeks. She had brown eyes, but they weren’t dark like mine, more of a chocolate brown color with bits of green around the edges. Her mouth was wide, and when she smiled for real, it took up damn near half of her face. There wasn’t a single thing about her that was unattractive, and fuck, I really needed to stop staring at her.
“Left the keys on the counter,” I informed her, straightening. “You need anything else before I go?”
“Are you kidding?” She rose to her feet. “You’ve already done way more than enough. I owe you.”
“I’ll always accept a marker,” I joked. “Take care of yourself, yeah?”
I wasn’t expecting her to throw herself at me, and it took a moment for me to wrap my arms around her as she hugged me.
“Seriously,” she said, her face muffled against my shoulder. “That was really cool of you.”
She didn’t let go, so I didn’t either, dropping my chin to kiss the hair above her ear.
Frankie let out an uncomfortable laugh as she finally pulled away, her eyes glassy.
“I’ll let you get back to moppin’,” I said as I moved toward the door. “Lock up behind me.”
“I will.”
She stood in the kitchen until after I’d gone, but I heard the dead bolt slide into place as I stepped down the porch stairs.
Something was going on with Frankie that she didn’t want anyone to know about, and I had no idea whether it was because she was embarrassed or because she didn’t want anyone to worry. She was so close to Myla and Lou that it didn’t make any sense she hadn’t wanted me to call them. I mulled it over as I rode home, different scenarios cycling through my brain. I needed a final puzzle piece, and it would be so fucking easy to get into the clinic’s computer system and get it—but I wouldn’t.
Francesca Marino had a right to keep things private, even if I knew it was going to drive me fucking crazy. If she wanted to keep shit to herself, I’d respect it. That didn’t mean that I wouldn’t be keeping an eye on her.