Chapter 34 #2
That shuts Frankie up. He scowls at the road and doesn’t say anything else until we arrive at my apartment.
Gio gets out of the car and leans back in to talk to Frankie. “I have to tell your father what we’ve been up to.”
“I can do that,” Frankie offers.
Gio looks at me and then back at Frankie, “We’ll talk later,” he says simply. “Sofia. Glad you’re on our side.”
My heart warms to hear something so sweet, though I don’t really consider myself on his side. But he’s trying to tell me I did an excellent job and that I would make a formidable opponent. I take that as a compliment and nod my thanks.
Gio walks around Frankie’s car to another vehicle parked a few cars away.
He gets in and drives off, leaving Frankie and me alone.
I put my head back against the headrest and just sit there for a moment.
My thoughts are a jumbled mess, like puzzle pieces inside a box.
I don’t know where to go from here, or what the implications are for what I’ve done.
Frankie gets out and holds my door open. I’m reminded of the early days of our relationship where he never let me open my own door. I feel nostalgic for those times, and wonder if we’re ever going to be able to repair our fleeting romance.
I climb out and fall right into his arms. He’s not expecting it, but that’s okay.
He releases the door and puts his hands on my shoulders.
Holding me tight, he makes me feel safe.
It’s been a long time since I’ve allowed myself to be held.
All this time I’ve been on my own, running from enemies both imaginary and real.
It’s nice to know that I’m not alone, but I’m not ready to be a part of a couple yet.
“Let me walk you to your door,” Frankie says, tugging me far enough away from the car so he can close the back door safely.
I don’t argue, letting him steer me up the stairs and down the hall. He waits as I put the key in the lock and then insists on going inside first to make sure it’s safe.
“All clear,” he announces, ushering me inside.
I go straight to the sofa out of habit. My brain is fried and I’m working on motor memory.
I know there’s something else I’m supposed to do, but for the life of me, I can’t figure out what.
After a quiet moment it hits me. The whole purpose of this operation was to get access to Harlan’s files.
We planted the bug, so we should be able to see what he’s been trying to hide soon.
I reach for my laptop wanting to be ready for when Gio finds what we need but realize I have a pounding headache.
“Hey,” Frankie says, deftly intervening. He puts a hand on the laptop to prevent me from opening it, and sits down beside me with concern in his eyes.
“I have to be ready to look through Danny’s files,” I mutter.
“Not now,” Frankie soothes. “Gio still has to find them.”
“But we don’t know how long Harlan will wait before contacting Carlo Andretti,” I respond.
“He can wait at least an hour,” Frankie says. “Let me get you an aspirin.” I must look as tired as I feel if he thinks I need some aspirin.
“In the bathroom,” I say, helping Frankie find the bottle of pills behind the mirror. He brings them back to me along with a glass of water. I take them both as ordered, feeling like a small child instead of a mature woman. “Thank you for all your help.”
“I can stay,” Frankie offers.
“No,” I respond. “You’ve done enough.”
“Sofia,” Frankie begins, sitting down next to me and taking my hand. “I want to apologize for what I said to you at your office.”
I shake my head. “You were well within your rights.”
“No,” he insists. “I wasn’t. You were well within your rights to suspect my father of foul play.”
“Your father is a kind man,” I tell him.
“Sometimes,” Frankie agrees. “I also appreciate the fact that no one really believes I’m capable of murder.”
“You’re not, right?” I ask, hoping that he will agree.
“No,” he confirms. “I’m not.”
“Then it’s only a matter of time before Harlan figures out that he’s been tricked,” I say.
Frankie nods. He can see the urgency in the situation and finally allows me to open my computer. “I can cook you something, or order takeout.”
“I’m not hungry,” I reply.
Frankie sits back, clearly looking for an excuse to hang around. If I don’t nudge him gently toward the door, I’m afraid he’ll take up residence on the couch. He looks like he wants to talk, but that’s the furthest thing from my mind.
“I’d like to do this alone,” I say.
“Why?” he asks.
“It’s personal,” I respond.
He nods softly, understanding my dilemma.
We’re all involved in this mess, but I’m the one who is suffering the most. Frankie and his father have their own history with Andretti.
I’m not aware of the scope, or if it involves the murder of a close friend.
But if Andretti killed my brother, I want to find the underlying cause of it.
I’ll ask for help if I need to, but I want a front row seat.
I’m afraid that if I accept help or allow Frankie and Gio to take over, I won’t have the satisfaction of watching my brother’s killer get what’s coming to him.
I need to do this on my own. I need to know what’s in those files, and if it will help me bring Andretti to justice. If not, I need to get out of here, and the fewer people who know where I’m going the better.
I wasn’t successful in getting my parents to leave, but I can try again.
If I can find concrete proof of Andretti’s guilt in Danny’s files, then maybe my dad will listen.
There has to be something there. Otherwise, why would Danny have been killed?
As a last resort, I think I can drive away on my own.
Andretti will continue searching for me and leave my family out of it. I can only hope.
Frankie stays for a moment, obviously torn about whether he should go. But he finally stands up, leans over, and kisses me on the forehead. His lips are soft and warm, almost drawing me away from my work. Almost.
I look up at him gratefully and watch him walk out the door. Standing up, I lock it behind him. I hope a time will come when I can focus on love, but now is not that time.