Shocked, I lift my chin and turn my attention to him, silently willing him to look at me, but he keeps his eyes on his dad and gives my shoulder a gentle squeeze.
The thought of him moving in here with me is amazing, but there’s nothing about football or college mentioned in that list of plans. For as long as I know Frankie, all he spoke of was playing college football and when he got a scholarship to play for the school of his dreams, he was over the moon with excitement. Everyone said he was good enough for the pros and it was only a matter of time before a scout scooped him up.
He can’t give that up.
Not for me.
Not for the baby.
He’ll only wind up resenting us or worse…he’ll be like my mother and one day, after he’s had enough of living a life he never wanted, he’ll leave.
“Frankie,” I whisper harshly.
“The fuck you will,” Wolf growls. “What about school? You have been granted a goddamn scholarship to play football and you’re just going to piss away a free ride to what…stock shelves at a supermarket? Over my dead body!”
“Al!” Maria shouts.
“No, Lady, I’m done.”
“A word,” she demands. “Now, in the kitchen.”
“Lady—”
“Now!” she hollers and even Frankie flinches at her tone.
Grunting, Wolf glares at his wife before giving in and stomping into the kitchen. Quick on his heels, she follows, leaving me and Frankie with Nico and another guy I’ve never seen before.
“So, you got a bun in the oven, huh?” the guy asks as he rocks back on his heels. “I got three cubs of my own and we’re working on adding another.”
I smile at him, but quickly bring my attention back to Frankie.
“Can we talk?” I ask quietly.
“My first wasn’t planned either,” the guy continues. “I got my Kitten knocked up doing the deed on the side of a brick wall…” his voice trails as a look of nostalgia washes over his face. “Ah…sweet memories.”
While I’m sure this is a wonderful story, I need to speak with Frankie. I can’t let him throw his dreams out the window.
“Riggs,” Nico grunts. “We don’t need to take a trip down memory lane with you.”
Finally! The Water Fairy says something useful!
“Right, anyway, I freaked the fuck out, but then someone very wise and very fucking special told me to own it and it turns out, it was the best advice I ever got,” he says, pausing thoughtfully to look between me and Frankie. “Doesn’t look like you need anyone to tell you that though.”
I like this Riggs guy. In fact, he may just be my favorite member of the Scotto clan—that’s if he’s actually part of the family. I’m not really sure who he is or why he’s even here. I’m just glad he’s finished telling us how wonderful his life turned out after he accidentally had a child.
More optimism!
“Thanks man,” Frankie responds, bending his head to kiss the top of mine. “See, even Riggs thinks we’re going to be okay.”
I give him a tight nod and open my mouth to ask to speak to him in private but Nico interrupts.
“Oh, yeah, sure, his seal of approval means everything,” Nico comments sarcastically. “You’re fucked, kid. End of story.”
Now, I should probably keep my mouth shut. His opinion doesn’t really matter, but our situation is bad enough, we don’t need this idiot meddling, sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong.
Diverting my gaze to him, I narrow my eyes and hiss.
“What the hell is your problem?”
Nico shrugs his shoulders.
“For starters, you.”
“I’ve done nothing to you!” I spat.
“You’ve done enough to my brother.”
“Whoa…” Frankie intervenes, holding out his hands as if he’s refereeing a boxing match. “What’s going on, here?”
“For a smart kid, you’re fucking really stupid,” Nico sneers as he glares at me. “This girl is ruining your fucking life and you’re fucking picking out bananas.”
Okay, so I get it—Frankie is his brother, and he’s looking out for him, but did everyone miss biology class? It takes two people to make a baby! Two! And in case anyone hasn’t noticed, my life isn’t all that hot either. My dreams of becoming a journalist are over. At this rate, I’ll be lucky if I graduate high school.
Drawing my attention back to Frankie, I watch his jaw go tight as he stares daggers at his brother. It’s the first time I’ve seen him look so angry, usually, he looks at his brother as though he’s a damn superhero.
“Frankie, let it go,” I murmur. “Besides, we really need to talk.”
“On that note, I think I’m going to head out of here. If you guys want the system installed, I’ll swing by later tonight or early tomorrow,” Riggs says, grabbing the box off the dining room table. He pauses in front of Nico. “Don’t be a dick.”
Riggs leaves and as soon as the door closes behind him, I can sense the tension between the two brothers. Tugging Frankie to the side, I tell him we need to talk, but his dad and Maria enter the room just as he’s about to give in to the request.
“Both of you sit down,” Wolf says, his eyes flitting between the two of us. He appears calmer than he was before and so, we do as he says. Once we’re seated on the couch, he quietly reaches into his leather vest and produces a phone. Holding it out to me, his eyes meet mine.
“Carina, I want you to call your father.”
My eyes widen at his words, but before anyone can react to them, he continues.
“Let him know you’re safe,” he adds, turning his eyes to Frankie. “Then you and I are going to see your mother and tell her what’s going on. After we clue her in, I’ll call Ritzer myself and ask to sit down with him and we’ll discuss how we’re going to handle this.”
“What happened to the whole he’s going to go after the club and press statutory rape charges against Frankie thing?” Nico questions.
Scrubbing his free hand over his face, Wolf sighs.
“I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt. Maria and Enzo are right, he’s not just the district attorney, he’s a father.”
Shocked, by his sudden change of heart, I stare at Wolf. I want to believe what he’s saying is true, that somewhere deep inside my dad is worried about me, but ever since my mom left, he hasn’t been all that much of a father. You hear stories of children losing one parent and the remaining parent steps up and does the work of both—my father never did that. He has never been that guy and I doubt he will miraculously change his ways, especially not when everything about my situation screams scandal. His sole purpose in life is his career and sometimes I think I just get in the way of that.
Wolf’s eyes come back to mine and he pushes the phone towards me.
“Go ahead, sweetheart. Make the call.”
Swallowing, I draw in a deep breath and take the phone from his hand. Frankie touches my knee, giving it a soft squeeze. For some reason, I glance around the room. I take in Maria’s warm smile, Nico’s blank eyes, and Wolf’s somber expression. Lastly, I look to Frankie and I’m hit with the grounding realization that he has all these people rallying around him and I have no one. Frankie is the only one who has ever had my back.
“What if they’re right?” I whisper. “What if he tries to press charges against you? I can’t be the reason you go to jail… I won’t be the person who destroys your future.”
“You’re the biggest part of my future,” he murmurs softly.
Yeah, love, no matter when it comes into your life, if you’re young, just starting out, or older, wiser and more experienced, when it’s pure, it’s not fleeting. It’s everlasting.
“Carina,” Wolf calls, drawing my attention away from his son. One day when he isn’t so mad at me for wrecking his son’s life, I’m going to thank him for raising such a kindhearted boy.
“Yes?”
“You’re not going to mention, Frank,” Wolf says. “All you’re
going to do is tell him you’re okay. If I threw my kid out and didn’t know where he was, I’d want someone to let me know he was safe. You’re giving him that courtesy and then you’re hanging up.”
“Right,” I whisper, pulling in another ragged breath. I punch my dad’s number into the phone. Before I can hit send, Nico’s voice sounds.
“Burner phone?”
Wolf doesn’t even acknowledge the question, he simply tips his chin towards me and with his eyes pinned to mine, I hit send.
“Put it on speaker,” Wolf orders softly.
I do as I’m told and lift the phone. On the third ring, my dad’s voice fills the room.
“District Attorney Ritzer,” my dad calls.
Wolf doesn’t hide his flinch and I realize it’s costing him a great chunk of his pride to insist I make this call. I guess that’s what makes him such a good dad. Sure, he’s a little rough around the edges and scary as all hell, but when it matters most, he’s there for his kids, biting his pride to give another man the benefit of the doubt.
Shaking my head, I focus on the call.
“Dad,” I whisper, my voice hoarse. “It’s me.”
“Carina?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, thank God. Where are you?”
Tears spring to my eyes as I look across at Wolf, who quickly shakes his head, silently ordering me not to answer the question.
“I just wanted you to know I’m okay.”
“You need to tell me where you are so I can come and get you,” he says. I can’t pinpoint it, but there’s something off with his voice. His words aren’t as sharp as they usually are and it’s almost as if there is a desperate rush for him to get them out.
“Dad…I…”
“Look, it’s okay,” he continues. “I figured out a way to make this whole thing disappear. There’s a place in Arizona, they’re very discreet, they’re going to take you in. You can finish out the school year there and once the baby is born, they’ll take it and put it up for adoption. Now, I already started packing your things, and I called the school to tell them you’re transferring. Tell me where you are, and I will send a car for you.”
The tears that threatened to spill give way and Frankie goes perfectly still beside me. Turning to Wolf for guidance on what to say, I watch as he roughly drags a hand through his hair and glares at his wife.
“No,” I sob. “I’m not going anywhere and I’m not giving up my baby.”
“Carina, you listen here,” my dad sneers. The concern I thought I had heard in his tone is gone and I wonder if I imagined it as he continues, “I do not need this noise this close to the election. How do you think it will look to voters when they find out my teenage daughter is pregnant? I’ll lose the election and everything I worked so hard for. Now, you will go and get rid of that baby and if you don’t, I’m going to find out who is responsible for this and—”
My dad’s words die as Nico plucks the phone from my hand and slams his finger down on the end button, disconnecting the call. I stare at him for a moment, waiting for some rude remark to come from his lips, but the more I look at him, the more I swear there’s a hint of remorse in those brutal eyes of his.
“Dry your eyes, Green Eyes,” he orders. “No one’s taking that baby.”
There is so much conviction in his tone that it’s easy to believe him, but as sure as he sounds, I know better. When my dad wants to make something disappear, he does and if he wants my baby gone, well, there’s no telling what he’ll do.
Finally tearing his eyes away from me, Nico turns to his dad and tosses the phone at him. Swallowing, I look at Frankie. His shoulders aren’t as straight as they were when he first stood up to his father. He glances from his brother back to his dad and asks, “What do we do?”
The tone of his voice doesn’t sound the least bit confident anymore. Feeling hopeless, I close my eyes and silently wish we could go back to being two young kids whose only trouble was trying to decide when to take their relationship to the next level.
Those kids are gone, though.
All that’s left of them are broken dreams and an uncertain future.
-Five-
Nico
“Wait,” I half growl, half grunt as I slam my head against the closed door. I don’t know who has it worse. My father who just left with my little brother to tell Sophie she’s about to be a grandma, or me, the guy left with his foot in his mouth.
It’s a close call.
Leaning back, I turn around and catch sight of Carrie as she starts for the stairs—still dressed in my clothes.
Fuck.
I was hoping Frankie would’ve noticed and said something to her. Maybe make her grab an outfit from the six bags of clothes Maria bought her, but no…she’s still wearing my sweatpants, not to mention my favorite t-shirt.
It’s just clothes.
She only grabbed them thinking they were Frankie’s.
Why the fuck do you even care?
Yeah, that last question…I wish I fucking knew the answer.
Keeping her back to me, she pauses, and I watch as her fingers curl into the wooden banister. I get the sense the last thing she wants is to talk to me, and I don’t blame her. I’ve been a complete dick to her and for all the wrong reasons.
I swipe a hand over my face and swallow, trying to find the words.
After I heard her father threaten her and more importantly my brother’s kid, things changed for me. There was no more speculating on my behalf, no more trying to pin her as the enemy in all of this. She was as much a victim as Frankie, only she didn’t have a family to fall back on.
She slowly turns to face me, her eyes still red from crying.
“I’m not really in the mood for a fight, Water Fairy, okay?”
“I really hate that you call me that,” I hiss, drawing out a ragged breath.
“I really hate that you think so low of me, but it is what it is, right?”
Shit.
“Carrie, look, I uh…I got it wrong, okay?”
My jaw tenses as soon as the admission of guilt leaves my lips and Carrie’s eyes narrow. Her grip loosens on the banister, but I can tell by the way she’s staring at me, she thinks I’m full of shit.
“You got what wrong?”
Yeah, I fucking hate apologies—probably because I suck at them.
And Green Eyes, here, is going to make me work for it.
“You,” I mutter, reaching behind me to cup the back of my neck. “I don’t like being caught off guard and finding out the girl who saw me at my lowest is my brother’s girlfriend…well, it threw me for a loop. I knew Frankie was dating the D.A.’s daughter, that much wasn’t a surprise but then when I saw you, I thought about the night we met and how your fuck of a father tracked your phone and…”
“You jumped to conclusions,” she interrupts.
“Yeah.”
“So, why the sudden change of heart? I’m still the district attorney’s daughter and my father did have a tracking app on my phone.” She pauses, dropping her hand from the banister to her hip. “I’m still the girl who found you standing on the edge of an overpass.”
My body flinches at that part, but my eyes remain locked with hers. After a few beats, my mind wanders back to that night and I recall the ease there was between us and her words that still ring in my ears when I close my eyes at night.
Things are never as bad as we think they are, there is always someone, somewhere, who is worse off.
I wonder if she still tells herself that or if she needs someone to say it for her.
Swallowing, I jerk my chin.
“Yeah, you are and as much of a prick as I’ve been, you still haven’t said a word about that night to anyone,” I say, shoving my hands into my pockets.
“In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve got my own problems. You’re still alive, so your brush with death or depression…whatever that was…it’s not high on my list of priorities.”
“Jesus, are you always this mout
hy?”
“Pardon me, maybe I’m bitter after you accused me of pulling the wool over your brother’s eyes, insinuating I got knocked up on purpose to aide in my father’s agenda.”
“Shit,” I mutter. “I’ll take that as a yes. I like ‘em mouthy, just in a different way.”
Fuck, did I just say that out loud?
Judging by the way her lips part in shock, I’m going to go with yes.
Great.
“I didn’t mean that…I mean I did, but I forgot who I was talking to for a second.”
For a second there she wasn’t Frankie’s girlfriend, she was the girl on the overpass, standing in front of me, wearing my clothes, and mouthing off to me.
“Great, add it to your Tinder profile. Are we done, here?”
“My Tinder profile?”
“What? You don’t have one? It’s probably a good thing to have. It might get your mind off the girl you can’t have.”
Oh, Green Eyes…you’re fucking trouble.
Clearing my throat, I pull my hands out of my pockets and scratch my jaw.
“Okay, you know what? Let’s do this.”
She arches a brow.
“Do what?”
“Clear the air,” I deadpan, crossing my arms against my chest. “You already think I’m an asshole, anyway. I might as well give you a reason.”
“Pretty sure you gave me plenty of reasons.”
Jesus.
I suppose I deserve that one.
“But, since we’re going to be living together for the foreseeable future, I guess it’s not a terrible idea, plus it’ll pass the time until Frankie comes back and takes my mind off the fact that my father is a douchebag.”
I look at her for a second, fighting the urge to smile.
“I don’t know about that; you haven’t met Sophie. She and my father can make an art out of biting each other’s heads off and considering he and Frankie are about to tell her she’s going to be a grandma…well, I think we got a lot of time to kill.”
It’s her turn to flinch.
“Is she really that bad?”
I think about my stepmom—yeah, I still consider her my stepmom. I consider Carmella, my dad’s second wife and Enzo’s mother, my stepmom too. Despite both marriages failing, my dad’s wives were good to me. They always treated me like I was theirs and raised me, Enzo and Frankie as true brothers. There’s no such thing as half-brothers when you are a Scotto.
Walking The Line (Satan's Knights Prospect Trilogy Book 3) Page 6