Page 64 of Recruited By the Billionaire

“I told you they made me do it, Daddy,” Everly cried.

“That’s a lie!” said Britney. “She agreed to meet with my daddy. She agreed to make sure his men weren’t caught. She and that Laine lady did everything.”

“I didn’t blow up anybody!” Everly said, as if that was the point.

“You won’t get away with this, Britney,” Frankie said. Britney was awful, but she never dreamed she could go this low.

But she was certain Robert could never dream his daughter could either.

But then Britney threw Everly away from her and began to make a run for it out of the back door. Robert and the guard took off after her. When they did, Everly tried to hurry past Frankie as if she was going to try to make her own run for it in the opposite direction.

But Frankie stopped her. “You can forget that, little girl,” she said.

Everly knew it too. And she began to cry like a baby. She leaned against Frankie. Frankie held her, not because of her selfish butt, but because of Robert.

Because Robert was busy chasing Britney. And as soon as Britney made it into the back yard, and turned and fired on the guard, he was left with no choice. He fired back at her, hitting her in her back, and causing her to drop to her knees and then fall on over.

Frankie and Everly heard the gunshots. They ran to the backyard. When they saw Britney down and the guard checking her pulse, saying she was still alive, they both ran to Robert. Robert pulled Frankie into his arms.

But when Everly leaned against him for affection too, he couldn’t do it. Too many people died. Too much blood had been shed. All because of her greed and hatred of him.

It was her day to give account too.

EPILOGUE

She knew he owned a yacht, but she never dreamed it would be almost as big as a cruise ship. She smiled when the limousine stopped at the loading dock.

Robert, who had been on the phone handling business, ended the call and glanced over at Frankie. He was also leaned against her. “Why are you smiling?” he asked her.

“You said we’d spend a little time on your boat before we went to the restaurant.”

“That’s right.”

“Some boat,” she said as she looked up at the powerful structure.

Robert laughed. “Okay, I understated it. My bad. But come on,” he said as his bodyguard opened the door to the limousine and he and Frankie got out. Both were dressed for an evening out: Frankie in her little black dress that hugged every inch of her curves, and Robert in a suit. Robert placed her arm on his and they made their way on deck, with greetings from the yacht’s captain and his crew.

But as Robert escorted Frankie across the space to the double doors that led below deck, he stopped in his tracks and turned to her. “I have something to tell you,” he said, and his voice sounded ominous to Frankie.

And her guard immediately flew up. After last month’s craziness and horrific tragedy, she thought they were finally out of drama-ville for good and enjoying life again. Enjoying their wonderful relationship again. But by the look on Robert’s face, she was concerned they were right back in the thick of it. But her news was good. What was his news? “What is it?” she asked him. “Because I have something to tell you too.”

It was Robert’s guard that went up this time. His news was good. Was hers? “You first,” he said.

No way was she waiting to hear what he had to say, especially with that look on his face. “No, you first,” she said.

Robert’s look changed. He’d rather hear her news first. But he didn’t delay. He got down on one knee.

Frankie’s heart nearly stopped when she saw him get down on bended knee. She pressed her hand against her heart. Was this the moment she’d been waiting for?

When Robert pulled out the little black velvet box, Frankie knew the moment had arrived. And she wasn’t sure if her heart could take it!

“Francesca,” Robert said in that voice that suddenly wasn’t ominous at all, “I am a man of few words. I let my actions speak for me. But these words I must say to you. After what we’ve been through, including seeing the commissioner bring my right to ownership to a vote during the last owners’ meeting, and the owners, God bless them, voting unanimously to allow me to maintain ownership of the Admirals, you have been by my side every step of the way. You aren’t just my lady. You’re my partner. My partner in crime and everything else,” he added, to laughter from Frankie.

Then his look turned serious again. “Francesca,” he said, as he opened the ring box, revealing a 35-carat diamond so big Frankie could hardly believe her eyes, “will you marry me?”

Frankie was nodding her head and doing all she could not to break down in tears even before he said those words. And she didn’t pause a second with her answer. “Yes,” she said. “Oh, Robert, yes, yes, yes!”

That was why he loved her so! She didn’t have a pretentious bone in her body. She was happy and excited and wasn’t afraid to show it. He stood up, placed that ring on her finger, and then pulled her into his arms.

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