SHANK (A Wilde Crime Series) (34 page)
Read SHANK (A Wilde Crime Series) Online
Authors: j.a. kazimer
“
I didn’t sleep with him.”
“If you say so.”
She smacked me in the arm. “I DID NOT SLEEP WITH HIM!”
“You expect me to buy
that. He was obsessed with you. Mickey and Andy found pictures.”
“
Those weren’t pictures of me,” she sighed, “they were of you. Drew asked Roberto to follow you, said he didn’t trust you. And Roberto agreed, because, let’s face it, you weren’t very nice to him.”
I shrugged. Nice or not, he’d crossed a line. Nobody put his hands on Frankie, except me, and I’d
paid time and again for the privilege. “Well, it didn’t matter at the end.” I took her hand in mine.
“W
hen did you figure out it was Drew?”
“Afte
r he’d shot Roberto. I rifled through Roberto’s pockets, and a listing of times and dates, fell out. 12:15 and the initial’s OD. OD for O’Dell. I realized someone asked Roberto to come to the bar, and Drew was the guy.”
“I knew you were smarter than you look.”
I grinned. “Yeah, I figured it out, but it was too late. I have to give Drew credit. Spiking the Jameson was smart since he never touched the stuff.” I shook my head with regret. “I should’ve shot him when I’d had the chance.”
“
And take the pleasure of saving your ass from me?”
I brushed a lock of hair from her face and a gentle breezy pushed it back. “Have I thanked you yet?”
“No, and I don’t want you to.”
“Okay, I won’t.
Besides I had a plan,” I lied.
She shook her head.
“So what happens now?”
I glanced up the avenue, watching traffic weave its way through the heart of Hell’s Kitchen.
“I don’t know.” I took a breath and took the plunge. “Today got me thinking.”
“Me too.”
“I want us to have a future.”
“I do to
o.” Her smile grew into a laugh.
Her happiness made what I was about to say much harder. “
So I thought up a plan.”
“Okay,” she said slowly.
“You should leave.”
“What?”
Her smile disappeared, voice raising an octave.
“You need to experience the world, and I need to
pine.” I winced at her furious look. “What happens in twenty years when you wake up, and realize you’ve wasted your life with me?”
“T
hat won’t happen. I love you. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted.”
“You don’t want much do you?” I shook my head
, deepening my resolve. I wouldn’t let her make a mistake, and waste her life on me. “If you won’t do this for yourself, do it for me. I have to make sure I’m what’s best for you.”
“That’s
just stupid.” Frankie’s eyes blazed, but something else sparkled in them too. Excitement? Adventure? “I know what I want. I’ve known for years. Sure, I got cold feet a couple of times, but I love you more each day. I don’t need to prove it to myself.”
“I won’t gamble on us
or risk losing you. It’s either all or nothing. So make your choice. Either prove your love and leave, or don’t and we go our separate ways.” I held my breath, waiting. This was it. The biggest bluff of my life.
“Fi
ne. I’ll dust off my copy of the Joy of Sex, travel the world fucking complete strangers and ‘finding myself’ to prove you’re the only man for me.” She emphasized each word by stabbing a finger into my chest. “You fucking idiot!”
“Ow
.” I grinned, rubbing my chest. I reached down and quickly kissed her. “Good. You leave in two days.”
******
Standing at the Brooklyn dock I realized my mistake. I’d calculated the odds and came up short. Ten minutes ago, Frankie’s ship, filled with muscle bound playboys, had set sail for exotic ports of call. Watching it disappear into the horizon felt much like having my heart ripped out and splattered on the fishy dock. I should’ve stopped her. Begged her to stay.
Mickey rested his hand on my shoulder. “
I bet twenty bucks she’s back in a month.”
“
I’ll take that action.”
A month later, I pocketed Mickey’s money and swore off women forever. Frankie slowly
faded from my dreams, aided by many bottles of whiskey and my newfound wealth.
Two years later…
T
he sun reflected off the crystal blue water, and I shielded my eyes from the glare. The ocean roared, smashing into the beach with evolutional violence. I looked into the cloudless sky and wondered if I’d found paradise. For over a year now I’d called this island my home. I spent my days stretched out in the sun and my nights pushing drinks on hapless tourists. The island was the perfect place to forget the past and think about the future.
Or waste time.
I sucked down a spiced rum shooter, not really tasting it. Two seats away from me, a woman, tanned to golden brown, basked in the sun. I waved to the passing waiter and ordered another round. The woman smiled and winked as my eyes slid along her toned body.
Smack. T
he stinging sound of palm against flesh rang across the beach.
“Ouch. D
amn it, Frankie!” I yelled, rubbing her handprint from my chest. “What’d you do that for?” The dark skinned girl laughed, and turned away.
“Don’t even start with me.”
Frankie’s fingers massaged the mark. “You are not allowed to look at young, skinny, tanned girls while your thirty year old, cow of a wife sweats on the beach. I’m surprised no one’s harpooned me yet.”
I laughed and kissed her hand. “
You don’t look like a whale. A sunburned, seal maybe...”
Smack. T
his time a red welt formed on my thigh. “That isn’t funny.” She frowned, reaching for the sunscreen. “How you talked me into living on an island this fucking close to the equator I’ll never know? I turn red as soon as I step in the sun.”
“Baby,
tomato red or not, there isn’t a woman alive who comes close to being as beautiful as you.” I rubbed my hand over her swollen stomach. In a month we’d welcome a baby into our lives. I couldn’t be happier. I touched her cheek, whispering, “You are the only woman I want, now and forever.”
After a brutal month of missing Frankie,
I chartered a plane and set out to find her. It wasn’t easy. She’d gotten seasick an hour after leaving port, and two days later, jumped ship on Grand Turk Island in the Bahamas.
I finally found her tending bar at a small island
lounge. When I walked in, she glanced over and said, “It took you long enough.” I nodded once, dropped to one knee, and begged her to marry me. Two months later, under a sky filled with stars, Frankie vowed to love, honor, and save my ass for the rest of our lives.
Frankie
tapped me on the head, bringing me back to the present. “So you have no interest in that blonde in the string bikini over there?” She pointed, but my eyes never left her face.
“Nope
.”
“Liar.”
“Yeah, but not this time. I’m partial to redheads.” I leaned over and kissed the frown from her lips.
J.A. Kazimer is a writer living in Denver, CO. Books include
The Junkie Tales
(2010),
CURSES! A F***ed-Up Fairy Tale
(2012),
Holy Socks & Dirtier Demons
(2012)
,
Dope Sick: A Love Story
(2013
),
SHANK
(2013) and
FROGGY STYLE
(2013)
.
When j.a. kazimer isn't looking for the perfect place to hide the bodies, she spends her time surrounded by cats with attitude and a little pug puppy named ‘Killer.’ Other hobbies include murdering houseplants, kayaking, snowboarding, reading and theater.
After years of slacking, j.a. received a master’s degree in forensic psychology in 2007, mostly to fill a 8 x 10 blank spaces on her wall. In addition to studying the criminal mind, she spent a few years stalking people while working as a private investigator in the Denver area. Cheaters and deadbeats hold a special place in j.a.'s heart, as well as a few pages in her novels.
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