CHAPTER 61
Special K
I’m stunned. “What did you just say?”
Evander stares at me. “Well? Do you care about Frankie, or not?”
I take a step toward the smug bastard in his fancy suit. “I don’t give a shit if you’re about to get married. I’ll apologize to Phoebe later. Right now, it’s time for you to die.”
Evander laughs. “Yeah, sure. Get on your horse and follow me down. The meeting’s about Frankie, you dipshit. We’re getting her back.”
I shake my head. This is worse meddling than casseroles or even anal probes. “She doesn’t want to come back, dumbass. She made her choice, and I have to respect that. I’m not some sort of pathetic, whiny-assed motherfucker.”
“Really? Maybe just a little bit?” Evander pinches his thumb and index finger together and gives me a shit-eating grin.
“She needs you, K. She needs all of us. And we’re already tits-high in mission planning but figured you might want to be involved if we could find you.
Or maybe you don’t want to help us. That’s cool. ”
I scowl at him, lost. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Summer and Declan bumped into Frankie in Vegas. It’s kind of a long story and we’re burning daylight, but you should know that she’s in big trouble, little brother. She needs our help.”
That’s all I need to hear for the moment. I fly into the saddle and in moments, we’re on our way down the ridge.
Once we’re on flat ground, I push DG hard all the way to the horse barn, Evander ahead of us on the ATV. I ride straight into the tack area and basically throw myself out of the saddle and toss the reins to Joe, then jog with Evander to Cal’s place.
“What did Frankie say to Summer and Declan? Why do they think she’s in big trouble?”
“Let’s just get inside to discuss this.”
“No! Tell me now!”
Right then, Jasmine comes running up to us, a grin spread from ear-to-ear. “I’m having so much fun with the kitty, Uncle K! When is Frankie coming back?”
Evander’s eyes flash at me in warning.
“Let’s talk a little bit later,” I tell her, increasing my speed. “We’re late to a meeting.”
“You guys work too hard!” she yells after us, propping her hands on her hips and scowling.
It’s obvious Evander’s not going to give me any details until we’re in the conference room, which pisses me off. But what do I expect? He’s a lawyer. He likes to pause for dramatic effect whenever he has the chance.
But fuck, my brain’s been spinning the whole way back to the compound. I need facts. I need action items. I need to follow through on what I promised Frankie I would do…
Keep.
Her.
Safe.
My fists are tightly balled at my sides as we run. What was she doing in Vegas? Did she go home after all? Why was she strolling the streets like she didn’t have a care in the world? I’m so confused that I think my skull’s about to blow.
And why the fuck didn’t Declan and Summer get her to safety right there and then? How could they have dropped the fucking ball like that? I’m going to find out in just moments, and if I never speak to Declan again as long as I live, so be it.
We race up the stairs and throw open the door without knocking, startling Victoria. We march past her, through the great room and down the hall, heading straight to the secure conference room.
I don’t have my card on me, so Evander scans me in. He shuts and locks the reinforced door behind me. Everyone’s already seated around the conference table like they’re relaxing and shooting the shit.
“There’s no time to waste with this bullshit!” I punch the table. “If Frankie’s in trouble, I have to save her!”
Cal glances up at me and sighs. “Our custom-made conference table would cost over twenty grand to replace. Sit down and stop molesting the office furniture.”
“Yeah, what did that poor table ever do to you?” Declan barely begins laughing when Cal and Finn smack him on the back of the head in sync, like they’d choreographed it.
“Hey!” Declan complains.
I sit down just as Cal taps a button on the control console in the center of the conference table.
The eighty-inch high-definition monitor on the far wall comes to life, and a phone text message is immediately displayed.
It reads: you don’t know me he’ll kill you Special K can’t follow me not safe PLEASE
I turn to Declan. “And you did nothing?” I yell.
“I was being smart,” Declan says.
“Smart?” I jump up, kick the chair away, and hurl myself over the conference table, sliding with arms outstretched and in position to strangle him. When Finn and Cal block me, I only manage to rip Declan’s shirt in two.
“Fuck. Summer’s going to kill me,” Declan says, examining the shredded fabric.
“Or she’ll thank you,” Evander says. I look back over my shoulder to see our middle brother smiling.
His fingers are steepled. His legs are crossed.
And his suit remains immaculate. Evander’s SEAL specialty was close-quarter combat and methods of entry, yet he always prefers to stay out of our skirmishes.
Maybe he really is smarter than the rest of us, like he’s always claimed.
“But it’s my best shirt!”
Evander laughs. “My dude, I’m sure there’s more stained and filthy Foo Fighters concert tees at the bottom of your closet where that one came from. No one will be the wiser.”
“Are you fucking with me right now?” I refocus. “The woman I love is clearly terrified for her life and we’re talking about Declan’s shirts?” I lunge at Declan again, and this time my hands reach his neck. Cal and Finn dive on top of me.
“Declan!” Finn yells. “Put the image on the screen before this crazy motherfucker kills us all!”
“I will if I can get some room to move! Damn!”
I slump onto my belly in surrender. Cal and Finn remove their collective tonnage off my head and neck and I scootch backwards until my feet hit the ground. Then I fetch my chair and slide down into it.
I’m losing my fucking mind. Just the idea of Frankie out there in trouble makes my stomach turn, and these assholes just don’t get it.
They don’t understand what it feels like to know that the woman you love is in real danger, and if you can’t figure out how to fix the situation, you may never see her again.
I look up. I scan the faces of each of my brothers. And I realize I might be wrong.
They’ve all been here, right where I am in this moment. They’ve all come dangerously close to losing the women they love and need in their lives.
Declan nods at me and taps the control panel. “Meet Nikolai “Niko” Koslov,” he says.
I stare at the man on the screen. His black hair is carefully styled.
His eyes are so dark they look black, too.
His face is clean-shaven, and his thin lips are pulled tight across his brutish face.
He’s wearing an expensive suit, gold cufflinks, and a gold pinkie ring.
And his body language makes my skin crawl.
He stands threateningly close to Frankie. It’s barely noticeable, but she leans slightly away from him. But I notice.
Frankie couldn’t have found two men more different if she tried. I have absolutely nothing in common with this clown. Why was she ever with him?
I might be sick.
“Summer took these photos.” Declan clicks through a series of pictures. There’s one of Niko close up, a side view, a three-quarters profile, and in retreat, Frankie’s hand crushed in his. That fucker’s not holding her hand—he’s dragging her by the arm.
I will be sick.