19 - Frankie
19
Frankie
—
Now we’re at a place where we can fix this.
“So you don’t like Doyle.” I twist on his lap to see the broody expression I’ve grown to love. “Because he touched my hand.”
“Your hand, your arm, your face. I saw it all.”
“And you were what? Hiding in the shadows, trying to catch him in action?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not creepy or anything.”
“It’s my job to protect you.”
“Protecting doesn’t include stalking.”
“I disagree.”
“While you were stalking, did you see me move away from his touch? Did you see me handle it myself?”
“You don’t need to handle it when you have me to protect you.”
“Kody…” I blow out a breath. “You have to let me do shit on my own. What happens when I go back to work? My job is very hands-on. I touch people. Patients . They touch me, sometimes out of kindness, sometimes because they’re in pain. You can’t be there, interfering with my work. You need to let me do things on my own. You have to trust me to take care of myself.”
“Doyle isn’t one of your patients. He crossed the line.”
“So what are you saying? Do you want me to find a new therapist?”
“Yes.”
“Just like that? You won’t even have a session with him and give him a chance?”
“I saw what I saw. It was in his eyes, in the way he looked at you. He wasn’t touching you because he wants to help you.”
“Monty put that shit in your head.” I grind my teeth.
“Monty doesn’t control my thoughts. I think for myself and trust my gut.”
“And your gut says Doyle’s harboring some depraved agenda?”
“What if he’s the hunter? The silent ache, the shadow that lingers, the present from your past? You’ve known him for years. He is, in fact, from your past.”
“What about Monty? Is he no longer on your list of suspects?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Okay, so I’m not agreeing or disagreeing. But if Doyle intends to hurt me, wouldn’t it be smarter to keep him close? Get to know him in your therapy sessions and let those tracker senses of yours smell him out?”
“It would be smarter to keep him the hell away from you.”
“So here we are, circling back to my earlier point. You can’t protect me every second, everywhere, all at once. Eventually, I will go in public without you. I’ll go to work, see my gynecologist, hang out with my friends—”
“What friends?”
“I have friends. Point is if Doyle is the unknown shadow, he’ll come after me. If we’re no longer watching him, I won’t see him coming. I’ll be blindsided, caught unaware, just like the night Denver took me.”
“If he comes after you, he’s a fucking dead man.”
“This is what I’m talking about. You can’t go around attacking and killing people. It’s illegal. You’ll be charged and locked behind bars. Do you understand?”
He stares at me with so much emotion soaking the melty black depths of his eyes. “I just want to protect you.”
“I know.” I shift, straddling him and resting my chin on his chest. “But you have to trust me to protect myself, too.”
“I do.”
“Prove it.” I coil a strand of hair around my finger, waiting.
“Who else does that work on? Leo? I bet he falls for it.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The huge puppy dog eyes, hair twirling, fluttering lashes, and this sexy little pout…” He traces my bottom lip. “Woman, you are filthy sweet and charming as fuck, and when you bite your lip like that, you’re lethal. Makes it impossible to deny you anything.”
“I’m not trying to manipulate you.” I crawl up his rippled torso and sink into his smoldering gaze. “I’m telling you very clearly that you cannot assault people. Not my colleagues. Not my doctors. Not the strangers I encounter in town. If you see something you don’t like, you need to come to me, and we’ll talk about it like adults. Can you handle that?”
“I’ll try.”
“Thank you.
“I’ll do a session with Dr. Whitaker.” He holds up a finger. “Just one. Then I’ll go back to calling him a dead man.”
I sigh. Because what else can I do?
As we stare at each other in the fading light, I know one thing is certain. I don’t want to argue with him anymore.
The therapy session, the fight, the makeup sex, the unresolved emotions—it’s enough for one day. I just hope I can find a way to navigate through it all without becoming a doormat in the process.
Being the only woman on an island of dominating, controlling men is exhausting.
But it’s not Hoss.
This is a dream compared to what I escaped.
“We should go check on Leo and Monty.” I start to rise.
“They’ll find us when they’re finished.” He guides me back to his chest.
He’s so warm against my cheek. A bit hard and chiseled. But he’s safe. One of my favorite places.
He pulls out his phone and browses the Internet. I watch him search on driver’s license practice tests, effective muscle-building exercises, and industrial distillery equipment.
As he scrolls with one hand, the fingers of his other absently comb through my hair.
My eyes grow heavy. I fight the pull, but within minutes, I fall asleep.
When I wake, I’m alone.
Lying on the couch in the guest house, I squint through the mantle of nightfall.
A porch light glows beyond the window, illuminating Leo just outside the door, hands on his hips, expression pensive.
A deep voice muffles through the walls. I can’t decipher words, but I know that tone belongs to Monty.
Is Kody with them?
Yawning, I rise to my feet and make my way to them.
The instant I open the door, their conversation cuts off, and three pairs of eyes turn to me.
“Hey.” I lean against the doorframe and hug my waist, shivering in the cool night breeze. “Why are you out here?”
“Didn’t want to wake you.” Leo strides toward me. “You’re cold. We can continue this inside.”
Everyone shuffles into the cozy sitting room and open kitchen. I deliberately take the only armchair, hoping they’ll all squeeze onto the couch.
They don’t.
Leo and Kody sit on either end. Monty perches on the edge of the kitchen table, arms folded and legs crossed at the ankles.
“How did your therapy sessions go?” I ask Leo and Monty.
“No fighting or drama.” Leo rubs his nape. “Pretty anticlimactic.”
“And no touching.” Kody gives him and Monty a pointed look.
“Not once.” Monty narrows his eyes at me with condescension and superiority, the side of his mouth curling as if to emphasize he was right all along.
“So this is how it’s going to be?” I sit back, head held high. “You’re besties now, embracing your brotherhood through a shared hatred toward my therapist.”
“Frankie,” Kody gnarls under his breath.
“Part of me wants to call Doyle and tell him I’ve found someone else. A straight female psychiatrist who doesn’t threaten the men in the Strakh family.” I ignore the heavy glaring around me and shift to the edge of my chair. “But it’s a slippery slope. I’ll be working for Rhett again. One of my closest friends. He’s an unmarried man. Very touchy-feely.”
“He’s gay,” Monty says.
My nostrils flare. “A lot of my colleagues at the hospital are unmarried men. Sometimes we go out for drinks after our shifts.”
“Cool.” Leo nods. “We’ll go with you.”
“Sometimes, sure. But not always. What if you don’t like them? What if one of them casually touches me? I won’t eliminate people from my life who don’t pass your approval. That’s not healthy. Tell me you understand that.”
“Remember when Wolf asked you about your red flag?” Kody asks. “You said you’ve always had someone. Boyfriends. Friends with benefits. A husband. None were platonic friendships.”
Monty stiffens.
“I had schoolmates and colleagues.” A flush burns my cheeks.
“Fuck buddies.”
“What’s your point?”
“You don’t have female friends because they’re jealous of you. And every guy you’ve befriended tries to turn it into something more. Tell me I’m wrong.”
I look away, sifting through every friendship I’ve had since childhood.
He’s not wrong.
The closest friendship I’ve made over the years is with Rhett. My gay boss.
“What will you do if Sirena propositions Leo or Kody?” Monty tilts his head. “She’s a terrible flirt, but you already know that. That’s why you demanded I fire her.”
“You’re right.” I let out a stream of air. “I’m being hypocritical. Thank you for pointing that out.” I fling him an annoyed look. “I don’t like her for the same reasons you don’t like Doyle.”
“The difference is you’re behind closed doors with Doyle.” Kody works his jaw. “You have private sessions with him, and we don’t know what’s happening between you.”
“There will be times when you’re with Sirena alone. We need to trust one another.”
“All right.” Leo cracks his neck. “We’ll do it your way, love. We’ll continue to see your Dr. Whitaker, Kody included, and trust that you’ll tell us if he touches you again.”
That was easy.
Too easy.
I take in the blank expressions around the room. No objections. No snarly tempers.
“You already reached this decision together.” I huff. “What did you do? Threaten Doyle in your sessions?”
Leo and Monty stare back, not a crack in their stony masks.
“Fucking great. You threaten your therapist—and mine—and when I fall asleep, you sneak outside and make decisions without me.”
“We weren’t sneaking.” Monty pushes off the table and paces behind the couch. “We also talked about the ID situation.”
“What about it?”
“You brought your license and passport back with you, which aren’t expired. So you’re good there. With Leo and Kody, I’ve been trying to expedite the process, but since they don’t have birth certificates, it’ll take several weeks, a lot of persistence, and some government connections. I know people who can pull some strings at the Vital Records office to speed it along. In the meantime, Leo and Kody need to learn to drive. Cars, boats, planes…”
“And motorcycles.” Leo smirks.
“Of course.” I roll my eyes and look at Monty. “And you’re going to teach them?”
“You want me to give them a healthy family dynamic. This is what brothers do together.”
He would know. He had a brother until he was eighteen. I know nothing about his relationship with Denver other than they lived in a private estate on Kodiak Island, learned Russian, got flying lessons, and had a crush on Kody’s mother.
“Were you close to Denver?” I ask quietly. “Before you learned what he was?”
“No. I don’t know how to do this. But I’m trying.”
For you.
I hear the words he doesn’t say but don’t acknowledge it. “That’s all I ask.”
“So tomorrow…” He circles the couch and looks at his only family. “What do you say we take the yacht out? I’ll show you how to operate it. You can see the ocean for the first time. Then we can dock in town and check out my car collection. Maybe take one or two out for some driving lessons.”
“Sure.” Leo tries to sound bored, but he can’t hide the excitement that sets his gorgeous face aglow.
Kody doesn’t react. Not outwardly. His eyes, though. They have smile lines and permanent stars burning into the dark depths. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he couldn’t be happier with this plan.
And if they’re happy, I’m happy.