Chapter 20
CORA
“Please, stop.” I plead, squeezing his hand as hard as I possibly can, praying silently that he will come back to me. He doesn’t look right. There’s anger and then there’s this. He looks crazed. Frankie looks just like Louisa did that night.
He finally turns to face me, horror etched into his features, features that are only just beginning to come back.
But now, his eyes are hollow. Despair stares back.
That little spark he had, the joy, the kiss.
It’s all spoiled with rage. And I know what comes after, he’s been here before.
Frankie will disappear, either into the bottom of a bottle or a pit of ruin.
But I can’t let that happen.
I know who he is, and I can’t let him retreat back into the shadows again.
The room around us falls silent.
“That's it, come on, let’s go get you cleaned up.” I smile at him as normally as I can, but the slight quiver in my voice has his face change in a split second.
“You can’t seriously believe he will get away with this!” The duke says from the floor. I turn back to him, jaw clenched hard.
“You assaulted me! He did what nobody else in this room would dare to do—stand up to you. All the money and resources in the world, yet your education failed to teach you what the word no means.” I hold my head high as I watch his face battle between bewilderment and entitlement.
“Corinthia Stanley, how dare you speak to the duke that way. Apologise. Apologise this instant!” My mother shrieks from somewhere to my left.
I turn to find her, gathering my strength as I do, and finally utter the words I’d longed to say for years. “No.” I hear gasps but I don’t care.
“Cora, no, don’t do this.” Frankie grips my hand as he speaks, his voice strangely even. But my eyes are fixed on my mother’s.
Shock and horror are spread across her features. “What did you just say to me?” She clutches the pearls around her neck as if I’ve just slapped her cheek raw.
“I said no. I will not apologise. Not to you or anyone else in this world when it comes to Frankie. You have controlled my entire existence for my whole life, and you’re still trying to do it now!
Well, Mother, I am not a chess piece that you can simply push around a board whichever way you see fit.
I am a woman, a woman with her own fucking mind and heart.
” I feel a vein throb in my forehead. As I finally say the words, tension lifts from my body in a cathartic way that has me swaying on the spot.
“Cora, come to your senses. I’m willing to put this aside and not press charges.
All you have to do is marry me, as has been arranged since you were born.
” The duke gathers himself up and climbs to his feet.
He’s tall, but I’m not going to let it stop or intimidate me.
He cradles the back of his head with his hand; there’s a bruise beginning to form under his eye and across his jaw.
This is it, my point of no return.
My mind is made, and my path has been written the day I met Frankie in the rugby stands covered in blood.
This marks the beginning of the fall of my family's dynasty. And they deserve to have it lay in tatters. This entire societal construct deserves to burn and, while I know I won’t be the one to do it, I can certainly light the match.
For the sake of myself, my sisters, my friends…
For Louisa.
“I’m sorry, Frankie,” I whisper as I let go of his hand. He frowns as he looks from his empty hand to me. I walk over to the duke, plant my feet firmly on the ground, pull back my fist and drive it up towards the bottom of his nose.
The crowd around us gasps, but the only sound I hear, as blood bursts from his nose, is Frankie’s laughter.
A beautiful sound that causes a smile to bloom across my face. A wide, real smile.
“What can I say?” Frankie says as he appears at my back, grabbing my waist and pulling my back flush against his chest in a show of possession. “It’s the tattoos; the girls love them, especially the posh ones.”
As he starts to pull me back towards the door, my eyes bounce between my mother and sisters, horror written all over their faces at my lack of grace and decorum. But I don’t care. In fact, it only makes me smile more.
Bella is nowhere to be seen. I’ll have to text her as soon as I can to apologise for blowing up her party.
“We should go.” He whispers before kissing my cheek, grabbing my hand, and spinning me to face the door as we walk.
“I agree.” The adrenaline is still pumping hard through my bloodstream.
We hit the fresh air like a pair of giddy teenagers, both of us still grinning from ear to ear as we make our way to the parked cars in the driveway. That giddiness wanes as I spotour car, the driver nowhere to be seen and completely blocked in by other cars.
“What are we going to do?” I ask, turning to Frankie. He gives me a devilish smirk and pulls out a pair of keys from his pocket. My eyes widen. “Whose are those?”
“Nicked them on the way in from some old man with more money than sense.”
“Frankie, you can’t just steal people's cars.”
He rolls his eyes. “If people don’t want their shit nicked, they shouldn’t leave it lying around.” He clicks the unlock button, and the break lights of a blacked out Bently light up. Luckily it’s not as blocked in as the rest. Perhaps if it’s manoeuvred right?—
“Please, stop overthinking and get in the car before that fucker rats on us to the pigs.” He starts to jog over to the car.
There’s no one else out here, but the sound of voices coming from the entrance hall is getting closer.
I look back at my best friend’s mansion, hoping that she won't cast me aside like everyone else no doubt will. Well, there’s nothing for it, and since I’m breaking all of the rules today…
I kick off my heels and start to bolt towards the car as the doors to the mansion fly back open.
“CORINTHIA, PLEASE! THINK ABOUT THIS!” I ignore my mother’s shouts, a thrill sweeping over me and spreading my smile wide again.
Frankie is already in the car, and he flings the passenger door open from the inside. “Quickly!” He shouts.
I pick up the pace and finally jump in. The car starts to move before I can close the door.
“Hey! That’s my car!”
I can’t help but laugh as Frankie smashes into the car in front, shoving it aside, and taking the bumper of the one that we were in off with it.
I lean out, grab the door handle and pull it shut, concealing us from view.
The last thing I see is my mother’s disgusted face before we pull out of the estate.
I let my head hit the back of the seat as we pick up speed through the country lane.
“Are you okay?” Frankie asks. I turn to him, taking in his flushed cheeks, wild eyes and dishevelled hair. I think this is my favourite version of him.
Heat surges straight to my core. “More than fine.” I’m a woman possessed as I begin to climb over the middle console to Frankie.
“Woah, what are you doing?” He asks, trying to keep his eyes on the road.
“Getting into a better position.” I pull up my dress only to find the fabric has no give, so I rip it straight up the side.
I climb on top of him, placing my legs either side of him.
My hands wrap around his neck as I lean down and take his earlobe into my mouth.
I don’t know what’s gotten into me, why I feel the way I do or why this is the most appropriate time to take this next step in our relationship.
Perhaps it’s the few sips of champagne I’d had, or maybe it’s the fact the guy literally got my name tattooed on his chest today… The car grinds to a halt at the side of the road, Frankie turns off the car and searches my face. His deep brown eyes fill with a mix of worry and awe.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” I ask, but he doesn’t speak. He merely takes my face into his hands and pulls me in close.
His kiss is soft at first, tender as his tongue glides across the seam of my mouth. Until I find myself in a frenzy of undressing and consuming breath. I feel him grow hard beneath me, which only hurries my unbuttoning of his shirt.
I lightly glide my hands over his chest, lingering over the place my name rests, Frankie doesn’t flinch as the fabric presses against it slightly. I want to take my time and explore his body, but right now, time isn’t on our side.
A million and one responsibilities and consequences wait for us in whatever lies ahead. But here and now, in this stolen car, it's just us.
And I never want it to end.
Frankie’s mouth devours every inch of skin he can reach as he thrusts deep inside of me, filling me to the brink. It’s euphoric to be connected to him—finally.
He grips my waist tight as I bounce up and down on top of him. His eyes never leave mine as we chase our pleasure. “I’ll never get enough of you.” He says through laboured breaths.
“Nor I you.”
His lips meet mine once more as his hand reaches between us and— Oh. Well. That’s different. “What is it, what’s wrong?” He asks, falling still beneath me.
“No, no. Don’t stop.” I grind against him, begging for him to put his finger right where he just had it. He does and opera starts to play in my head.
I moan. Loudly. Louder than I ever have before.
Which only seems to egg him on as the pace of his fingers increases with his thrusts.
I can’t think of anything other than the stars exploding behind my closed eyes.
My body shakes and my back arches as I tighten around him.
I slump down, my forehead resting on his shoulder as he finally spills inside of me, and warm satisfaction spreads through me.
We sit there for a moment, listening to the sound of our combined heavy pants, when Frankie’s phone starts to vibrate in his pocket.
“Fuck. I’m sorry, I have to take this.” I don’t move as he fumbles with the inside of his jacket pocket. I’m riding a high wave of pleasure right now, and I don’t think I'd be able to move even if I tried.
“Who is it?” I mumble.
“Four Bang. He always did have impeccable timing.” I snort at the name. How ridiculous. “I’ll call him back in a sec. All of that can wait for a little longer.” Music to my ears.
“What kind of a name is Four Bang, anyway?” I grumble into his shoulder, and Frankie chuckles beneath me.
“Well, his real name’s Aiden, but he got given the name because he knocked someone out in four bangs. This was years ago, when he first joined us from—” Frankie stills. His breathing stops.
I sit up and search his face. “What is it?”
His eyes are wide as he stares off into space behind me. “We need to go.” He pulls out from inside of me, and I take the hint and climb back over into my seat.
“Are you going to explain or am I supposed to guess?” Frankie switches on the car with one hand, and does his trousers back up with the other, leaving his shirt unbuttoned as he puts it into drive.
I barely have my seat belt on before he floors it back down the country lane.
“Frankie? Please can you explain what’s going on?
” I ask again after a few quiet moments.
“Aiden. His first name is Aiden. When he first came to my dad asking for a job, his only experience with drug dealing was with Oscar.”
My blood chills as it all begins to click together. “Aiden… He’s A?”
Frankie swallows. “Yes, I think so. FUCK.” He slams his hands down on the steering wheel, making me jump. “How could I have been so fucking stupid? He’s one of the only few people I thought I could trust. He’s been leading me in the wrong direction for months!” The veins in his neck pulse.
The phone rings again.
“Answer it Frankie. He’s going to know something’s wrong if you don’t. They could move her again.”
He grits his teeth and pulls out his phone again, handing it to me. “Tell him I'm driving. I’m too angry right now and he’ll realise. Put him on speaker.”
I stare at the phone in horror as I take it from him and answer it.“Hello, Frankie’s phone.” I try to keep my voice light and airy even though I want to shrivel and die inside. This little wanker has been under our noses the entire time.
“Uh, can I speak to Frankie please?”
Bile rises in my throat. “He’s driving, but I can pass on a message.”
“Tell him the Russians still aren't giving me anything. I’ve been at it now for over an hour, so I'm heading home.” My blood boils.
“Of course. I’ll pass it on.” I hang up quickly.
“Now go into my contacts and ring Zach. Put him on speaker. We need to track this prick, and right now, I know where he is.”