Page 32 of The Holy Ghost
“Well,Martin,” I started, a smile on myface, “Phoenix isn’t available right now, and I have a bit of anemergency.”
“We’renot permitted to let you leavethe building, Mrs. Fiore,” he repeated. Never mind the tingle Ikept getting down my spine whenever he called me Mrs.Fiore.
Christ, I was such a girl.
It’s amazinghow my wedding rings suddenly felt heavy as hell. And itwasn’t because the five-caratdiamond rock with the band of equally brilliant diamondssurrounding it was excessive as it was. It was because it resembledthe chain of bondage that it was. The set was extraordinary, forsure, but Phoenix wouldn’t hear any objections on its extravagance.Plus, his name was engraved inside the diamond band.
“Am I notallowed to leave at all?” I asked.“Or am I not allowed to leave without an escort?”
“Myunderstanding is you cannot-”He caught himself, no doubt aware of my resistance to being toldwhat to do. “It’s my understanding we are not permitted to let youleave the building underanyconditions.”
Ionly had one card to play here. Ihated that I had to play it, but Robbie was in trouble, and I waswasting time trying to secure my freedom here. “How exactly do youplan on stopping me, should I be determined to visit my friend? Ialready told her I was on my way.” I wanted it to sound as if Iwasn’t in any danger, and I was just going out to meet a friend.”His face went from stoic to mildly confused. “I’m just curiousabout your direction on this. Did my husband say you could put yourhands on me if need be?”
Iwatched his Adam’s Apple workup and down and I knew using the word husband was a good move.“Mrs. Fiore, we’re-”
“I honestlydon’t mean to put you in an awkward position, but Iguaranteemy husband will bemore…upset at another man putting his hands on me than he would beat me simply visiting a friend.” This is where my lie came in.“I’ve already sent him a text letting him know where I’m off to.”Christ, I sounded like an uppity socialite. I almost cringed at thehaughtiness in my voice. I pulled out my phone and shoved it in thepoor man’s face. “Of course, he’s busy and hasn’t had a chance totext me back, but I assure you, if he was against the visit to myfriend, he would have texted back immediately, forbidding me togo.”
“Mrs.Fiore-”
“Now, kindly get out of myway before you have no choice but to have to physically restrainme, and I end up calling my husband, brother, and best friend.” Idid it. I played the do-you-know-who-I-am card, and I hated it. ButRobbie needed me, and I had to keep that in mind.
Martin paled abit, but heknew he was stuckbetween a rock and a hard place. However, he was smart enough toknow that letting me leave without permission might incur areprimand but putting his hands on me would sign his deadwarrant.
Hegave me a tight nod before asking,“Would you like an escort?” And that’s what was going to lead topoor Martin’s death. He gave me a choice. I felt bad about it, butRobbie’s cry for help pushed that guilt down. Besides, she askedthat I come alone.
“Thank you so much,Martin, for the offer, but I’m not going far.” Another lie, butI’ll deal with that the next time I’m in church.
Martin lookeduncomfortable, but he finally stepped aside, and his commandvibrated in everyone’s earpiece that I was allowed to leave the building. I smiled, got into mycar, and drove out of one of the most secured buildings in thecity.
The drive toCedar Creek felt longer than an hour, but when I finally got toRobbie’s, I barely put the car in parkand grabbed my purse, before I was out of thedriver’s side, and jogging up to her rickety porch. Robbie’s housewasn’t quite in the poorest of neighborhoods, but it wasclose.
I knocked on thedoor. “Robbie!”
The dooropened, but it wasn’t Robbie standing on the other side.And before I could absorb themagnitude of what I’ve just done, everything went black.
Chapter 17
Phoenix~
Lucawas pissed.
Luca was pissed, andthat wasn’t good for anyone.
“It was a bullshitmeeting,” he said, voicing what we already knew.
“Maybe he justwanted to fuck with us because he knows we don’t like being here,”Ciro interjected. Giovanni knew we hated being at hishouse.
Luca eyed me.“He called Phoenix from his wedding night to prove that he could,”Luca deduced. “He knows about Francesca.”
Thecoldness in Ciro’s voice was acontrast to his volatile personality. “What’s my sister got to dowith this?”
Luca lookedover at him. “Giovanni is a lot of things, but stupid or blindisn’t one of them,” he replied. “He knows who and whatshe is to us.”
“She’s a threat,” Isurmised.
Luca nodded. “Aslong as Francesca was out of the picture, he knew we’d forever bedistracted by her absence. Now that she’s back…”
“We’re unstoppable,”Ciro finished.
