Page 15

CHAPTER 15

Frankie

I had no idea what to do or say. This wasn’t something I’d anticipated. Not when he was eating dinner with my father just five seconds ago.

How did he even get permission to leave fast enough to beat me here?

“Still an alpha I see,” he murmured. Leo eyed me from head to toe, not looking the least bit surprised by that fact even though I had the inexplicable feeling that he was. “You’re even engaged to the perfect omega now.”

That jolted me out of my shock as quickly as if he’d shoved me into frozen water. “If you so much as look at her wrong,” I snarled.

“Wow, what a dedicated alpha.” Leo smirked and it was the first time that statement ever felt like a failing. “Why would I waste my time with her when we both know your engagement won’t last?”

His smile was cruel and it gave me the strength I needed to shove everything I felt about him so far down it was like it never existed.

I tilted my head to the side, matching his body language. “Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. Either way, it’s up to River.”

Shoving my hands in the pockets of my motorcycle jacket hid how badly they were shaking, completing my nonchalant performance as I strode towards him.

His smile widened with each step I took, but I made sure he saw just how boring all this was.

No matter what I felt, or what my situation was, nothing would change. Performing this scene with him over and over wasn’t just exhausting, it was tedious.

I stopped when I reached him, raising a single eyebrow as I kept my gaze on his throat. “Move.”

Leo didn’t move away from the driver’s door. He just stared down at me like all this was wildly entertaining. “Or what?”

I looked up and held his gaze. He didn’t exactly flinch when he saw how empty my eyes were, but it was close.

Leo pushed off my car and I grabbed the door handle, yanking it open. I slid inside and shoved the key into the ignition.

The sound of the passenger door opening made me pause and I clenched my teeth when I saw him sliding into the seat next to me.

“The thing about old cars is they’re very easy to break into,” Leo stated pleasantly. He closed the door and ran his hand over the dashboard, admiring my car like he had every right to. “But I like what you’ve done with it. I can tell you put a lot of time and care into this. Did you restore it yourself?”

He’s always been good at disarming me—soothing my anger and mood swings. For whatever reason, I hadn’t thought that would still be the case after all these years.

I sighed and leaned my head back against the headrest. “What are you doing here?”

“Your father invited me to dinner.”

I stared at my steering wheel and refused to let myself worry about that.

Whatever reason my father used to bring him back was none of my business.

“I meant why are you here .” I rolled my head to the side and my breath caught when I saw he was mimicking my body language now.

Looking at him was like seeing myself in a shattered mirror. Even his pink hair was a warped reflection of my red – a silent taunt.

Only Leo would know how badly I wanted to dye my hair pink instead of red. Only he could get away with doing something so feminine and lose nothing. There would be no consequences for him. Not like there would be for me.

“I’m here because I need you,” he said simply. Like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I had to look down so he wouldn’t see how much that single statement affected me. I inspected my nails, picking at where the red polish was starting to chip off. “This game is getting really old, you know.”

“Is it?” His small chuckle sent ice through my veins, warning me that I was about to push him into violence all over again. “Then why are you still playing it?”

“And what exactly is that supposed to mean?”

He laughed again, and it almost sounded like a giggle. I studied him out of the corner of my eye but there wasn’t a single drop of mirth to be seen on his face.

“You told me fifteen years ago that Lucy needed you. So, I did everything I could to help you since you were convinced our baby sister needed you when we both knew it was the other way around.”

“Stop.” I sat up and grabbed the steering wheel, feeling the ice in my veins turn to lava.

“But then she finally found her real alphas.”

“I said stop .” My grip on the steering wheel tightened and the metal creaked in protest.

“Our baby sister doesn’t need you anymore, and yet you’re still an alpha…why is that?”

I was reaching for my gun before I knew what I was doing, pressing the barrel to his forehead before he finished talking. “Get the fuck out.”

Leo leaned into my gun, giving me a wide grin. “Make me.”

“ Get out of my car,” I growled, the alpha command lowering my voice until it was barely recognizable.

“Fuck, an alpha command?” Leo reached into his pants and readjusted, licking his lips shamelessly. “Are you trying to make me hard?”

I couldn’t afford to think about that. Not right now. Not ever. I couldn’t even afford to let him see how unsurprised I was that my alpha command didn’t work on him.

We both had our parts to play and I refused to perform anything that wasn’t flawless.

Pulling back the hammer, the click was loud in the small space between us. I stared at him, waiting for him to comply.

“No safety on your gun?” He chuckled. “That’s not very safe, Francesca.”

“I never arm myself without being fully prepared to kill someone,” I said softly, pushing the gun into his skin just a little bit harder. “I am always prepared to pull the trigger and we both know I never miss.”

His eyes flashed and a growl filled the car, so deep and low I thought I’d imagined it until he grabbed the barrel of my gun and effortlessly ripped it from my hand.

The cold metal was pressed to my temple before I could react and his entire body was pushing down on me. He was so strong despite the awkward position and I stared into those blood-red eyes, wondering if this was it.

Was he finally going to kill me?

I closed my eyes, feeling relieved for some reason.

Leo had every right to hate me. He had every fucking right on the planet to end my life and honestly, it was the least I could do for him. The only thing I could do for him.

How pathetic was it that the only gift I could give him was the end of my existence?

“ Fight back .” His deep voice was everywhere and nowhere. Like he was trying to command me deep underwater. “Don’t give up so easily, Francesca. It’s pathetic .”

I could get out of this, but what was the point when he was right?

Lucy didn’t need me anymore, and despite our arrangement, River didn’t need me either. She was the master of her own universe and I was nothing more than a willing pawn.

But now that he was back…maybe I could finally stop trying so hard.

“You fucking bitch. Look at me.”

I opened my eyes, seeing nothing but fury in those blood-red eyes. If I was being honest…seeing him angry like this gave me peace.

Leo wasn’t as different as I thought he might be if he ever decided to come back.

There was something wrong with me because I slid my gaze from his eyes to his mouth, refusing to give him what he wanted, even now.

He leaned into me, annoyed that I was ignoring him, but he thrived on it too. Loved that I kept rejecting him. Always used to say that it would make the moment I finally gave in all the sweeter.

I’d never admit how much it scared me that he was so confident I would.

His weight shifted until his whole body surrounded me – reminding me that he would always be stronger. Bigger.

But I wasn’t just meaner, I was cruel .

“I’m back?—”

“ Why are you back?” I interrupted him, lifting my gaze to his nose.

“I was ordered to return.” Leo moved so he was a fraction closer, but he was so careful not to touch me more than he needed to. “So, here I am.”

“Such a good boy,” I murmured, noting the way his entire body stiffened at that, including his cock. “But not my good boy, are you?”

His silence was more telling than anything else.

Leo was almost trembling now, thanks to just how carefully he held his body above mine. He was desperately trying to hold himself back, but it wouldn’t take much to push him into losing it.

Part of me wanted to, but I couldn’t afford to take responsibility for the aftermath.

“Just say the word, Frankie…and I’ll be your soldier, not your father’s.”

I pushed myself so far down in my head that I disconnected from this moment, forcing myself to pretend I was anywhere but here to hide just how much that declaration shook me to my core.

Leo couldn’t see it or he’d know and he was not the kind of person I trusted to deal with that kind of knowledge.

He could use it against me.

Or for me. It was hard to tell really.

And the worst part? I didn’t deserve his devotion.

My years of pretending I wasn’t a legacy were over. This was my life again. I could never forget that.

I was Francesca Catori Valeska Lopez and any sign of weakness as an alpha could mean my death, or the death of those I’ve agreed to protect.

But without Lucy…I was lost.

He was right. I was pathetic.

The person I’ve defined my entire existence around for the last fifteen years no longer needed me. I had no purpose and no one could ever truly understand how I was feeling right now other than Leo.

But I couldn’t lean on him. Not after everything I’ve done to him. I didn’t deserve it.

“You’re so good at this. Never letting yourself actually feel anything.” The barrel of my gun slid down my face to the corner of my mouth, pressing so hard the metal pinched my skin between my teeth and the gun. “You numb all the pain by hiding from the truth. It’s just as infuriating as I remember.”

My heart beat slowly. Each breath was rhythmic. Easy. My skin was cold and the sweat was gone. Even my head felt insulated like there was cotton candy around my brain and in my ears.

Rotting my insides.

“You made me into who I am,” Leo reminded me. “You love to deny it though. Like none of it ever happened. But we both know the truth, don’t we?”

He shoved the gun in between my lips, angry when I refused to react.

“You filled me up with all your rage…look at what you did to me, Frankie. Look at what I’ve done with all the pieces you broke.” His thumb slid into my mouth next, forcing my jaw open.

Even now he was gentle, careful not to shatter my teeth as he forced the barrel of my own gun into my mouth.

His psychotic tenderness made my throat ache and the cotton candy started to melt.

“You left me hopeless. Took everything I was and shattered it. Then I took all those pieces and became what you wanted me to be and yet…you still won’t look at me.”

I could taste gunpowder, steel and mint .

My head started throbbing and the ache in my throat grew until I thought I would choke on it.

“I hope you’re proud of what you’ve created, Frankie – of what I’ve become.” Leo pressed the metal down on my tongue but all I could taste was the ice-cold mint of his agonizing fury. “I didn’t come back just because I was ordered to, but to show you what kind of monster I became. Your monster.”

Salt joined the taste of mint and I hated him for this – for being the only one who’s ever been able to force me to feel everything I tried to ignore.

A hand around my throat forced my chin up, making me choke on the gun when he shoved it in even farther but I stared blankly at the ceiling instead of him.

His answering growl made me feel like that little girl again, terrified of the creature staring at me like I was everything and nothing, but this time I couldn’t hide behind my father.

“ Look at me .” His deep voice was laced with one of the most powerful alpha commands I’ve ever felt. “ Look at what you did to me .”

My eyes dropped to his against my will and all I could see was the pain I’d caused – the volatile insanity I’d nurtured.

“I’m not what I used to be, Frankie.” He slid his finger onto the trigger and gave me a wide grin. “I’m so much worse now and it’s all thanks to you.”

He really was so much worse and I wanted to feel bad but…how could I? He was perfect.

Leo leaned down, his cool breath tickling my face. “So thank you. Thank you for giving me a reason to be the monster I always wanted to be. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

All these years apart and he still couldn’t stop thinking about me.

I couldn’t help but feel relieved it wasn’t just me.

Every single day since he left, I was afraid I would have to love him without ever knowing if he still loved me. It was selfish and cruel, but that’s who I was. How could I be anything else after reading the note he’d left me?

“Should I show you what kind of monster you made?” Leo whispered, his eyes losing focus.

My body felt heavy and I breathed in the scent of his minty sea-salt and bergamot.

Even I wasn’t this cruel – forcing the man who loved me to turn into his father. I couldn’t do that when I knew exactly what he’d do the second my brains were splattered all across my back window.

I grabbed his wrist and shoved it away at the same time that I dropped my seat back as far as it would go, forcing the barrel of the gun to hit the ceiling.

Before he could regain his bearings, I unsheathed the small knife at my waist and slid the blade into the soft flesh above his hip, just under the scar I’d given him right before he left.

Spit slid down my chin from his abuse, but I held his gaze, taking in his overwhelming relief tinged with mortal pain.

“‘I will be everywhere you look, but nowhere to be found,’” I murmured, quoting the words he’d left me with. “‘I will live in your mind, eternally, until you exist simply because I do.’”

The rest…I didn’t need to say the rest. Not when it sounded like a love letter instead of the curse it was supposed to be.

Leo chuckled, wincing slightly when it made blood drip from his stomach to mine. “If they only knew you…like I did.”

“I didn’t think you’d ever come back,” I told him honestly, letting the truth mask how much it had hurt to live every day knowing I would always love him, but could never have him.

“You’re such a fucking disaster…and I’m the only one who can see it.” Leo barely reacted when I gently removed the knife from his gut. “Be honest, that’s why you hate me, isn’t it?”

“It is.” I shoved him into the passenger seat and ripped my gun out of his hand. “You should have stayed in whatever hole you crawled out of. Now get the fuck out before I slit your throat.”

“At least you feel something.” Leo pressed his hand to the knife wound and sighed.

He opened the passenger door and I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d ever see him again.

Leo paused and glanced back at me.

I thought he might say something else, but when I didn’t look at him, he stepped out of the car with more agility than a man with a stab wound in his abdomen should have.

I shoved my gun in its holster, and turned the ignition.

That’s when he leaned down, his red eyes as bright as the blood staining my white shirt. “Francesca…”

I turned and raised my eyebrow, wondering what the fuck he was going to say now.

“Shark week is coming up soon on the Documentary channel.”

I fucking hated that I wanted to laugh that he remembered how much I liked watching that every year.

Shifting into first gear, I stared at nothing as I waited for him to close the passenger door.

His chuckle was soft, but I could still hear it over the roar of my engine.

The second the door slammed shut, I took off, pressing down on the accelerator as I aimed for the gate.

Leo was back .

He really couldn’t have picked a worse time.

I was already on the edge, desperately trying not to fail, and now I had to deal with this too?

Well, it wasn’t like I didn’t deserve it.