“Do you love her?”
“Yes.” The word is out before I even have to think about it, and I know it’s true. I love Frankie. I love her smart mouth and her stubbornness. I love how she stands up to me and how she melts in my arms. I love everything about her, and I’ve fucked it all up.
“Then go get her back,” my mother says, like it’s the easiest thing in the world.
“She hates me, Ma.” The memory of Frankie’s tear-streaked face as she told me she hated me is burned into my brain.
My mother’s lips curve into a mischievous grin. “That didn’t stop you before, honey.”
I lift a brow as an idea starts to form.
No, it sure as fuck didn’t.
Chapter Seventeen
Frankie
It’s been two days since I went to the clubhouse and learned just how cruel Bane can be. I’d been naive—delusional, thinking he was anything but the killer that he is, because that’s exactly what he did. He killed any chance we might have had. I never should have gone back there.
Closing my eyes, I suck in a lungful of air, beating back the emotions.
Stop it, Frankie. Bottle that shit up.
Shoving the last shirt into my overnight bag, I zip it up with more force than necessary. It doesn’t matter now, I’m leaving Odin for good. My things have already been packed into the U-Haul downstairs, and tomorrow I’m out of here.
My phone ringing on the counter pulls my attention and I reach over and grab it. Glancing down at the screen, I feel a smallflicker of disappointment when I see Trinity’s name lit up on the screen.
“Hey,” I answer, trying to sound more upbeat than I feel.
“How are you holding up?”
I swallow hard. “I’m okay.”
“Bullshit.”
Despite everything, I laugh. This is why I love her. She never lets me get away with anything.
“Fine. I’m not okay, but I will be.”
She sighs. “What time are you leaving tomorrow?”
“First light. I want to get on the road before the traffic picks up.”
“And where exactly are you going?” she asks, the worry in her voice unmistakable.
I glance around the empty apartment, at the bare walls where family photos once hung. “I don’t know yet. Just... away from here.”
A sound on the stairs grabs my attention. “Hey Trin, I’ll call you tomorrow, okay. I think someone’s outside.”
“Outside? What if it’s?—”
“I’m fine. I’ll talk to you in the morning.”
Ending the call, I walk over to the window and peer out into the darkness. The U-Haul sits in the driveway, but nothing seems out of place. I twist my neck and glance over towards the steps, but there’s nobody down there. Still, I can’t shake the feelingthat someone is out there in the darkness, that someone is watching me. A shiver slithers down my spine.
“I’m losing it.” Rubbing my hands up and down my arms, I turn away from the window and cross the empty living room to the air mattress I set up earlier, and sink down onto the edge of it.
The yellow eviction notice sticking out of my purse catches my eye. It’s a cruel reminder of one more thing that’s been taken from me.
