Franklin Williams.
24
Alexandra stewed over the revelation because she couldn’t find Franklin. She called his office and emailed him but was told he was out of the office. She almost sent up a smoke signal, but figured it would be extreme. The most annoying part about finishing a puzzle was discovering you were missing a piece. Franklin was the piece, right in the middle of a series of seemingly unrelated circumstances orchestrated by a puppet master.
“What are you doing?” Roman asked as he walked into her home office, leaning down to kiss her on the neck. He’d been over at her house several times that week, their schedules merging in a way she’d never believed possible. She’d stuck to her promise to leave her firm, but it was unnerving trying to determine what she wanted to do. She could either join another firm or create a new one. It was a huge decision, and she was taking her time. She had enough money between her savings and her inheritance to float her as long as needed, but Alexandra was a worker. She wanted to be back in the office and help clients like Corey.
“I’m looking into potential office spaces.” He moved to the other side of her desk and took a seat. She’d let him know what she could about the situation, so he knew she had quit and was looking for a new gig.
“Are you going to strike out on your own instead of joining a firm?”
“Most likely. I don’t know if I want to work for anyone else, and I liked the work I did recently. Ensuring an innocent man stays out of jail felt amazing, and I want to do more cases like that.” He propped his foot over the opposite knee, leaning his head back so he was staring at the ceiling.
“I need a favor.”
She narrowed her eyes, even though he couldn’t see her. The last time he asked for a favor, she ended up naked in the back of his club while he pretended it was her idea. “What?”
“Stop staring like that.” He hadn’t moved, so he had no clue what she looked like.
“Staring like what? You can’t even see me.”
“But I know you. You’re cursing me in your head and staring hard to try and intimidate me.”
She hopped up from the chair, running toward him and plopping in his lap.
“Humph,” he grunted and sat up, hands going around her waist. “Damn, babe, have you gained weight?”
“Shut up.” She punched him in the stomach. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him and kissing her on the cheek.
He reached underneath her and patted her butt. “It’s just more ass for me to tap.” She fought him, finally landing an elbow in his stomach. He let go enough for her to roll off his lap.
“You’re so crude. And keep talking about me and you aren’t tapping anything.”
He grabbed hold of her, moving her back into his lap again. “I won’t talk about your ass anymore if you do me one favor.”
She sighed, pretending to sound aggrieved. “What do you want from me?”
“We never talked about the cabin.”
She froze, not wanting to disturb the tranquility they’d experienced over the last couple weeks. He didn’t mention her note to him, and she figured he was waiting for the right time to approach her. He could have the house—after the previous weekend, she was done—but she hadn’t bothered breaking the news to her family.
“When are you tearing it down?” she asked.
“I don’t know if I will. What I am doing is kidnapping you for the weekend so we can go back to the cabin. I want to look at it again, with adult eyes, without your family around, to see what to do with it. I’ll probably leave it with you, to be honest. Destroying your family’s legacy is no longer important to me, not if it hurts you in the process.” He tapped her leg, signaling for her to get up. “Pack your bag; we’re going to head out in about an hour or so. We’ll check it out and decide what to do with it together.”
She got ready, eager to get to the cabin. Needing a break after everything, she appreciated Roman wanting to discuss the house instead of just destroying it. She met him at the front door where he grabbed her bag and loaded it in the back with his.
“You're pretty sure, huh? What would you have done if I said no?”
He pulled her close, nuzzling her neck.
“Don’t you know you can never say no to me? Just like I have attempted to spoil you and ensure all your needs are met, you aren’t going to tell me no.”
“Braggart.” She pinched his ass and he responded by slapping hers. She jumped, shooting him a look before making her way to the passenger seat. The drive to the cabin was peaceful, and she loved getting a chance to be with Roman away from the distractions of the city. Though they were able to see each other more, it was mostly at night and they climbed into bed without a lot of the conversation some days.
“We’re here,” she whispered, reaching across the gear shift to hold his hand.
He squeezed it, exhaling. “We’re here,” he agreed.
It was quiet since and looked like an abandoned old house from a horror movie. Alexandra shivered, thankful for Roman’s presence. She unlocked the door, turning on lights as they made their way inside the house. He carried the bags, moving past her to the bedrooms while she headed to the kitchen. Her grandparents didn’t keep it stocked unless they knew someone would be there, but there should’ve been some nonperishables from their previous stay.
“Oh, shit!” Her heart in her throat, Alexandra ran to find Roman. He was backing out of the master bedroom with his hands up, and she made her way down the hallway to see what was in the room. A thousand scenarios could happen, but nothing prepared her to find her mother and Franklin in bed together. The sheets were pulled up to cover their nakedness, her mother’s face blood red while she bit her lip, looking from them to Franklin.
“Can we get dressed?” Franklin sneered.
“Sure.” Roman backed into her. Alexandra hadn’t moved, shock keeping her in place. Her mother was naked in bed with the guy she’d been looking for all last week. She’d stepped into an episode of The Twilight Zone. Roman took her arm, leading her back downstairs.
“What the hell was that? I thought the house was empty,” Roman told her. He went into the kitchen, slamming cabinet doors until he found the whiskey. He poured a finger, throwing it back and slamming the glass on the counter.
“It was.”
He poured another drink, sick to his stomach thinking about them having sex, downing it as fast as the first. She almost cautioned him from drinking more at that speed but was stopped by the footprints behind them.
Franklin walked in shirtless, looking like he'd swallowed nails. He took in the alcohol on the counter, grabbing the bottle and drinking it straight. “What the hell are you two doing here?”
“Don’t get pissed at us; no one was supposed to be here.” Roman tried to reason with him. Franklin wasn’t going to talk to him like he was a child. “You may be with Alexandra’s mom, but it’s no reason to disrespect us.”
“Franklin, I’ve been looking for you all week. They said you were out of town.”
“I was.” He smirked. “With Adelaide.” He held out his hand behind him when Adelaide came up. She hugged him from behind, kissing his shoulder, glancing at the two of them.
“Alexandra, what are you doing here?”
“Maybe I should ask what you’re doing with him.” She pointed at Franklin. “Mom, you have no idea what he’s done. And I’m not even sure he’s who he claims to be. Do you know he’s had plastic surgery?” Her mother and Franklin shared a look, communicating without words what Alexandra would pay millions to discover.
“I know. I’m not faulting him for making some changes, although he was already perfect to me. I was happy he reached out to me, and we’ve spent some time reconnecting.”
“You know? Are you serious? He didn’t get a nose job; there was a complete facial reconstruction. He’s linked to a couple of my cases, in fucked-up ways I can’t even begin to explain to you.” She felt Roman’s hand on the small of her back, le
nding his support while she went toe-to-toe with two people she now didn’t recognize. She didn’t know the old Franklin, but her mother seemed to have lost her mind at some point since the last time she’d seen her.
Franklin threw his head back, laughing, replaying everything she’d discussed with the partners the other day.
“You still don’t get it, do you? This isn’t about me. It’s never been about me. It’s always been about you.” He started to walk off, taking her mother with him, but seemed to think better of it and turned around. “Tell me, what were the results of your DNA test?”
Alexandra swallowed; no one was supposed to know. He cocked his head to the side when she refused to answer. “Come on now; don’t spoil it for me since I went to all that trouble to get you the sample.”
She narrowed her eyes. Roman tried to pull her behind him, but she moved away from him so she could watch Franklin while he continued to taunt her.
“Don’t play dumb, Alexandra; it doesn’t suit you. I knew exactly what you’d do when I left my tissue for you. Did you think you were fooling anyone? Same as when I planted all the evidence for you. So I’ll ask you again, what were the results of the DNA test?”
“Negative. Which means you aren’t my father or whoever the hell you’re pretending to be. Marcus Kane is dead, and he’s been dead for years.”
“Are you sure? I mean, sure, there’s been no trace of him since the crash, but are you absolutely sure he’s dead?”
Alexandra threw up her arms in frustration. “Dad has to be dead; why else would the test be negative?”
Her mother, finally gaining some sense, jerked her hand away from his. “What does she mean? Why would your blood test not be positive?” She backed away from him, shaking as the implications rolled through her.
“I don’t know, Adelaide,” he scoffed. “Why else would the test be negative?” He looked to where her mother stood. Shaking hands ran through her hair. “Does she know?”
“Know what?” Alexandra spoke up, but they ignored her.
“You’re wrong. There’s no way. It can’t be.” Her mother gasped, shaking her head in disbelief while Franklin stood by, without a care. “Who are you?”
“We both know who I am. If you haven’t figured it out by now, you’re dumb as hell.”
“Know what?” Alexandra yelled, trying to get their attention.
“The real reason I left the family. Why I took up with other women? Why I hated you and your mother.”
“Don’t do this.” Her mother put her hand on his arm, her gaze pleading.
“Do what?” he sneered. “Tell her the truth? Why you’re so upset the test is negative? Why shouldn’t I tell the girl who’s been riding the coattails of the Kane name for years, as though she has a stake in the fortune, that she’s not a Kane. She gets nothing.” He shook her mother off as though she were an insignificant gnat before turning his rage back on Alexandra. “Your father is dead. Your problem was assuming Marcus Kane was your biological father.” Her mother choked out a sob, her head hanging low while she ignored everyone else in the room. “It’s why she won’t look at you. She thought I was your father.”
“Who is…Franklin,” Alexandra said, the pieces from the article locking into place. If he was to be believed, standing in front of her was her assumed dead father. The man she’d put on a pedestal from the beginning, who she clearly meant nothing to. They weren’t even be related by blood. She felt Roman’s hand squeeze her hip, and she put her hand over it. She needed his strength more than ever. “How did you survive?
“It’s easy to survive if you don’t get on a plane you know will fail.”
“You let those people die? For what?”
He leaned toward her, his finger jabbing toward her. “No, I let Franklin die. The asshole who was trying to wreck my family. Do you know what it’s like to stare at the child your wife is trying to pass off as your own and see your biggest rival? I wanted him gone. It wasn’t hard. He didn’t have any family, so I just made him disappear.”
“So you’ve been what, hiding out? For twenty years?” Roman asked from beside her because Alexandra was finding it hard to speak. She should go to her mother, who was still crying, but couldn’t find it in her to comfort the woman. Not now. She felt too raw.
“It was a lot easier to hide out twenty years ago. I simply waited for the right time. For the surgery, to build my company, everything. I used money I had socked away and created a new life for myself. It’s not very hard when you’re determined.”
Her mother flew at him, beating against his chest as she screamed. “You killed him. You killed the love of my life. I hate you. How dare you try and come back as him?” Franklin, or Marcus, whoever the hell he was, grabbed her hands and squeezed until she bent down in pain. Roman intervened, shoving Franklin back while he got her mom to safety.
“How could I kill the love of your life? You really want to level that accusation here? In this house?” Fear shone in her eyes when she looked back at Alexandra and Roman. “Why don’t you tell them what you did?” Adelaide bit her lip, shaking her head.
Alexandra came up beside Roman, lending her strength, something telling her they were talking about Trina. Roman held her hand as though his life depended on it while Franklin relayed everything that happened the day Roman’s mother killed herself. She hadn’t been alone as everyone suspected, but had been visited by Adelaide Kane.
“What did you say to her?” Franklin jerked her arm, shaking her. This time, Roman offered no assistance. Franklin shook her again, spit coming out of his mouth while he asked her again what she did.
“What you wouldn’t,” she screamed in his face. “You never loved her; you were just using her. You weren’t ever coming back, and she needed to get her shit out of my house.” She pulled away from him, running her hands through her hair and turning to Roman. “I didn’t know she’d kill herself. I never would have confronted her if I’d known how unstable she was. I thought she would leave; I never thought she’d die.”
Roman went back to the counter, grabbing the whiskey and pouring a huge glass. He assessed them as he drank, saying nothing. Alexandra’s heart broke for him, but she needed to deal with the two psychos she had in the kitchen.
“Your penance,” Alexandra said. She felt sick to her stomach, wanting to grab Roman and get out. Adelaide nodded at Alexandra’s statement then turned back to Franklin.
“You are an evil man. You’ve done nothing but try and destroy the reputation of the woman who carried your name. Who tried to build on your reputation.” Adelaide said.
“I would have stayed away,” he argued. “I wanted to see what kind of lawyer she was, but she was destroying whatever reputation she’d built by hooking up with Roman. It wasn’t her legacy to create. She should have never figured out the cases were related, but dumbass Leo Dominic fell apart on the stand.”
“Don’t you dare blame him because you’re an asshole.” Alexandra stood up for the man who had no business being dragged into this whole mess. “And what was your end game? After everything was all said and done?”
“I hadn’t figured it out.”
Roman left the counter to come and stand in Franklin’s face. “Yes, you had. At least have the balls to admit what you would have done if we hadn’t figured everything out.”
He shrugged. “A little insider trading, maybe some conspiracy when all roads stopped at your house. It’s why you were assigned both cases, so we could connect it all to you. I should have left it alone and just let my original plan take its course. But I saw you with him, Trina’s son, and couldn’t resist fucking with you.”
Roman swung, his fist meeting Franklin’s jaw with a thump. Franklin fell and Roman followed, hitting him several times, each time telling him why.
“That’s for Alexandra. That’s for my mom. And that one’s for me, you asshole.” Franklin covered his nose, howling in pain, but Roman gave him no time to react. He grabbed him under his arm and dragged him from the
house. Franklin rolled over, groaning as Roman slammed the door, breathing heavily.
“Roman.” Her mother reached out for him but he stepped back. She turned to Alexandra, who offered her no more sympathy. Roman needed her. She walked toward his open arms, thankful for his strength.
“I want to go home,” she whispered into his shirt. He nodded, kissing her on the top of the head and leading her out to his car. Franklin was writhing on the porch, so she stepped over him. She waited in the car while he ran back inside to get their bags. Once the car started, the heat began to warm the chill that had settled in her bones after their conversation. Roman laid his head back against the seat.
“What the fuck was that?”
“I don’t know. I need to leave. We’ll have to talk about it later, but can we table this conversation?”
He nodded, putting the car in gear and leaving.
“Where does this leave us?” she asked when she couldn’t take the silence any longer. He put his hand out for her, and she gripped it. He was her lifeline, and she’d never let him go.
“Together.”
She nodded, leaning back and closing her eyes.
“Alexandra?” he asked right before she fell asleep.
“Hmm?”
“We’re tearing down the damn house.”
“Okay.”
EPILOGUE
Three Months Later
“Here you go, babe.” Roman handed her the margarita from the bar. They were hosting a dinner for his family and part of hers to celebrate the opening of Alexandra’s newest law firm. After careful consideration, she opened her own practice, taking on the cases she wanted to. It was no longer important to only win, but to work for those who couldn’t fight for themselves, especially after the Davis case. There was something about seeing Corey with his newborn girl, the screaming 8lb, 6oz baby who had her father wrapped around her little finger that melted her ovaries. She had to talk them down from the ledge, because there was no way she was having children at that point, although it solidified her need to work with people who didn’t have the resources needed for representation.
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