Page 120 of Give Me What You Will

“Frank…”

He couldn’t stop. He couldn’t stop kissing, holding him, loving him. He was safe. He was okay.

“I was so fuckin’ scared.”

“I—”

“I kept thinkin’ the worst. I couldn’t stop,” he whispered frantically, tears building. “I should’ve fuckin’ been here. I should’ve protected you. I should’ve…”

“I love you,” Sam gasped out, his breathing finally calming.

Frankie’s jaw clenched, and the tears fell. He grabbed him roughly by the jaw, fingers digging into his hair, emotion flooding him. “I fuckin’ love you, too.”

Sam let out a weak sigh and smiled beautifully at him, and nothing else mattered.

“What happened?” he asked quietly, leading Sam to one of the booths in the corner of the bar.

“They wouldn’t fucking stop,” Sam hissed through gritted teeth. “That word. Calling me a…”

Frankie knew exactly what discriminatory word they used, and cursed under his breath. “Fuckin’ assholes.”

He led Sam into the booth and sat him on the edge, squatting between his legs and looking at him. “What happened next?”

“I…” he sighed, raking a hand over his stubbled jawline. “I shouldn’t have let them get to me. But they did. Fuck. I’m sorry, Frankie. This is a fucking mess.”

“Tell me what happened,” He urged, needing to keep Sam focused.

He exhaled and inhaled. “I hit the big one first with a bottle of Jameson.”

That explained the broken glass, Frankie thought.

“The shorter one grabbed me and dragged me over the counter, the strong fuck, and we fought. I grabbed a barstool and hit him over the head. Then the tall one got back up. I jumped back over the bar, trying to get the bat, but he grabbed my shirt and slammed me into the counter. Broke a couple of bottles and pint glasses. I managed to slip free, he came around the bar, and I grabbed the first thing I could.”

“Yeah, I saw that,” he murmured. “That register weighs like twenty fuckin’ pounds.”

Sam snorted, “He dropped like a sack of bricks. The adrenaline hit and my heart couldn’t stop racing, and then you found me.”

Frankie grazed his lips over his knuckles, his own heart pounding at the story. He should’ve been here. And now he had two unconscious Zakone members in his fuckin’ bar. He closed his eyes, grateful that Sam was okay.

Now, he just had to make sure he stayed safe, he thought, pulling his phone from his back pocket and dialing Kozlov. He had spoken to him only once, and Frankie had no intention of starting a war with a gang that would make them both disappear overnight. He’d do what he had to do to make this go away.

He would protect Sam and their future together.

And he’d do what he had to do to ensure that there was a future.

What a fuckin’ mess.

Frankie sat at the bar, hand resting lightly on the glass of whiskey he had poured himself but hadn’t drunk from yet. The bar was quiet. He had closed it early and sent everyone home. He had to do this meeting alone.

It had only been 24 hours since Sam had put two members of the Zakone gang in the hospital.

Sam was currently watching the security camera feed, sitting in the former gambling lounge, his phone at the ready and bat in hand, listening. The second Frankie said the code word, Superman, Sam would call the police. And Joel, Ryan, and Brendon, who were also sitting in the back parking lot, would come in charging.

Frankie had fought Sam tooth and nail about being here. He didn’t want Sam putting himself in any more danger than he already had. They wasted an entire evening arguing about it and had their first ever angry sex, which Frankie rather enjoyed, and absolutely planned on pissing Sam off again soon, because fuck, his asshole was still sore.

Tonight, Frankie was finally about to meet Thaddeus Kozlov, one of the top-ranking members of the Zakone gang, known for his brutality and willingness to negotiate.

He just hoped Kozlov was willing to negotiate tonight.