dies. We’ll be getting married by a priest in his hospital room, Frankie.” She wrapped her arms around her stomach and doubled over, taking the emotional blow.
Massimo was my ace in the hole, and we both knew it.
When she looked up at me, her eyes were glassy and looked like liquid gold. They always looked like that when she cried. “You’re a bastard,” she whispered, knowing she lost.
I just gave her a tight nod because she wasn’t wrong. I was a bastard. But I wouldn’t apologize for it. I’d do anything to have Frankie and that included manipulating the situation to favor what I wanted.
Frankie thought this was all about us, but it wasn’t. It was about her, too. My parents were long gone in matching drug overdoses. Her parents were gone in an unfortunate car accident. Luca’s mother was weak, and Luca’s father was a sadistic monster. Luca had two brothers, but there were relations more than they were family to him. So, our family was us; me, Frankie, Luca, and Ciro. We were all each other had, and she needed to understand her place in this family.
“I want to talk to Luca,” she said, straightening her back and wiping her face.
“I’ll walk you up,” I told her. “Until you get your hand scanned, you can only get into our apartments if one of us lets you in.” I decided to break the news to her since we were already on a shitastic start to the day. “So, until then, you will be holed up in one of our apartments or with one of us at all times.”
“When am I scheduled to get my hand scanned?” she snarled.
I couldn’t help my smirk. “Once you’re done speaking with Luca and realize there’s no escape.”
“This isn’t over yet, Phoenix,” she claimed.
“Yes, it is,” I responded. “Luca won’t help you. Neither will Ciro.”
“Why marriage?” she asked. “I can take my rightful place with you guys without marrying you.” Frankie was pissed. Her voice held a note of contempt in it that I’d never heard before from her.
My back straightened and I regarded her 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 man will ever have you, Frankie,” I answered. “And no matter how mad you are at the disruption of your life, I know you still love me. I know it like I know my own name.” Her lip curled and I knew she was about to get vile. “You can tell yourself last night was just sex all you want, but you and I both know better.”
“And you’re so sure,” she scoffed.
“I am,” I told her. “But even if I wasn’t, you still don’t have a choice. I love you, and I’ll kill every swinging dick in this fucking city before I ever see you with another man.” She ignored my claim and turned to walk away. “Where are you going?”
She didn’t bother to look back as she answered, “I’m going to take a shower and get dressed, so I can go see Luca.”
“There’s also a secret staircase that leads to Luca’s penthouse and a secret passage that leads to Ciro’s apartment,” I informed her, figuring I might as well let her know everything. “I’ll show you the access to each passageway later.”
Crickets.
I waited until I 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 any good. Only Frankie could turn me into a raving lunatic. Even the fuckers I killed didn’t ignite this kind of rage. Of course, I wasn’t invested in anyone the way I was with Francesca, but still.
The fucking girl was going to drive me crazy.
But if I was going to go insane, I was taking her with me.
Chapter 14
Francesca~
Luca’s penthouse was even more magnificent than Phoenix’s apartment. Phoenix had escorted me into the elevator and one floor up to Luca’s place, and when the elevator opened, it led into an open space where two guards stood on either side of the receiving room. Phoenix had given them each a nod in acknowledgment before placing his palm on the scanner that opened Luca’s front door.
What had surprised me was, the second I was led into the foyer of Luca’s penthouse, Phoenix had placed a kiss on the side of my head and left the same way