19. Chapter 17
FRANKIE
F rankie cracked her neck and let out a deep breath. It had been a full day since she had seen Noah, and she felt like her heart was breaking. Nothing seemed normal now.
Nothing felt right.
She wanted to talk to Noah and ask him what was going on and why he was saying things to her and then going straight into being her boss again.
She wanted to figure out if there was something between them or if it was her imagination.
But she wasn’t going to ask any questions.
She wasn’t that brave, and Frankie didn’t want her heart broken if he said there was nothing between them.
She would surely have to quit her job at that point.
How embarrassing would it be to ask him if there was anything between them and he told her no? Would he tell other people about it and how crazy she was for thinking there was something between them?
Frankie took a deep, shaky breath and closed her eyes for a couple of seconds. She wanted to see Noah again, even if it was just a glimpse from afar.
“Are you okay?” Trent asked.
“Why wouldn’t she be okay?” Dominic stepped closer to her.
Trent eyed Dominic for several seconds. “Do you not know?”
“Know what?” Dominic looked at him, confused.
Frankie’s eyes went wide when she realized what Trent was talking about. “Don’t.”
Both of their eyes turned toward her, and she took a step back, not expecting them to look at her like she had two heads.
“We would never hurt you,” Dominic gently told her. “You do know that, right?”
She nodded. “Just shocked me,” she whispered.
Dominic turned to Trent. “Now, what’s this about?”
“Something happened yesterday morning when Noah went to pick her up,” Trent explained before she could get anything out.
Dominic looked at her, his eyes narrowing. “I asked if anything happened, and you said no. Did you lie to me?”
She shrugged. “You asked how my day was, and I said fine. You didn’t ask whether anything had happened or not.”
Dominic sighed. “Right. Next time I have to leave for an emergency, I’ll make sure to ask specific questions next time. Thank you for pointing that out.”
Her mouth fell open. “Wait! I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
Trent chuckled, and Frankie glared at him.
“Is that why you were sad yesterday and this morning?” Dominic asked.
“I’m not sad,” she lied, and they both raised one eyebrow. “Okay, maybe I’m a little sad, but it’s no big deal. I’m just thinking things through. Everything is okay.”
It had to be.
It always had to be.
If she let everything crumble around her further, she would be completely lost.
“It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to be worried ,” Trent reminded her.
He’d reminded her of the same thing yesterday before she left with Dominic.
“She was sad because Noah is being Noah and needs to get his shit together,” Trent grumbled before turning to her. “Sorry, Little one, for my language.”
Frankie looked confused. Noah needed to get his shit together? Why? What had he done wrong? She knew he had played with her emotions yesterday, but did Noah know that?
“Is that true, Frankie?” Dominic turned to her and asked.
She shrugged. Were they talking about the same thing, or did Trent know something she didn’t?
“Frankie.” Dominic sighed.
“I don’t know. I didn’t tell anyone anything,” she replied honestly. “Not even Monty when she asked. I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t even want to think about it.”
They both looked at her and sighed.
“Can we go home?” she asked. “I’m done here. All I need to do is pack up my stuff.”
“Yes, we can. I’ll go grab the car,” Dominic said, turning and walking away.
“Has he talked to you?” Trent asked before she could take a step away from him.
“I haven’t seen him, but it’s okay,” she replied, smiling.
It wasn’t okay, but it was going to have to be. She needed not to get attached to him. She needed to remember he was her boss and not do anything that wasn’t employee or boss related. Frankie needed to set a firm boundary so she didn’t fall in love with him even further.
“Frankie,” Trent gently prompted.
“I’m okay. Nothing is wrong. I just need to go get my stuff and go home. I’m exhausted.” She sighed, her shoulders dropping as she finished talking.
It felt like she had aged twenty years in the blink of an eye. Everything was weighing down on her, and it felt like she was walking through waist-high thick mud, not going anywhere fast enough.
“Are you tired because of everything that has happened, or because you live in a bad part of town and are scared?” Trent asked.
“No one is supposed to know,” she mumbled, feeling betrayed.
Did Noah tell all of them where she lived? He told her he wouldn’t, and yet everyone knows.
“I put it together. No one told me. The bosses don’t like anyone walking to work who live far away or in a neighborhood that isn’t safe. I figured with how exhausted you looked that you probably aren’t in the best part of town and don’t get much sleep,” he explained.
Sighing, she closed her eyes for a second and let everything sink in. If he’d come to that conclusion, then how many other people had?
“If you need to move out, Noah has a couple of apartments, or we can put you in a hotel until you can afford a place,” Trent gently offered.
“No, I’m okay,” she whispered, but it was a lie.
She wanted to get out as soon as possible, but she didn’t want them to do it only out of pity. She would put away as much money as she could after this paycheck came through and save up.
“Fran—”
She turned around and looked at him. “I told him I was fine. Noah said he wouldn’t do anything until something bad happened, and guess what? It hasn’t, so he can’t do anything. None of you guys can. I’m saving up and will get out of there on my own.”
Heaving a breath in, Trent looked at her in shock. Before he could say anything, Frankie walked off to the employees’ room. She needed to get her things and leave before anyone else stopped her and asked questions. She didn’t want to talk about it.
After quickly grabbing her bag, she stuck her head out and looked around, trying to see if anyone was out there.
With a deep breath, Frankie walked out of the employee room and straight toward the front entrance.
Taking one look back, she sucked in a deep breath when she saw Noah standing at the end of the hallway looking for her.
Frankie waited a couple of seconds to see if he was going to say anything, but when he didn’t, her shoulders sagged and she walked out of the building.
That was her clue that he wasn’t interested at all, and it broke her heart.
Blinking several times to get rid of the tears, she walked to the car, not daring to look back.
“Everything okay?” Dominic asked when she got in the car.
She shrugged. “I’m tired,” she whispered and closed her eyes.
“I’ll wake you when we get to your place,” he gently said.
Frankie was sitting on her bed, looking at her white wall, not knowing what to do with herself. What was she supposed to when she felt like her heart was broken and there wasn’t anything worth living for?
It was an exaggeration. She had a lot to live for, but right now, it didn’t feel like any of those things mattered.
“Lita, do you think everything is going to be okay?” she quietly asked.
“It doesn’t feel like it. I don’t know how I’m going to go back to work.
If I do, it will be exhausting trying to stay away from Noah.
The pay is too good to leave, but how awkward is it going to be?
I need the pay and the insurance so I can get my medicine cheaper. ”
Lita just stared at her, not saying a word.
“Okay, I hear you. I need to go to bed or try to sleep so I don’t look as dead in the morning,” Frankie mumbled.
But she didn’t want to go to bed. Something had happened next door, and she wasn’t sure whether her neighbor was okay. Loud bangs, smashes, and lots of yelling went on for at least an hour.
Frankie lay in her bed and pulled the covers over her body, holding Lita close to her. Maybe tonight she would be able to get some decent sleep. After that fight next door, it was a lot quieter than normal.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly let it out, allowing her body to relax.
But that didn’t last long as her door handle started to jingle.
Her eyes narrowed on the door, waiting for someone to say something on the other side.
Grabbing her phone, she looked to see if Noah or Dominic had texted her, but they hadn’t.
It was late at night, and no one would be near her apartment.
Holding Lita close, she carefully and quietly got out of bed and slowly made her way toward the bathroom. But before she could make it to the bathroom, her door burst open and she screamed. A tall burly man stormed in and headed straight toward her.
“I don’t know anything!” she screamed.
He gripped her neck, pulling her close to him. She whimpered as pain engulfed her and breathing grew harder. She stared at him with wide eyes. Was he going to kill her?
“Fucking bitch,” he growled.
A scar ran across his skin through his eye.
It was discolored, like he couldn’t see anything out of it.
Frankie searched his face more, trying to find something to distinguish who he was in case she made it out alive.
Would she go to the police? She didn’t know, but if she wanted to, she would have a description of him.
But before she could look any further, he tightened his grip on her throat. “Are you going to talk?” he asked, his voice low and menacing.
“N-no,” she choked out as much as she could.
“I know where you live. Talk to the police or anyone and I will come back to finish the job.” His grip around her neck tightened even more, cutting off her airflow.
Frankie’s lungs screamed at her to breathe, but she couldn’t. She was going to die.
“I’ll be keeping an eye on you.” he said before letting her go.
Frankie crumpled to the ground as she watched him stomp out of her apartment, the door still wide open and broken.