Page 14 of The Holy Ghost
RobertMiller’s eyes were the size ofsaucers. He started thrashing about again, but he had to know itwas futile at this point. No one ever escaped Ciro Mancini.Besides, we’ve already mentioned Frankie’s name and the fact thatshe was back. That, alone, signed his death warrant. We’d nevertalk so freely about our family business if there was any chancethis guy would live to tell about it.
Ciro reachedbehind him and I slapped the ice pick in his hand.“So, I’m going to start by blindingyou as Ghost so helpfully suggested, and I’m going to work my waydown.” Robert Miller’s screams turned to pathetic whimpers. He knewhe was fucked. “However, it’s all going to end in a magnificentshow of me pulling your dick out, skinning it back and pouring saltall over it, before chopping it up into little pieces.” Robertstarted screaming again. “Since we’re here because of your dick, itonly seems appropriate that it gets to star in the grandfinale.”
“Have you everskinned a dick before?” Iasked out of curiosity.
“Nah,”Ciro replied. “But how hardcan it be?” He didn’t give me time to answer before the ice pickwas already logged into Robert Miller’s right eye. His screams ofpain were loud as fuck even though he was muzzled but, blessedly,they were loud enough to put thoughts of Frankie onhold.
We had twohours with Robert Miller, andI wasn’t about to waste a second of it.
Chapter 8
Francesca~
Inever imagined I’d feel thisexhausted, but I should have. Emotional reunions were always taxingand catching up with Massimo had been extremely emotional. Nomatter what we talked about, I couldn’t get past the pain in myheart that he would be gone soon. I hurt for him, myself, all theneighborhood kids he’s helped and all the neighborhood kids he’dnever get to meet.
When I exitedhis room, I expected the guards, however, I hadn’t expected Luca. Ifigured he’d be off doing whatever it is he did thesedays, and he’d have a ridewaiting for me. Instead, he stood up from a chair that had beenplaced outside Massimo’s room. It hadn’t been there when wearrived, so I imagine it had been placed there specifically forLuca.
When I stopped infront of him, he asked, “Are you okay?”
I shook myhead. “Not really,” I answered honestly. “I…I just can’tbelieve…” There were no words.I knew it and Luca knew it.
His nod wasshort and simple. “I know. We’re all still trying to cometo terms with it,Francesca.”
I let out adeep breath and did my best to regain some sense of composure. “Didyou book me into ahotel, orare you leaving that up to me?”
He scowled.“What?”
“You said Ihad to stay in town until Sunday,” I reminded him. “I figured you would have booked me a hotelroom or-”
“Francesca, you arenot staying in goddamn hotel room,” he bit out.
Ireallydidn’t want to staywith Luca, but I also knew I didn’t have a choice if that’s what hewanted. Plus, I was in the wrong here. I never should havediscarded Massimo so effectively when I left. If I should have keptin contact with anyone, it should have been him. The way he steppedin and helped me and Ciro after our parents died in that car wreckwas more than we were entitled to.
“Fine,” Ireplied. “If you have a spare room-”
Luca shook his head.“Francesca, you aren’t staying with me either.”
So, I’llbe staying with my brother. Itwasn’t ideal because I was still angry with him, but I figured wecould spend these next four days fighting it out until we couldfind a middle ground.
Hopefully, wedidn’t kill each otherfirst.
“Luca-”
“Come withme,” he instructed as hegrabbed my hand and led me down the corridor. I followed because Ididn’t know what else to do. I was doing my best to behave becauseI didn’t want to cause drama for Massimo, but, also, because Ididn’t knowthisLuca. I knew what hewas capable of, because the rumors of The Holy Trinity had reachedCedar Creek and beyond, but I didn’t know who I was or where Istood with this new Luca.
When wereached the waiting room doorway, I saw Ciro standing in the middleof the room, his hands in his pockets. My stomached dropped as I took in my grown brother. Hewas no longer a young boy or young twenty-something; he was a grownman at the age of thirty.
His style hadchanged but not really. His dark brown hair still layhaphazardly on top of hishead, as if he couldn’t be bothered to style it. His amber eyesstill shown as bright as the sun. However, his face no longer heldany softness. He was all hard angles and all man, likeLuca.
The biggestdifference was the suit he was wearing. Ciro had alwaysbeen a jeans and t-shirt kindof guy, but, now, he was dressed to the nines in a suit that costmore than most people’s rent. The suit didn’t hide his six-foot-onephysique, though. You could tell, even through the fabric of thesuit, that he was ripped all to hell. That’s another thing that’schanged. While Ciro always took care of himself, his body nowlooked like a weapon, and it probably was.
“Frankie,” hewhispered, and he looked pained. He looked as if that one word wasslicing him to ribbons.
For onemoment, years of anger andresentment faded to the background, and all I saw was my brother.The brother who never left me behind. The brother who neverdismissed me. The brother who always protected me. The brother whoraised me after our parents died. The brother who made sure I ate,had clothes, and got an education. The brother who was my onlyremaining blood relative.
The force ofhow much I missed him hit me hard. Looking at him, and noting allthe changes in his appearance, I was suddenly aching with allthe things I missed out on byleaving. By leaving, we had six years of empty memories of eachother, and that hurt. It hurt more than I ever thought I’drealize.
My feetcarried me into the room, and they didn’t stop until I was wrappedin my brother’s arms. Hisembrace felt like I was being squeezed by a vise, but I didn’tmind. It felt good to be in his arms. While my reunion with Lucahad been cold and business-like, my reunion with my brother waswhat it should be, all emotion.
