"Fran, please—"
Frannie ended the call as Brock pulled up to the curb. He hopped out and led her to the front seat. "Where's Jeffries?"
"He's gonna meet me at the briefing, everything okay? You look flushed."
"Just flashing back to the things we did last night." Frannie didn't like lying, but it was a white lie. Brock would just be upset that Professor Gallway tried to call her again. He'd want to stay with her and miss work, she couldn't let that happen. She would tell them, after work maybe. "I officially have a book signing. It's not too long from now, either. Victor wanted a little time to start marketing it at his shop and online. Will you go? Be my groupie?"
"Oh no, I'll just leave you and Victor alone to do whatever you want," Brock said sarcastically.
Frannie smiled. Brock couldn't think she would cheat on either of them. "Are you jealous of Victor?"
"I'm jealous of anyone who makes you smile like that. I want those smiles, I want to give you those smiles."
"You should be happy that other people make me happy," she chided him.
"I am, but why do they have to be guys you dated?"
"Two dates," Frannie mumbled as Brock buckled her seatbelt. "Will you really go?"
Brock stopped and looked at her for a long moment. He kissed her softly. "Of course, I'll be there, Kai, too. We wouldn't miss it."
Chapter Twenty-five
Kai
Kai stood against the back wall and watched his beautiful mate smile at the next person in line. Her event had gotten a more-than-decent turnout. Her pack family had come and gone, it was cute how they all acted like fans, lining up with the rest of her fans to get autographs. Kai was as proud as he was impressed. The way she interacted with each of her readers on a personal level was amazing. She wasn't one of those lofty, high-and-mighty authors who thought she was better than the people who read her work. Just the opposite—some of the people she greeted on a first-name basis, as if she'd met them before and asked them questions about their kids, work, or pets.
Brock stood beside him, eying each of the customers with suspicion. "If you keep doing that, she is going to make you leave," Kai said to him. "Like it or not, these people pay her bills, you really shouldn't scare them away."
"We could pay her bills. I want to pay her bills."
Kai snorted. "Okay, you try making that happen. The day you do I will bow before you."
"You'll bow anyway," Brock said arrogantly. He grabbed Kai's ass and squeezed. Right on cue, Francesca looked up from the person she was with and caught Kai's gaze. She raised one eyebrow as if to ask him if he was having fun. He smirked. She gave him a knowing smile and returned to her conversation.
He loved that about her. Well, he loved everything about her, but that especially. She was never jealous of what he and Brock had, of their history. She was possessive of the two of them, and he enjoyed that as well, but she was never weirded out when Brock was affectionate toward him or vice versa, she never felt left out. She was perfect. "I love her," Kai said out loud.
"Of course you do, we both do," Brock said.
Kai looked at his giant of a mate, "Have we ever told her?"
Brock thought about it. "I don't...I mean, we've had to have said it at least once." He paused. "She's never said it either then."
Kai vowed to fix that problem as soon as he got her alone.
He tracked Victor as he stepped beside Francesca. In the first hour, he'd watched Victor like a hawk, waiting for a wrong step. The guy hadn't turned out to be that bad, but Kai still remembered back to that first date, the way Victor had touched her and acted as if she could be his. It was safe to say that Kai and Victor would never be best friends. Still, he wasn't that horrible and Francesca had made quite a few sales and met a number of people who hadn't read her work before. "I'm going to have to put an end to the signing portion for now. If you all want to organize yourself in the front room, Ms. Bennitz will begin by reading an excerpt from her last bestseller and then we will begin the Q&A portion."
The line of people dispersed; most of them had gotten signatures already and were simply waiting for the next portion. Kai followed the crowd into the front room. Victor had pushed the other furniture in that room to the edges and lined up chairs that all faced a small platform with a mic and stool. To his right was the rest of the bookstore and to the left was a line of windows that faced the street. Passersby looked inside as they walked, curious as to what was going on. Some of them stopped.
Kai took a seat in the back row where he could see all the angles at once. Frannie stepped up to the platform carrying a book in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. She sat down on the stool and looked up at the crowd, searching the faces until she found Kai and Brock. She gave them a small wave and they waved back. A few people turned and looked back at them.
"Thank you again, everyone, for coming. I'll be reading from my latest release, Howling Moon. It is available for purchase here at the store as well at the bookstore's website in ebook format."
When Francesca began to read from her book, she transformed. She was always lively, but when she read in the heads and voices of her characters she came alive. She didn't slip over the words or stumble, not even when she got to one of the sexier bits. Though Kai knew for a fact that she could say much dirtier words—he'd heard them whispered in his ear during sex—she kept the passage mostly clean but steamy enough to have a few of the audience members shifting in their seats. Well, that was an idea he would have to think on, how did he feel about his mate's words turning other people on?
Francesca stopped reading and the crowd erupted into applause. As they did, a shattering noise sounded from the storefront. People screamed and leapt to their feet as a brick came to a thudding stop at Francesca's feet. Brock went into action, running up toward their mate and shielding her with his body as a thin woman who stood outside on the sidewalk threw another brick. This time, it bounced off Brock's back before landing.
Kai leapt through the broken window, enraged at the thought that that brick would have hit Francesca if Brock hadn't been there. Kai grabbed the woman before she could run. He was careful not to hurt her, but kept her arms behind her back so she couldn't hurt anyone else. She shook from anger and smelled strongly of cigarettes. Her bleached-blonde hair was cut short, the tips of her hair slapping against her cheeks as she fought Kai's hold.
"Let go of me, you're just here for that whore!" the woman screamed.
Francesca's face peeked out from around Brock's body. He was clearly trying to get her to stay behind him and Francesca was just as clearly trying to see what was happening.
When the woman spotted Francesca, she tensed up like a depressed mattress coil. "She's a slut! A fucking home-wrecking slut!"
Francesca's mouth dropped open as recognition dawned. She said something to Brock, but it had no effect on his position in front of her.
"I see you there, whore, hiding behind another man! Who did you steal him from? Do you dress up like a slutty maid for him, too? Stay away from my husband!"
Kai growled and the woman went silent immediately, most likely never having heard such a sound come from a man before. He stepped through the door, keeping the woman's back turned from Francesca. He spotted Victor coming in from the room where they'd done the signing. He'd been tending to the customers, getting them away from any more possible danger. "Victor, where can I put her while the cops get here?" he asked calmly. Victor showed him to the office, where Kai deposited the woman in a chair before retreating to the doorway. "Can you keep an eye on her?"
Victor nodded. "Yeah, the cops said they were on their way. Is Frannie okay? She wasn't hit, was she? Who is this lady?"
"That's what I'm going to find out."
Kai went back out to the main room and panicked when he couldn't see Francesca at first. He calmed down and heard Brock talking to her in low tones in the very back corner of the room.
"Cynthia Gallway, Professor Gallway's wife. Oh my God, all
those people out there, what could they be thinking right now?"
"Shh, baby, who gives a fuck what they are thinking? Sit down, please," Brock pleaded. "You're in shock, you need to drink this and sit down."
Kai approached them loudly so she wouldn't be afraid. When she saw him she leapt towards him. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"
Kai eyed her.
"Oh, sorry, yeah, Mr. Super-strong Alpha Wolf. I'm just freaking out. Brock swears the second brick didn't hurt him. Where is she?"
"Victor has her in his office; the police should be here soon."
As if on cue, sirens wailed in the distance. "I need to talk to her," Francesca said.
"Absolutely not," Brock and Kai replied at the same time.
"I won't get another chance like this and I have to. I don't know why she still hates me this much. To seek me out and embarrass me like this? Why? Please, Kai. Brock, please."
Neither of them could ever deny her anything she really wanted. Kai clenched his teeth. "Fine, but not alone."
They went back to the office, Kai in the front, Brock in the back, and found Victor in the doorway. "She hasn't moved," he said to Kai when he saw him. He saw Francesca and his eyes bugged. "Are you sure it is smart for her to...?"
"I need to, Victor. And I am really sorry about your windows. I'll replace them."
"Don't be sorry. People will be talking about this event for weeks." Victor winced as if only now realizing how insensitive that sounded. "Plus, that's what insurance is for, right?"
Francesca gave him a big, bright, fake smile. It had been a while since he'd seen one of those on her face and Kai didn't like them now any more than he'd liked them before. The three of them left Victor in the hallway and went into the office. Francesca cleared her throat, and like a snake spotting a mouse, the woman whipped her head toward her.
"Get out of my face, bitch," the woman spat.
Kai and Brock snarled so loudly it echoed off the walls in the room. The woman's face showed clear panic before Francesca told them both to stop. She stepped into the office so the woman wouldn't have to turn her neck so far to see her. "Why did you come to my book signing if you didn't want to see my face? Why are you here, Cynthia, after all this time?" Francesca asked with a calmer voice then Kai thought any other woman in her position would have.
"How can you pretend like you don't know why I am here? I'm here because you're trying to do what you did those years ago, again. You can't have my Peter. You couldn't have him then, you can't have him now. Stop calling him."
"She isn't calling your husband," Brock growled. This would be especially difficult for him to stand. He didn't take it well when people were rude to Kai or Francesca.
The woman barked her laughter. "Have you checked her phone records lately? You'll find my husband's number all over them. Some of the conversations aren't short, either."
"Your husband is calling me, not the other way around. I want nothing to do with him, you have to believe me."
"I don't have to do anything," the woman said, slumping back in her chair. She looked at Brock and then at Kai, malice in her eyes. "Do you dress up for these two as well?"
Confusion filled Francesca's face. "Why do you keep saying—oh my God." Her face went white as the police arrived behind her. Brock took over at that point, explaining who he was and what had happened. All Kai could do was watch Francesca's face as she came to terms with whatever it was she had just realized. He longed to take her from the situation so he could ask her in private what was going on in her head, what she was planning.
Because she was planning.
As soon as the shock had worn off, anger replaced it, except every time Kai or Brock caught her eye, she hid it from them, giving either a blank stare, or worse, that awful fake smile. She was hiding what she suspected from them and Kai's inner beast demanded her honesty.
Brock sensed her unspoken deception as well, judging from the way his answers grew shorter, more impatient. Kai looked over at him and saw determination in his gaze, they would figure out just what their little mate was planning.
Chapter Twenty-six
Frannie
Frannie draped her head against Kai's shoulder. Brock was inside with the other police officers and Cynthia. Once she had realized that she was being arrested, that she'd harmed a police officer, her words had gone from caustic to begging. She hadn't meant to hit Brock, not that that made it any better. She had meant to break Victor's window, though.
"What do you think will happen to her?" Frannie asked Kai, who had grown silent as the time passed. He was probably annoyed that this was happening.
"Depends on what they charge her with, how she pleads. Assaulting a public safety officer is a felony in our state and could get her five years, though she could argue he was in plainclothes at the time. If I was on the prosecution that wouldn't make a difference."
"Could you be?"
"No, I'm too close to both of you to be on the prosecuting team. Why? Do you want to make sure she goes to jail?" Kai asked but his question felt probing, like he was really asking her something else at the same time.
She sighed and her stomach rumbled. They'd missed lunch in all the excitement. "No. I don't know." She needed to talk to her first. If what Frannie was beginning to suspect was true, then she did want Cynthia to pay.
"Are you okay, baby? Is there any chance that if I just ask you, you'll tell me what you're thinking?"
Frannie shook her head and smiled, though she was sure it didn't reach her eyes. Kai didn't deserve to be bogged down by her conspiracy theories. "I think I'm hungry. And tired."
He narrowed his eyes at her, staring at her like she was a puzzle, before getting to his feet. "There is a vending machine down the hallway, I'll get you something. I'd offer to get you a coffee as well, but I've had that coffee before." Kai went down the hallway and Frannie hoped she was imagining his stomping feet. This wasn't what either of them had signed up for. Frannie sat back against the bench. Why was trouble always finding her?
"Fran."
Frannie's blood froze in her veins. She was looking down already, so she could see his shoes first, shiny black leather loafers. Stereotypical teacher shoes.
"Did she hurt you?" Professor Gallway asked like he actually cared.
Frannie got to her feet and turned from him. His sudden presence was too close, too big. Her heart pounded and she felt dizzy. Safe and sound, Frannie, you are safe and sound. Kai is just down the hallway.
Professor Gallway grabbed her hand and yanked her back. She bounced against his chest like he was a trampoline, stumbling back from him as she barely caught her balance. He didn't let go, though, holding her tightly at her upper arms. "Stop, please. You don't know how great it is to see your face again. Cynthia, she…she isn't right. She's getting help, and I'm trying to do right by her, but she can tell it's futile. After all these years, I still see your face every time I go to sleep."
Through her panic, she saw that Professor Gallway was not the same as he'd been. She'd worked hard at banishing his image from her memory bank, but she could still see small signs of aging, a few white hairs in his longish jet-black hair, a few more wrinkles around his green eyes. He hadn't gotten fat, though, like she'd evilly hoped at low times in her life. And he was still strong, as was evident from how tightly he squeezed her arms.
"You're hurting me," she said calmly.
"Fran, please, talk to me honestly. You can't hang up with me in front of you."
He was right, she couldn't hang up. She could do much better. Quick as she could, she kicked the side of his knee as hard as her leg muscles would allow. He released her and screamed in pain. His screams attracted a lot of attention as people began to gather in the hallway. She spotted Kai down the hall, his arms full of junk food from the vending machine. She watched him notice her and then look behind her to Professor Gallway. He quickly put two and two together. He dropped the snacks and his expression grew murderous. Frannie ran through the crowd, need
ing to get to Kai before he did something in front of a crowd of police officer witnesses.
"Go to Brock, Francesca," Kai ordered, never taking his eyes off Professor Gallway. Someone had approached him, probably about Cynthia, and he winced, rubbing his knee as he listened to whatever the person was saying.
"No, Kai, let's go," Frannie said, her voice wobbling.
Kai looked at her then, his eyes going to the red marks on her arm. "He hurt you." Kai lurched forward toward Professor Gallway. Frannie held onto his arm like an anchor.
"It doesn't hurt. I promise. Please, you'll go to jail if you do anything to him." She stepped in front of him and contemplated jumping to get his attention. In the end, she grabbed his face and kissed him. His body resisted at first, stiff and withdrawn. Frannie licked his lips and he relaxed, his arms wrapping around her waist as his body stopped its forward pull. When they separated, his expression had cleared and was one-hundred-percent less murderous. He was still angry, though.
Luckily, Brock joined them from the opposite direction. He had been rubbing his neck tiredly before he spotted them and read their body language. "What happened?"
Frannie explained quickly, keeping out the part where Professor Gallway had grabbed her. She couldn't kiss them both at the same time.
"Why did you leave her alone?" Brock snapped.
Instead of being angry at him, Kai looked guilty. Frannie couldn't stand it. "Stop. I'm not a kid. I don't need constant attention. I should have realized he was going to come here, his wife did just get arrested for attacking me. Can we please just go home?" Frannie was angry with herself. If she hadn't have had an anxiety attack at his mere presence, she would have been able to ask a few questions to clarify her half-brained idea. She sighed and Kai raised his eyebrow. Frannie tried to give him a reassuring smile, but he just scowled at her. Her heart fluttered with anxiety. She'd fix this and hopefully then they could all go back to normal.
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