Hearts on Fire 5: Loving Frankie(12)

Frankie watched her leave. She nearly bumped into Nate and Rye, who said hello before they came closer. Frankie watched Cassidy put her phone to her ear and carry on. She seemed upset, and Frankie was concerned.

“Is she okay?” Rye asked as he and Nate moved to stand by the table.

“What? Oh, I don’t know. I guess so. She didn’t really say.”

Frankie swallowed hard as she took in the sight of Nate and Rye. They looked incredible, even slightly dirty and wearing work clothes.

“Can we join you?” Rye asked, pulling out a chair. Before she could decline them, both men sat. Nate stared at her.

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as the waitress came over and took their food and drink order. Frankie had already ordered a salad and was waiting on it.

“I’m sorry, but can you cancel the other salad? My friend had to leave in a hurry,” Frankie told the waitress.

“Sure thing. Should I bring yours out with their burgers?”

“No, as soon as it’s ready please.”

She wondered how the hell she would eat with them sitting here with her. She could feel the intensity of their presences, their masculinity, and their appeal surround her. Even the waitress checked them out and smiled.

“How are you doing?” Rye asked and looked at her eye.

She held his gaze. “My eye is much better, as you can see.”

“That’s good.” He held her gaze.

“Were you having a girls’ day out or something?” Rye asked as he tapped the shopping bag next to Frankie’s chair.

Rye was very handsome, and he seemed to fully focus on her, putting her on the edge. He leaned closer and kept a hand at the back of her chair. She felt his arms brush against her back. It turned her on and made her body heat up. She had to keep reminding herself to keep her distance. No men could be trusted.

“Something like that. We needed new skirts for Prestige, and I needed other things.” Like thong panties and a new bra. She couldn’t believe while she was shopping in the lingerie store she’d actually thought about the four Hawkins brothers. Here she was telling Cassidy to stay clear of Keith, and meanwhile, she should be taking the same advice about these men. They weren’t good for her. It was smarter to lay low. It would hurt when she had to leave. More importantly, they could get hurt if Kevin or Carlotto ever found her.

“Cassidy left in a hurry. Does this mean you’re free for the rest of the afternoon?” Nate asked her.

The waitress brought over their drinks, and Frankie clasped her hands on her lap. They were flirting again, hinting toward getting to know her.

She was trying to muster the words to tell them to stop trying, but they never reached her lips. Rye leaned forward.

“Listen, we heard about Gloria and about the investigation. If you need someone to talk to.”

She shook her head and squinted at him.

“No. No, why would I? I don’t know why anyone would hurt her. I mean I know about the drugs and stuff, but still, I was shocked when your brother and the detective and sheriff showed up.”

“That’s understandable. Turbo was really concerned. He’s worried about your safety coming and going to the club and to your apartment,” Rye said.

She felt embarrassed. It had been obvious that Turbo didn’t like her apartment and the fact that she lived there. She had to remind herself that she was trying to hide out. So far, so good.

“Well, he shouldn’t be. I’m sure when he told you about my lovely neighborhood he also mentioned that I own a gun and know how to use it. I’ve been taking care of myself for quite some time,” she snapped at him.

He held his palms up and leaned back in his chair, somewhat in defeat.

She felt uncomfortable. She was being mean and purposely trying to push him away, and it had backfired on her. She felt guilty, and damn it, she was attracted to Rye as well as Nate.

“You don’t have any family?” Nate asked, changing the subject slightly.

She shook her head. Frankie really wanted to reply with “maybe I do, maybe I don’t.” After all, Kevin had found that out about her and used it as a tool to manipulate her and weaken her resolve to be independent. He wanted her completely relying on him. Perhaps Rye and Nate were the same.

“And you guys?” she asked as the waitress came over with her salad.

“We have some cousins around. But mostly we have one another,” Rye told her.

She was affected by that statement, for more reasons than she wanted to acknowledge. Her parents had died when Frankie was young. She and her brother, Mickey, had raised themselves from sixteen on. She made smart choices for the most part and even finished college. Mickey followed in her father’s footsteps and wound up getting killed in the line of duty. That had been a living hell, but then she’d met Kevin. No sisters, no brothers, aunts, or uncles to ask advice or to lean on. She was alone. And Kevin knew that. He had known Mickey, and that’s what made her lower her defenses and let him in. Twenty-one and stupid.

She looked toward the road and where the truck was as she began to eat her salad.

“You two into construction?” she asked.

Nate just watched her as Rye did most of the talking.



* * * *



Nate was trying to figure Frankie out. She was definitely holding back information on herself. When he’d learned that Gloria was murdered and that Frankie lived in the crappiest neighborhood in Bayline and carried a gun, he was concerned. That concern turned to interest and intrigue, and he and his brothers had spent the last several days trying to figure her out. She seemed sweet and somewhat professional. It was almost as though she didn’t fit being a waitress at Prestige but more like a career woman in an office or something.

“What do you like to do on your days off when you’re not shopping?” Rye asked her.

The waitress arrived with their burgers, and the more Rye talked, the more relaxed Frankie seemed to be getting.

She was quite an attractive woman. Her blonde hair curled at the bottom as it cascaded over her chest. The top she wore was not what he would call low-cut, but enough cleavage showed to reveal a small crystal star necklace with other multiple tiny delicate gold stars spaced along the entire chain. It looked delicate and feminine.

She cleared her throat, and he discovered she was staring at him.

He couldn’t resist. He reached out and touched the necklace, letting the gold chain and two of the tiny stars sit along the inside of his palm.

“This is beautiful.”

She gulped. He heard her and looked into her gorgeous blue eyes. They were stunning.

“Like you, Frankie.”

She inhaled softly, and her breasts rose and fell. This close to her, he got a good scent of her appealing perfume, and like magic, her femininity encased him.

“Ever been to Galileo’s? That downtown restaurant and boutique on the water?” he asked, releasing her necklace, even though he didn’t want to. The back of his hand grazed her skin, and she widened her eyes at him.

She shook her head.

“It’s unique. Has a lot of eclectic art and old pictures and information on everything from astrology to fables and stories surrounding Treasure Town. But what makes it special is the view on the water. On a clear night, you can see the stars so vividly, even without the telescopes they have scattered along the top of the building. You have to see it. You’d love the stars.”

“I heard about Galileo’s before. It’s hard to get a reservation. Especially this time of year.”

“Would you like to go there with us?” he asked.

“We’d love to take you. This Sunday is supposed to be a clear, gorgeous night.”

“I don’t know Nate, Rye,” she whispered and lowered her eyes to her salad.

He reached out and used his pointer to gently tilt her chin up.

“Just as friends. You’re fairly new to the area, and we know this great place. We’d love to introduce you to Galileo’s.”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t date. I’m not looking to get involved.”

He felt his gut clench. Why did he feel as though she was scared of getting hurt and that someone had definitely hurt her?

“Friends first, Frankie. No pressure,” Rye added now.

“I’ll think about it, okay?”

“You can give us your answer tomorrow night at work,” Nate told her.

“You’re going to be at Prestige?” she asked.

Rye smiled, and Nate watched her hold Rye’s gaze.

“Definitely. You can tell us yes then.”





Chapter 5




Detective Bryce Moore was going over the information he’d received from the special investigative unit. It appeared that Gloria had been on their radar for quite some time, along with her bosses, Sal and Gino Baletti. But what grabbed his attention and had him looking around, making sure that no one else could see the file, not even Buddy, was that he’d picked up on one name. Pasqual Carlotto, the son of Louie Carlotto, a big time gangster from Chicago. This wasn’t good. Why was Louie’s name in this file and part of this investigation? Bryce pulled out his cell phone and texted a message, a code that would let his contact know something was up. Although Bryce thought his days of helping Carlotto were over by moving away from Chicago and into a tourist town like Treasure Town, he knew where his loyalties lay. Carlotto owned him, and no matter what he did, that debt would never be paid. That’s what doing business with Carlotto was like. He owned Bryce for eternity. He had to give him the heads-up.