Hearts on Fire 5: Loving Frankie (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  “No, it’s not over.”

  “It is,” she yelled at him.

  “Where are you going to go? You’re nothing without me. You have no family and no friends.” He taunted her. He had caused that. He’d made it so every waking hour she wasn’t at work she would be with him. The few friends she had moved on to dating, working on their careers, and enjoying their early twenties. She didn’t. She thought she was in love with Kevin.

  “I have friends. I’m not alone.”

  “Who? Who the fuck do you have? There’s no one but me.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Oh, you mean Oscar, that dumb fucking rookie? Yeah, well, guess what, he’s fucking dead. So shut up and take a seat,” he yelled at her, and she gasped. She couldn’t believe it. Was he saying that Oscar was really dead and that he’d killed him?”

  “You hurt him? You killed him?” she asked, voice cracking.

  “I said enough. He should have stayed away from what’s mine. That includes you.”

  “I need to go. I’m not staying here. I came here to say goodbye and to tell you that it’s over.” She started to take a step, but before her high heel reached the carpet, he was pulling her back by her upper arm, making her slam against his chest. Her purse fell to the floor, and she gasped.

  “What the fuck are you talking about? I don’t need your sophomoric bullshit right now, Frankie. I’m dealing with a serious situation with work.”

  He was calling her sophomoric? This was his MO, making her feel naive, uneducated, weak, unknowing so that he could manipulate her actions and her thoughts. Her mind scrambled for control. Part of her wanted to just ease back down to the couch, be a good girl, and listen to Kevin. A killer, a bad cop, the man who supposedly killed Oscar. God, this was too much. My God, poor Oscar. Was it true? Was he really dead?

  She felt the tears roll down her cheeks. She didn’t know what to do. Her mind raced as she wondered how she would get out from under Kevin and even Carlotto. She needed to get to the police, but maybe there wasn’t anyone she could trust. Maybe they were all like Kevin. Kevin would protect her and keep her out of harm’s way. But then came the reality of the situation and this relationship. It was a dead end. If she stayed, she was headed for disaster or, worse, becoming the wife of a cheating, manipulating crook of a cop, everything her father and her brother were the opposite of.

  “No, Kevin. I’m leaving. You deal with your situation at work. I want nothing to do with you, especially if you killed Oscar. I can’t go on like this.”

  “Go on like what?” he yelled, shoving her arm as he released his grip.

  She shuddered a moment. He had been known to strike when he was upset or angry over something. She took a retreating step backward, and his eyes widened and then squinted with anger.

  “You’re not going anywhere. Sit your little ass down and keep your fucking mouth shut.”

  Her eyes instantly filled with tears. He really was a bastard, a heartless, manipulative bastard.

  “Go to hell and take your whore with you,” she spat at him and then began to flee toward the door. Kevin pulled her back by her hair. He smacked her face. She screamed out and grabbed her cheek, shocked at the pain he inflicted.

  “Whore? What the hell—”

  He stopped talking and stared at her. At first, his expression seemed remorseful, but it quickly changed to anger.

  “You bitch. You spying on me? You don’t trust me?” he roared.

  “Obviously you can’t be trusted, Kevin. The Hyatt? The Tuesday and Thursday schedule every week? Yeah, I was there, and I saw you screwing her from behind. I heard and saw it with my own eyes, so don’t stand here and lie to me.” She screamed at him as tears rolled down her cheeks. She was shaking, so scared and so angry.

  He gripped her shoulders and shook her so hard her neck wrenched.

  “You’re not leaving me. You’re mine. I own you, and we’re going to be together forever. You’re nothing without me. You hear me? You’re fucking nothing.”

  The tears streamed down her cheeks as she cried out at him.

  “I hate you. I want nothing to do with you.”

  He struck her. She’d nearly fallen to the floor when, suddenly, the door to the apartment was kicked open. Two men came charging in and one closed the door behind him.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” Kevin roared and shoved her behind him.

  Frankie didn’t know what was happening and tried to run to the left and get out of the room, but the guys pulled out knives. Kevin went for one, and the guy struck forward.

  “No one double crosses Carlotto,” he roared.

  She jerked and cried out as the knife sliced into her hip, hitting the bone. She screamed, and Kevin roared as he attacked the two men at once. She held her hip as the blood oozed from the wound. The door opened again, and there stood Louie Carlotto with three other men. His main guys.

  “Enough!” he roared as Frankie cried and leaned against the wall, shaking.

  Carlotto stared at her, anger in his eyes but also wearing an expression of concern. She wasn’t stupid. She knew his concern was for selfish reasons. He wanted her. He’d wanted her since the moment they’d met four months ago.

  “Carmine, take her to Vito. Fix her up and make sure she knows the deal to not talk.”

  She shook her head as Vito reached for her.

  “Come with me, doll. You don’t want to make the wrong choice here. Your freedom depends on this,” Vito told her.

  “No. Where are you taking her? She’s mine,” Kevin roared from the rug. Two of the men were on top of him, holding him down.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Carlotto held her gaze.

  “Go with Vito. Everything will be okay,” Carlotto told her.

  She looked toward Kevin. She wondered if she would ever see him again and what was in store for her with Carlotto removing her from this scene.

  “Come on, doll. We’ll get you all patched up,” Vito told her as they exited the room.

  The door closed, and she heard the roar of pain. She couldn’t help but think they were going to kill Kevin. Her heart ached, but that innocence, that quality of inexperience, disappeared the moment the thought went through her head with the hope that Carlotto killed Kevin. All her current troubles would be over, but new ones would start. Beginning with owing Carlotto her life and her future.

  Chapter 1

  “You are so funny. With your body and gorgeous face and eyes, you could be in magazines, and you won’t sunbathe in a bikini on the beach? God, you have so much to offer, and I’ve seen the men you’ve turned down at Prestige. I’m starting to think something is wrong with your brain.”

  Frankie chuckled as she leaned back in the beach chair under the umbrella, as if she were barely listening to Cassidy’s rant.

  “I’m not looking to get involved in a relationship with anyone.”

  “How about a booty buddy then? No strings attached and you can get some relief.”

  “Relief?”

  “Yeah, girl, you are so uptight sometimes I’m just waiting for you to snap. But every time you look close to it, you pull back, gain control, and are the usual sweet, soft-spoken Frankie we’ve all come to know and love.”

  Frankie smiled.

  “Who is all?”

  “I can tell you for a fact that half the male staff, including the owners at Prestige, would like to taste your cookies.”

  “Get out of here. You are so full of it. Besides, all those men are older and single and want to keep it that way.”

  “Booty call. You can have your pick. I think if I wasn’t breaking up with Keith and wanting a break from men for a while, I would move in on Shark or even Charlie.”

  Frankie sat forward and pulled her sunglasses off.

  “Shark or Charlie? Are you crazy? Those guys, Lure included, are the most intense men I’ve ever encountered. They have like secret pasts or something. I’d stay clear of them, Cassidy, and just m
ake sure Keith doesn’t manipulate your mind.”

  “He had that capability for a while. If it weren’t for you and your insight into such controlling, abusive relationships, I may have fallen deeper instead of staying free.”

  “I know. It sucks, and you might even second-guess your decision to leave him, but it was the right one. If he can hit you, put you down, and make you feel worthless, then he’s not the man for you.”

  Cassidy stared at Frankie. “So when are you going to tell me all about this ex of yours and how you know so much about men like Keith?” Cassidy asked Frankie.

  “Never. It’s in the past, and I made a promise to just move forward. So, what are you going to do tonight?” Frankie asked.

  “No plans. I’ll wait for you to be off so we can check out Riley’s or the Beach House in Treasure Town. There’s supposed to be a great live band there on Thursday night.”

  “Ugh, you just reminded me. Gloria is supposed to be working tonight. God, my feet are going to be killing me, and I’m going to be exhausted,” Frankie complained.

  “I don’t know why Lure and Charlie haven’t fired her. She has shown up late like three times, and she barely even works the floor at the club.”

  “Tell me about it. Then I do double the work and have to share the tips.”

  “Maybe when we work with her we should be lazy and do what she does. Nothing,” Cassidy suggested.

  “That would only hurt us in the long run and Charlie and Lure. They’re onto her. I’m certain. In fact, if I had to bet on it, I would say the next time she shows up late they’ll fire her.”

  “I don’t know. She has big tits and great legs and thinks nothing of flirting with the customers and talking them into buying top-shelf liquor. That means money,” Cassidy told her.

  “But Lure and Charlie seem like good bosses and men. I’ve seen them reprimand Gloria for her behavior.”

  Cassidy chuckled.

  “Hell, you weren’t working the night she was doing a table dance in the back room with some dirtbag. If Charlie hadn’t walked in, she probably would have fucked the guy right there with other men watching. Prestige isn’t that kind of place.”

  “Thank God I wasn’t there. I probably would have quit,” Frankie stated seriously.

  “No you wouldn’t have. You need money just like I do, and no one is hiring right now during the season. It’s crowded with tourists and vacationers, and, of course, horny men, both young and old.”

  “I know. I can’t even get motivated to go look for another job for during the week. There just isn’t anything out there, and I hate hearing the words, ‘sorry, we’re not hiring,’ all day long.”

  “The tips are so good at Prestige, so why do you need another job?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been a server before, and it’s not exactly what I want in my future as a career.”

  “What did you do back where you came from? You still haven’t told me.”

  Frankie felt bad. She liked Cassidy, and they had become great friends, but the less she knew, the better and safer Cassidy would be.

  “Let’s just say something more professional and businesslike.”

  “What? Squeezing your thirty-six double Ds into an extra-small V-neck T-shirt that says Prestige is not appearing professional? Never mind the short black skirt that shows off your ass and your tan legs. Huh, really now. I’m insulted.” Cassidy crossed her arms and gave Frankie a sassy look.

  Frankie chuckled.

  “It’s different than what I’m used to. That’s all.”

  “So no to accepting any offers of dinner or dates from patrons of Prestige, too?”

  “No accepting any offers of dates period. I’m taking a break from all that drama,” Frankie told her.

  Cassidy giggled.

  “Me, too. That’s why we should hit one of those places I mentioned on Thursday. Maybe the Beach House. I hear a lot of people hang out there.”

  “We’ll see. Maybe,” Frankie said and then leaned back in the chair.

  “You really should remove that cover-up and lay out a little. A nice tan will bring out those blue eyes of yours even more.”

  “Yes, Madam Cassidy,” Frankie teased. Cassidy shook her water bottle at Frankie, hitting her with cold water.

  “Hey.” She sat forward, laughing. “Enough with the Madam Cassidy stuff. I’m not your madam. I’m just hoping that you’ll find someone that you like and who can help you forget about the guy from your past.”

  “No need to worry. He’s already forgotten,” Frankie said then pulled off her cover-up and moved her chair off to the side and out from under the protection of the umbrella.

  As she got comfortable in the chair, she closed her eyes and thought about Kevin and her past. He wasn’t out of her head. She could never forget about him because she knew this wasn’t over. Running away, getting out of town was the only way she could save her life.

  Frankie thought about the last week of hell in Chicago. She thought about Oscar Finery’s funeral and how sad his parents and family were. His murder had been shocking and hit the entire department pretty damn hard. It was torture to go to that wake, to see all the officers paying their respects. It brought back memories of her own father’s and brother’s funerals and the reality of the job of law enforcement officers.

  She had to sit there and listen to old friends of the family talk about the case, the investigation into Oscar’s murder, and how hush-hush it was. She waited, listening carefully, and hoped to hear some inkling of a clue that a special team to investigate had formed and that they had suspects already. But nothing. There was nothing, and it made her wonder who were the good cops and who were the bad ones.

  Then, of course, Carlotto came to visit her. He’d threatened her. He threatened to take other officers’ lives, including Oscar’s cousin who worked as an investigator for a special crimes unit in Chicago, if she were to go forward and rat him and Kevin out. Carlotto made his intentions known that night. He caught her off guard when he brought her hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles as he held her gaze. She knew his intentions. She read the hunger in his eyes and felt the power of his abilities. Frankie would never forget his words to her that night.

  “You deserve better. The best. You remember the chance I have given you, Francesca. When I call you to come to me, to be mine, you better come.”

  She shivered from the memory of his words.

  She got home that night and thought about her options.

  She thought of going to Oscar’s cousin and his team and confiding what she knew, but when—not if—Carlotto found out, both she and Pete would die, just like Oscar had. Oscar had been into something big. There had to be a team working with him, knowing he was undercover. Why weren’t they coming forward? Why weren’t they willing to help bring justice to Oscar’s family, and more importantly, why weren’t they coming to her?

  Were they all bad cops? Were they all so callous and unfeeling that they viewed Oscar’s death as a part of the price an exposed undercover officer paid? She didn’t know, and in order to stay alive, she had done what she needed to do. She left without a word, without giving notice to her perfect job, and without Carlotto or Kevin knowing. She needed to be smart, to stay out of trouble, and to stay alive. The best way to do that was to remain under the radar. That shouldn’t be too difficult in a small touristy area like Bayline.

  * * * *

  Mike Hawkins hung up his gear after he rechecked his firefighting equipment. He was tired and longed for a good night’s sleep. But the crew was going to the Beach House to hear some new band play, and his brother Rye was meeting him there. Another brother, Turbo, was working late at the sheriff’s department so he could take off the weekend for the party they were all attending, and his brother Nate would stay home as usual. It was amazing enough that they’d gotten him to say he’d attend the party on the weekend.

  “Hey, you heading over there around eight?” Marcus Towers asked him. He was a fellow firefighter
in Engine 19, along with his brother, John.

  “Yeah, I’m supposed to meet Rye there. He was heading over early to help Daniel set up the stage.”

  “That’s pretty cool that his old Army buddy is playing in a band showcasing at the Beach House. I can’t wait to hear them. They’ve been all over the Internet and have great reviews,” Marcus said as they grabbed their regular stuff from their lockers.

  Eddie Martelli met them on the way out.

  “Hey, enjoy the weekend, Mike. Give Jessy, Larry, and Dudley my best and try not to be so hung over that you work like shit on Monday,” he teased.

  Mike chuckled.

  “You know I don’t party like that. Too old.”

  “Too old my ass, Hawkins. You’re thirty-three. That’s one year younger than I am.”

  “Like he said, Captain, he’s too old,” Marcus teased.

  Mike gave Marcus a shove as he chuckled and walked ahead faster, afraid they both might tackle him for his comment.

  “I’d watch that if I were you, Marcus. Thirty is breathing down your neck. Enjoy the next year or two,” Eddie told him.

  “I will, old man, and you can just sit there at home and be envious of us youngsters.”

  “Have you seen my woman? I think I know who’s envious,” Eddie said and then walked away.

  “Envious? Me?” Marcus said as he and Mike headed out.

  “Well, Tasha is pretty hot,” Mike said.

  “Damn straight she is. That’s what I need to find. A sassy redhead. That’s now my goal tonight.”

  Mike chuckled.

  “Whatever. I’ll see you there.”

  “Later, bud,” Marcus told Mike as Mike headed to his truck.

  * * * *

  “This is fun,” Frankie told Cassidy as they sat at a table and listened to the band, Exodus, playing. There were six men in the band, and each of them seemed very talented.

  “What did you say?” Cassidy asked her.

  “I said this is fun.” She raised her voice and drew the attention of a few guys who had been checking them out.