Guns
“It is mostly guns!” I exclaimed, leaning over the duffle bag that was now lying unzipped on my living room floor.
“Damn right.” Frank was crouched next to the bag, sifting through the metal and keeping Lola at bay with one hand.
“And what exactly do you plan on doing with them?” I inquired.
“Using them when I have to and stashing them in convenient places when I don’t.” Frank said matter of factly, starting to pull weapons out of the bag and line them up on the floor.
“Fair enough.” I responded, moving to sit on the couch and watch him work, whistling for Lola to join me. Frank sorted through the tangle of automatic, semi-automatic, and pistols, organizing them by category and also pulling out an impressive number of radios and other official-looking equipment. I shivered when I saw him pull out the distinct body armor with a white skull spray painted on it.
“So.” He finally said, sitting back on his heels and looking right at me. “What I learned from David is that there’s definitely a lot of trafficking going on. They’re picking girls up from the street, around Harlem and Hell’s Kitchen mostly and shipping them overseas in containers. Seems like they’re new players, none of the old crowd are back around.”
“Right.” I said, letting the fact that I had no clue who the “old crowd” were anyway go.
“And I’m gonna fuckin’ stop ‘em.” Frank rubbed his temples. “Unfortunately, that’s probably going to take me teaming up with Red since they seem to have recruited quite a few new guys.”
“You don’t say.” I tried to keep my voice even, but could tell as I said it that there was a definite ‘I told you so’ lilt in my tone.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m sure you’re thrilled.” Frank scrunched his nose.
“Well, thrilled is a bit of an exaggeration considering it means that you’ll both be in danger, but I guess I’m happy you won’t be alone?” I surveyed the mass of weapons on my carpet. “Though judging by all this, you’d probably do a pretty good job on your own.”
“That’s my girl.” Frank chuckled. “David’s got surveillance on the docks running 24/7 and gave me access to some of the streams, but he’ll be keeping an eye on it too and let me know when the best time to strike is. I’ll meet with Red and figure out the rest. What I’m worried about is you.” He came and sat next to me on the couch.
“I know.” I sighed, resting my head on his shoulder.
“I get that you don’t need to be babysat. But it would make me feel a hell of a lot better if we installed some cameras and got an actual deadbolt on that door rather than the pathetic chain that exists now.” Frank murmured into my hair.
“That seems fair.” I said.
“They know who I am, Ella.” Frank sat up straight and I turned my body to face him. “Pete, Frank, Punisher, whatever. They know me, they know my face. I won’t lie to you that every second you’re with me puts you in danger. I should not stay here.”
“Well I actually feel quite a bit safer when you are here.” I retorted, and Frank exhaled sharply. “Look, I know the risks. I’ll be careful. The cameras will keep me safe. And you will too.” I looked him in the eye and took both his hands. “I know you won’t let anything happen to me.”
Frank nodded rigidly, his eyes scanning my face.
“David also got in touch with a friend of his in construction and I’m going to start working during the day at his site.” He said. “Keep me busy during the day and that way I won’t be living here rent free.”
“Yeah, what exactly have you been doing during the day?” I inquired.
“Well, I was working construction for a while. Then did some work with the VA. Just things to pay the bills. I also spend a lot of time bringing coffee to this cute girl I know.” Frank winked.
“Oh, shut up.” I laughed.
“I’ll be done by 5 every day, so I’ll beat you home.” Frank said, his tone serious again. “That way you’re not here alone, at least until I get the situation under control.”
“Until you and Matt get the situation under control.” I held up a finger. “Don’t forget your new business arrangement.”
Frank tackled me, pinning me down on the couch as I dissolved into hysterics.
--
Frank and I fell into an easy routine over the next month; he would leave early in the morning to be home by 5 while I resumed my usual schedule of insanity, usually collapsing on the couch at 8 or 9. He’d make dinner, we’d talk about our days, and on the weekends take Lola for long walks around the city, stopping at Mae’s or Jupiter on the way home. It felt incredibly normal, despite the fact that once a week Matt and Frank holed up in our kitchen and made tactical plans.
One Wednesday, I woke up and without even opening my eyes, knew that Frank was gone. I rolled over and checked the time -- 3 am on the dot. There was no question in my mind where he was and I got out of bed, making a cup of tea and gathering the medical supplies I hoped I wouldn’t have to use. I must have fallen asleep on the couch because I was awoken by Frank’s quiet grunts as he tried to remove his vest one-handed.
“What happened?” I asked sleepily, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.
“Knife to the shoulder, ‘m fine.” Frank said through gritted teeth. “Fuck!” He gave the strap a frustrated yank.
“C’mere.” I grabbed a towel from where I’d folded a stack of them on the coffee table and Frank pressed it against his injured shoulder, where I saw that it immediately began to turn red. I quickly undid the remaining straps on the vest and Frank released the pressure on his wound and I helped him pull the armor over his head.
“Go back to bed, sweetheart.” Frank was making his way to the bathroom and I followed him, picking up the suture kit. Lola trotted after us, but after making sure we wouldn’t be giving her any treats, decided she’d rather be in bed.
“Not a chance. I’ve seen your attempts to stitch yourself with your non-dominant hand before and I do a much better job.” I motioned for him to sit on the toilet lid and he did, allowing me to help him pull his shirt over his head. I threw it into the bathtub and bent over the stab wound. Frank rested his head on my stomach, breathing hard.
“Is Matt okay?” I asked quietly, starting to clean the area with alcohol pads.
“Fine. Took a few tough blows to the head, but that helmet of his does a pretty good job. Maybe I should look into getting one.”
“Wouldn’t be a bad idea.” I said, threading the needle and bracing his forearm between my legs. “What kind of decoration would you go for?” I asked, trying to distract him as I slid the needle into his skin. Frank barely winced.
“I dunno. Red’s done a real consistent job with his branding, which makes getting dressed up a little easier.”
I chuckled and tied off the first stitch. I worked in silence for the next few minutes, feeling Frank’s hot breath on my stomach through the thin fabric of my t-shirt, which was actually his.
“All done.” I released his arm and wiped a bit of sweat off my forehead, dropping the used needle in the trash can.
“Thank you.” Frank whispered, catching the outside of my thighs with his hands and pulling me back to him. I ran my fingers through his hair absentmindedly and took deep breaths.
“You need to go to sleep, you have work in,” Frank checked his watch. “5 hours.”
“Mm, I’ll work from home.” I murmured, leaning down to kiss him. “I have a patient who needs to be watched. Very. Closely.”
“Yes ma’am.” Frank growled, grabbing me with his good arm and moving me to straddle him.
---
Frank came home bloody one more time in the next two weeks, Matt in tow after he caught someone’s boot to the side of his head. I stitched them both up as best I could and the next few days, Frank was especially on guard, checking the deadbolt multiple times through the night and watching the cameras obsessively. Still, as another week passed and nobody came to our door, we both started to relax. The weekend arrived and I overheard Frank on the phone with David, bout to turn down a dinner invitation when I snatched the phone out of his hands said, “he’ll call you back!” and ended the call.
“Please, please, please can we go?” I begged, hands literally clasped in front of me, looking up at Frank from my position knelt on the couch.
“Why do you want to go so bad?” Frank was half-laughing, but the creases in his forehead told me he was serious.
“I don’t know, you talk to David all the time on the phone and I know he can watch our apartment whenever he wants through the cameras, so I feel like it’s honestly weird I haven’t met him!” I pouted. “And now they’ve invited us over to dinner and you’re being incredibly mean and saying that we can’t go!”
Frank sighed and scratched the beard growing in on his chin. I batted my eyelashes and Lola jumped up on the couch next to me and let her tongue loll out of her mouth as if beseeching Frank to let her come as well.
“Well I’ve got no chance against both of those faces.” Frank said ruefully and I bounced up and threw my arms around his neck.
“You’ll be the death of me, woman.” Frank tangled both hands in my hair and tilted my face up to his, catching my lower lip between his teeth and biting playfully.
“Mm, I know.” I tipped my head back to feel the pleasurable tension on my scalp and shuddered when Frank started mouthing his way down my neck.
“I can think of a pretty good way to say thank you.” I whispered, my hands moving down to the button on his jeans. Frank smiled against my collarbones and let me push his pants down around his ankles and stepped out of them. He straightened up and I grabbed at the back of his shirt, pulling it over his head and starting to lick and suck my way down his torso to the waistband of his boxers. I lowered myself onto my knees and Frank sucked in a breath as I scraped my nails down his thighs. I licked my lips and yanked his boxers down, wrapping my hand around his already hard cock.
“Fuck, girl.” Frank’s eyes fluttered shut and his hands went back into my hair. I took as much of him in my mouth as I could and he moaned, gently bucking his hips forward and I tried not to gag. I started to suck in earnest, moving my hand up and down his shaft and watching as he started to breathe heavier. He started to gently guide my head and I hummed appreciatively, making his eyes snap open and he swore at the sight of me looking up at him with my mouth around him.
Later, when we finally lay in a sweaty, satiated tangle in bed, Frank told me about the nights that he and David spent together in the basement. I stayed quiet, just listening and didn’t comment when the stories switched to memories of Maria and the kids, eventually falling asleep to the quiet rumble of his voice. The last thing I remembered him whispering was the phrase, “one batch, two batch. Penny and dime.”