***
It was just before lunchtime by the time they finished their meeting in Grant’s office.
“Thanks for all the information, Frankie,” Alynna said as they stood up. “We’ll get to work right away.”
Frankie had told them all she could remember from the day of the attack. Her voice was calm and even, though some parts of the story sent a chill through her veins. Grant sat beside her, holding her hand and giving it encouraging squeezes whenever her breath hitched or she paused too long.
“Are you sure you have time for this?” Frankie frowned. “You just had a baby.”
“Yeah, well, Lycan healing is amazing,” Alynna patted her tummy. “And we have to find out who’s trying to hurt you. Besides, you know the perks of working for the family business. I can work from home whenever I want, but still get to bring Mika to work with me when I have to come into the office.”
“I’ll go through my own sources as well,” Nick said. “We might ask you to work with a sketch artist to see if we can identify your attackers. Do you think you could describe them?”
Frankie shuddered, but put on a brave front. “Of course.” There was no way she could forget their faces.
“Alright, well, I think it’s time we go,” Grant stood up, signaling that their meeting was over.
“Go where—hey!” Frankie whooped in surprise as her vision turned upside down. Grant put her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. She giggled as she stared at Alynna and Nick’s upside-down faces, their expressions a mix of shock and amusement. “Where are we going?” She waved to Jared, who stared after them, his jaw practically on the floor.
“One of the safe rooms in the building,” Grant said matter-of-factly. “Just trying to keep everyone safe from our super Alpha pheromones.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Ms. Muccino,” Jared’s voice crackled through the speakers on the intercom on Grant’s desk.
Frankie’s brows knitted. “Jared? Are you calling me?”
Grant lifted his head from the paperwork he was signing and looked at her, but said nothing.
“There’s a delivery for you at the reception, Ms. Muccino. The receptionist said the package came all the way from Jersey.”
“Cannolis!” Frankie shot up from the couch.
“Cannolis?” Grant asked.
“Yeah,” she slung her purse over her shoulder. “I was whining to Dante yesterday how much I miss the cannolis from Muccino’s and I think he took the hint! I bet he baked me three dozen! Of each kind!”
She went to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be back!”
“Leave the gun,” he joked.
“Take the cannoli!” she answered. As she left his office with a spring in her step, she could practically taste the delicious, creamy treats!
Oh god, didn’t I just have a big breakfast with Grant two hours ago?
She took the elevator down to the massive reception desk. Fenrir Corp’s headquarters were huge and they needed an army of receptionists just to keep things in order.
“Excuse me,” she called to one of them. “My name’s Francesca Muccino,” she said. “Uhm, I was told there’s a delivery for me?”
The young man frowned. “Yeah, I called it in. The guy was waiting here, but he said he had to use the bathroom. Let me go find him, Ms. Muccino.” He stood up, then walked off towards the direction of the public toilets.
“Hmmm…” There was something off and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
She waited for fifteen minutes, according to the big clock over the reception desk. Finally, the receptionist came back. “I’m sorry, Ms. Muccino, I can’t seem to find the delivery guy.”
“What?”
“Yeah, he just disappeared. Maybe he had other deliveries to make.”
“Oh,” Frankie said in a disappointed voice. “Maybe it wasn’t cannolis.”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh nothing. Thank you anyway,” she walked back towards the elevators.
The elevator took her straight up to Grant’s floor. She knitted her brows as she realized Jared wasn’t at his station. She shrugged. Maybe he went to the bathroom.
She opened the heavy wooden doors. “False alarm! No cannoli!” she announced. “You’ll have to-”
Frankie stopped short as the sickening scent of jasmine assaulted her senses. Jasmine and arousal. She saw red, and let out a feral growl, her she-wolf clamoring to get out. When her vision cleared a split-second later, she knew she wasn’t imagining it. Vanessa Bennet was spread eagled on the couch, wearing nothing but a smile, while Grant was standing over her, a white coat in his hands. He fell forward, right on top of Vanessa.
“Oh yes, fuck me Grant, like you did last week! I’ve missed you so much! I want you inside me now!”
“Bastardo!” she screamed. Storming in, she grabbed the vase by the door and hurled it at Grant’s head. It didn’t quite make it, and landed in a crash by his feet.
“What the? Oh fuck! Frankie!” Grant disentangled himself from Vanessa and got up from the couch. “This is a mistake!” He stalked over to her, reaching out to touch her.
“You bet it’s a mistake!” she moved to strike him, but his hand curled around her wrist. “Let go of me!” She yanked her hand away from him. “God, I was so stupid!” Fury blazed through her, and she was glad she was too angry to cry right now.
“Frankie, please, listen to me. I lo—”
“No! I’m done! This is over! Don’t follow me, don’t talk to me, don’t even come near me! I rescind your invitation to my territory!” She twisted away from him, headed towards the door and yanked it open. The last thing she heard before the door closed behind her was Vanessa’s sultry laugh.
***
Grant stood by the door, watching it close as Frankie left. “Goddammit!” he raked his hand through his hair. Rage filled his blood, but not white hot like Frankie’s, but cold and freezing. Slowly, he turned back to the woman was ruining his life.
“Get out,” he said in low voice.
“But Grant, I’m all ready for you,” Vanessa purred, her fingers between her legs. She let out a throaty moan.
Bile rose up in his throat. “I said get. The fuck. Out.” He threw the coat on top of her, grabbed her by the arm and dragged her towards the door.
“But, Grant,” she whined, struggling and digging her heels in. “C’mon, I told you, I’d do anything you want. Or you can do anything you want to me. Do you want me to suck you dry and let you come all over me? Or I can bend over and let you take me up the-”
“Shut up, Vanessa, just shut the fuck up!”
“You’re making a mistake choosing her, Grant Anderson,” Vanessa tugged her arm away from him. She wrapped the coat around herself and stood up to her full height, like a wolf posturing against an enemy. “What do you want with that poor little glorified waitress? You’re the Alpha of New York and she is beneath you! That little-”
“I swear to god, Vanessa, you better watch your mouth!” Grant roared at her, a growl coming from his chest.
“What does she have that I don’t, Grant?” Vanessa’s face turned into a vile mask of hate. “Can’t you see how right we are for each other? We would make the perfect match! Our bloodlines are pure, from great families. Our pups would be strong and powerful, while hers has been tainted by consorting with humans!”
“Are you really not going to leave?” Grant gritted his teeth.
“Not until you see reason or you throw me out by force!” She stood there, daring him to lay a hand on her.
“Fine!” Grant stalked to the door and yanked it open. “Jared!” he called angrily. “Call Nick Vrost! Tell him I need him. Now.”
“Already done, Primul,” Jared said with relish, and cocked his head towards the two approaching figures. Nick and Alynna were marching down the hallway, and his sister was rolling up her sleeves.
“Primul,” Nick said as entered the office, his voice icy.
“E
scort Ms. Bennet out, please.” Grant suddenly felt the anger draining out of him.
“Don’t touch me!” Vanessa’s eyes grew wild. “If you do it, I’ll bring the Connecticut wolves on your head!”
“Nick may be too classy to smack a biatch, but I’m not!” Alynna declared. She grabbed Vanessa by the arm, gripping tight.
“Go ahead and hurt me, it’ll only make you look bad.”
Alynna’s voice turned sickly sweet, her lips curling into an evil smile. “Ms. Bennet, will you please come with me? Or will I have to tell your Alpha that I felt you were too dangerous and unstable around my pup, who happens to be in my office two doors down, which is why we had to toss your skanky ass out the door?”
“You wouldn’t!”
“It would be our word against yours,” Alynna dared.
Vanessa looked at Grant pleadingly, but when the Alpha’s face remained stony, her face fell. “Fine. You’ll regret this, Grant Anderson,” she screamed, vitriol dripping from every word. “Mark my words. You’ll regret not taking what I have to offer. You and your entire clan.”
“Let’s go,” Alynna yanked on her arm and dragged her out the door.
Grant let out a sigh and by the time he turned around, Nick was already handing him a glass filled with whiskey. He took it and downed it one gulp, then sank into the couch. “Christ, what a mess.”
“Care to talk about it?” Nick sat down next to him.
“Frankie went downstairs to pick up a delivery from reception. She was gone five minutes when Vanessa walks right in. I was wondering how she got past security, but apparently, she used Grayson’s office to make an appointment and then sent Jared away to get coffee for our ‘meeting.’”
“And then?”
“Well, I was confused, of course, and I asked her what she was going here. She said she was here for me, then she took off her coat - she was naked as a jaybird under there - and plopped herself on the couch.”
Nick stood up, and headed towards Grant’s well-stocked bar.
“And that’s where Frankie walked in. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Vanessa tripped me on purpose and I landed on top of her.”
His Beta visibly flinched. “Talk about bad timing. Why did Vanessa do that? Did the two of you…”
“No,” Grant denied. “I mean, a few years ago I may have flirted and danced with her at a couple of parties. But I haven’t shown her any interest since then. She can’t still think I want to date her,” he shook his head. “I’ve been polite and kind, but only because she’s related to Grayson.”
“She probably planned to either seduce you or have Frankie catch you in a compromising position. Or both.” Nick poured another measure of whiskey.
“Well whatever her plan was, it worked. Frankie was furious and left. Fuck!” He slammed his fist on the leather couch. “Where could she have gone to? What if she gets attacked again?”
“No worries, Alex is tailing her. Jared called me and Alynna just in time.”
Grant sighed with relief. “I can’t…this is a fucking mess. I can’t even go to her, she rescinded my invitation to New Jersey.”
Nick shook his head. “What can I do for you, Grant? Can you fix this?”
“I don’t know, Nick, I really don’t know.”
***
Frankie stormed out of Fenrir, determined to put as many miles between herself and Grant Anderson. She would go home to Jersey. Of course, she didn’t quite know how she was going to do that, since she had no car, nor enough money for a cab. Looking at her wallet, she supposed she could take the train and then walk home from the Barnsville stop, but that would take hours.
“Frankie,” a male voice behind her said.
“What?” she seethed, not really wanting to talk to any man, Lycan or human, right now. It was Alex Westbrooke.
“What happened?” he asked, concern in his voice.
“Nothing! None of your business.” She started walking down the street, not really sure where she was going, as long as it was far away from Fenrir Corp.
“Hey, wait up!” Alex called. “Where are you going?”
“Home!” she declared, picking up her pace. But, his damn long legs were no match for her shorter ones and he easily caught up with her.
“The Enclave is the other way.”
“No, my home. Back to Jersey.”
“Does Grant know-”
“Oh screw Grant Anderson! That lying, cheating bastard!” Tears flowed down her cheek and she couldn’t stop it even if she tried. God, she was making a mess of herself, and out here too in public. She should have listened to her brain and pushed Grant as far away as possible. Wiping her tears with the back of her hands, she kept walking away.
“How are you going to get back?”
“What? Why are you still following me?”
Alex shrugged and put his hands in his pocket. “Seemed like you could use a friend.”
“Are you going to try and make me go back?” She stopped and put her hands on her hips.
He flashed her a smile. “I don’t think anyone can make you do anything you don’t want to. That’s probably why you get along so well with my wife.”
Frankie was taken aback. What was his game?
“Look,” he took a step towards her. “You wanna go back to Jersey? Let me take you. I got a car, my own car, ok? Not one of Fenrir’s cars. And we don’t have to talk or anything, but Alynna will never let me hear the end of it if I let you take the train all the way back to Jersey.”
Frankie gave a defeated sigh. “Fine. Let’s go.”
The drive back was surprisingly pleasant. Alex drove a black Jeep Wrangler, not the latest model, but a few years old. He obviously took care of it, though he explained it had been in storage for months, since he wasn’t sure how permanent his move to New York would be. He chatted amiably, while Frankie looked out the window, silent. He talked about his family back in Chicago, and Frankie was surprised that he came from a middle-class background. She found that Alex was a nice guy. Easygoing, laughed a lot, definitely a good match for Alynna. After an hour and a half of driving, they arrived at her house.
“Thank you,” she said gratefully as she opened the door of the Jeep.
“You’re welcome,” he said. “And Frankie?”
“Yes?”
“I hope…well, I hope that whatever it is that happened between you and Grant, you can work it out. You’re good for him.”
“Yeah well…” she shrugged. “Thank you again.”
She hopped out of the Jeep and headed up the porch. Waving to Alex as he drove up, she turned and walked into the door.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
It was one week later that Frankie finally found the strength to go to Muccino’s. She had been moping around the house in her pajamas, eating fast food and ice cream, and basically crying her eyes out before she went to bed. Her brothers didn’t ask what happened, though they probably had an idea or suspected that she and Grant had a falling out. She shut out the world, turning her phone and her computer off. After allowing herself this one week of self-pity, she finally decided that enough was enough. She was Alpha, a leader, and her family and clan needed her.
Seeing the charred remains of the restaurant wasn’t as hard as she thought. Outside, the building was still standing, but dark streaks of ashes marred the walls. The red awnings hung limply over the windows, which were covered with a blue tarp. The firefighters broke down the doors in order to get to the fire, so now they were boarded up. The sign outside was hanging on its side and half the words were charred. It hurt, but it didn’t feel like her heart was being ripped out of her chest, as she had been feeling all week.
The only moment she did cry was when she walked into her office. The fire didn’t reach it, but smoke and water from the firemen’s hoses had. Everything was covered in soot, and papers, furniture, and books were all warped and waterlogged. She picked up her mother and grandmother’s portraits, which had somehow survived, and hugged them to her ches
t.
“Ma, Nonna, I’m so sorry,” she said, tears streaming down her cheek. She suddenly felt dizzy and she ran to the wastebasket, where she threw up her lunch. It was too much, and the walls suddenly felt like they were closing in on her.
Dante was waiting for her outside and she clung to him like a child. “I can’t Dante, I’m sorry.”
His arms tightened around her. “It’s ok, I know it’s hard.”
They drove back to the house, where Nonna Gianna was waiting for them in the kitchen. Dante said he had to go and do some errands, leaving the two women alone.
“How about some tea then, mimma?”
She hesitated. “Alright.”
Nonna Gianna put the kettle on and got two cups from the cupboard. “How are you feeling?”
“Awful. I thought I could go in there and be ok, but…it’s too hard.” Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Shhhh…it’s ok,” Nonna Gianna put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. “We’ll get through this, don’t worry.”
“What if we can’t? We’ve lost everything and there’s not going to be enough insurance money to rebuild.”
“Then we will find another way.”
“What if there’s no other way?”
“And what if the sky fell tomorrow?” Nonna Gianna put her hands on her hips. “Francesca, stop it. What’s done is done, and now we must pick up the pieces. We will find a way. We always do.”
Frankie gave her a weak smile.
“Now, what about Grant?”
She frowned. “What about him?”
“I thought…you know, the two of you were getting along. And that…well…I was hoping you’d settle down soon.”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
Gianna sighed. “Fine. Well, come eat then,” the older lady stood up to get a bowl from the cupboard. “I made some carbonara for lunch. You’ve been eating extra these days, probably from all the worrying.”
“I don’t want to eat,” she said. “Or I don’t know…I threw up my lunch. Maybe I’ll be hungry in a bit. Scratch that, I’m always hungry,” she laughed. “God, this whole mess has made my body all weird. ”
Romancing the Alpha Page 19
