10. Chapter 10
Evan
“One batch ruined, okay. Manageable. But three? What the fuck, boss?”
Evan hovered on the stairwell leading to Frankie’s second-floor apartment, scrolling through their phone so that it wasn’t obvious to Frankie or Sloane they were listening in.
Inside, they were gloating. Dumping mill dust into the fermentation tanks had worked!
Frankie’s sloppy workers would need to clean the mill station better next time.
And the fact Evan was able to break into the basement, avoid the cameras, and do it mostly in the dark?
Fucking epic. Surely cranky Cecil would even approve.
“That’s what I’m saying. It’s almost like they’ve been tampered with, but I didn’t catch anything on the security feeds.”
Even from across the room, agitation rolled off Frankie in waves.
She’d been out most of the day, only making a lengthy appearance when the technician came to repair the walk-in cooler.
Word around the pub was that Frankie had been miffed at how the fan motors had been unplugged from inside the evaporator electrical cabinet.
It was too bad Evan had been on their break and missed how their hard work had paid off.
Unfortunately, now that Evan would be staying with Frankie, any further retaliation would only get trickier to execute. Ugh. Any time they pictured what the next several days would look like under the same roof as Frankie, it brought on some serious nausea.
“Ready to go up?”
Evan whipped their head up to find Frankie with her handbag slung over one shoulder. Tension lines marred her otherwise immaculate forehead, adding creases around her eyes, but she gave Evan a tight smile.
“Mm-hmm.” Evan nodded, slipping off the stairs to let Frankie up first. They turned to say goodbye to Sloane, and a sigh escaped when she was nowhere to be found.
Evan must have been too in their thoughts if they’d missed the part where Sloane left for the night.
“Let’s get this over with,” they muttered, trailing behind Frankie to the second floor.
The first half of the stairwell was only dimly lit, but it was bright enough that Evan still had a front-row seat to the distracting way Frankie’s baby blue suit pants hugged her backside, so much that Evan could see the outline of the underwear she wore.
They dropped their gaze, ashamed of how hot their cheeks flushed. Hell, why couldn’t Frankie be butt-ugly and wear baggy, less flattering clothes?
“I cleared out the spare bedroom as well as I could today,” Frankie said as she unlocked her apartment door.
At some point, she had tied her curly hair up in a loose bun, and when she turned to Evan, it bobbed with the movement.
The messy do did absolutely nothing to make her less attractive.
If anything, having her hair away from her face only added an unnecessary emphasis on her cheekbones and the small, almost indiscernible mole on her neck.
And fuck me for noticing.
Frankie pushed the door open, gesturing with one hand for Evan to go inside first. Evan tensed for about five seconds before the fatigue of the day and their sore feet had them gingerly stepping over the threshold.
The apartment had an open-concept brick design with a small but functional kitchen.
A cute built-in dining booth separated the kitchen and living room.
“Make yourself at home,” Frankie said from behind Evan. They swallowed when they heard the deadbolt turn over, locking them inside the apartment with Frankie.
Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Not a good idea at all. They’d be alone with the same person who had killed Caleb. With just one small knife and no plan. Their stomach lurched. Does she know who I am?
“Is there a lock on the door of the bedroom you’re putting me in?” Evan blurted, their pulse kicking up several notches.
Frankie was bent over, unstrapping her high heels, and she didn’t reply until her bare feet were touching the entrance mat.
She came a little closer, slanting her head in curiosity at Evan’s question.
“There could be, if you wanted one. Why?” she asked jokingly.
“Are you worried I’ll sneak in? Seduce you, maybe? ”
Slowly, Evan shook their head. Having Frankie so close left them dazed, and it took a second of confusion before they fumbled out, “N-no. Of course not. You used to be a cop. You wouldn’t do that.”
“You’re right, I won’t. We barely know each other.
Having said that, if there ever comes a time when you’re interested, you’ll be coming to me, sweet boi.
Not the other way around.” Frankie’s grin was slow, confident, and full of promise, and the unfamiliar low swoop in Evan’s belly had them horrified.
They weren’t immune to Frankie’s charm. How was that even possible, after literally everything they knew about her?
“You’re delusional,” Evan managed to get out before pushing around her to the door again.
Their hands trembled slightly, and there was a tightness to their skin that hadn’t been there a few minutes ago, but they held their ground and stared up at Frankie.
“If fucking you is the payment for my safety, I’ll see my way out. ”
Been there, done that . And Evan refused to have a repeat, regardless of whether it meant they were huddled in a street alley until the job was finished. After all, there was more than one kind of prison in life.
“Wait, that’s not what I meant.” Frankie’s hand landed on their arm, holding them in place. Regret burned in her brown eyes. “I’m sorry, I guess I’m worse at flirting than I thought. I just meant that … I’m attracted to you, Evan. But I promise nothing will happen that you don’t consent to.”
Evan held her gaze for an uncomfortably long minute before offering a slight nod. “Apology accepted. And … thanks for putting me up.”
“Of course.” Frankie’s smile was back.
Evan slipped off their boots and followed Frankie down the hall to where the bedrooms and bath were.
“The bathroom isn’t very big, but the tub does come with jets,” Frankie said, pushing the door open so that Evan could peek their head in.
Frankie moved on to the next room, watching Evan intently.
“This is my room. It also doesn’t have a lock, as I’ve never needed one.
I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt here, Evan, to be better than you were in the past. Unless you’re visiting my bed, don’t ever step foot in here. Understood?”
“Got it.” Evan’s eyes narrowed. They tried not to take Frankie’s comment personally, but how else could they take it? Frankie had very bluntly called them out on their criminal background.
“Great. Now, I’ll show you your bedroom.” Frankie bowed her head, another smile tugging at her lips, as if the insult she’d inadvertently dished out had been humorous.
“This is actually the largest of the two rooms, so you’ll have plenty of space to settle in,” Frankie explained, opening the door and walking in.
There was a queen-sized, handmade canopy bed in the center of the room, a bench with leather upholstery at the foot of the bed, and a tallboy dresser in the corner.
Besides the two large paintings of nude women Frankie had hanging on the walls, the rest of the room was bare.
“That’s the walk-in closet, but again, it’s off limits. Sorry.” Frankie shot Evan an apologetic smile. “That door is locked, and although I’m sure you can pick it, don’t. You may not like what you find behind that door.”
“Cryptic,” Evan said, dropping their backpack onto the leather bench. They glanced around the room again before turning back to Frankie. “Is that all?”
Frankie nodded. “That’s all for now. Oh, wait, I’ll grab you towels. Be right back.”
Evan watched her go, then slumped down on the mattress.
Being in a room that belonged to the enemy was a strange feeling.
They kept waiting for the ball to drop, for the plot twist in Frankie’s fucked up narrative.
From the way she handled her problems, it was shocking to see any other side of her.
It’d have made more sense to Evan that Frankie had discovered their identity, and taking them in was her roundabout way of kidnapping. Keeping the enemy closer and all that.
Frankie appeared in the open doorway, her suit jacket discarded now and the cuffs on her white dress shirt open and rolled up.
Thin gold bracelets dangled from her wrists as she entered the room to place a set of towels on the dresser.
“This should get you started. I’ve also set out a new toothbrush for you in the bathroom.
You’ll have to use the soap I have if you’re lacking, but I can pick up your preferred brand on the next shopping trip. ”
Evan remained silent, and when she glanced at them for acknowledgement, they gritted their teeth and bowed their head slightly. “Thanks. I’m sure it’s fine.” They could live with whatever super feminine scent Frankie used if it meant they wouldn’t need to ask her for anything else.
“Okay. I’ll leave you to it and just let me know if I missed something.” Frankie looked almost kind as she peered down at Evan. The red and blonde highlights in her hair shone under the scrutiny of the bedroom light. Her entire aura seemed different inside the apartment. Softer, more at ease.
Vulnerable .
A light went off in Evan’s brain at the realization, and laughter bubbled out past their lips before they could stop it.
“Ah … everything okay?” Frankie tilted her head in confusion. “Are you the type to randomly laugh when you’re nervous?”
“No, sorry.” Evan clamped their lips shut, trying desperately to smother their grin. Frankie wasn’t aware of it yet, but tonight, she’d made a fatal mistake. She’d welcomed a lion to sleep inside her wolf den.
And the end was closer than she realized.