“What do you want?” Frankie demands, putting himself between me and my former boss.
“What do you think I want?” Harlan snaps. “I’m going to bury the two of you and get back to business as usual.”
“You know you can’t do that,” Frankie insists.
“Why not?” Harlan asks.
“My father will never stop hunting you,” Frankie threatens. “And if you’re working for Andretti, you already know everything about their feud. This is personal, and you’re making it a lot more personal.”
“I know more than you think I do,” Harlan says. “I know about your tramp of a stepmother and how she bagged a mafia don as her husband.”
Frankie surges toward Harlan, but I grab him and hold him back. I don’t want to see him killed right in front of me. I’m hanging on by a thread as it is, and that would be horrific. I agree that we need to find a way to fight back against Harlan, but this isn’t it.
Harlan laughs. He waves the gun toward the couch, indicating that we should take a seat. Frankie grunts at him in a languagethat only men can understand. But he follows directions reluctantly, taking me by the hand and leading me to the couch.
Once we’re seated, Frankie puts a protective arm around me. I sink into his embrace, allowing myself to take some small comfort from his presence. We’re in this together. Either we find a way out, or we’ll die as one. I don’t want Frankie to be in trouble, but I have to admit, I feel safer now that he’s here. If anyone can think of a way to escape, I’m sure it’s Frankie. I just must give him time to work his magic. I’m sure he’s been in tons of untenable situations before. This is just a regular Tuesday for him, and I don’t need to worry.
I close my eyes, giving myself permission to rely on someone else for a change. The situation seems hopeless, but there’s always a silver lining. I just must trust that Frankie will know how to find it.
CHAPTER 37
FRANKIE
I’m jacked up on adrenaline and not thinking straight. My fingers are itching to wrap themselves around Harlan’s neck. I knew it was too good to be true. This whole plan of sneaking into his office to get Danny’s files was bound to go wrong, I just never thought he would figure it out so quickly. Now Sofia could die thanks to our plan. At this point, I’m pretty sure I could murder Harlan in cold blood and sleep like a baby.
I tighten my arm around Sofia’s shoulders. Her breathing is shallow and I can feel the tension crackling through her body. This all brings me back to the first time I was held at gunpoint. I was with Marlena and Brandon, and our captor was none other than Carlo Andretti himself.
He took us to a warehouse where he threatened to kill all three of us. My father broke up that party, and I’m hoping he’ll crash this one as well. I thought I was clear that he should check my location through the watch he gave me, but as the minutes stretch by and he doesn’t arrive, I start to get worried. I should have been clearer in my instructions, but I know if I had laid out my plan to come straight here my father would have steppedin and taken over. I couldn’t risk Harlan killing Sofia because I didn’t follow directions.
Maybe he’s still mulling over what I said. Maybe he doesn’t realize how dire the situation is. He’s been trying to give me more autonomy now that I’m directly in line for the throne. And in the time, I’ve been working with his underlings, I’ve seen every type of crime other than murder. Of course this is different. This is my murder we’re talking about, and Harlan is in the perfect position to carry it out.
I don’t know what he’s waiting for. The last time he spoke he said he was going to kill us both. But then he didn’t pull the trigger. Instead, he went to the refrigerator and rummaged through it like a college kid home on vacation. He’s taking liberties with Sofia’s stuff and that enrages me. However, in terms of priority, stopping Harlan from eating Sofia’s food is way down on the list.
“What are you waiting for?” I snap, unable to contain my curiosity any longer.
“You’ll see,” he promises. He pulls out the bottle of OJ, somehow never dropping the gun, and drinks straight from the container. I want to tell him to get a glass, but that also seems irrelevant. I know he’s trying to goad me into doing something stupid. He’s disrespecting us in so many ways. I can barely keep track. I’m thankful that we have a few moments before whatever Harlan has planned happens. But I’m sure things are about to get a whole lot worse.
As if in answer to my question, there’s a knock on the door. Harlan waves me toward it. My mind is working a mile a minute. I can see all the variables in the room as if they are laid out on a drafting table.
Harlan is in the kitchen, and he has no way of knowing who’s at the door. Sofia is sitting on the couch, apparently in shock. There are only about five feet between us because the apartment is so small, but even that doesn’t put me close enough to seize Harlan’s gun.
I don’t know who is waiting on the other side of the door. It could be my father, but then why would Harlan look so smug? He must have called someone to help him finish the job. I wonder if it will be the cleaners who will help dispose of my body. I know my father has the contact information for a few of them. Maybe I can offer to pay them double what Harlan is paying to walk away.
But the moment I open the door, I can see it isn’t my father or the cleaners. It’s Carlo Andretti himself. I haven’t seen him since that day in the warehouse. He looks the same, even though it’s been some time since I last laid eyes on him. I wish I could say that he looks horrible, as if running from my father and living his life in the shadows was a hardship. But instead, he looks as fresh as a fucking daisy. He’s excited and well rested, wearing an expensive suit.
“Frankie!” he says, opening his arms to give me a hug. He’s acting like my long-lost cousin, not someone who has a vendetta against my family.
I decline his invitation, taking a step back. He accepts my challenge, walking inside along with three of his bodyguards. The apartment isn’t big enough for all of us, and the bodyguards must shuffle around to find room.
Harlan puts his gun down now that I’m outnumbered. Sofia stands up, reaching for my hand. I supply it for her, easing her back into a corner because it’s the only place out of reach ofAndretti’s goons. I place myself right in front of her, providing the only protection I can now.
“And this must be the girl who has been causing so much trouble,” Andretti exclaims. He shifts his center of balance so that he can see Sofia clearly.
She puts a hand on my shoulder, and I can feel her heartbeat through her palm. I know she’s scared, but she’s doing a great job of holding it together. I’m not afraid, only angry. I wish there was a way to seize Harlan’s gun and turn it on our attackers. I wouldn’t mind killing them all right where they stand. I could ask my father for the cleaners’ phone number when I’m through.
“Don’t talk to her,” I snap.
“Why?” Andretti asks, breaking eye contact with Sofia so he can threaten me. “What are you going to do about it?”
