The Holy Ghost Read online

  “Not a problem,” he bit out, and I couldn’t help the wave of tremors that shook my body as he stalked towards me.

  Holy shit.

  Chapter 9

  Phoenix~

  Frankie was more beautiful than any girl had the right to be.

  I mean, she’d always been a beautiful girl, but age and maturity had turned her into one stunning fucking woman. Even after enduring a long day of working, driving, and the emotional toll she went through with Massimo, Francesca Mancini was still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

  Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a french braid that left random wisps of strands dancing around her face. Her dark brown brows were still arched to perfection above those goddamn amber eyes. They reminded me of a lion’s mane, and they were just as bright. Frankie and her brother were the only two people I’ve ever known who possessed that color of eyes. They were also surrounded by long, dark lashes which made them look like liquid gold whenever she cried. She had soft, rosy cheekbones, a slim nose, and thick, juicy lips.

  Her body was something else entirely. Frankie was only five-three, but her small frame packed a hell of a punch. When we were younger, she considered herself plus sized, but I never thought she was. I thought she was curvy and sexy as fuck. I had always adored her, but when the girl had hit puberty, I was stupid with it. Her tits and ass filled out into the perfect hourglass figure and it was all I could do not to attack her every goddamn time I saw her. The first time she let me feel her up, I had nearly cum in my pants. Francesca Mancini was stunning, but that fucking chest of hers belonged in a temple to be worshiped always. And, looking at her now, she still had those sinful curves designed to drive me fucking insane.

  I stood in front of her, peering down on her, and I knew there was no way she’d be given her freedom a second time. Her eyes were wide with anticipation as I stood before her. And she might be wary, but this girl would never back down. Ciro, Luca, and I taught her too well. And six years didn’t mean shit. I could still read Frankie like a book. I’ve studied the girl for most of my life. There was no way I didn’t know what she was thinking. And, right now, she was thinking she had a say, but she didn’t.

  “We can do this one of two ways, Frankie,” I told her. “You can walk out of here on your own two feet, your dignity and pride in place. Or I can drag you out of here by your motherfucking hair, kicking and screaming. Either way gives me what I want.”

  Her eyes narrowed and she looked ready to spit fire. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” she snarled. "And you’re out of your mind if you think I am.”

  I smirked down at her. “You can’t win,” I pointed out. Her eyes flicked behind me to Luca. “Luca and Ciro won’t help you.”

  Frankie’s eyes were flashing with anger as her gaze shifted back to me. “I’m here for Massimo,” she replied. “I’m here for Massimo and only Massimo. There’s no reason I can’t stay at a nearby hotel.”

  “There are plenty of reasons,” I argued. “Mainly, your safety.” Her face went from angry to confused, so I decided to enlighten her. “You’re Francesca Mancini, and although we’ve done our best to keep your return a secret, we can’t guarantee that word hasn’t gotten out that you’re back.”

  “So?” she sassed. “Who cares if I’m back?”

  “A lot has changed since you’ve been gone, Frankie,” I told her. “The fact that you’re Ciro’s sister, Luca’s best friend, and my…” I trailed off because she looked down at the floor at the mention that she was still Luca’s best friend.

  She shook her head before lifting her gaze to mine. “Whatever,” she said dismissively. “Then I can stay with my brother if there’s a chance I’m in danger.”

  “You’re not your brother’s responsibility,” I snapped, losing my patience. It’s been six years, and all I wanted was to get Frankie home, so we could fight it out before fucking her unconscious.

  “I’m not yours either,” she said, stressing each word like I was stupid or something.

  I’ve spent the last six years honing my craft. I’ve developed a very intimate relationship with patience, but, right now, that relationship was becoming nonexistent. “That’s where you’re wrong,” I said as I grabbed her by her arm and yanked her forward. “You’ve always been my responsibility. You were my responsibility when you were five and you’re my responsibility now.”

  Frankie tried to shake me loose, but it was no use. The grip I had on her arm was sure to leave some bruising, but I didn’t care. She was going to be covered in bruises come morning after I got her naked anyway. Frankie always liked her sex rough and dirty and, knowing her legs have been closed for the past six years, I imagined she still liked it that way.

  “I am not leaving here with you, Phoenix,” she almost yelled.

  “You think so?”

  “I know so.”

  My free hand snaked out and I tangled my fingers in the intricate layers of her braid and tightened it into a fist. “Then dragging you by your fucking hair it is,” I threatened.

  Her eyes widened. “Ciro! Luca! Are you guys going to just stand there and let him do this to me?”

  “Yes,” came Luca’s easy reply.

  “Frankie, it’s not my place,” Ciro answered.

  Frankie knew Luca was a lost cause, so she focused on her brother. “Ciro, you’re my brother! Of course, it’s your place,” she insisted. “You’re just going to let some man put his hands on your sister?!”

  Ciro’s words were clear, direct, and unwavering. “Phoenix’s not just some man, Francesca.”

  “So, that gives him the okay to mistreat me?!”

  “He’s not mistreating you, Frankie,” Ciro said, softening. “He’s doing what he should have done six years ago.”

  That set her a-fucking-blaze. “Fuck you, Ciro!” she lashed out, and I thanked God the hospital floor was bought out for privacy. “Fuck you, too, Luca!” Her eyes were like daggers dripped in poison, vengeful and lethal. “Fuck you, most of all, Phoenix!”

  “That’s enough!” I roared. “We’re going to do this, Frankie, but we’re not going to do it here!” I started to step with every intention of dragging here behind me when her fist came flying high. I released her just in time to catch it before hitting me straight in my jaw. I held her trapped and no amount of wiggling around was going to free her. “You want to fight? Because I do,” I growled.

  I saw the second she knew she wasn’t going to win this round. Her fury was so palpable, I was certain the entire floor could feel it radiating from her soul. I also knew that, while she might concede in losing the round, she was gearing up to win the war.

  Frankie wasn’t a quitter.

  “I’ll walk,” she rushed out, furious as all get out.

  I stared down at the beautiful spitfire in my arms, and wondered for the first time if I should have checked for weapons. She had her purse hanging over her shoulder and I was certain she was probably cataloging what was in there that she could use as a weapon to use on me. Yeah, Ciro, Luca, and I taught her well, indeed.

  I dropped her hands, but when she went to step around me, I grabbed her left hand and laced her fingers through mine. Her head shot up. “Wh…what are you doing?”

  Ciro had already walked around us to join Luca when Frankie announced that she’d walk, so it was just her and me in the room. Ciro and Luca had made their exits, making sure they left separately. We’d remained at the hospital together for too long as it was.

  I looked down at her as I grabbed her chin and held it between my fingers. “Listen to me, and listen carefully, Francesca,” I said. “We are going to walk out of this room, and we are going to walk out of it as a couple.” She automatically opened her mouth to argue, but I squeezed her chin hard enough to cut off her objection. “You are going to walk out of this room with me as Francesca fucking Mancini, you got me?”

  She had questions, but common sense finally settled in. Frankie knew something was going on even if she didn’t know exact
ly what. “Okay,” she quietly agreed. “But once we get to your place, you better explain to me what’s going on, Phoenix.”

  I had every intention of letting her know what was going on. I just wasn’t sure if she was going to want to hear it. Hell, I knew she wasn’t going to want to hear it, but it made no difference. And in the privacy of my place, she could rant and rave all she wanted. “I promise,” I replied.

  She snorted. “That’s reassuring,” she huffed. “Because your promises mean so much, right, Phoenix?”

  I ignored the barb because I deserved it. At the heart of all this mess, I had lied to her. I had kept secrets from her. I had made decisions that impacted our lives without her input. It didn’t matter that we had all betrayed her. I was the one she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with. I had obligations to her that Ciro and Luca hadn’t, therefore, my betrayal stung ten times worse than Ciro’s or Luca’s and I understood that. It was the reason I was giving her so much leeway. It was the reason I let her leave. It was the reason I let her be gone for so long.

  But none of that mattered anymore.

  A new era was coming upon us and a new kingdom was coming about. A kingdom that would be led by Luca Benetti with the backing of Ciro, me, and Frankie, even though she didn’t know it yet. That’s why she needed to walk out of here with her back straight and her head held high. She needed to walk out of here like the Mafia Princess that she was.

  And even if I did have to drag her out by her hair, everyone just would have seen me exerting my power and dominance over my woman. No one would have blinked an eye or thought less of Frankie. Everyone would have just seen me taking my woman in hand just like a million Made Men before me. It was the way of our world. Men ruled and women supported that role.

  But what a lot of outsiders didn’t know was that Frankie wasn’t just another Mob sister, friend, lover, or wife. She wasn’t just another woman in a life riddled with violence and illegal activity. She wasn’t just a submissive wife, closing her eyes to her husband’s shady ways and interchangeable mistresses.

  Frankie was called Church for a reason.

  In a world were three men were reputed to have no souls and showed no mercy, Frankie held each one of us in the palm of hand. There wasn’t anything Ciro, Luca, and I wouldn’t do for her, including letting her throw a fit for six years.

  She was the only thing that mattered to us above and beyond who and what we were. We would kill for her, and we would die for her.

  We would start a war for that girl.

  And that is why she needed to walk out of here with her head held high. Shit was about to change, and she was the catalyst that was going to set it all off.

  She just didn’t know it yet.

  Chapter 10

  Francesca~

  The drive to Phoenix’s house was weighed in furious silence.

  I had caved at his command to walk out of the hospital, hand in hand, because he promised me answers later, but that still didn’t mean I was happy about it. And, if I was being honest with myself, I didn’t completely trust myself to be alone with him at his place. It’s been six years since I’ve had sex, and I was feeling every bit of those lonely years the more time I spent in Phoenix’s proximity.

  It didn’t help that he knew my body better than I did either.

  However, the silent ride to Phoenix’s gave me time to think. It was crazy how the past few years I’ve been relatively easy-going and my life had been so bland and uneventful, I hadn’t needed to raise my voice in forever. But in the matter of a few minutes in Phoenix’s company, I had turned into a raving banshee. My blood had run hot and my anger had been real and deep. I had lost my mind and my temper, and I had been ready to beat Phoenix with my fists. That hotheaded girl I used to be came out in full force and I realized I missed her some. I’d gotten use to boring and had forgotten what it was to feel passionate about anything.

  I knew Morgan City fairly well, so I didn’t sightsee or question where we were going. But once Phoenix turned off Grant Avenue, I was slightly confused. The last time I was here, there was nothing here, but driving around block fence towards the back, I finally saw a tall building that looked like it belonged in the middle of New York City or somewhere like that.

  Phoenix drove towards an underground garage, and I watched as he rolled down the window and placed his hand on scanner of some sort. The scanner flashed green and the garage door began to rise. I sat in the car thinking what the actual fuck.

  Someone got fancy all of a sudden.

  Of course, maybe it wasn’t all of a sudden. Not knowing what’s transpired in the past six years, this new Phoenix might have been around for a while already.

  Phoenix pulled into an empty parking stall and I noticed quite a few cars in attendance. I figured we must be in an apartment complex of some sort and the cars must belong to the other tenants.

  I was wrong.

  Much like Luca had done at the hospital, Phoenix commanded I wait until he opened the door for me. Once we were both out of the car, he escorted me to an elevator where the same type of scanner was set up for access to the elevator. Once we were inside, Phoenix gave me a rundown of the building.

  “Even though we have other condos scattered throughout Morgan City, this is our primary residence,” he told me.

  “We?”

  He pushed the button to his floor. “Me, Ciro, and Luca,” he clarified. “However, the building consists of eight floors. The first floor is the lobby and extra apartments for some of the Benetti soldiers assigned to Luca. The second floor is the gym, swimming pool, and all that. The third floor is a common area where a lot of…us sometimes get together to discuss shit. The fourth and fifth floors are completely empty.”

  “Empty apartments?”

  “No. Empty of anything. They look like unfinished floors with only support beams visible.” I thought that strange, but I didn’t question it. “The sixth floor is our armory. The seventh floor belongs to me and Ciro, while the top entire floor belongs to Luca.”

  “All this and, yet, you still need other apartments throughout the city?” I hated the girl in me who wondered if one of those apartments were Phoenix’s fuck pads.

  The elevator came to a stop, and Phoenix placed his hand on the small of my back as he led me out of the metal box. “We very rarely like to be in the same place at once, Frankie. It’s too easy to take us all out in one shot that way.” His very candid answer left me speechless. “Besides, with the kind of…uh, work we do, it saves time to have easy access to a place where we can crash.”

  I wasn’t sure if the entire building was designed the same, but the hallway was decorated in dark blues and greens. It was very vivid and very masculine. It wasn’t until we stopped in front of a bright white door that I noticed there was only one other white door in the entire hallway. It was located a few feet away instead of right across from Phoenix’s door. “Why are there only two doors?”

  Phoenix unlocked his front door the same way he had entered the building and the elevator. He pressed his palm against another scanner located on the door frame. “Because, as I’ve already mentioned, only Ciro and I live up here. The floor is made up of just two apartments.” My jaw almost hit the ground. If that were the case, the apartments had to be huge.

  When the door clicked open, Phoenix placed his hand on the small of my back again and led me inside. Once we were inside, he dropped my overnight bag on the floor just inside the door and I finally got a good look at Phoenix’s apartment.

  Holy fucking shit.

  The apartment had an open floor plan and it was huge just like I had suspected. It was also fucking stunning. Everything was silver, white, or black. Chrome making up accents and the appliances that I could see inside the kitchen area.

  I stepped further into his apartment and I didn’t even pretend I wasn’t looking at everything. Whoever decorated his apartment did a magnificent job of combining the cold colors with plush luxury. The only splash of color were ran
dom works of art lining his walls.

  “Your apartment is beautiful, Phoenix,” I told him honestly because it was. But it was also a testament to what he must have been up to all these years. Millions had to be sitting in his bank account with an apartment like this. I heard the whispers just like everyone else within a fifty-mile radius, but I had done my best to ignore them because I wanted nothing to do with Morgan City, but looking around, the rumors were probably truer than I had given them credit for.

  Phoenix couldn’t afford all this unless he was all in.

  “Our apartment,” he said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  I turned around to face him. “What?” I blurted, surprised.

  “Our apartment,” he repeated. “This is our apartment, Frankie.”

  I could only imagine the look on my face as his words bounced around in my head. I shook my head to try to clear the confusion. “What are you talking about?” I asked. “How long have you lived here?”

  “The building was completed about two years ago,” he replied. “We moved in immediately.”

  I chose to ignore his comment about this being our apartment. I was already on emotional overload with Luca walking back into my life unexpectedly, then learning about Massimo, and then seeing my brother for the first time in years. I needed time to…decompress before taking Phoenix on.

  “Well, I imagine an apartment this size has several guest rooms,” I surmised. “Which one is mine?”

  Phoenix smirked and I could feel myself feeling violent again even as weary as I was. “Which room do you think is yours?” he taunted.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Look, Phoenix, it’s been a long day, and I am tired. Either start talking or, kindly, let me go to bed.”

  “Alright,” he replied. “We might as well get this over with.”

  “Then start talking,” I demanded.

  Phoenix stuck his hands in his pocket and, to anyone else, he would look casual, but I knew better. He was poised to pounce at any minute. “You’re not going back,” he declared as if it were fact.