Love Hurts (19 page)

Frankie curled his fingers around the neck of the baseball bat all set to strike. He kept his lips pursed firmly together, not even allowing a mumble to escape his lips. He was ready for whatever Sam was about to do to him. He wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

Sam raked his fingers through his muddled blonde hair, the glint from the window showing Frankie just how much of a mess his brother was. “I don’t know how this happened. I had everything figured out for once.”

Frankie sat up a little straighter. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

Sam’s eyes evaded Frankie’s. He rubbed his palm against his five o’clock shadow, letting out a sigh of dissatisfaction for his foolishness. “I-I had to prove to myself I had the control I needed. I met up with some random girl at the bar. Took her back to her office and I did it…” Sam stared off. Still surprised he made it through the whole act without harming the girl.

Frankie sighed. This was getting better by the minute. He nodded. “I would think that was a good thing.”

“
It was. But the girl insisted I drop her off back at the bar. And Delaney was there and saw the girl getting out of my car.” Sam smacked himself in the head, turning away from his brother. Instead of grief he only felt extreme resentment that he had been so stupid.

“
Well see, there’s your first mistake. You let her live,” Frankie said. “If you would have taken care of her back at her office we wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

Sam was silent. Frankie like a ghost lifted the bat and rested it on his leg. “So you have control. Not very much now though, seeing it up and ruined the whole purpose.” Frankie smirked at the quirk of fate.

“
How in the hell would I have known if I just killed her?” He spun back around. “She’s going to talk to Rose. And if this whole thing isn’t destroyed already it will be.”

Frankie nodded. “I’m sure your right.”
Of course you’re right.

Frankie watched Sam pace his apartment, a ticking time bomb of emotions. It gave him a sense of supremacy that his entire joy was quickly retreating. He wasn’t even sure why it felt so good to see Sam failing, but it felt amazing. “Where you going?”

Sam stopped in the doorway. “Home to pack. It won’t be long before Rose spills and I got the police at my door. Or god knows what.”

Frankie dropped the bat coming to the door. “Just go home.”

Sam shook his head in misunderstanding. “I am. Then I’m out of here.”

Frankie shook his head in disagreement and frustration. “Go home. Go to sleep and don’t do anything until tomorrow. Can you do that much?” Frankie cursed himself silently for even opening his mouth. But he couldn’t fight it. He waited until his brother gave him a nod before he slammed his door shut fuming.

He hurried to his room, dragging a long sleeved shirt over his head and stepped into a fresh pair of blue jeans. He sat down on the edge of his bed lacing up his black boots, preparing himself for a late night car ride.

***

Delaney sat in the lawn chair at her apartment, the ones by the pool. Only this time it was night and nobody else was around but her, her and a bottle of red wine.

The night air had a chill, one that kept her wrapped up in her white down comforter. Once she finished the bottle of wine she sat the glass and bottle beside the chair and dropped back onto the lounge chair. She stared up at the stars, speckled across the glorious backdrop. Barely a sliver of moon showing anymore, the scent of rainwater in the air. There had been a downpour at one point. But she hadn’t had the strength to care, so there she sat damp, and sad.

Her body physically ached from the sobbing. Endless amounts of tears fell before she finally gave up on crying. And now there she sat, staring at the water of the apartment pool, watching the insignificant ripple that seemed to never go away. It was as if imaginary creatures were always swimming, perfectly silent, not revealing themselves.

Delaney sighed, closing her eyes, just wishing the night away, wishing for relief from all the pain that was in her chest. From the hurt brought on by the one person she thought loved her more than anyone.

“
He does love you,” Frankie said. Delaney barely flinched as he approached. He pushed her feet off the end of the lounge chair, taking a seat. “For whatever crazy reason he does.”

She sat up, shaking the blanket from her shoulders, her soft brown hair falling forward against her skin. “I can’t say that I agree with you anymore.”

“
He’s a human being.” Frankie shrugged, secretly knowing that was an understatement.

Delaney pulled her cell from the tightly wrapped comforter. “I have been sitting here all night debating on telling my friend how pitiful my life is.”

Frankie leaned forward, getting a look at her cell phone, wondering if she had. “And did you?”

Delaney shook her head. “I didn’t have it in me.”

“
Why do you care what people think? What does it matter if somebody else thinks you’re pitiful?” Frankie asked.

Delaney chewed at her thumbnail. Frankie took in the bottle of wine resting neatly next to her. She was intoxicated and he knew how easy it would be to just take advantage of the situation before things spiraled out of control.

Frankie leaned in. Delaney studied his calming blue eyes, her pupils growing large. “I can’t get over your eyes,” She said, her gaze locked on them, she barely blinked as she looked at him. Frankie smirked, his faint crimson lips curving into a smile. And Delaney noticed them for once. How perfectly kissable they were, his strong jaw line, the perfect hair. She wondered why she had been so oblivious to it before. And why now she noticed everything about him.

She was under his spell. The unexplained pull he had on women, she was under it. And she hadn’t the faintest idea.

“
You love my brother. And I think you should just go on over there and talk to him.” He avoided her frivolous flattery and went straight for the kill, using his power of manipulation in his favor. He literally could make a girl bend when he wanted to.

Delaney shook her head, her eyes were still glued to Frankie’s but the allure wasn’t working. He blinked, baffled. Trying again he moved in, bringing the back of his hand to her cheekbone. He brushed his finger against her skin, slowly and very calculating. “Your brother lied to me. There’s nothing left to say.”

Frankie sighed, rolling his eyes, he was sick of hearing all the lame excuses why the human race never did what they knew was right. Or what they wanted. Instead they wanted to continue down this moral path of righteousness and live in a world of complete misery. Frankie stared up at the night sky, beckoning the gods for an answer other than the one he had. When none came as he predicted they wouldn’t, he grabbed the end of Delaney’s down comforter.

She barely saw it coming—his hands that is. Frankie covered her mouth, pressing her head down into the lounge chair, stifling her screams as she struggled to get air. He squeezed tightly, just enough to make her lose consciousness, not to kill her. As soon her body went limp he gathered her in the down comforter and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

A little help

Sam quickly jumped from the couch at the relentless ringing of his doorbell. He wiped his clammy palms against his jeans, peering out the window at the bright sunlight of the morning, he hadn’t slept a wink. And now the one person he really wished would stay far away was at his door. It was Frankie.

“
Good morning,” Frankie said, sauntering into the house with two coffees in his hands. Sam took one reluctantly, wondering what the cause for his brother’s bouncy behavior was.

Frankie took a seat. “I come baring gifts.”

Sam scratched his head, thinking the gift was a simple cup of coffee. “Coffee, the breakfast of champs.” He raised his Styrofoam cup toward Frankie.

Frankie shook his head. “That’s not what I mean at all.” He pointed at the large windows on either side of Frankie’s front door.

Sam followed his motion to the windows. He went there, pulling back the curtain and peered out. The only thing in his driveway was two vehicles and a fresh newspaper.

“
Sometimes you got to look a little closer,” Frankie said getting up. He opened the door, heading down the walkway. Sam followed. He knew he had to play along with Frankie if he wanted any kind of answer.

Frankie tossed his keys to Sam. Sam caught them without any effort at all. He looked Frankie over trying to decipher his words. What exactly was it he wanted him to see? Sam slowly rounded the car, stopping at the trunk. He placed his hand palm down on it, eyeing Frankie.

“
I don’t get it,” Sam said finally, removing his hand from the trunk. Frankie brought his knuckles down against the sleek metal. Sam finally caved and inserted the key. He turned the lock, the trunk slowly rising. “And what’s so great about a white comforter?”

Frankie pushed into Sam’s forearm. “Look closer.”

Sam poked at the comforter. Frankie crossed his arms, completely amused with what Sam was about to find out. But Sam wasn’t. All of a sudden Sam jerked the comforter open, his head shot in the Frankie’s direction. His mouth dropped in shock.

“
What were you thinking?” He exclaimed. He backed away. Not sure if she was even alive. She was in his brother’s trunk and that was
not
a good sign.

“
She’s not dead. And she hasn’t talked to Rose.” He quickly pulled Delaney from the trunk tossing her back over his shoulder and letting Sam lead the way back into his house. Before they looked like two strange miscreants hanging around with bodies out in the open. “I think you owe me a thank you.”

Sam shut the door, locking all three locks before he allowed Frankie access to his living room. Where he dropped Delaney like an old blanket on his couch.

“
Why would I thank you for abducting a girl who wants nothing to do with me?” Sam asked, completely flabbergasted by the audacity of his brother. “What do you think this solves?”

Frankie took a seat. “Now is the time to come clean. Here’s your chance. If she loves you she will accept whatever it is you want to say to her.”

Sam studied his brother. At one time he thought Frankie had a good head on his shoulders. Sure, he had a temper. And he was conceited. But he always used common sense. But now he wasn’t so sure if that were true. He had brought him his lifeless fiancé. Like a dog dragging in a dead rabbit looking for praise.

“
Tell me what you would do,” Sam insisted.

Frankie ran a hand down the back of his neck. “I would take control and make her stick around and hear what I have to say. It’s the one thing about us that for once isn’t a bad thing. You can control her long enough to accept the news.”

Sam could take over Delaney’s conscious for a short amount of time. Make her see past her morals. Let her use her heart and not her head. But soon as the effects wore off she would have the common sense to hate him again.

“
Telling Delaney about me isn’t going to fix anything. It’s going to make it worse.” Sam exhaled, staring at her. She looked so perfect even after such a brutal night. He remembered the first time he saw her. He was at the bar alone. She was at the bar with her friends from school, including her boyfriend. Sam hadn’t planned on what happened next.