Step Bride: A Bad Boy Mob Roman(67)

Because I didn’t know what the future held. Everything was so damn dangerous, and there were still so many secrets.

But in that moment, his cock still inside me but spent and satisfied, I knew the truth. I knew I’d follow him anywhere.

I knew he’d take me anywhere.





Chapter Thirty-Four: Lucas





I looked at Vince sitting in the seat next to me. “Fucker should be here somewhere,” I said to him.

Vince nodded. “Assuming the bitch didn’t lie.”

“She didn’t.”

We were sitting parked on the street in the area Camille had said Franklin was hiding out. I had two other squads at either end of the street, keeping a lookout for the bastard in case he wasn’t in his little rat hole.

An hour before, my mind had been completely on Natalie. We had just stayed in bed together, talking quietly as our sweat slowly dried on our bodies. Eventually, though, the real world came crashing back down, and I had to get up out of bed. I didn’t want to leave her, hated that she was unsure of what was happening, but I had some rat fuck to possibly murder, and I couldn’t wait any longer.

So I picked up Vince, briefed him and the boys, and started our little stakeout.

But it wasn’t moving fast enough. The sun had set not too long ago, and we still hadn’t seen any sign of Franklin. I was starting to think we needed to smoke him out.

“I got an idea,” I said to Vince.

He just looked at me, amused. I took out my phone and dialed the number Camille had given me for Franklin.

The asshole had the gall to answer on the second ring.

“Hello?”

“Franklin, don’t hang up,” I said quickly.

Silence on the other end.

“You know who this is. Listen to me, Franklin. We have you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Sawyer Street in Little Village.”

Another long silence. I let him stew on this one.

“How did you know that?” he asked.

“Tracked your phone. Well, I did. I haven’t told my father yet.”

“What do you want?”

“Stay where you are. Stay there and talk to me. I’m coming in fifteen minutes.”

I saw Vince grin at me.

“And if I stay?”

“I’ll protect you. I’m going to overthrow my father tonight, Franklin. And if you can speak to the other bosses, show them that my old man is a pathetic cuckold, well, maybe they’ll follow me.”

Another short pause. “I need guarantees.”

“Isn’t the fact that you’re still alive enough?”

“Fine,” he said, a little too fast. “I’ll be here. Building 1734, apartment 3C.”

“See you soon, Franklin.”

I hung up the phone and looked at Vince.

“We go in now?”

“Nah,” I said. “He gave me a bogus address.” I shook my head. There wasn’t a 1734 on the block. “But I think we might have scared him.”

Not five minutes later, Vince’s phone rang. “Yeah?” he said. “Grab him.” He hung up and looked at me. “You lucky bastard.”

“He make a run for it?”

“He made a run for it.”

I laughed. “Dumb bastard. Who’s got him?”

“Joey and Carlos.”

“Let’s go.”

I started the engine and pulled out into traffic. I headed down the block and spotted Joey and Carlos standing with another man next to their car. We pulled up behind them.

Sure enough, it was Franklin. He didn’t look roughed up at all, which was good. I climbed out of my car and walked over to him.

“Lucas,” he said. “Man, I’m sorry.”

“Idiot.” I punched him in the gut, hard. “You should have stayed in your little hole.”

He coughed and struggled for breath. “I can help you,” he said finally.

“Yeah, you can.” I nodded to Carlos and Joey, and the boys tossed him into the back of their car. “You’re going to disappear for a while, and when you return, you’re going to tell me where the fuck you hid the shipment.”

He stared at me, but I was already walking away. Joey and Carlos pulled out into traffic, heading back toward the safe house.

Poor Franklin had no clue what he was in for.

Vince stood next to me. “One problem down.”

“Yeah,” I said, “but shit doesn’t get any easier from here.”

“One thing at a time.”

“Sure.”

We walked back to my car and pulled out into traffic.

Vince and I got some dinner before heading over. We had to kill some time to give Joey and Carlos the opportunity to work Franklin over.

By the time we got there, Carlos was sitting in the kitchen drinking a glass of wine.