Anger flashed through my thoughts, and for a moment, I considered reaching out and striking him. But he hadn’t led me astray. I had gotten confused, not Frankie.
One man stood guard at the door, his gun safely hidden in his jacket, but I didn’t need a reminder. He stepped forward, separating the distance between us as if he noticed the tension in my movements.
“You don’t wish to leave me?” Frankie asked.
I sputtered, looking everywhere but at him. “Of course I want to leave. You kidnapped me.”
I ripped my hand from Frankie’s, not wanting to touch him.
He glanced at the lost connection with sadness. “I am disappointed we didn’t have longer, Cara Mia. I have a feeling you’d love a few of my friends at home.”
Who exactly did Frankie claim as friends?
I took two steps away from the table and my gaze scanned the long windows of the restaurant. I saw another door on the other side of the room and an exit. If I ran fast enough and pushed myself through it, hopefully the door would be unlocked and I might make it to safety.
CHAPTER 6
I had my eye on Frankie as I backed away, hoping he didn’t notice my short static movements. Everything was going well until my arm ran straight into one of the small circular tables scattered about the restaurant. The wobbly legs shook and the napkin holder rattled, alerting Frankie and his helpers to my poorly thought-out escape.
I turned, ready to make a run for it, and prayed to God the door on the other side wasn’t locked, but I made it less than two feet before the largest of the two men who had been with Frankie stepped into my walkway. What was it with criminals always having huge ass linebackers for protection? Did they have a club somewhere? A joint hiring pool. This particular man had never been more than ten feet away from Frankie since I first met him, and in that moment, he crossed his arms and stepped in my way. I knew without a doubt he’d be no help if I tried to get around him.
“Hmmm, it will be fine,” Frankie said, stepping away from his table slowly as if he hadn’t a single worry about me escaping.
Frankie knew that meant in a few minutes he’d exchange me for a cool ten million. At least I’d fetched a higher ransom. I was still in denial. Or maybe I just wanted to believe I was worth more money. Either way, my cousin would never let me forget the time I got myself kidnapped and cost him ten million.
Now my time had run out, and I faced being sold as is to my cousin. Turns out it didn’t matter what my price tag was, I still felt slightly betrayed. And not by my cousin, but Frankie. Why did I feel bad that I was going to be set free? I should jump for joy, smiling and leading the way to wherever they’d decided to do this handoff. Yet, I didn’t feel any of those things. The only emotion I mustered was a deep ache in my chest.
I had questions about my mysterious kidnapper and I wanted to answer them.
I grappled with it for a moment as I took slow steps to the table, ready to meet my fate and the long lecture I’d receive from Westley. I didn’t realize I wore my emotions on my sleeve until Frankie commented.
“You look upset, Cara Mia. Are you going to miss me?”
His smug smile wiped all the disappointment from me. I crossed my arms over myself and put up the boundary wall he couldn’t climb before responding as rudely as possible. “Hardly.”
I caught sight of the ridiculous smile Frankie had splattered across his face. He put his arm over my shoulder and, rather than push it off, I allowed him. “So you’re going to miss me a little.”
“Don’t think so highly of yourself,” I said loudly enough in case my cousin was listening. He wouldn’t think I enjoyed being wrapped up in my kidnapper’s arms.
Frankie directed us out of the ice cream shop and down a long hallway as people came and went. I saw a cleaning sign in front of the bathroom, but he maneuvered us in that direction even though the signs said closed.
“Trust me, Shiloh. I would keep you if I could.”
That pissed me off even more. “I am not a pet,” I lashed out at him as the big guard who stopped my earlier escape held open the bathroom door for us. I hated every single hair on Frankie’s head.
“Don’t worry. I understand you need the money. Finances can be hard for the third-born sons.” It was a low blow, but I didn’t care.
Frankie paused in thought. I braced for a rude comment. “Actually, I really don’t need the money.”
I didn’t understand what that meant, and I was too busy hating all of his perfect hair to ask. It made me want to run my fingers through and mess up his gel. I also hated how his new suit fit his body like a glove. To the point I wanted to run my hands over the fabric and follow the lines of his stomach. Basically, I just wanted my hand all over him. Normal women did not have those thoughts about their kidnappers. Life in the city had ruined me.
And I may have grown up on the worst streets of Chicago and been financing an education from a criminal enterprise, but I was a pretty normal girl. I hadn’t even been with Frankie long enough to blame it on Stockholm syndrome.
“I’m not going in there with you,” I said and dug my heels into the ground so that Frankie couldn’t walk in either.
He turned back to me and no longer wore the stupid smile, but his expression said something else I refused to read into. “Have you decided you want me to forfeit the ten million dollars and take you on as my prize instead?” he asked, sounding almost hopeful.
We both knew that would not happen. Not that I wanted it to. I had enough criminals in my life. “No,” I replied sternly. “It’s a men’s room.” Who knew what depraved things went on in men’s rooms? Dirty floors, sticky handles, gross urinals. They probably had a glory hole in there. It was Chicago’s Navy Pier.
