28. Frankie
28
FRANKIE
I held Reath’s hand as we entered Smokehouse through a set of cool, distressed wooden doors.
I’d heard all about Dante’s club, Ember—the number-one hottest nightclub in New Orleans. But it was closed on Monday nights. Tonight, he’d told me we were meeting the others at Smokehouse.
The bar had a more easy-going, family-friendly vibe. The wood floor reminded me of Reath’s place—scarred and nicked from its past life, but now glossed over with polish. The walls were a warm cream and brick. There was a green wall at the back, bursting with plants, and lots of metal shelves filled with New Orleans keepsakes—colorful beads and masks, bottles of whiskey, photos of the city’s most famous landmarks. A square, wooden bar sat in the center of the space, and booths and tables filled the rest of it.
There were a few people at some of the tables. A server—wearing a denim shirt and a beige skirt—walked past us, carrying a juicy steak resting on a wooden board on one hand, and a tray full of drinks on the other.
“We didn’t need to come out,” I said.
He glanced down at me. “You’ve been cooped up all day. I thought you deserved a break. You’re safe here.”
I’d spent the day at PSS. It had been interesting. I especially liked seeing Reath in his element. He clearly knew what he was doing, and was a good boss. All of his team respected him.
I did admit it had become a little boring toward the end of the day, once I’d run out of work to do. I really needed to be in my lab. It would be nice to have a drink and relax.
To forget that a terrible, evil man was hunting me so he could sell my work to the highest bidder.
“I’m not really dressed for this place.” A woman walked past us wearing a tight black skirt and a silky red tank top. She eyed Reath and shot him a flirty smile.
My gaze narrowed, and I shot her a glare.
I hadn’t packed anything fancy during our quick trip to my house. I truly hadn’t thought I’d need anything to wear out at night. I was wearing my best pair of jeans and an emerald-green shirt I loved.
“You look great.” He met my gaze.
His look made my belly turn to goo. That look told me he was thinking of me naked. I bit my lip.
Hmm, maybe I’d prefer to be back in his place, doing—
“There you are.”
Mila appeared, smiling at us.
The other woman slid her arm through mine. “Come on. I have a special cocktail just for you, Frankie.”
“Cocktails are kind of Mila’s thing,” Reath told me.
“When I was on the run from some very bad guys, I was undercover at Ember as a bartender. I learned all about mixing drinks. I love designing new cocktails.” Her gaze ran over me. “And you look like you could do with one.”
I smiled. It was nice that someone understood what I was going through. “I’d love one.”
We moved over to the bar. I spotted Macy and London sitting on stools. Colt, Beau, and Kavner were with them.
“No Dante?” I asked.
Mila pointed upward. “He’s in the office up there meeting with the manager and doing some paperwork.” She smiled. “I bet he hates that he can’t see us. At Ember, his office has a huge plate-glass, one-way window he can use to survey the whole of his domain.”
“He used to watch you constantly through that window, and vehemently deny it,” Reath said.
Mila’s smile widened.
She looked so happy. So in love. She currently had a job she adored, and a man who couldn’t get enough of her.
I felt a shot of envy.
I looked away. Independence and my work were what mattered to me. And those were far safer than love. I thought of my mom—still in love with my father, never dating, living with the shadow of a ghost.
If things didn’t work out with Dante, I knew that Mila would be devastated.
Love just wasn’t worth the risk.
I glanced at Reath and saw him talking with Beau. My heart clenched.
Was it worth the risk?
“Here you go.” Mila handed me a tall glass filled with a blue drink. There were flames licking the top of it. “One Hot Scientist.”
I laughed and blew out the flames. “Thanks.”
“Drink up.” Macy leaned over on her stool. “Tonight, there are no troubles and no bad guys. You’re here to relax and have fun. You need to decompress.”
I cocked my head. “Did you have your own experience, too?”
“Yep.” Macy sucked on the straw in her cocktail and slurped. “A crazy stalker who followed me across the country. Colt wasn’t pleased.”
“I’ll bet.”
“It was what brought us together. He went straight into overprotective mode and saved my life.”
London nodded. “Same for me. I mean, my issues were to do with my Treasury work…”
“And the fact that you were determined to arrest Kavner,” Mila added.
I gasped. “Really?”
“It’s a long story,” London said.
I leaned forward and sipped my drink. “Then start at the beginning.”
Mila, Macy, and London were all so different, but fun and friendly. Soon I was laughing and snorting with them, as they told me their stories.
“Reath and Beau both came out of the water?”
Macy nodded. “Like superheroes.” She looked at Colt. “They’re all good men.”
I nodded. “My brother adores Reath. Says he’s the best of the best. The best guy he knows.”
“It looks like you might feel the same,” Macy suggested.
The blood in my veins felt warm, my belly was tingling, and I was pleasantly buzzed. “It’s just sex.”
Mila’s eyebrows went up, Macy giggled, and London smiled.
“I knew it,” Mila said. “The moment I walked in on you two the other morning.”
“It’s not serious,” I insisted. “Neither of us wants that.”
“Mmm.” Mila quirked one eyebrow.
“We’ve got rules. No emotions, no strings.”
The women all traded a look.
“I’m not sure that idea ever works out,” Macy said. “Especially when you’re dealing with a Fury brother.”
“I don’t want a relationship. My dad was married to his job as a cop.” I knew I should stop talking, but my mouth wouldn’t obey. “When he died, a part of my mom died, too. It destroyed her.”
Mila pressed a hand to my arm. “It doesn’t have to be like that, Frankie.”
“Reath says he doesn’t need or want love.”
Mila rolled her eyes. “That man doesn’t know what he needs.”
“We all need love,” London said quietly.
Macy nodded. “Doesn’t matter where we’ve been, or what we’ve done.”
Suddenly, I couldn’t be here, with these three women who were all so happy with the men who’d claimed them.
I slid off my stool. “I need a trip to the ladies’ room.”
“That way,” Mila pointed. “By the way, we’re not buying your baloney story.”
“It’s true.” I frowned. “I think. I’m trying to keep it that way.”
“You’ve got more grilling ahead when you get back,” London said.
Reath appeared. “You okay?”
Yep, he was a good guy. “I’m headed to the ladies’ room.”
He nodded.
The restroom was as nice as the rest of the bar. After I was done, I washed my hands and checked my reflection in the large, wood-framed mirrors. When I stepped out, a woman in a blue denim shirt spotted me. It was like the uniform I’d seen the servers wearing.
“Frankie? I have a cocktail for you.” She handed me another tall glass.
“From Mila?” I asked.
The woman nodded.
“Thanks.” As I took a sip, the woman disappeared into the tables, and I wondered where her tray was. She’d only been carrying my drink.
I took another sip. A second later, dizziness hit me, and the room spun.
Oh boy . Maybe I’d had more to drink than I realized? I set the drink down on an empty table before I dropped it and pressed a hand to the wall.
Everything spun again.
I needed Reath. My stomach swirled uncomfortably. No. I was not going to be sick in the coolest bar in New Orleans.
“Hey, are you okay?”
The Texas twang had me looking up at a man in front of me. He had a nice face that was filled with concern, although he was a little blurry.
“I need to find Reath.”
The man slid an arm around me. “Take it easy. I’ve got you.”
“Can you help me find him?”
“Sure. Let’s go this way.”
We set off, and another wave of dizziness washed over me. That’s when I realized we were heading toward the back of the bar. I frowned.
“This isn’t the way.”
“It is.” His grip tightened. “Everything will be fine.”
A terrible suspicion hit me. I wasn’t drunk.
My drink had been spiked.
A shot of adrenaline hit my system, and I tried to push away from the man.
“Let me go.” My movements were clumsy and uncoordinated.
The man cursed. We struggled and spun. I slammed into a table, and one of the chairs tipped over and crashed to the floor.
I got free and tried to move, but I staggered.
Reath . I needed Reath. Everything was a blur.
“No, you don’t.” As the man gripped me again, his Texas twang was gone, a European accent leaking through. “You’re coming with me.”