Chapter 23: Chapter Twenty-Three

Frankie drove through the streets of New York by muscle memory. He’d grown up in the city. The slums. The gutter. His parents worked their asses off just to afford a run down house sitting crooked on its foundation. Good jobs. Honest jobs. They had a beautiful life. A hard life. He wanted no part of it. That’s how he knew every street of this city like the back of his hand. From the run down streets of Harlem to the pristine sidewalks of the financial district. He wanted to be anywhere… but home. Now? He was gunning for it.

He throttled forward, tearing through the streets at high speeds knowing the police would never pull him over. Despite the fact that the bike was a different color, any of the cops on their payroll would recognize him… their extra income depended on it. He liked how Gloria’s hands would contract against his stomach when he took a turn too fast or raced through a red light… so he did both as often as he could. Unfortunately home wasn’t far away from the club. It couldn’t be. He spent too much time there and in the four major underground casinos all within a quick ride.

Frankie slowed and rolled up on the curb where Ronaldo was waiting for him. Before he could get off, he had to nudge Gloria who had just fallen asleep on his back. She startled awake, flailing her arms as if under attack until Frankie caught her wrists and he felt her pulse slow beneath his fingers. Ronaldo held his hands up in surrender.

“Feisty one, eh, Mr. Donati?” Ronaldo said with a laugh.

“You have no idea, Ronny,” Frankie said, stepping off the bike and grabbing his duffel.

He placed his hand on the small of Gloria’s back and directed her toward the awning-covered entrance. He heard his bike rev to life and Gloria turned her head to watch the elderly Filipino in a doorman uniform take off down the sidewalk. He caught the briefest lifting of her lips into a smile before she had to turn for the door.

“Mr. Donati,” Juniper greeted from the reception desk.

“Working nights now, Jun?” Frankie asked, guiding Gloria toward the young blonde typing furiously away on her computer.

“Well, considering the recent…” Her eyes lifted and glanced between Frankie and Gloria. “Incidents. I’ve taken on a few more hours to make sure security is in line.”

“I’m sure your diligence will be reflected in your Christmas bonus this year,” Frankie assured her.

She sighed. “It better be.”

“This is Gloria. She’ll be staying with me from now on,” Frankie told her, ignoring Gloria’s head whipping up at the declaration. “I’ll need to have her uploaded to the system.”

Juniper typed something out on her computer. “Will do, Mr. Donati.”

Juniper's eyes rose to meet Gloria’s and her stern expression softened at the state Gloria was in. She had bags under her eyes. She was still wearing Frankie’s shirt and the shorts that could be classified as a panty liner. Her chestnut hair was tangled and she swayed slightly under her exhaustion.

“It is nice to meet you, Miss Gloria. My name is Juniper Harrison. I am the manager of this building. I can assure you your safety here is of the utmost importance to us,” Juniper explained. She took a sticky note and started writing as she continued, “This is my number. You can reach me any time of day or night. Even if I’m not in, I’ll make sure your needs are taken care of.” Juniper held out the sticky note and Gloria took it with a grateful nod. “As for your needs, Mr. Donati,” Juniper said, meeting his eyes. “I have the packages you requested. They’ll be in your delivery box.”

“Thank you, Jun,” Frankie said with a nod as he gave Gloria a polite nudge to move away from the desk.

“Have a good night, Mr. Donati,” she said, giving a nod to Frankie before turning her eyes to Gloria. “Nice to meet you Miss Gloria.”

Frankie continued to push Gloria around the corner toward the elevators.

“She seems nice,” Gloria said once they were out of hearing range.

Though she was tired, Frankie could still hear the edge in her tone. He wasn’t blind. Juniper was fucking hot in a stern, teacher who swats kids on the back of the hand with a wooden ruler for cursing sort of way.

As he walked, he bent down to whisper in her ear, “No. Never happened.”

He didn’t need to elaborate, he knew where her mind was going. Her body relaxed slightly as she stopped in front of the two elevators but he continued forward.

“Over here, Vixen,” Frankie told her, pulling his key ring from his pocket as he stopped in front of a nondescript grey door.

Frankie flipped open a keypad and input his code. Once the light went green, he used his first key to unlock the door. The door opened up into a foyer with a singular elevator. Once inside he locked back the door and opened the mail box beside it where a shopping bag and cooler were waiting for him along with a stack of envelopes. He grabbed the shopping bag of clothes and handed it to Gloria while he took the envelopes and cooler for himself. He entered a second code and scanned his thumb before the private elevator opened. He stepped inside and she followed. He watched her from the corner of his eye as he sifted through the junk mail, bills and various letters.

“There are clothes for you in that bag,” he told her. She didn’t even glance inside. He stopped flipping through the envelopes to study her more carefully. Her fingers played along the strap of the bag. Her left toe tapped against the carpet. “Are you afraid of elevators?” he asked.

She scoffed. “No.”

Frankie watched her for another moment. She might not have been afraid of heights, but something was scaring her. Then it clicked. He continued to go through his mail, saving her from further inspection. “There are three security checkpoints between the lobby door and my apartment,” he started. “Each are protected through keys, codes and thumb-print scanners. If an alarm is tripped, police are notified along with the security staff always on standby within this building. The roof is inaccessible unless dropped by helicopter and even then there are systems in place to keep people from repelling down. The windows are bullet proof and thick enough to jam up the top glass saws on the market. ” He stopped flicking through mail for a moment to meet her curious eyes. “Trust me. It’s been tested. Recently.”

The elevator dinged at the 78th floor and he stepped out to the foyer featuring a single door to his home. He inputted the code, scanned his thumb again and unlocked the door.

“Jesus, what do you do if there’s a fire?” she asked behind him, though he could hear a slight release of tension in her voice.

“Laundry chute,” he told her with a wink.

Frankie pushed open the door and beckoned for her to go on ahead as the alarm beeped in warning. He moved past her and entered the last code required. Once the three beeps sounded and his alarm was reset he felt he could finally breathe for the first time in weeks. He leaned his forehead against the wall and inhaled slowly again. Safe. She’s safe.

Frankie stepped back and glanced down the hall where Gloria had gone a minute earlier. He slipped off his boots and went looking for her. He didn’t have to go far. Gloria was in the living room, staring up at the two-story windows. Though it was the middle of the night, the glistening lights of New York illuminated the city for them to admire. She turned to face him, her eyes twinkling in wonder.

“Is this a safe house?” she asked.

“Yeah, right, Accardi would never make it up here,” Frankie chuckled as he set his duffel down and went for the kitchen.

Gloria came in after him, her arms clutched to her chest, her eyes surveying his domain with barely concealed admiration. Her gaze scanned the rows of honey he’d collected over the past few months as he tried to find one that matched her eyes. Those uniquely colored retinas shrunk as she looked at him, hands braced against the kitchen island waiting for her judgement.

“This is yours?”

Frankie smiled. “Yes, Gloria. I get paid pretty well, believe it or not.” He pushed off the island and started to slowly advance toward her. “While some men like to spend their money on cars, extravagant vacations, oversized watches… women.” He stopped in front of her and brushed some hair behind her shoulder. “I chose to spend my money on the luxury of a peaceful night’s sleep.” He cupped her cheek in his palm. “You’re safe here. No one will get to you. Do you understand me? You’re safe. I swear that to you.”

Gloria closed her eyes. She leaned into his hand and a tear slid down her cheek. Then she nodded. All at once the knots strangling his lungs and rooting in his stomach came free.

“Good. Now,” he started, ducking and lifting her under the knees. “For the tour.”

“Frankie, this isn’t really necessa…”

“You’re dead on your feet, Gloria,” Frankie told her, walking through the living room toward the hallway again. He pivoted and started up the stairs to the second floor. “There are the three bedrooms, two full baths, a library downstairs collecting dust,” he told her. “Kitchen is… sorta stocked if you wake up in the middle of the night and need something to eat. Gas fireplace in the dining room and one here…” he said, pushing open the door to the master bedroom, their room.

He didn’t let her down though. Instead he continued through the room to the bathroom. He set her on the counter and walked toward the tub he’d never used before. He switched on the faucet, clogged the drain and grabbed the washcloth, towel set. Frankie walked back over to her and took the bag from her hands. He pulled out the clothes he’d asked Juniper to pick up: a few t-shirts, a couple shorts, some sweatpants, jeans. Things she could wear around the apartment and out in the city until she had time to shop for herself.

“Three bedrooms?” she asked.

“Mhmm,” he confirmed as he folded the clothes up and piled them on the counter beside her.

“Which one’s mine?”

Frankie’s fingers stilled over the cotton of a t-shirt. He glanced over to find her with a mischievous smile though her eyes were glinting with dangerous foreboding. He smirked, pushed her knees apart and stepped in between them. He sighed as he ran his hands up her bare thighs. He leaned forward and she didn’t protest as he touched his lips to her shoulder.

“Whichever one you prefer, Vixen.” He trailed his teeth up her neck, making her shiver. “Just know though, that no matter which you pick, you’ll have company.”

“Price for my freedom?” she asked.

Frankie stopped his exploration of her skin. He stepped back and faced her harsh glare with one of his own. He’d heard what she’d said to Gen. He knew how she felt she’d merely traded one cage for another. Part of it was true. Until he neutralized the threat of Sergei Vasiliev, she would have to give up some of her freedom. But comparing him to that fucking asshole?

“I’m not your villain, Gloria,” Frankie growled low.

“Then what are you?” she asked, her glare softening around the edges to be replaced with that thriving curiosity of hers as if she was doing everything in her power to figure him out.

He sighed and ran his hands back down her thighs as he tried to think of the right word. He smirked. “It’s too soon to tell, Vixen,” he answered with a wink. He smacked her thigh. “Get your ass in the tub. Then pick a bed. I have a few things to do.” He walked out of the room. “I’ll be eager to see where we’ll be spending the night,” he called over his shoulder.