Chapter 25
Frankie hadn’t let go of Travis’s hoodie since the crash. Not when the police and EMS arrived at the scene. Not when the tow truck came to load up her car. Not even once we jumped into my truck—Frankie in the middle of the front seat between us.
Her shoulders were drawn in, her hands trembled, and her tiny fist gripped the fabric of his hoodie, as if he might vanish if she released it.
Trav refused to go to the hospital, which I was not surprised.
And thankfully, I knew the EMS crew on shift and knew what to keep an eye out for overnight just in case.
The police ruled the crash an accident, blaming the ice and weather, and the three of us stayed silent as they loaded the car and towed it to the garage.
I’d call Lenny, the head mechanic, in the morning and make sure he looked at the brake lines.
I kept my eyes on the road, one hand on the wheel, and the other on her thigh. Not enough to start anything, but enough to let her know that I was still there.
Luckily, we had already planned to go to Travis’s place instead of my loft or Frankie’s rental. Even if we hadn’t though, he would have insisted upon it, and so would I.
He needed to get her some place that he could control every inch of. Somewhere no one could get close to without him knowing. We drove into the woods; the headlights catching the pine trees like shadowy figures stacked to the starry sky.
Frankie glanced out of the windows, brows pinched together, like she wasn’t sure where the hell we were going.
“You’ll love it,” Travis said, kissing her temple as he gingerly put his arm around her and pulled her against his chest. “I promise.”
We turned down the gravel lane, and then it came into view. I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she laid eyes on Travis’s life work.
His cabin.
His home.
His masterpiece.
He had worked on it for years, building it piece by piece with me right alongside him. But this was his hard work.
It was two stories tall with a wide wrap-around porch and a massive stone chimney along the side, puffing smoke up into the dark night sky. Windows on both floors glinted with warm light from within, and it looked like something out of a Christmas movie set against the snowy hills behind it.
Honestly, it was the perfect family home.
The kind of place that Toby and Emmie deserved to grow up with Frankie inside, warming the wood with her love and nurturing.
When she climbed out of my side of the truck, she paused, waiting for Travis to join us.
“Trav—” Her voice was soft, like she didn’t want to disturb the surrounding serenity. “You built this?”
She looked up at him, and I swear something in his eyes shifted, changed even, something deep. Like maybe he could imagine her inside it like I could. “I did.” He announced proudly. “Eli and I have worked on it for years.”
I stood back when we got inside and watched her take it in. The inside was all smooth lines, warm wood and coziness. The foyer opened into a large living area and open kitchen with butcher block countertops and a farmhouse sink overlooking the wide treelined backyard.
A stone fireplace sat along the edge of the living room, and Travis went over to it and turned it on, letting warmth billow out and hit us.
Frankie walked around the space, dragging her fingertips across the counter and the back of the couch that never got sat on. “You don’t live here, do you?” She asked.
“No,” Travis leaned back against the wall of smoothed logs, shined up and warm.
“Why?” she asked with a slight scowl.
“Didn’t feel finished,” he shrugged. “It wasn’t done until recently, but even then, it didn’t feel right.”
“And now?” She whispered as her green eyes caught the firelight.
“Now it's starting to feel like it’s the right time.”
She looked between us as if she could feel the weight in the air. All the things that still needed to be said hung between us, yet she wasn’t making any progress toward saying them.
“Let’s start with the most important thing to discuss,” I said, dragging my knuckle down her cheek. “Do I need to go get the kids and bring them here? Could they be in danger somehow?”
A haunted, defeated look filled her eyes as she shook her head. “No.”
“How do you know?” Travis asked, turning the lights on and urging Frankie to sit down on the couch close to the fire.
He took a seat in the chair on the other side of the coffee table, and I covered Frankie with a blanket from the back of the couch before sitting on the arm.
I wanted to be close enough to catch her if she bolted, but she needed enough space to open up to us.
“Because the person who did this has never cared about the kids.” She brought her knees to her chest and hunkered in on herself. “He wouldn’t start now.”
Something cold twisted in my gut, “He?” I repeated, my voice tighter than I intended it to be. “So, you know who it is. You know that it was in fact intentional.”
She flinched, just barely, as the words escaped accidentally. “I didn’t say that.”
“Enough,” Travis growled, leaning forward with a slight grimace. “Just stop, Frankie. For the love of God, just stop. You’ve been looking over your shoulder all week. Just be honest with us.”
She fingered the edge of the blanket, curling it in her fists. “It’s not that simple.”
“The hell it’s not,” I barked, and she flinched, making me regret it instantly. I sank to my knees in front of her and held her hands in mine, trying desperately to control myself. “Please, Frankie.”
“I have no proof.” She cried, widening her eyes as tears misted behind them. “That’s his M.O.! He never leaves proof that I can hold on to and use against him!”
“Who?” I asked, lethal grit in my voice.
The tension grew between us as she stared at me before her shoulders sank again. “Danny.”
“Danny?” I asked, trying to grasp who she meant.
“The kid’s father.” Travis growled from the chair, and the hair on the back of my neck stood up.
“Yes.” She whispered. “I think he stole my spare keys and broke into my house too.”
“Jesus.” Trav got out of the chair and came over to the couch, pulling her into his arms as she linked her fingers with mine and pulled me up on her other side.
“I’m sorry.” She cried, letting the tears fall over her eyelashes. “I don’t know why he’s back, and I’ve been ignoring the signs for so long. But this—” She shuttered, looking up at Travis. “I can’t ignore it anymore. You were hurt because of it. You could have died!”
“I’m just glad it was me.” Trav said powerfully, pulling her in and resting his forehead against hers. “Because if you had gotten hurt because of him, I would have lost my goddamn mind.”
“I don’t know how to stop him.” She sniffed. “Last time—” She shook her head, letting her eyes close as a memory assaulted her. “It almost killed me.”
My blood ran cold as Travis met my stare over her head. “It won’t this time.” I stated firmly. Assuring her of our commitment. “We’re here. We have you.”
“It’s not that simple,” She looked from him to me. “I have the kids to think about.”
“We.” Travis said firmly with a scowl. “We have your kids to think about. We knew your dynamic when we each made our move on you, Shade. We know you’re a package deal, you’re not alone anymore.”
“Look around you, baby,” I said, motioning to the home Travis wouldn’t even think of moving into until he had a family. A house big enough for everyone. “Don’t fight what’s already in motion. Let us take care of you.”
“I don’t know how,” She whispered. “It’s been so long.”
“Start with this,” I leaned in and kissed her, instantly welcoming her whimpers as she deepened it like the adrenaline and stress of the night was trying to seep out of her through our kiss. “Good girl.”
It wasn’t frantic, or greedy, it wasn’t even powerful. It was soft, but needy, filled with silent desire and a connection I couldn’t label. Because if I did, I might put a name on it I wasn’t ready to scare her away with yet.
I kissed her back, my hand sliding to her jaw. That was when Travis leaned in, his lips brushing over her temple and down to her neck. She gasped, and I smiled as he chuckled, pulling his teeth back far enough to show me the bite he gave her.
“Monster,” She moaned, dragging her nails over his scalp and leading his mouth back to the spot where her neck met her shoulder, and he did it again, this time she moaned and rocked forward like she needed something between her thighs.
I met Travis’s gaze, and he held mine as he kissed his way up her neck while she nuzzled into mine.
“Bite her again,” I demanded, and my best friend pulled her jersey to the side and latched down on her shoulder and then sucked on it, leaving a hickey in the center of his teeth marks. “That’s so hot.”
“You like him branding me?” She teased, pushing her icy hands up under my shirt to my abs.
“I do.” I replied, and Travis ran his hands over her hips and ass, hugged tightly in her dark blue jeans.
“Maybe I’ll tattoo my name on your ass cheek and then the whole world will know you belong to me,” He threatened, shaking the thick flesh with a growl. “Damn, my cock just jumped at the idea.”
She purred as I pulled my shirt off over my head so she could nuzzle in against my bare chest, “What about you, Sunshine? Will you tattoo my name on your skin somewhere if I ask really nicely?”
“I don’t have any ink,” I said and nibbled on her finger when she ran her fingers across my jaw. “But I’m not opposed to the idea of your name being my first.”
“Damn,” She moaned, and then shifted, throwing her leg over mine and straddling me. “I like that idea. A lot.”