Frankie’s birthday comes and goes with a bang. We got to watch our boys bring home the Stanley Cup on home ice with my brothers. Reggie and Trent sitting in the bar across from the United Center because although we’re keeping every letter that comes to the house from her and have changed her cell number, she’s still on edge. She won’t admit it to any of us, but I see it.
Her nightmares have been more frequent as well. I’m not sure if it’s that she’s not the only one in danger but also our baby that has all of a sudden caused a spike in her fear or the fact that she now knows it wasn’t Andrew who attacked her. That whole “evil you know” way of thinking. Whatever it is, she was at least able to sit back and enjoy one hell of a hockey game on her birthday. Best present ever. Well, aside from the gift she gave me for my birthday. It was also the perfect excuse to buy her a double hockey stick charm for her bracelet.
“Yo, Deac! You with us, brother?” Sonny asks, exasperated. I have the title fight coming up. The. Title. Fight. And here I am daydreaming about the Princess. Typical.
I toss the jump rope I’ve been torturing myself with and head over to the mats where Mav has some guy, who I’m assuming is Scott the wrestling guru, waiting. Rude Awakening is a strong wrestler, which is my weakest area, so this dude is supposed to be some kind of fucking wrestling genius sent by my good friend, Crew Gentry, who knows his wrestling. We’ll see. I shake his hand and listen as Sonny goes over my strengths, like the armbar. Not strong like Ronda Rousey strong, but it’s not bad. And my weaknesses. Fuck him. I don’t have any weaknesses. Well, I have one weakness, but he’s not talking about that.
“Yeah, I’m here, bro. Calm your shit. I was just waiting for you to finish telling him how to beat me.” Smirking, I take a swig of my coconut water and pay attention to what they’re saying now. Sonny wraps it up and tells me to lie flat on my back so that this guy can pin me. The fuck?
My face must convey what I think about this plan because he shakes his head at me. “Stop being a fucking pussy and get your ass on the ground. I need to see how fast you can get out of this hold since its fast becoming Rude’s signature move,” my brother informs me.
We work shit out like this all the time, not sure why I’m giving him so much hell. I think it’s all this gym time and the uncertainty if they’ll even be letting me fight still hanging over my head. That shit with Andrew is kicking me in the ass about as bad as I kicked his. I still haven’t even told Frankie that there’s going to be a hearing at the EWF in the next week or two to determine if I’ll be contending for the title or not. I’m more worried than I’m letting on right now; this being in limbo bullshit is really starting to fuck with my head.
Flat on my back, I wait for Scott to put his balls in my face or whatever fucked up position I’m about to find myself in. He hovers over me as Sonny explains what he wants. Just as Scott starts to work his wrestling magic, I hear Frankie’s raspy voice talking to my brother.
“Yeah, Princess. Just give us a minute and we’ll break for lunch and he’s all yours for about twenty, okay?” Sonny tells her in his gentle “Princess” voice.
“Thanks, Sonny. I’ll wait over in th—”
“What’s up, baby?” I ask hoisting myself off the mats and brushing past Scott. As I near her, I see that she’s upset and been crying. I can’t have that shit; it never ends well for me. Scooping up her hand, I flip it and place a kiss on my spot and notice the rapidness of her pulse. What the fuck is going on now?
As I’m about to ask her what happened, Sonny chimes in, “Deac, we ha—”
“To take a break so that I can talk to Frankie,” I interrupt and finish for him. He sighs loudly but knows there’s no fucking point in arguing.
“Yeah, might as well. We’ll meet back here in twenty, no fucking longer, Deac.” I get the “don’t fuck with me” voice, definitely not the “Princess” one she got. Waving them off, I turn back to Frankie and see tears glistening in her blues, her throat working to swallow and I’m scared. We’re finally in a good place. This—whatever this is—better not set us back.
“Princess, what’s wrong? Why the tears and shit?” Her hand still in mine, I tug her a little closer, fuck it that I’m covered in sweat. She looks away, shaking her head no, her lower lip quivering. That’s all it takes for my stomach to bottom out.
“No what? You’re starting to fucking worry me, what’s going on?” I demand.
“I-I can’t, Deacon. I have to go,” she stammers and I have no clue what the hell she’s talking about.
“Go where, baby? What the fuck are you talking about, Frankie? What are you running from? Why are you always fucking running from me?” I ask exasperated with her.
“I’m not running from you; I’m running for you. I have to leave to protect you. You’re too much of a big deal right now with the championship and if they hurt you to get to me, I’ll never forgive myself. If anything were to happen to yo—” Her voice breaks on a sob. It’s gotta be these fucking pregnancy hormones I’ve been reading about making her talk crazy like this out of nowhere. Either that or she’s not telling me something.
“Princess?” I ask, warning lacing my tone.
“He’s dead, Deac. Andrew is dead,” she says on a hiccupping sob. Stunned, I look up to see Reggie standing off to the side in the corner of the weight room. He nods his head in affirmation.
“What do you mean? How do you know, Frankie?”
“Agent Ri-Riley contacted me. Andrew and Agent Baird were ambushed. Both of them were killed. Sh-shot,” she stammers. “He wants me to go into protection,” Frankie informs me quietly.
“Yeah, because that shit kept Drew real fucking safe,” I spit out. She stands there, her forehead resting on my chest as she cries.
“I told them I wouldn’t go, that it didn’t save Andrew. But Deac, I have to go. I can’t stay here and risk something happening to you or my dad, any of my Loves or Joe. You’re all in danger because of me. You’ll do everything to keep me safe, but who’s going to keep all of you safe?” As she takes a deep breath and straightens her spine, her eyes find me again. “My dad is making the arrangements now. I’m going to Italy until this trial blows over. You have to be here training and don’t need to be worrying about me. You’re stressed and it’s because of me and all the extra time you’re putting in to make sure I’m okay. If I go stay with my uncle, my cousins can all keep an eye on me. I’ll be far enough away that you won’t have to worry and they won’t find me,” she says it all so quickly, like she has to hurry to get it out because it’s bullshit and it’s not gonna fly with me.
“Baby, look at me.” I wait patiently although I feel anything but. Taking a hold of her chin, I bend at the knees so that I’m peering right into the blue flames I love so much. “Look at me. Hear me, Princess. You leaving isn’t protecting me. If you go, I go. Simple as that,” I tell her matter-of-factly, raising my shoulders nonchalantly.
“Deac, the fight. You can’t. I won’t let you,” she says forcefully, like she believes she has a choice. Slowly I brush away the tears that have slipped past her lashes. Laughing softly, I just shake my head and place another soft kiss to her wrist. “Nothing matters to me more than you. You and the baby. Never doubt that.” My tone is fierce—I need her to understand what I’m saying is fact. Nothing else matters, not the belt, not the trial, not these fucks trying to stay out of prison, nothing. They may have been able to get to Drew, but I’ll kill them before they get close to her. I’ll die first.
Shaking off the darkness those thoughts take me to, I bring my focus back to my girl. Her hand in mine is so small, I marvel at all I hold, all she means to me. This tiny, strong, warrior of a woman, carrying my baby, our Love. Her running ends now. It’s not her style. Never has been until me, and I don’t fucking like it.
“I won’t let you sacrifice us to save me or you anymore. I see what it’s doing to the both of us and it fucking stops, here and now, Frankie. I don’t need you to protect me from shit else but you, baby.” Leaning down I kiss the left corner of her mouth, brushing my lips softly against hers before doing the same to the right and then finally covering her mouth fully with my own. With a low groan, I break away. I can’t allow myself to get swept up in her right now. Not with Sonny and the wrestler waiting on me, not with everything we just discussed, although every part of me wants to sweep her up and love her into seeing that I would always keep her safe.
Her eyes are still closed when I pull away and smile. “No more running, Princess. If you don’t trust me to keep you safe, then we’ll go to Italy. You aren’t going anywhere by yourself, you feel me?” She nods in agreement though I can tell she isn’t thrilled about this turn of events. Oh well. She thinks I’m unreasonable, I know it. She hasn’t seen shit yet. My girl. My baby. My way.