What the hell are Alex and Lee even doing here? I slam the bathroom door shut and lock it. There is absolutely no way this is a coincidence. This has my dad written all over it.
Alex is damn good at his job. We have a serious problem.
Shit. I should have never asked him about the club.
What if they’re here to mess up whatever meeting Frankie has tonight? He would have seen Frankie get me off at the table.
My dad will find out, and that makes me a target for them to get to Frankie. The cold water from the sink doesn’t stop my blood from boiling. At every turn, my father is there to get to me.
I hate him. I hate what he is, what he stands for.
He can’t control me anymore. I have something more powerful than any of them.
Frankie.
Running my hands through my hair, I take a deep breath and make my decision. I need to get back to him. I couldn’t stand seeing him with another woman earlier; it made me murderous. I’ve been through this before, and I don’t want the same ending this time.
I don’t want more blood on my hands.
Heading back into the bar area, I keep my eyes fixed on Frankie, who watches my every move. Holding my chin high, I walk past my old colleagues, deliberately positioning myself next to Frankie while turning away from Alex and Lee.
I lean in close to Frankie and whisper, ‘You have a problem.’
“Tell me more, baby.” He grips my waist, hugging me closer.
“You’ve got two high-ranking cops over in the corner. They know me. Alex is working for my dad. I’m sure of it. He was the one telling Chad to raid my apartment.”
“Hmm.” Scratching his beard, he leans his face closer to mine. “What are their names?”
“Alex Pierce and Lee Mitchell,” I say without a pause.
Frankie leans back, his hands firmly planted on the smooth surface of the table. Completely unbothered by this news.
“Why do you not care? They could be here to find out who you’re meeting? They know we are together? This is bad, Frankie!” I whisper shout, annoyed by his lack of interest.
His fingers tap against his glass. I can’t get a read on him at all, and then a smile creeps up on his lips as he faces me.
“Thank fuck for that,” he says, almost to himself. I shake my head in confusion at his reaction. He almost seems happy.
I don’t get a chance to question him as his lips crash over mine and his fingers lace around my throat.
He pulls back with a glint in his eye. “How do you suggest we deal with them, dolcezza? Should I kill them?” he asks.
My eyes slide over to where they are sitting, watching our interaction. Of course, that’s Frankie’s answer. My first instinct is that we need more information as to how and why they’re working for my father.
I chew on the inside of my mouth, with all these ideas spinning around. I want to impress him, show him I can be useful.
As bad as it is, I understand his need to eliminate the problem.
“I guess you could? Or use them to blackmail my way back into the force? That way I can dig for information there?”
A smirk creeps up on his lips as he leans forward.
“Perfect answer, baby. But, no. I don’t want you near them. Not without me.”
I roll my eyes. “You haven’t heard the rest. My dad will give me my job back, thinking I’m an easy target to get to you. I don’t know what Romano has on him or why he’s so involved, I want to know. I can find out.”
He slowly traces the rim of his empty glass. “Your dad will just let you in?”
I shake my head. “What if I tell him I’m pretending to be yours to get closer to you? It would be the ultimate in.”
Darkness flashes across his eyes. “Are you?”
“Are you fucking serious?” I say, too loudly.
“You said it yourself. Is that why you gave in to me?”
“How do I know you’re not using me to get to Romano?” I cross my arms over my chest, taking a step back.
We stare at each other, neither one of us giving up. It is quite plausible we were both using one another. I thought this was more than that, though. What I feel towards him is something I can’t fight.
“I didn’t expect to fall for you, dolcezza. I don’t play games. I certainly don’t open my heart to anyone. Yet, here you are.”
As I step towards him, I can’t help but notice the intensity in his eyes as I tilt my chin up to match his height.
“You think I’d let a guy do the things you do to me, if it wasn’t real?” I feel his imposing presence as he stands, towering over me. Forcefully pushing against his chest, I fail miserably trying to move him away.
“I don’t play games either, Frankie. Either trust me and let me help you or leave me. I ask for two things: trust and respect. If you can’t give me both of those, we are done.” My heel clicks against the floor as I stomp my foot for emphasis.
His jaw tightens, and I hold his stare. I’m not giving in. He came after me; he made me his. If he wants to keep me, I’m not settling for anything less.
He wraps his arms around me, his solid frame pressing against me. Softly, he moves my hair away from my neck.
“You aren’t going anywhere, Zara. Not now, not ever.”
I blow out a breath. It’s terrifying how deep we are. He nudges my legs open with his thigh, planting wet kisses below my ear.
I want to know everything there is about this man. “I meant what I said, Frankie.”
“I know. I expect the same back. Don’t ever disrespect me like that in public. I don’t care how pissed off you are, save it for when we are home. Do you understand me?”
I can feel my body trembling as his fingers tighten around my throat, the weight of his threat sinking in.
“I understand, sir.” I bite down on my lip. “Am I going to be punished?”
“Absolutely. Right now, I just need to be inside that tight pussy. You have no idea how hard that made me.”
With a firm grip, he pulls me away from the bustling bar, revealing a gleaming gold door to our left, which he locks behind us. It’s just like the room I was in before, except this one is adorned with black accents. A velvet couch is in the corner and a pole is in the middle of the room.
“We have a meeting in ten minutes, so we have to be quick,” he groans, tugging my back against his chest as his hand slides under my dress.
I can hear my wetness as his fingers start to fuck me, this burning need for him taking over and consuming me.
“That all depends on how well you can take me, sir,” I tease. A moan escapes me as a third finger slides in.
“Now stop talking and bend over and take it like a good fucking girl,” he rumbles into my ear.
He owns my body and my pleasure completely.
As Frankie guides me into a private conference room, his hand sits possessively around my lower back. I can’t help but feel a growing sense of panic. Enzo and Jax are sitting opposite the three Russian thugs from Vegas.
The one in the mask is built like a wall of pure muscle. The black balaclava doesn’t hide his black eyes staring at me. He looks so much more intimidating here in the dim lights than he did at the hotel.
There are two seats at the head of the table. I hesitate as we reach them.
Frankie leans in, his lips brushing my ear. “This is where you should be, dolcezza.”
I can’t help but shiver at the sound of his husky whisper as he pulls out my chair. Ignoring the empty spot beside him, I make myself comfortable on his lap. His chest vibrates with a low chuckle against my body, and his arms tighten securely around my stomach.
“I don’t have long, so tell me, do we have updates on the status of the girls in Vegas?” Frankie’s fingers trace my knee as he speaks.
The masked man leans back languidly. “Yes. We have located eight of the ten, each to premises owned by a Reaper. We will begin our operations to save them tomorrow.”
Frankie nods. I shift uneasily on his lap, the pressure of his throbbing dick against my ass intensifying as he holds me closer.
“Don’t Zara,” he warns under his breath, making my body heat at his commanding tone. “And where will you be housing them?”
“Enzo will source them new identities. We will question them for information surrounding my father and Romano. They can have new lives in new states, under our protection, with some of our alliances elsewhere. They can’t stay in Vegas, not with the MC issues.” Mikhail’s face turns to watch Candy saunter by.
Frankie doesn’t look, just focuses on his tech guy. “Enzo, can we organize the same for the girls we have in our safe house?”
Enzo types on his phone. “I’ve already started on the paperwork. Give me a couple of days. It will all be done.”
“Jax, are you good to question the girls tomorrow?” Frankie turns to his right-hand man.
“You know it, boss,” he says enthusiastically.
“Good. So, Mikhail, if we get these girls to you, can you keep them safe until they can be moved somewhere permanent?”
“Another hundred thousand on top of our deal, yes,” the masked man answers in his deep Russian accent.
“What is the original deal?” I ask, my voice quiet as every man in the room stares at me.
“Half a million and three month’s worth of weapon supply,” Frankie responds. I can hear the amusement in his tone.
“If we’re taking care of the paperwork and getting the girls to you, plus providing weapons, why would we pay you anymore?” I idly trace one of Frankie’s tattoos that thread across the back of his thumb, I keep my focus on Mikhail.
Mikhail cracks his knuckles with his harsh gaze locked on me. “Why are you speaking to me?”
“Why not?” I counter, lifting my chin.
“You don’t run Frankie’s business. You are just a hot piece of ass. I don’t answer to you,” he says gruffly.
I can sense Frankie’s anger radiating off him as he stiffens beneath me. Oh shit.
“If you don’t apologize to Zara in the next thirty seconds, the whole deal is off and I will take my entire army into Vegas and we will tear your empire to the ground. She is my woman and she will be treated with respect from all of you. Do I make myself clear?” The chill in his voice brings goosebumps to my arms and makes my heart pound faster.
Fuck, he’s sexy.
Mikhail’s eyes widen in surprise. “I didn’t realize. I apologize.” He holds up his open hands, stopping his two bodyguards from stepping forward.
“That is your first and only warning, Mikhail. Now answer her questions. I could do without another war.”
I can feel the heat radiating from my cheeks, as if my entire body is being consumed by fire.
“We need the funds to relocate the girls safely.”
“Would fifty thousand cover it?” I ask.
His jaw grinds beneath the fabric covering. “We can make that work.”
I fake a smile at him, pressing my ass harder against Frankie’s lap. “Good.”
“Looks like we have a deal, then.” Frankie taps my thigh. Standing up, I feel his hand on my waist as he joins me, his touch reassuring as he addresses the table. “Feel free to stay here and enjoy yourselves. We have a busy few days ahead.”
He leads me out of the secluded room, back to the bar area where Alex and Lee are still sitting.
‘Now, about that punishment,’ he whispers in my ear.
