Page 26 of The Holy Ghost
Massimo was my acein the hole, and we both knew it.
When shelooked up at me, her eyes were glassy and looked like liquidgold.They always looked likethat when she cried. “You’re a bastard,” she whispered, knowing shelost.
I just gaveher a tightnod because shewasn’t wrong. I was a bastard. But I wouldn’t apologize for it. I’ddo anything to have Frankie and that included manipulating thesituation to favor what I wanted.
Frankiethought this was all about us,but it wasn’t. It was about her, too. My parents were long gone inmatching drug overdoses. Her parents were gone in an unfortunatecar accident. Luca’s mother was weak, and Luca’s father was asadistic monster. Luca had two brothers, but there were relationsmore than they were family to him. So, our family was us; me,Frankie, Luca, and Ciro. We were all each other had, and she neededto understand her place in this family.
“I want totalk to Luca,” she said, straightening her back and wiping herface.
“I’ll walk youup,” I told her. “Until youget your hand scanned, you can only get into our apartments if oneof us lets you in.” I decided to break the news to her since wewere already on a shitastic start to the day. “So, until then, youwill be holed up in one of our apartments or with one of us at alltimes.”
“When am I scheduledto get my hand scanned?” she snarled.
I couldn’thelp my smirk. “Once you’re done speakingwith Luca and realize there’s no escape.”
“This isn’t overyet, Phoenix,” she claimed.
“Yes, it is,”I responded. “Luca won’t helpyou. Neither will Ciro.”
“Whymarriage?” she asked. “I can take myrightful placewith you guys without marrying you.” Frankie was pissed. Hervoice held a note of contempt in it that I’d never heard beforefrom her.
My backstraightenedand I regardedher as someone who wasn’t aware of how close I was to killing her.She was lucky I loved her as much as I did. “Because no other manwill ever have you, Frankie,” I answered. “And no matter how madyou are at the disruption of your life, I know you still love me. Iknow it like I know my own name.” Her lip curled and I knew she wasabout to get vile. “You can tell yourself last night was just sexall you want, but you and I both know better.”
“And you’re sosure,” she scoffed.
“I am,” Itold her. “But even if Iwasn’t, you still don’t have a choice.Iloveyou, and I’ll kill every swinging dick in this fucking city beforeI ever see you with another man.” She ignored my claim and turnedto walk away. “Where are you going?”
Shedidn’t bother to look back asshe answered, “I’m going to take a shower and get dressed, so I cango see Luca.”
“There’s alsoa secret staircase that leads toLuca’s penthouse and a secret passage that leads to Ciro’sapartment,” I informed her, figuring I might as well let her knoweverything. “I’ll show you the access to each passagewaylater.”
Crickets.
I waited untilI heard the bedroom door slam before I ran my hands through my hair and let out a deep breath.I wanted to tear the place apart, but that wouldn’t do anyone anygood. Only Frankie could turn me into a raving lunatic. Even thefuckers I killed didn’t ignite this kind of rage. Of course, Iwasn’t invested in anyone the way I was with Francesca, butstill.
The fuckinggirl was going to drive mecrazy.
But if I was goingto go insane, I was taking her with me.
Chapter 14
Francesca~
Luca’spenthouse was evenmore magnificent than Phoenix’s apartment. Phoenix had escorted meinto the elevator and one floor up to Luca’s place, and when theelevator opened, it led into an open space where two guards stoodon either side of the receiving room. Phoenix had given them each anod in acknowledgment before placing his palm on the scanner thatopened Luca’s front door.
What hadsurprised me was, the second I was led into the foyer of Luca’spenthouse, Phoenix had placed a kiss on the side of my head andleft the same way we came in. I hadn’t known what to do, so I had sat down on the settee thatsat along the right side of the room. Not two minutes later, Ilooked up as Leonardo and Salvatore Benetti came walking towardsme. I immediately stood up in a poor show of strength. I hadnothing against the two Benetti brothers, but I didn’t trust themeither.
Where Luca wasthe spitting image of Giovanni Benetti, Leo and Sal lookedlike both their father and theirmother, Carlita Benetti. They had the Benetti black hair, but theyhad green eyes like their mother and a set of dimples designed tofool people into thinking they were kind men. And unless things hadchanged, I also knew Leo was the kinder of all three Benettibrothers, where Sal was evil. Luca was hard and unfeeling, but Salwas sadistic like their father.
Theyboth looked surprise to see me, butneither of them stopped to say hello. It was then I noticed Lucawalking behind them. Leo smiled as he past, but Sal smirked, and itwasn’t lined in humor. However, I wasn’t about to question it. I’vebeen gone too long to make assumptions about what these men werecapable these days. I knew Luca wouldn’t let them harass me, but Iwasn’t going to borrow trouble either.
And then Iremembered the marks.
Since I hadonly been coming up to see Luca, I hadn’t bothered with covering my neck, dressed in only ablack t-shirt and jeans. Leo was a gentleman enough to ignore theviolent marks, where Sal was probably getting off on them. Andwhile there wasn’t anything I could do about them now, I knew I’dhave to wear a scarf for the foreseeable future outside thisbuilding.
Luca waiteduntil Leo and Sal exited the front door before addressing me.“Francesca,” he greeted. “Phoenix said you wanted to talk.”
I stared intohis striking face andsaw theboy who used to crawl through my bedroom window and sleep in myarms. No matter how broken he was, no matter how battered andbruised he was, he always let me gather him close and sleep in myarms. Giovanni Benetti used to beat his son so severe, I oftenwondered if Luca would live to see adulthood. Since the age ofseven, and he was nine, I been the only person to see him freshfrom a round with his father. I held onto his secrets andvulnerability fiercely, but I’ve never known why Luca had chosen meinstead of Ciro or Phoenix to share that weakness with.
