Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Bane
I hold Frankie and Saylor against my chest, feeling Frankie trembling like a fucking leaf in my arms. My heart’s still racing, adrenaline pumping through my veins like liquid fire. If I’d been thirty seconds later coming back inside...
Fuck.
I can’t let my mind go there. Those motherfuckers were gonna take them. My niece. My Frankie.
Wait. My Frankie? When the fuck did that happen?
I blow out a heavy breath. It doesn’t matter. What matters is they’re safe, and those pieces of shit are gonna pay.
I glance down at my knuckles, at the skin split and crusted with blood.
That asshole’s face wasn’t much better when I finished with him. I hate that Frankie saw that side of me, that I scared her. I know I should feel bad, but I don’t feel an ounce of remorse. Not a fucking drop. I wanted to kill that motherfucker.
The sound of heavy boots hauling ass toward us pulls me from the dark thoughts racing through my mind.
Here comes the cavalry. Tacoma, Journey, Bash, and Gator hurry toward us, their expressions grim and ready for war.
“Daddy!” Saylor shouts, pulling away from me and taking off running toward my brother.
Tacoma drops to one knee, scooping her up into his arms and burying his nose in her hair. His eyes close for a moment, and I can see the relief washing over him.
His little girl was attacked.
Slowly, his eyes open and narrow. “What the fuck happened?” he demands, his voice low and dangerous.
I shake my head. “Not here,” I murmur, my eyes dropping to Frankie who’s still pressed against me, her body shaking.
Tacoma follows my gaze, understanding that my girl is barely keeping it together. He nods, lifting Saylor onto his hip. “You good?”
“I need to get her outta here,” I say, tightening my arm around Frankie’s waist.
“Go,” he agrees. “I’ve got Saylor.”
I glance at Journey and Bash, nodding my head toward the men’s bathroom. “They’re in there.”
Gator’s eyes light up, a gleam that I recognize all too well. The enforcer is ready to do what he does best—hurt some motherfuckers.
“Let’s go have a chat,” he growls, cracking his knuckles.
Turning my attention back to Frankie, I guide her toward the exit. She moves like she’s sleepwalking, her eyes vacant, staring straight ahead. Fuck, I think she might be going into shock.
“Come on, baby,” I murmur, keeping my voice gentle as I lead her through the automatic doors and into the parking lot.
Steering her towards my truck, I open the passenger door and help her climb inside.
I buckle her seatbelt for her, my fingers lingering on the strap across her chest. “You’re safe now,” I whisper, pretty sure she’s not hearing a thing I’m saying.
Fuck.
Closing the door, I hurry around the hood of the truck and climb into the driver’s seat. I glance over at her, worry gnawing at my gut. She hasn’t uttered a single word since everything happened.
“Frankie?” I say her name softly, afraid of spooking her.
Slowly, she lifts her head, her eyes meeting mine. They’re empty, void of emotion. “You were going to kill him.”
It’s not a question. She knows.
“I was,” I growl, not bothering to deny it. There’s no point now. She saw what I am, saw the monster I have to be when someone threatens my family.
She nods her head, but I’m not sure anyone’s home behind those honey-brown eyes.
Then I watch in horror as a single tear falls. Then another.
And suddenly they’re flowing like a dam has broken inside her.
“Fuck.”
I did this to her.
“C’mere, baby.” Reaching over, I unbuckle Frankie’s seatbelt and pull her into my lap, cradling her against my chest.
She clings to me, her small hands fisting in my shirt as sobs wrack her body.
“I was so scared,” she chokes out between ragged breaths. “They were going to take her, Bane. They were going to… to hurt her.”
“I know, baby,” I murmur into her hair, one hand rubbing circles on her back. “But you’re safe now. I won’t let anything touch you.”
And I mean it. Every fucking word.
I’ll kill anyone who tries.
“Bane?” she whispers, lifting her head and hitting me with her red-rimmed doe eyes. Something in the air shifts, and time stands still.
“Yeah, baby?” I whisper back.
My eyes drop to her pink pouty lips.
Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t—Oh, fuck it.
Closing the distance between us, I kiss her.
Just a touch at first, my lips barely grazing hers, testing the waters.
Her body stiffens, freezing for a heartbeat, and I’m about to pull back when she makes a small whimper in the back of her throat.
I press my lips to hers again, harder this time, and she responds, her mouth moving tentatively against mine.
She’s mine. Frankie’s mine. The claim plays on repeat in my head as I slide my hand into her hair, cradling the back of her head. With a growl I deepen the kiss, tracing the seam of her lips with my tongue.
Frankie gasps, her lips parting, and I take the opening, sweeping inside to taste her more.
She’s hesitant at first, unsure as her tongue meets mine in shy touches that tell me more clearly than words ever could that she wasn’t lying about her inexperience.
The thought sends another surge of heat straight to my cock.
Frankie Camden is untouched.
A goddamn virgin.
Pure in a way I’ve never known.
The thought is exhilarating. I want to show her everything. Teach her what I like and show her what she needs. I want to be the first man to make her come, the first to feel her tight cunt pulsing around my cock.
The first and the fucking last.
I pull back, resting my forehead against hers as we both catch our breath. Her eyes flutter open, the vacant look from before now replaced by curiosity and desire.
“You okay?” I ask, my voice rough with want.
She bites her lower lip, looking uncertain. “I’m not sure.”
I brush my thumb across her cheek, wiping away the remnants of her tears. “You will be,” I promise. “Let’s get out of here. You need some sleep.”
She nods, the blonde messy bun on top of her head flopping around. “Okay.”
I drop another kiss on her lips and pat her thigh.
With a sigh, Frankie moves back to the passenger seat and clicks the seatbelt in place.
What the fuck am I doing? She’s nineteen. Camden’s daughter. Then there’s the little fact that she stole from me.
And yet...
I glance over at her, watching as she leans her head against the window, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion.
I want to protect her. To keep her safe.
To make her mine in every fucking way.
Fuck.
“I can feel you staring at me.” Opening my eyes, I find Frankie lying beside me, her head propped up on one hand as she studies my face. She looks like an angel with the sunlight streaming through the window behind her.
For a second, I think I’m dreaming but then she smiles, small and tentative, and I know I’m awake.
“Morning,” she says softly.
I grunt in response, my brain still trying to catch up. We got back to my place hours ago, and Frankie crashed hard, the stress and exhaustion finally taking their toll. I’d lain down with her, just to make sure she was okay, and apparently fell asleep too.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask, my voice rough with sleep. “You’re staring.”
She drops her gaze, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “Life, I guess. How quickly it can change. How easily it can be taken away.”
I reach out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Heavy thoughts for so early in the morning.”
“Today made me realize something,” she continues, her eyes meeting mine again. “I’ve been so focused on finding answers about my dad that I haven’t been living. I’ve been... existing. Going through the motions.”
My brow furrows. “That’s understandable, given the circumstances.”
She shakes her head. “Maybe. But I don’t want to take anything for granted anymore,” she whispers, her eyes fixed on my mouth. “Not a single moment.”
Before I can ask her what it is she thinks she’s taken for granted, she leans forward and presses her lips to mine. This time it’s my turn to freeze, because this kiss is different from the one we shared before.
This time Frankie is more confident, more deliberate. Her hand comes up to cup my cheek, her thumb stroking along my jawline.
I respond instantly, my body somehow now hardwired to her touch like she’s flipped some switch inside me. Growling, I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her closer until her body is flush against mine.
Frankie moans softly against my mouth, and my cock hardens in response. I deepen the kiss, my tongue sweeping into her mouth, claiming her in a way that leaves no doubt about what I want.
What I need.
Her hands slide into my hair, her nails scraping lightly against my scalp, sending shivers down my spine. I roll us until she’s beneath me, her body soft and yielding under mine.
I pull back, looking down at her flushed face and swollen lips. “Frankie,” I say, my voice tight. “If you don’t want this to go any further, you need to tell me now. Because if we do this… if you give yourself to me, that’s it. There’s no going back.”
Her eyes widen slightly.
“I don’t want you to stop,” she whispers.
Those six words are all the consent I need.
I crash my mouth against hers, kissing her deeply, thoroughly, like she’s the last breath of air. My hands roam over her body, learning her curves through the thin fabric of my t-shirt that she’s still wearing.
I slide my palm up her thigh and under the hem of the shirt, groaning when my hand meets her soaked panties.
“Fuck,” I mutter against her lips. “You’re killing me, baby.”
She smiles against my mouth, her hands tugging at my t-shirt. “Take this off.”
I sit back on my heels, grabbing the back of my shirt and yanking it over my head in one smooth motion. Her eyes darken as they roam over my chest and abs, lingering on the tattoos that cover most of my skin.
“Your turn,” I say, my fingers finding the hem of her shirt.
She hesitates for just a second before lifting her arms, allowing me to pull the fabric up and over her head. My breath catches in my throat at the sight.
She’s fucking perfect.