AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The entire process takes less than a minute. I deadbolt my apartment door, turn on the light in the living room and sit on the sofa to open the envelope. Without any hesitation, I rip it open, turn it upside down and a cell phone falls into my lap. I open the envelope again to have another look inside, but see nothing else. No note, no paperwork, nothing.
Confused, I turn the phone over in my palm, looking at it trying to establish any identifying marks. Just as I am inspecting it closely, it rings, startling me and I jump, nearly dropping the phone on the floor. I haven’t been this on edge for months. I feel a change in the air, and it is making me a little unsettled.
Looking at the cell phone, I see the name King light up the screen and a small smile starts to form on my face and my heart flutters. He didn’t give up on me.
I quickly answer, “Hello?” I’m not sure if the king on the screen really is my king so I am cautious.
“Hey, baby,” he says as he lets go of the breath he was holding. I can hear his relief through the phone and it matches mine. Just the sound of his voice makes my chest warm and my soul loved.
“Hi,” I say in reply, tears welling up at the extreme happiness I have right now at hearing his voice, knowing he is okay after Sebastian’s visit.
“I know everything...” he starts, and I don’t know what to think. If he knows everything, why is he calling me? Why did he have Jake deliver the phone to my door, knowing that people are watching my apartment and it could place Jake in danger? Is he calling to say goodbye? I don’t know what to say, so I stay silent, waiting for him to continue as I brace my heart for what is to come, under no illusion that this is the end for us.
“...and you are my queen, and I will protect you with everything I have and everything I am.”
Air escapes my body, and I choke on the tears that start to fall down my cheeks and my heart breaks open, but from joy, not sorrow as I expected. I bury my head in my hand to cry as quietly as possible, although I know Marco can hear me whimpering. I was brought up to be tougher than this. My papa would be disgusted at the sobbing woman I have become.
“Baby...” he croaks, “it’s going to be all right.”
“Okay,” I say, as I look up at the ceiling of my apartment to stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks.
“We will be together, of that I am sure,” he says, defiance in his tone. “It’s late. Keep this phone hidden, call me anytime. I am working on a plan. We will be together, baby, just give me time okay?”
“Okay,” I say, scared to say anything more given how fragile I am at the moment.
“Get some sleep, it is going to be a long week.” I nod but he can’t see me, so I squeak out another “okay.” It seems I have lost the use of my vocabulary, and I am now reduced to using one syllable words.
“Oh, and one more thing...” he says in a serious tone, and I sit up waiting for the information he is going to give me knowing that it is important.
“I love you,” he declares and ends the phone conversation before I can reply.
Taking the phone away from my ear, I look at the screen in shock.
He is the first man outside of Sebastian and Alf to say those words to me, and they have rocked me to my core. Gripping the phone, I stand on shaky legs, turn off the light and walk back to my bedroom. I place the gun back into my drawer at my bedside and lay the phone next to it before I crawl back into bed. Snuggled under the sheets, I sob like a little child at the sorrow of the past and the uncertainty of the present, knowing that the only future I have is with my king.
24
Marco
It has been over two days since I last saw Frankie at her door and too long since I heard her voice when I first had Jake drop the secure cell phone to her apartment. I miss her. I miss her smile and her laugh. I miss her body and her love. I miss everything about her, and I know Prince feels the same, because he mopes around the house like a lovesick puppy.
I will admit, it was a risky move sending Jake over to deliver the phone, but we have had no ramifications yet. Jake has also positioned security at the front of her place, so now she has another set of eyes following her every move, not that she has left her apartment, and for that I am glad. I feel that she is secure there, even if she is on her own.
We also have a team of six men, all elite former military, undercover at the bar watching Alf and Sofia. Some inside, acting as patrons, others outside, monitoring who comes and goes, because as much as he doesn’t like me, I know they are important to Frankie, so they are important to me.
Usually, on a Tuesday evening, I would be in the office working late or running Prince around the park, but not today. Jake, Stephen, Shaun, and I are currently sitting in our private plane. This plane is used mainly for business, but we all use it as we need to. Stephen uses it the most to fly back and forth between Boston and New York to manage his clubs. Shaun and I use it mainly for business, whenever we need to run over to the west coast for meetings. It is luxurious, with white leather seats and wood paneling; no expense has been spared. It even has a small bedroom at the back for those times when we need a few extra hours before landing in a new city.
As the boys and I sit here in silence, waiting for the plane to take off, I look at Jake. I can tell something is on his mind.
“Jake, spill it.” I demand, wanting to know what he is thinking.
“I just want it on the record, that I think this is a really stupid fucking idea. It might work, but it is still a really stupid idea,” he grumbles to me as the plane takes off from Boston airport heading for New York. He is becoming aggravated, and I know it is because he needs to go to his cabin and sleep to de-stress.
He was due for his bi-annual reprieve in the solitude of the woods, the same place he goes every time, but I stopped him with my current dilemma. I need him here with me for the moment. Luckily, I know that he is my best friend and there is nowhere else he wants to be other than by my side to help me through this. After this is through, he can have an extra-long break.
For the past two days, we have been strategizing and scheming, the four of us and Romeo have been through every option, every scenario, going over photographs, reports and security assessments. We have also ensured that all our loved ones are safe and in different locations around the country, because even though we are being careful, when you are dealing with the most dangerous family in the country, you need to take extra precautions. Our valuables and finances are secure and tied up where they need to be.
Our various lawyers have been prepped and our businesses are operating as normal. Scarlett is in charge, managing all the businesses, her experience and expertise unrivalled. Romeo is in charge of everything on the ground in Boston while we are away and has a team of security experts with him at his disposal in case things don’t go as planned.
