Crossing Paths: A Brooklyn Shifters Romance Book 1

by Daphne Snow

  Just lovely, if her parents were still alive she was gonna have some deep cleaning to do.

  They hugged the wall not wanting to be seen as they started to hear voices rise from the living room. Frannie peered in quietly, seeing her parents sitting on the couch and two men dressed in suits standing in front of them. She could smell both men were bear shifters as well.

  Mina had looked around Frannie to the men as well her body was visibly relaxing.

  “Andy, what the fuck are you doing here?” She asked the man who quickly drew his gun from his hip. Frannie's mother screeched for a moment at the quick gesture, tucking her face behind Raymonds back.

  There was that sailor's mouth she was known for. The moment he saw her though his eyes softened and he placed it back in his holder. He raised a hand to his partner who still had his piece aimed at her. He started to lower it but that apparently was too slow for Mina as she narrowed her eyes at him.

  “I wouldn't even try if I were you, dumbass.” She smirked at him. Instead of feeling belittled, he looked like he was already smitten with her. That of course was nothing new, everyone thought Mina was gorgeous and she was. But it always managed to annoy Frannie when the men basically rolled over like dogs to get their bellies pat by her. And she never did any petting. Yet they still looked at her as a goddess and Frannie wanted what Mina had. The ability to just be herself, crude mouth and all and still charm the pants off of anyone that looked at her.

  Instead, Frannie was awkward and mousey. She sighed inwardly at the thought and relaxed when she realized as long as Mina was around no one was going to get shot today. She walked around Mina coming into the living room. The two of them filled the doorway.

  “I'm working here Mina, what are you even doing here?” She placed her hands on her hips looking as if she was about to give him an earful but then reading the room Mina pulled back. “This happens to be my best friend's house you're swindling.”

  Upon seeing her daughter Claudia exclaimed. “Francesca!” She ran to her hugging her tightly and Frannie returned that hug in kind. She pulled back looking at her mother's face. Her cheeks were sunken in and her eyes were drooping. Her speech as always was slurred and her hair looked matted and smelled terrible. She was even worse than the last time she had seen her.

  “Claudia get back here.” Raymond, her step-father barked. Frannie could feel her frail mother jump in her arms and as if she was hypnotized she returned to the seat next to her husband on the ragged plaid couch.

  “Well shit.” The man, Andy ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair. He was handsome enough but upon sniffing at him he didn't hold the dominance Benson had. Fey was unimpressed, to say the least. Small bears I don't want them. She whispered. If the situation wasn’t so concerning Frannie might have laughed at that. It was clear though Fey was not worried or just didn’t care about the danger her parents were in. In fact after assessing the two men Fey simply wandered away to the back of Frans mind.

  Frannie shook her head and looked at Mina. Mina looked at Frans parents, her eyes filled with pity and frustration. Mina had never been a big fan of them. Frannie wished she could have seen them when her birth father had been around. They were the happiest people in the world. Nothing could have dampened their spirits.

  Fran spoke up rage filling her as they all stood around quietly, no one explaining a damned thing. “Anyone wanna explain to me what the hell is going on.” Everyone just looked at each other and an awkward silence passed by for a minute. Andy spoke up first.

  “I take it you're their daughter.” Before she could say anything Raymond raised his voice. “Yes. She is.” Fran was a little taken aback by that. Raymond had never adopted her formally or told anyone he even had kids and she never quite felt like his daughter.

  Between the aggressive backhanded comments and the time or two, he had kicked her out. He didn't really scream father figure.

  “She can take care of it. She’s very trustworthy.” Her mother added, and suddenly things were coming into focus for Frannie.

  “Well you can, can't you. You've got your fancy job. If you don't want us to be sent to the poor house you can take it over.” She wanted to be angry but she should have known he didn't mean to be kind when he called her his daughter. He meant to place a burden on her.

  “Can someone tell us what's happening first?” Mina nearly screamed. Her fingers digging into her crossed arms. Her annoyed tick Frannie had picked up on over the years.

  “Your folks owe our boss a lot of money, Miss Regio.” She wanted to correct him but didn’t waste her breath. She was annoyed, frustrated, and really really scared. Whatever these men were here for meant her folks had really gotten themselves into some deep shit this time.

  “What for?” She asked, feeling as if she already knew the answer to it. Her face was hot with anger and Fey was starting to feed off of it.

  “I don't know about most of it but a good chunk was lost at the tables.” The lingo for gambling and Frannie can certainly suspect where the other money they borrowed went. She could guarantee it didn't go to the house or getting clean.

  Frannie closed her eyes for a moment and readied herself.“How much?”

  “Eighty Grand.” He met her intense gaze not straying from it.

  The number went straight to Frannie's gut and beside her, Mina inhaled a breath shaking her head at her parents again. Eighty grand was double her entire yearly salary. There was no way she could just pay it off easily. She had bills. Rent, water bill, electric and already she was sending her parents a grand almost every month to help with house expenses.

  She wouldn't be able to sleep right knowing they didn't have heat for the winter. But this was something else entirely, eighty thousand dollars. They squandered eighty thousand dollars on gambling, liquor and drugs whilst she worked her ass off every day.

  “So are you gonna do it or not?” Raymond asked, his eyes in line with a bottle of whiskey sitting on top of the old television. He didn’t even care. His hate for her had only grown over the years and he only ever cared to make conversation with her if it had to do with her giving them more money.

  Frannie let out a shaky breath. “I'll talk with him. If that's possible of course.” She looked at the two goons sent out like bloodhounds. SHe never should have come back. She should have known better.

  “Frannie you don't have to.” Mina said, looking at her confused and very very livid.

  "But out of this you good for nothing bitch!" Ray shouted at her, his eyes glossed over and dazed. "Shut up Ray dont speak to her like that! If you want me to help just shut up for five fucking seconds!" She breathed in and out trying to find her control. Fey was begging to come out, to kill him. Frannie wanted to let her.

  Surprisingly Ray did just that and kept quiet biting his tongue. His eyes were black his bear near and wanting to hurt her. She didn't care and he obviously realized if he kept being an asshole at least right this second she wouldn’t help at all.

  At least that's what she wanted him to think. She was going to help, for her mothers' sake. Frannie was going to find a way to sort this out for them.

  After a moment she continued the room silent waiting for her words. “Is there a way I can speak to him directly?” She asked Andy, his brow cocking.

  “Boss is normally busy but he's wanted things settled with these two for a while. Gimme a second.” He took out a phone that looked brand new, fancy. Criminals made a lot of money clearly. It bothered how her honest work earned her barely anything. He sent a few texts to a number and then returned it to his pocket.

  “Tomorrow at two, he will see you then. Be prepared he's not an easy man to bargain with but he will try to be fair.” A fair swindler Frannie wanted to laugh at that. Nothing about this was fair. He was conning two people out of more money than they could afford what about that was fair?

  “Andy, can I speak with you outside?” Mina asked, her voice nearly sultry. He smiled and happily complied with her request. The other man who ha
dn't taken his eyes off of her followed suit.

  Once they were out of earshot Fran raced up to her mother whose eyes had drifted off to another place. Ray was sitting next to her, his face looking disgusted. We could just kill him. It would not be hard.

  As much as Fran wanted to comply with Feys demands it wouldn't be right. Ray was a shifter though he was always too much in a drunk or drug-induced haze for her to see his bear; he never once tried to shift in front of her. Being a shifter was the only thing keeping him alive. If he was a human with as much as he had drunk over the years his organs would have failed him by now. But right now he looked like a disgruntled mad human. He was a poor excuse for a man, shifter or otherwise.

  “Mind telling me how you managed to rack up eighty grand in debt besides gambling that is.” His face only soured more at the question

  “We only spent thirty grand at the tables, the other fifty is interest from not paying. And I'm not gonna pay that son of a bitch a single dime until he gets his fucking head out of his ass.”

  “That doesn't make any sense, how do you get fifty in interest?” Now Frannie was no mathematician but that seemed like a lot of fucking interest to get on thirty grand.

  “Figure it out since your so smart you dumb piece of-.”

  “Raymond.” Her mother stopped him. Frannie wanted to believe it was in defense of her only child but she knew better. She wanted to make sure Fran would help before she let Ray abuse her with his words. It wasn't the first time he had insulted her and Frannie doubted it'd be the last but she was getting really tired of putting up with his bull shit, and her mothers for that matter.

  “Frannie if you don't do this they will take the house.” She said mumbling to Frannie. Though her eyes were still distant.

  With a reluctant nod Frannie spoke. “Don't worry mom I'll get this straightened out.” With that Ray rose and went to grab the whiskey bottle on top of the old television. “At least you’re good for something.” He ground his teeth out at her.

  Fey was growing restless with this man's existence so Fran got up and walked to the kitchen. Looking for the source of the rotten food smell to find the kitchen in worse a state than she imagined.

  When she was upset Frannies' go to was always to clean. By the end of it, she would be exhausted and calm. She couldn't be around them right now it was just upsetting her more. So she thought she would clean at least a little and then try to talk to them again. Try to get them to see reason though Frannie knew that’d never work. Why was she doing any of this?

  The once clean baby blue kitchen was stained with greens and yellows. The appliances rusted and half broken over the years.

  She sighed hearing the familiar song of a chirping bird outside. Memories flooded her.

  It was summer and she was ten again. The birds had chirped outside incessantly. Frannie hadn’t cared though, their song was beautiful. Her mom hummed along and brought her a turkey sandwich for lunch whilst her dad was just getting home from work. The smile on his face was brilliant when he saw his wife. It was so bright and so passionate it seemed inextinguishable. They were both healthy and full of life.

  Her mom would help him take off his jacket. Her long light brown hair was set neat in a ponytail and her youthful features made her seem like a beauty queen. They would kiss so sweetly. Then he would turn to her and poke her on the cheek calling Frannie his little teddy bear and sneaking a bite out of her sandwich...she missed him terribly.

  She turned back to the messy kitchen now.

  The sink was filled with beer cans and liquor bottles. Vodka, whiskey, gin, rum any and everything. A numb feeling absorbed her as she took it all in. She went over to the trash can and started to pile in the bottles before taking them to the curb outside. She ignored the whispered conversation as she passed the living room. She didn’t care to hear the snide comments.

  As the fresh cold air hit her nose she felt relief like darkness was lifting from her shoulders.

  She saw as the two men climbed into a car and sped off, Mina waving to them as they went. Her black curls bouncing, hair moving in the slight wind.

  “How do you know them?” Fran had been curious but too concerned with her mother before to ask.

  “Andy is friends with Zelik or at least they were. I haven't seen him around for a while though. He said the bloody glass was from your old man throwing it at him. It cut his cheek. ” That would make sense as to why they hadn't seen any injuries on anyone. If it just cut his cheek it would have healed really fast.

  “Do you know Andy's boss, what he's like?” Fran asked, placing the clinking bottles on the ground.

  “No, I've never met him personally. But my uncle's friend Kizzy borrowed like five grand from and apparently the guy took his eye when he didn't pay it back in time. Kizzy moved upstate after that.” Frannie was sure Mina was just answering her question but it only made the thought of going into the den of a monster worse.

  Frannie sighed “I'm gonna die aren't I?”

  “I doubt you'll get your eyes torn out.” She snorted and then turned a serious look at Fran.

  “Seriously Fran you really don't have to do this. They got themselves into this mess. Let them climb out of it. It's not your job to save them every time. They're grown ass adults.” She hugged Frannie around the neck and spoke gently to her. “Come back home with me Fran let them sort this out. You can’t be your mothers keeper forever.”

  “I know but I have to at least try.” At this rate, she really didn't want to though. It sounded like a much nicer idea to just head back to Mina’s. But she couldn't forgive herself if something happened to them that she could have prevented. Even if that meant sacrificing herself. Mina released her and crossed her arms digging her nails into the meat of them.

  “You can't afford an eighty grand debt you'll be paying that off for the next twenty years. And you think they are gonna let you go back to California? With that kind of debt hanging over your head? You'll be giving up your life.” Mina rested her hands on Frannies shoulders and shook a little.

  "Your gonna fucking wind up back here when you fought so hard to get out. Your gonna live in this smelly house for the rest of your life, changing their fucking diapers till they die, and then whatever other mess they get into you're gonna be stuck with that to. Don't do this Fran!" Frannie wanted to argue with her to stop being so dramatic but she had seen how these shifter gang types worked; she had known how ruthless they were.

  If she did this she was throwing her life away. But what other choice did she have? This was her family. She couldn’t turn her back on family.

  Mina was more right than ever. As always.

  What if they wouldn't let her go home and she had to stay in Brooklyn until it was all paid off. No, she had to reason with the boss man she was sure she could convince him. Andy had said he was a fair man. Not sure how much that counted towards a criminal though. She would get him to see she would uphold her end, unlike her parents. Or maybe he would just kill her and consider it even or kidnap her to a whore house. Oh god her life really was over before it began.

  Chapter 4

  Nerves racking through her body Francesca walked up to a building she had never been to before let alone remembered from her time in Brooklyn.

  There stood a glass rectangle for what seemed forever high. She would've thought criminal types hung out in sewers or bunkers of some kind. You know hiding from cops not flaunting in front of them. Not in office buildings that's for sure. Maybe this guy was a fancy gangster.

  An incredibly understanding fancy gangster she hoped.

  The walkway up to it had been clear of even the smallest snowflake and each glass panel of the tall building seemed to be shining beautifully. It was almost a little blinding. The tower looming over her in all its brilliance was intimidating and she, well she was terrified.

  She knew fuck all about this place or this boss she had to go see. She was going in completely blind but somehow had to convince this man with more money than
she had ever seen in her life to give her a break.

  Oh yea, that's nothing, super easy stuff, it’ll be a breeze. She sighed, fearful and annoyed.

  She wished Mina could be here. The woman's boisterous spirit would make all this seem like a walk in the park. Mina always seemed to know what to do, what to say.

  Her rude as fuck brother Zelik wouldn't allow her to accompany Fran though after he heard what happened. She remembered how he looked at her nearly the same way Ray had looked at her yesterday afternoon. With disgust and hatred. Fran didn't care though, at the end of the day even Zelik knew there was no tearing the two women apart. Didn’t mean he couldn’t try though.