Page 39 of The Holy Ghost
As soon asFrankie untied her friend, she slumped forward and I caught her,lifting her up in my arms. I heard Ciro call out to Luca.“Grab my sister. I’ve gotthese three fucks.”
Luca put hisgun away and lifted Frankie upin his arms. “I can walk, Luca,” she said wryly. “I’mokay.”
“Humor me,” hesnapped.
Wecarried the women upstairs, calledBasco in, and waited for him to come inside and set up. We placedthem on the couch, and Luca immediately headed back downstairs. Itwasn’t that Ciro couldn’t hold down the fort, it was because hecouldn’t stand to look at Frankie any more than I could. Her facewas busted up, and he’s seen her clothes shredded, just like Ihad.
The woman Icarried upstairs mumbled herthanks as I set her down then walked over to Frankie. I leaned downand kiss her on the top of her head. I looked into her batteredface. “What do I need to know?” She sighed, and that wasn’t a goodsign. “Francesca?”
“The light brown hair withthe grey shirt, that’s Randy,” she answered sadly. “He’s…hewasRobbie’s boyfriend. He’s the one who plannedthis for the money. The other two are just his goons.” I absorbedthe information as Basco walked in .
I turned tolook at, who I surmised, was Robbie. “What do you know?”
She startedsobbing, but it wasn’t in hysterics. It was in genuine remorse. “Icaught him texting Frankie, pretending to be me. When I called himout, he…”her tortured browneyes looked down, and I decided to grant her mercy. Besides, I’dfind out all I needed to know downstairs.
I gave Frankieanother kiss on her head and without looking back, I said, “It’s your life if anythinghappens to her, Basco.”
“Iunderstand,” came his faint reply asI was already shutting the door to the basement behind me. When Ireached the bottom of the steps, Luca had his guns pointed to theassholes, same as Ciro. I noticed that Randy had two guns on him,so I figured one of them must have been talking while I wasupstairs.
“So, what do weknow?”
“This one’s the ringleaderof this circus,” Ciro answered, tipping his gun towardsRandy.
“Yeah. Frankie toldme as much,” I remarked.
All three menwere grimacing on the floor, one with a shattered kneecap, one with a gut shot, and Randywith a shot in his right thigh. Our aims were enough to encumber,but not enough to kill. No. This wasn’t going to bequick.
“The first one whotalks gets to go quickly,” I announced.
“It wasall Randy’s idea!” the guyCiro had his gun on yelled through his agony. He was the same onewith a bullet in his kneecap. “It was all his stupid fuckingidea.”
“Shut the fuckup, Tony!”
“Fuck that!”he screeched. “I’m not going to be tortured to deathbecause of yourgreed.”
“My greed?!”Randy yelled. “You were eager to be in this justas much as I was!”
“Enough!” Lucaroared.
“Yeah. You’re bothpretty, girls,” Ciro deadpanned.
I dropped onmy haunches in front of Randy. “Who cut my wife’s shirtoff?”I cared about Frankie’sinjuries, but I cared about her humiliation more. Frankie will healfrom whatever physical injuries these sorry fucks inflicted on her,but her modesty? I couldn’t even begin to understand what a womangoes through when she feels she’s been violated. But, while Icouldn’t understand it, I sure as fuck could avenge it.
Thecanarystarted singing again.“Randy did it,” he cried out. “This is all his fuckingfault!”
“Like youdidn’t put your hands on hertoo!” Randy yelled.
I pulled mygun out from the back of my waistband,pointed, and shot the canary in his head. I turnedback to Randy. “I’ll get the entire story out of you, one way oranother,” I told him. “And you’ll be begging for death way beforeI’ll grant it.”
Thethird guy let out a resignedlaugh. “We should have known better than to listen to you,” hesaid, referring to Randy. “But you said you had an in and it wasfoolproof.”
I looked overat the third guy. “Which one of you was the prick who hurt Robbie?”None of their answers weregoing to save them, I just wanted to know. The guy’s blue eyes fellempty. That’s when I knew the answer. “It was you, wasn’tit?”
“Atleast, I didn’t rape her,” hepleaded. “He gave me permission to, but I didn’t!”
I stood up.“At least, you didn’t-” I wastoo astonished to continue.
“Fuck thisshit,” Luca growled before discharging his gun andfiring a bullet in the side ofthe piece of shit’s head.
