Page 13 of Draco

Once Draco put his car in park, he asked if I wanted something from inside the gas station. I opened my mouth torespond, but I was too stunned to speak. From my seat, I watched Sammi strut to a gas pump, yet she froze in place when she eyed Draco’s Mustang. Had I run into my friend an hour earlier, I may have fallen into her arms. But now that Draco agreed to pay off my debt, I wanted to stay as close to him as possible.

“Francesca Renee Green!” she shrieked as she hurried in my direction.

I stepped out of the car, hoping to have a moment alone with Sammi, but Draco got out and walked over to us.

Sammi ignored him and pulled me into her chest.

“I’ve been calling you for days. I even came by the house. What the hell?” She glanced at Draco. “And who the hell is this?”

“Yeah, Francesca. Introduce me to your plus one.”

I rolled my eyes at his sarcasm, but my focus remained on my pouting friend.

“Don’t look like that, Sammi. This is my…”

“Man,” Draco answered when I became clueless of how to categorize our relationship. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Sammi frowned at the tattoos on Draco’s outstretched hand then looked at me.

“Frankie, seriously. What is going on? You’ve been missing in action, andnow,you’re riding around the city with a member of The Sons of Eshu?”

Draco’s menacing laugh interrupted our conversation. “I’ll give y’all a second to speak. Frankie, make sure you’re here when I return.”

Once he was out of earshot, Sammi pulled at my fresh clothes.

“Where did you get the name brand fit?”

“That’s not important. How do you know who he is?”

“The tattoo on his forearm. The Sons of Eshu are a dangerous car club or motorcycle club—I don’t know. I just know theyterrorized the streets a few years ago because someone killed one of their members.”

“People die every day, but they also can change. The same person who’s a villain to some, may be a vigilante to others.”

Sammi sucked her teeth. “Whatever. You still haven’t told me what you’re doing with him.”

I wiped my sweaty palms down my pants.

“We met a few weeks ago.” I lied. “We just got back from a short vacation in Vegas.”

“Vegas, huh?” she commented, then ran her tongue over her teeth. “How about we have lunch? You can tell me about your trip. I’m sure your man won’t mind.”

Draco walked over as the words left her lips. “Actually, I do mind. Let’s roll, Nugget.”

I became a mannequin at the mixture of the nickname and sweetness in his tone.

“Damn, Frankie. I know I told you to date, but are you sure you can handle a man like him?”

My head snapped back. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t be sensitive, girl. You know men like Draco are more my thing. I don’t want you to get caught up in any drama.”

“Sammi, I’ll call you,” I said, keeping my real feelings buried.

As I slid back into the car, Draco lowered the music.

“I don’t know who she is to you, but she’s not your friend. You need to watch her jealous ass.”

“Ugh. Don’t start. I don’t have anything for Sammi to be jealous of. She gets any man she wants, she has a stable job, and she’s beautiful.”

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