Page 15 of If You Say So

She started to laugh softly.

Still, despite the laugh, she had a whole lot of pain behind those eyes.

Pain that was tearing her apart from the inside out.

“Frankie?” Yao said, interrupting us.

I wanted to punch him in the face when I lost her eyes.

“Yes?” Frankie turned, her smile fading.

Hell, any and all life that had been put back into her had faded.

I fucking hated it.

“I’m going to investigate the incident,” he said, his eyes flicking up to me and then widening. “You new?”

I nodded once. “Yes, sir. Just started today.”

Yao took in my scars, didn’t make like he wasn’t.

I kind of liked that he owned it.

Most people would steal surreptitious glances at them every once in a while. Try to act like they

weren’t staring.

Not Yao.

“Good to know,” he said. “Like it?”

I shrugged. “It was okay.”

Yao’s lips twitched. “First days usually are. If you’ll excuse me…”

I nodded once. “Nice to see you, Frankie.”

Frankie’s eyes went warm. “It was nice to see you, too.”

Then I had no other choice but to walk away.

But why the fuck did it feel like I was having my heart pulled out of my chest when I did?

Chapter 2

Back the fuck up, sprinkle tits. Today is not the day.

-Coffee Cup

Frankie

The next day as I got ready for work, I had the phone to my ear, and I was waiting for my father to pick up.

He did on the third ring.

Well, at least I thought it was him.

It wasn’t.

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