Confused, I snap my head towards Reign, not sure what he’s talking about.
He nods his head towards Franklin before his eyes find mine.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” I huff, rolling my eyes in disbelief.
“That’s what he said.”
“I mean it.”
I glance at him before bringing my attention back to Franklin, taking in his impressive posture. He owns the room, like the pack leader that he is, but there is also a kindness in his eyes. Something that says he strives to be fair and honest. I really am doing my best to not completely fall for him, but it’s hard to ignore the butterflies flying through my stomach every time his gaze finds mine. Even harder when they are met by a shit ton of guilt.
“You’re his first girlfriend,” he adds.
“I’m not his girlfriend.”
He chuckles in disbelief, bringing his glass towards his mouth.
“I’m not his girlfriend,” I repeat.
“Do you honestly believe that?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.”
I would be lying if I said my heart doesn’t jump for joy, hearing Reign calling me Franklin’s girlfriend. But my mind is screaming ‘no’, simply because labeling it would make this situation even worse. If we don’t label it, I can still pretend it’s not real for him either.
That I’m just a girl he’s sleeping with.
That I’m just a girl who holds his interest for now.
Fuck, I’m so full of shit.
I’ve been spending every spare minute with him for the last few weeks. We eat together; we work together; we sleep together; we have amazing sex. I’m pretty sure that doesn’t fall under the criteria of ‘fuck buddy.’ Hell, I think it even surpasses the line above ‘friends with benefits.’
Holy hell, I’m his girlfriend.
I stare into his eyes from across the room as everybody around us disappears from my vision. I only see him and his hypnotizing, sea-green eyes. My pulse starts racing at this realization.
I’m his girlfriend.
He trusts me.
Why do I follow the abusive demands of Emerson Jones when I can ask for the protection of Franklin Wolfe?
Why do I continue to comply with what I know when this man has been putting his trust in me for weeks without really knowing me at all?
‘Trust is key to me, Kendall.’
I can still hear the words he said when he pushed me against the cold concrete of the stable, and again when I told him about my history with Emerson, echoing through my mind.
Why don’t I give him the trust he’s given me?
Why don’t I tell him the truth?
The corner of my mouth tilts up in a pleased grin as an epiphany hits my brain, a confident voice in my head telling me I can trust him.
That he’s not my problem.
He’s my solution.
That he will protect me if I tell him the truth that has been hanging above my head like a thundercloud, threatening every happy moment I have with him.
My eyes stay locked with his, feeding my confidence. I’m a split second away from strutting across the room and throwing myself into his arms like you see in those cheesy rom-coms, ready to tell him every single thing I’ve been hiding.
But as always, my luck proves to be pretty much nonexistent yet again. Before I can get my feet to move, I see someone enter the room from the corner of my eye. I feel like my heart stops when I catch a glimpse of his military haircut, followed by at least ten of his men, each of them holding automatic weapons. My eyes widen, then I notice Franklin following my shocked face before the entire room goes quiet and guns are drawn from every corner. I gasp and clutch my chest as Reign moves to stand in front of me.
“Oh, a buffet!” Emerson bellows through the room before his eyes lock with Franklin, whose face remains expressionless. “Do you mind?”
Without waiting for a response, Emerson saunters to the buffet while his men spread throughout the room, clearly unaffected by the two dozen or so guns pointed at them. He takes a shrimp off the table before popping it into his mouth.
“Oh, these are good! Who’s your caterer?”
“You’ve got some nerve, Jones. Walking into our family home like this,” Connor growls, his frame seeming to grow bigger, like a real wolf when being threatened.
“I thought I’d already shown you that I’ve got some nerve?” Emerson wears a derisive smile as he saunters through the room. “I mean, was it not enough? Do I have to be more specific? Do you need more visuals? More blood maybe? I can do that.” I wipe away the sweat forming on my forehead at his words while Reign keeps his arm and most of his body in front of me like a human shield. The hairs on the back of my neck stand up with every step Emerson takes closer to us.
First, his eyes find Reign’s, then they lock with mine. Fear is stampeding through my veins, the sound of my racing heart pounding in my ears.
I have no clue what he’s doing here, had no idea he was going to be here. Is he going to expose me? What if he’s here to kill Franklin? The thoughts alone have me wringing my sweaty hands as I take a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
Nice try.
“Reign!” he shouts with a wide, obnoxious grin. “New girlfriend?” Emerson smirks while I blink nervously at his theatrics. Without thinking, I quickly glance at Franklin, instantly regretting it when Emerson follows my gaze.
“Or is she yours, Franky?” he taunts, making Franklin clench his jaw while his hands ball into fists beside his body. Rage fills his eyes, and I can see his chest move while he takes in deep breaths, ready to charge before Killian throws a hand in front of him, holding him back.
“Oh, she is yours!” Emerson chuckles, stepping closer towards me. “She’s pretty.”
I’m feeling extremely relieved that I told Franklin my history with Emerson, but now my fingers and toes are crossed that Emerson doesn’t reveal what’s transpired between us recently, or rather, what he’s been blackmailing me into doing. With a smug look, Emerson chose that moment to narrow in on me, making me think this is it. He’s going to out me in front of everyone, sharing with the world how we’ve known each other since forever. That I’ve been his little spy.
In my head, I can already see Franklin slipping away from me.
“What do you want, Emerson?” Reign growls at him while Emerson keeps his focus on me, his ominous eyes piercing right through me in a haunting way. Through his menacing glare, he has a silent conversation with me, leaving me praying that the earth will open up beneath my feet. Finally, he breaks our eye contact, turning his focus to Reign.
“Simple. More money. More power,” he answers with his arms wide as he continues to saunter through the room.
“Don’t we all?” Killian huffs sarcastically while he boldly rolls his eyes.
“Sure.” Emerson shrugs before he points his gun at one of the elegantly dressed women. She lets out a screech, her lip trembling before her eyes start to well up, and her body starts to shake. Her husband reaches out his hand to drag her away, but before he can get to her, one of Emerson’s guys points his gun at him, making him freeze to the spot. The thick tension in the room is suffocating. Everyone is on edge. I bring my hand up to cover my mouth, feeling like the suspense is going to make me pass out.
With a rapid turn of his head, Emerson’s eyes fixate on me, making me gasp for air.
“You, get over here, or I’ll shoot her.” He’s speaking to me. Fuck my life.
“No,” Reign roars at the same time I hear Franklin growl from across the room. In response, Emerson cocks his gun, giving me a defiant look, and raises an eyebrow. To everyone who doesn’t know of our connection, this looks like nothing more than an obvious threat. But to me, it’s a silent command to obey, telling me he will kill her if I don’t cooperate.
“It’s okay,” I whisper to Reign, while I gently push his arm away and step in front of him. My eyes find Franklin, who’s scowling at Emerson. When he meets my gaze, he lightly shakes his head as if
he’s asking me not to get any closer. But I know Emerson better than anyone in this room. He’s not joking. He’s not playing around. He will kill her if I don’t ‘play along’, as he would call it.
“Tut tut, a little faster, sweetheart.” His finger moves closer to the trigger, making me gasp for air while I bring my hand up.
“No, no! L-let her go. I’m coming. I’m here.”
Emerson holds out his hand, and I grab it before he twirls me around so that my back is pressed against his chest, his gun against my temple. His hand is cupping the front of my throat, and the back of my head is leaning against his shoulder, making it easy for him to whisper in my ear.
“Leo says hi, sweetheart.” I close my eyes in defeat when he murmurs this against my ear. Not loud enough for anyone but me to hear. I’m sure I look horrified as a sense of desperation floods my body upon hearing the name Leo.
Oh God.
“What do you want, Jones?” Killian asks again, his face a steely mask.
“It’s time for a new king,” Emerson explains while he walks us backward to the open door he originally came in through. “Bow. Bow, agree to a tax fee, and this will work just fine.” His fingers are pressed painfully into my chin, bruising the bones in my face while he continues. “You may think you’re the top dogs, but you won’t be for long. Be smart and bow down now before I’ll be forced to start a war.” He expresses as if he’s asking for tickets to the Red Sox.
Finally, Franklin steps forward to take control of the situation, owning the room once more.
“Let go of her. Now.” His deep voice sounds completely composed and calm while he shoots me an encouraging look.
“Sure, no worries. You can keep your whore.” I can’t even describe the relief I feel when Emerson pushes me into Franklin’s arms. I quickly wrap my arms around him as he holds me tight against his chest. Then we’re moving as Franklin and his men start following Emerson and his crew, who are walking towards the exit. “But I’m serious, Franklin. Tik tok, tik tok. I want an answer within two weeks. If not? I’ll take that sweet little cunt of yours and make her my own.” He walks out, but not before he halts one more time, right in front of Nigel, who’s plastered against the wall in fear. His eyes widen when Emerson looks him straight in the eye.
“Sorry, man. I need to show them I’m serious. Kill him,” he says to one of his men holding an automatic weapon. He can’t be much older than Nigel and looks nothing more than a troubled teenager with the snapback he’s wearing on his head backwards.
Fear filters through Nigel’s eyes, and I can literally feel my heart skip a beat when Emerson walks away, and the teen pulls the trigger, several bullets piercing through Nigel before his lifeless body drops to the floor. Screams echo through the room while I look at the dead body in front of me in horror, too shocked to control my breathing. I think I may throw up when I look over at Emerson. He shoots me a wink, then he disappears out of sight. My feet are glued to the floor, unable to move even an inch, while only one thought fills my head.
That could’ve been my brother.
Twenty-Six
Franklin
I drag her back into the hallway, away from the people who are now circling the dead body in my dining room.
Nigel.
A twenty-one-year-old kid who’s been under my wing for the last three years. I promised him I would help him build a future, but instead, he ended up dead under my command.
My heart is drumming in fury, my muscles like tight chords in my body while my fingers enclose around Kendall’s hand in a strong grip.
When I look behind me, I find her panting with a horrified look in her eyes. I push her against the wall in the hallway before I take her face in my hands to force her to look at me so I can help her calm down. Goddammit, this will be another thing to haunt her forever. When she told me about her history with Emerson and the way he treated her, I vowed to myself that I would protect her like he never did. But the last five minutes make me realize I’ll never be able to do that.
This is my life.
“Look at me, Kenny. Look at me.”
Her terror-filled eyes find mine while she swallows hard, clearly doing her best to keep from hyperventilating.
“You’re okay. Everything is okay.”
“Okay?” she screeches. “He’s dead. He killed him.”
“I know. Just calm down.”
“Calm down?!” Her eyes grow a little wider, her panic only seeming to increase at my words. Most of the people who are part of our organization have seen a dead body in their lifetime, many have seen more than one. They know it’s a risk, running with the Wolfes. Even Nigel knew that.
But I hate Emerson for corrupting my girl like that. Scaring the shit out of her, making her feel unsafe when really there shouldn’t be a safer place in this city than by my side. She doesn’t know that, though. All she knows is that she’s spending her time with a criminal who says he will protect her while her ex is a criminal she has learned to fear.
“Come on.” I grab her arm and pull her with me, ignoring the staff as I lead her through the large kitchen. Once outside on the terrace, I guide her down a gravel path into the huge garden that is surrounded by roses. The path leads to a small, covered up patio with a bench, sheltered from the rest of the house.
“Sit,” I command, pushing her on the bench while she stares at the ground in front of her. Her eyes are frenzied and glassy, making me wonder if she’s in shock. I shake my head, unable to process seeing her like this. I crouch down in front of her, holding her knee with one hand while the other cups her cheek, and I look up into her eyes. “Baby, hey. You’re safe. Look at me. I will keep you safe. He won’t hurt you anymore.”
Finally, her eyes lock with mine. I watch as her eyes well up, then a single tear escapes the corner of her eye.
“You can’t say that. He will find me.”
“Come here, pretty girl.” I get back up and take a seat next to her, pulling her into my arms.
“He’ll have to go through me first. I promise. I’ll keep you safe.” She’s crying now, so I shush against her hair, keeping her tight against my chest.
Sometimes I forget how fucked up the world is. How my reality is normal to me but completely insane to practically everyone else. I was raised with abuse, murder, dead people, and corruption. Seeing a dead body is a loss, something I mourn, but never for long because I’ve learned that I have to move on. Stay focused on the next step. When I saw the defiance in her eyes, the first time I saw her in The Library, I assumed she was used to men like me. Used to bending the rules, living on the edge of danger, always looking for more no matter what it takes. I was too caught up in her hypnotizing appearance to see she’s truly one of the good girls, the ones who understand the concepts of the criminal world but don’t truly realize what it really entitles.
“He’s dead, Franklin,” she whispers while her hands clasp onto mine as if she’s scared I will let her go.
Never.
“I know, baby.” I can’t even make up some cute story to make her feel better. She just watched him die. He’s dead. Emerson Jones killed him to send a message, and he crossed a line that can’t ever be uncrossed.
“He will pay for it,” I murmur against her head, making her look up at me with big, devastated eyes.
“You’re going to kill him?” Her voice is uncertain, as if she doesn’t know what she thinks of that idea.
I get it.
It’s hard to talk about murder or anything else that’s unethical. But in this world, it’s really simple: eat or be eaten.
Emerson Jones just tried to eat me. Now I have to show him that I’m the only one eating in this city.
“I may,” I reply honestly, not knowing my plan just yet. I may kill him, or I may give him another chance to fall in line. Perhaps he’ll do it to save his crew. Although something tells me that Emerson Jones is not going to stop until one of us has a bullet through his head.
I just know it ain’t goi
ng to be me.
“I … I just,” she stutters, tears once again running down her cheeks. It breaks my heart, seeing her shattered like this.
“What is it, baby? Just talk to me.” I want to take it all away. Whatever fear or pain she’s feeling, I want to take it all away, but I have a feeling I’m one of the things she’s afraid of.
Rather, my life.
“I … I can’t do this, Franklin.”
I cringe at her words, not willing to let her go. My heart feels heavy just thinking about it. I know I once vowed I would never fall in love… In fact; I told my brother I wasn’t going to settle down anytime soon just days ago, but I can’t look into the future and not see her in it. I can’t look ahead and not see her by my side. I never thought I’d share my heart with a woman, but I think she stole it that first night.
“Hey, listen to me.” I cup her face forcefully with both hands, making sure she pays attention to every word I’m about to say. “If you are with me, you will never be in danger. I will always keep you safe. My brothers will always keep you safe. I know this isn’t what you’re used to, and I’m sorry I’m dragging you into this, but I’m not willing to let you go.”
She sadly shakes her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“That’s what I’m scared of. This is what I’m used to. Emerson made me watch how he tortured and killed people numerous times. Showing me what would happen to me if I didn’t do as he said. When we broke up, I was relieved that my life would finally be less violent. Yet here I am, falling in love with a Wolfe.”
Her words cut through me like a knife.
She’s right.
I can’t promise her a life that is less violent, not now. Not yet.
“Please, Kendall. Don’t leave me. I’ve got plans. I’m not going to be doing this for the rest of my life. Stick by my side. I’ll make it worth it.” I hate the desperation I can hear in my voice, but I mean every word.
My plan was never to stay on the dark side of the law, to always have to look over my shoulder. The only reason I started the organization I’ve built was to create something for the future.
Franklin: A Boston Mafia Romance (The Boston Wolfes) Page 17
