Chapter 7
BERNADETTE CRENSHAW
How many women can say they’ve hate-fucked Frank Stein?
I’m going to go with none since the man has never been photographed with any woman ever, and everyone from the ages fifteen to eighty wonders what the guy’s deal is, including me.
Only I’ve got every intention of finding out and then some.
I snort to myself as I make my way to the kitchen, my socked feet slipping silently over the marble floors, intent on grabbing a sandwich before I’m forced to do his bidding again—literally.
I haven’t made the last two days easy on any of them, hemming and hawing every chance I get to slow the process. Frank’s absence has helped that a lot, but it does make me highly curious.
The tabloids whine every single year, as they have since Frank Stein seemingly came out of nowhere, and before everyone knew it, he was a self-made billionaire and the world’s richest man.
A highly respected philanthropist, Frank Stein, dedicates his billions to assisting the common man and setting up major funding for animals around the world, which makes it so hard to believe my current situation is working for the guy under extreme duress.
I reach the countertop and run a finger down it as I head toward the cabinet to snag Edgar some food while I’m at it. Mikael finally brought him to me last night, ordering that work would start in the morning. It’s now afternoon, and I am exhausted but feeling good.
I was so excited to see him it took two hours and a box of tissue to calm me down, but my worries were for nothing. Edgar is great and he’s now sleeping at my desk on the office floor, because someone got him a better cat crate lined with soft padding.
What’s more interesting is how I have no idea what Frank did to piss off the guy after his company, but it’s clear from how Talbot cybersecurity talks that the dude is way bad news.
After checking it out myself, under the thorough surveillance of Mikael and Nero, it’s very apparent that someone used me to gain access to their system, and that pisses me off.
After I tracked down everything they needed, they’ve been like busy bees, so I can somewhat relax. Well, relax as much as one can when in a hostage situation. No one seemed bothered when I said I was going to pop down for a bite to eat.
Then again, half of the crew grabbed their coats to leave as soon as I found the location of a warehouse or two that the bad guys have been keeping under wraps.
Bruno and Nero left me under Mikael’s watch this morning, but as soon as I located the shipment, they too all but vanished.
I stop at a big, glass dome-covered plate of cookies seated on the beige stone kitchen counter and my lip curls.
Someone seriously needs their decorating card removed.
Everything in this place feels like they took advice from a Motel 6 representative and unfortunately, got the assignment.
My eyes are wide as I tiptoe through the place, even though I’m fully aware no one is here, the whole room in darkness with only the light from the elevator doors.
I make my way to the fridge, excitement thrumming when I notice the huge electronic panel on the front of it, and my stomach takes a wild dip. Oh my god, I bet this thing can make phone calls.
My hands begin to shake, and I rub them together before wringing them out and glancing around the room, checking that the elevator doors I just left are still closed and unmoving. I punch in the number to my best friend, crossing my fingers and dancing in place while I fervently hope it connects.
“C’mon, c’mon, Aubrey, pick up!” I whisper under my breath, praying that whatever best friend bond we have somehow notifies her that I really, really need her right now.
Before, it was neat how dark the kitchen is, keeping me hidden, but now it just feels ominous, because the last thing I need is to get caught on the phone.
I start to ask myself what could happen if I do this before I slam a wall down on my thoughts. There’s no way in hell I’m adding ‘what would Frank Stein do’ to my list of things to worry about.
My lips trembles when the phone rings again and a sob lodge in my throat as emotion threatens to overwhelm my senses. I miss Aubrey so much. It feels like it’s been months since I’ve seen her.
“Hello?” my best friend finally says, and elation surges in my chest.
“Oh my god, Aubrey,” I breathe, whispering into the fridge panel while tossing a glance at the elevator doors again. I’m pretty sure Mikael would have something to say about phone usage, since I’ve been kidnapped and all, but when the cats are away…
“Hey, I was just about to call you. Did you get a new number?” she asks, like this is every other social call.
“Listen to me, Aubrey. I’m in New York,” I say, and a squeal erupts from the refrigerator.
“Shhhhh!” I tell her.
“What?” she says, her voice telling me she is pure confusion, but she whispers at least.
“I’m at Talbot Global dude, Frank Stein, he—”
“Oh my god, Bernie, I told you to stop looking into him,” she says, and I hear the sound of a door shutting.
“Pay attention. I didn’t look into him, I swear,” I tell her, “Well I didn’t look into him again, not since I researched him a bit when I looked into Vlad for you. You’re welcome by the way, but then he kidnapped me and—”
“Wait what?” she asks, cutting me off.
“He took me off the street,” I whisper-hiss, outrage bleeding into my tone as she gasps.
“Frank Stein took you?”
“Mmhm,” I reply, popping my head up and pushing on my toes to see the elevator still sitting.
“You’re not serious. Bernie, do you remember when you and Grams had to come pick me up from that airfield near Atlanta?” Aubrey asks.
“Yeah?” My forehead crinkles as I lean closer to the fridge, wrapping my arms around my waist in an attempt to stop it from rolling with anxiety.
“He took me that night from Vlad’s castle and made me go home. He’s a monster. Where are you? I’m going to come get you,” she says.
My jaw drops and my brow wrinkles. “No, you’re not,” I blurt as a wave of lightbulbs go off in my head. He’s a monster.
Oh, Frank Stein is going down.
I step away from the fridge and get on my tiptoes to peek at the still open elevator. “What kind of monster is he?”
“Oh my gosh, you did not just ask me that. And what do you mean no I’m not coming to get you? He kidnapped you, of course I’m going to come rescue you,” she snaps.
“No, you’re not. I’m fine, Aubrey, honest. I know what I’m doing.” That’s a lie, I’ve no idea what I’m doing, but I do know what will set Frank Stein off and maybe teach him a lesson.
“Is this about your grandma?” she whispers.
A pang goes through me at the question, but I can’t fault her for it. Grandma did just pass, and now I’m telling her not to come get me when I’ve been kidnapped. I’d be questioning my sanity too.
I shake my head no, even though I know she can’t see me. “No, I’m alright really, I knew one day Grandma would pass. I’m sort of more shocked at how I wish we’d had more time together. We didn’t get along for so long, but that’s okay. She knows I loved her.”
“I’m so sorry Bernie, I know you two had grown close,” she says quietly, “But this isn’t high school Bernie. Frank Stein is seriously a psychopath, and you can’t just get even like you’ve done with all your classroom bullies. Where did he take you?”
“What kind of monster is he?”
She huffs. “I don’t know what kind. I do know him and Vlad don’t exactly get along.”
My lips lift into a grin. “Shut the front door. There’s no way in hell this is a coincidence, woman. A man that hot would have to be supernatural and I don’t know how I didn’t put it together before. Of course, he must be a vampire, too. Aubrey, this is amazing.”
She groans across the line as excited butterflies dance in my middle.
“If sexy reanimated corpse monsters are a thing all bets are off, unless—” I say, my voice full of awe as my brain skyrockets with possibilities.
“Oh my god Aubrey, what if there really is a shadow daddy. I didn’t even think that would be an option, you know, it’s always werewolf or vampire. There is no in between.”
“You are freaking mental, and I’m coming to get you.”
I let out a snort on my way back to the fridge to find some orange juice, completely at ease now that I know he’s a monster. “As if Vlad is going to just let you leave the castle, and you know this is all starting to make sense, that’s why Frank’s so butthurt about me hacking into his company.”
“You hacked into his company?!” Aubrey shrieks.
“He’s got to be a vampire too. Wait. Oh my god, what if Frank Stein is like the original Dr. Frankenstein?” It would make sense why he’s so uptight.
Aubrey groans across the line. “What about the words psychopathic monster are you not getting here.”
“Aww, he just needs love. Frank just needs a good attitude adjustment, that I’m about to provide free of charge, and maybe a little pussy.”
She snorts a laugh, and I know I’m reeling her in now.
I think back on how uptight he seems, like he has never had anyone really get under his skin and anticipation thrums beneath my skin. “Come on, Aubrey. He’s freaking hot, and you know it,” I tell her.
I could maybe be the best thing for him, and the hate sex would be unreal, plus, there’s no way possible he would ever get attached. It's brilliant.
“You would find him hot, oh my god. You are unreal,” she says, “I tell you he kidnapped me, and he’s a monster, and you still think he’s bangable.”
I roll my eyes at her, even though I know she can’t see. “Hello? He kidnapped me too. You’re not special, and that’s rich coming from you, Vamperella. You get to have your big scary vampire, and I never get to have any fun.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“I practically handed you Dracula,” I remind her, since it was me who booked her flight to castle Tepesh in the first place.
She lets out a heavy sigh, and I know I've got her.