The Holy Ghost

by M. E. Clayton

  Where Luca was the spitting image of Giovanni Benetti, Leo and Sal looked like both their father and their mother, Carlita Benetti. They had the Benetti black hair, but they had green eyes like their mother and a set of dimples designed to fool people into thinking they were kind men. And unless things had changed, I also knew Leo was the kinder of all three Benetti brothers, where Sal was evil. Luca was hard and unfeeling, but Sal was sadistic like their father.

  They both looked surprise to see me, but neither of them stopped to say hello. It was then I noticed Luca walking behind them. Leo smiled as he past, but Sal smirked, and it wasn’t lined in humor. However, I wasn’t about to question it. I’ve been gone too long to make assumptions about what these men were capable these days. I knew Luca wouldn’t let them harass me, but I wasn’t going to borrow trouble either.

  And then I remembered the marks.

  Since I had only been coming up to see Luca, I hadn’t bothered with covering my neck, dressed in only a black t-shirt and jeans. Leo was a gentleman enough to ignore the violent marks, where Sal was probably getting off on them. And while there wasn’t anything I could do about them now, I knew I’d have to wear a scarf for the foreseeable future outside this building.

  Luca waited until Leo and Sal exited the front door before addressing me. “Francesca,” he greeted. “Phoenix said you wanted to talk.”

  I stared into his striking face and saw the boy who used to crawl through my bedroom window and sleep in my arms. No matter how broken he was, no matter how battered and bruised he was, he always let me gather him close and sleep in my arms. Giovanni Benetti used to beat his son so severe, I often wondered if Luca would live to see adulthood. Since the age of seven, and he was nine, I been the only person to see him fresh from a round with his father. I held onto his secrets and vulnerability fiercely, but I’ve never known why Luca had chosen me instead of Ciro or Phoenix to share that weakness with.

  My chest filled with the bone crushing weight at how I left, without a word, leaving him to face his demons alone. I knew by the time we were in our twenties, Gio had stopped beating on Luca, but there were still times when Luca would come over, take me by the hand, and lead me out to the backyard where we’d sit in silence as I’d circle my arms around him. Ciro and Phoenix never questioned it, but even if they had, I would have never told.

  My leaving had broken Phoenix’s heart, disappointed Ciro, and abandoned Luca.

  “Yeah, if you have some free time,” I replied, realizing how stupid I sounded. If he didn’t have time for me, he wouldn’t have told Phoenix to send me up. I was nervous though.

  “Come with me,” he instructed, and I followed him through his penthouse until we got to a door that led to his office. I had hurried to keep up with him, so I hadn’t had a chance to get a good look at his home, but what little I did see, it was breathtaking.

  Once we entered his office, Luca guided me towards one of the brown plush leather armchairs positioned in front of his huge oak desk. He didn’t walk around to sit at his desk and that surprised me. Instead, he leaned up against the edge, looked down at me, and waited.

  I took a deep breath and then repeated everything Phoenix’s told me since yesterday. When I was done, I asked, “Is it all true?”

  Luca didn’t bother bullshitting me, and he didn’t ease into breaking the bad news to me either. “Yes. It’s all true,” he confirmed. No compassion. No softness. No sympathy. His tone was as exciting as an automated telemarketing call.

  “Luca-”

  “It’s been decided, Frankie,” he said, repeating Phoenix’s vile words. This was Phoenix’s confirmation that Luca wasn’t going to help me.

  “Luca, he wants to get married immediately,” I stressed. “You guys have upended my life all in a matter of twenty-four hours and, if that’s not enough, now you want to bind me to him for life?”

  Luca’s chin went up and the power radiating from him was overwhelming. Gone was the boy who taught me how to climb trees. Gone was the boy who let me hold him. Gone was the young man who never smiled, but still found some joy in life.

  The man standing before me was-to quote Robbie-Luca freakin’ Benetti.

  “You were always bound to Phoenix for life, Francesca,” he retorted, a little heat in that smooth, sinister voice of his. “Six years hasn’t changed that.”

  I stood up because I felt like sitting before him weakened my position. I knew, intellectually, whether I stood or sat didn’t make a difference, but I still felt better standing. His smirk told me he knew exactly why I stood up.

  “Are you telling me you can’t appreciate just how…overwhelming this all is?” I pleaded. “You show up, out of the blue, to tell me Massimo is dying, then I’m reunited with my brother, only to have Phoenix take me home and announce this entirely new life you guys have carved out for me. Marriage, Luca?”

  “If you came here to ask me to get you out of marrying Phoenix, you’re wasting your time, Francesca,” he replied. “You guys are to be married on Friday in Massimo’s hospital room. Ciro is giving you away, and Massimo will be Phoenix’s Best Man.”

  “And what are you supposed to be?” I snapped.

  “Your Maid-of-Honor,” he deadpanned.

  “I’m serious, Luca!” I did not find this funny. I hated that they were treating me like a mindless puppet. I hated that they were taking away all my choices.

  “So am I!” he roared, losing his patience and composure. He straightened to his full height, and he was every bit the Mob Underboss that I’ve heard about.

  “Luca-”

  “I don’t want to hear it, Francesca,” he bit out. “You dare to come here with branding all over your neck and tell me you don’t want to marry Phoenix?” I felt myself shrink even though I tried not to. “Don’t tell me you no longer love him because we’ll both know you’re lying.”

  “I never said I didn’t love him anymore,” I replied, revealing more than I was ready to. “I…I just…it’s just so much too fast, Luca.”

  “Not by our accounts, Francesca,” he threw back “We’ve been waiting six years for you to get over your fucking temper tantrum. Six fucking years. You walked out and left us hanging for six fucking years. You left Ciro without love. You left me without a compassion. And you left Phoenix without a soul. Don’t fucking tell me it’s too much too fast!”

  “You guys-”

  “I know we fucked up,” he barked. “I know we did. And, yes, we deserved your wrath. But we did not deserve for you to abandon us forever!”

  “So, this is my punishment?” I asked, bewildered, and confused. “Is this some kind of payback?”

  Luca deflated in front of me and ran his fingers through his hair. When he looked at me, he looked weary, and I knew this was the Luca no one got to see, but me. “Christ, no, Francesca,” he replied. “This is not a punishment or some kind of payback. This is us finally caving. This is us begging for fucking mercy.”

  My heart broke with that statement.

  “Luca…”

  He walked towards me, grabbed my arm, and led me to the couch on the left side of the room. We sat down, and he angled our bodies so that we could look at each other, our knees touching. His face was soft, and this was the boy who used to climb through my window. “Francesca, you have no idea what your leaving did to us. Nothing filled the gaping hole that you left behind and, believe me, we tried everything.” My mind automatically went to drugs, alcohol, and women. “Me, Ciro, and Phoenix climb the ladder in record time because we spent every waking moment doing whatever we needed to keep from missing you. But nothing worked.” He let out dark laugh. “We reached the top and our lives were still empty.”

  “You guys hurt me,” I whispered lamely.

  “Not half as badly as you hurt us,” he responded quietly.

  “Do you hate me?” I didn’t think he did, but I couldn’t take it for granted that he didn’t.

  “No, Francesca. I don’t hate you.” He reached over and squeezed me knee.
“You’re my best friend. You’ve always been that person to me. But I cannot allow you to wander anymore. I need you back home where you belong. And Phoenix won’t settle for anything other than his name attached to yours. Even if you didn’t love him anymore, which I know you still do, I’d still force you to marry him.”

  “Why?”

  “Because that man doesn’t know how to not love you, Francesca. And I promised him and Ciro that, when I took over, they would want for nothing,” he told me. “And the only thing Phoenix wants in this world is you.”

  I didn’t have a response to that. Probably because it was true. I didn’t doubt Phoenix’s love for me. I’ve just held onto my anger for so many years, I wasn’t sure how not to feel it anymore. Both Luca and Phoenix referred to my leaving as the biggest temper tantrum of all time, and I had to wonder if they were partially right.

  My phone rang, and as I pulled it out of my pocket, I saw that it was my brother. “It’s Ciro.”

  Luca nodded. “Answer it.”

  I swiped the answer icon. “Hey,” I greeted.

  “Hey, Frankie,” he greeted back. “Are you still at Luca’s?”

  “How-” I stopped. Of course, he would know where I was at. Phoenix had made it clear that I’d be monitored until I came to terms with my new life. “Yes, I’m still with Luca.”

  “I’m home,” he said. “Stop by on your way back to Phoenix’s and I’ll set you up with your scan registration.”

  “Okay,” I said, surrendering. I hung up and looked at Luca. “Ciro wants me to stop by.”

  Luca nodded. “He’s going to get you scanned,” he said, and I rolled me eyes in defeat.

  I stood up to leave, but before I turned around, I asked him the one question I couldn’t bring myself to ask Phoenix. “How many women have there been, Luca?”

  His answer was quick and true. “None.”

  None.

  After Luca escorted me to Ciro’s apartment, which was just as lavish as Phoenix’s, if not a bit more warm, he had my hand scanned and programmed and proceeded to tell me the same thing Phoenix and Luca told me, and how I ought to just give in gracefully.

  Seems like everyone was on Phoenix’s side.

  Chapter 15

  Phoenix~

  Both Luca and Ciro had called me to tell me they made their peace with Frankie and that now it was up to me to convince her to accept her place with us. Which translated into getting her to marry me willingly. I knew they wouldn’t interfere if I had to force her, but it was better for everyone if she married me of her own free will. I didn’t want to have to pay off a priest, after all.

  I walked into my apartment and I immediately saw several boxes lined up against the wall.

  Frankie’s stuff.

  I had already removed my jacket and tossed it over the back of the couch when Frankie walked out of the hallway. She mis-stepped when she saw me, but quickly recovered. I started taking my tie off as I nodded towards the boxes. “Your stuff?”

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  “How did things go with your brother and Luca,” I asked, even though I already knew.

  She cocked her head. “Like you don’t already know,” she retorted.

  “I was hoping we could eat dinner before we started round two, but if you want to go now, let go,” I replied, suddenly feeling exhausted as fuck. In my earlier years, I spent hours torturing people or lying in wait, but nothing exhausted me like the woman standing before me.

  Nothing.

  “What would happen if I left?” she asked. “What would happen if I snuck off and…and just disappeared? Because that’s still an option, you know.”

  I laughed.

  I couldn’t help it.

  I laughed because she must really be ignorant to what we were capable of if she really thought that was an option.

  “Try it and find out,” I dared her. “As a matter of fact, I look forward to chasing you, Frankie.” I stepped to her and grabbed her by both her arms. “I dare you to run out the front door, Francesca. Let’s see how far you get, shall we?”

  Her face was all anger and humiliation. She’s lost the war and she knows it. She was just trying to salvage some pride and wanted to pretend she still had choices. Frankie wanted this to be her choice, but it wasn’t. And she needed to get used to the idea that there were going to be a shitload of choices taken from her, moving forward. Everything we did, and will do, will be to ensure her safety, and as independent as Frankie was, I knew it was going to be a huge adjustment for her.

  “Go to hell, Phoenix,” she spat scathingly.

  “Baby, I’m already there,” I flung back. “What do you think the past six years have been?”

  “You turning into a king,” she retorted. “You, Luca, and Ciro turning into royalty.”

  “Luca’s the king,” I corrected. “And, yes, that makes me and Ciro royalty, but do you want to take a guess at what that makes you?”

  Her eyes narrowed and there was all the hate in the world bottled up in those gorgeous irises. “I hate that I still love you,” she hissed.

  “I know you do.” Because I did. The only thing that helped was that I wasn’t alone in that category. Of course, she’d always love Ciro, he was her brother, but I knew she hated that she still loved Luca. Her love for us kept her prisoner, just like our love for her made us weak.

  My hand slid around to the back of her neck until my fingers dug into her flesh. “I know that you hate that you love me,” I told her. “I also know you hate the fact that your body craves mine. But you’ll either get over it or you won’t. Either way, it doesn’t change anything. You and I will be married by the end of the week, Frankie. We’re going to be married and you are joining the Benettis.” I leaned down and used my teeth to tug on her lower lip. “You’re also going to spread those creamy thighs for me every fucking night, baby.” My teeth nipped at her jaw. “I don’t care what you do with your day, but every night you will be in our bed with your thighs spread wide, waiting for me.” She moaned and I almost sank to my knees. “Whether I’ve just come home from the office or just walked in after blowing someone’s brains out, you will be on that bed, your sweet, tight pussy presented to me for the taking, Francesca. Am I clear?”

  I was about to slide my other hand up her shirt when she pushed me away. She no longer looked angry, but she didn’t look quite overrun with passion either. Her eyes searched mine as she said, “There can only ever be me, Phoenix.” Shock rendered me still. “I…I know it’s customary for…some men to take mistresses, and that’s acceptable among The Family, but…but that won’t work for me.”

  Was she fucking serious?

  “That’s my only concession,” she went on. “If…if I have to give in, then I need to do it on my terms, as well.”

  I stared down at the stunning beauty in my arms and wondered at what point in time had she lost her goddamn mind. “Are you fucking serious, right now?” I asked, mad as fuck.

  “Phoen-”

  And just like that, I went from kissing her to shaking the shit out of her. “I haven’t touched a woman in six fucking years, Frankie,” I said, in-fucking-furitated. “You were, and still are, the only female I have ever touched, much less fucked.” Frankie’s eyes glossed over as I ranted at her. “Do you honestly think that, now that I have you back, I’d seek out some random pussy on the side? Are you out of your fucking mind?”

  “Phoenix, I-”

  I stepped away from her, grabbed the first thing that was handy, and threw the lamp across the room with enough force, it shattered against the wall in a waterfall of glass and ceramic. “What don’t you fucking understand, Francesca?!” I was beyond livid. “It’s you! Everything is fucking you! In all these years, I never even tried to fill the void you left by fucking another woman. I can’t stomach the idea, Frankie. So, instead, I tried to fill the void by murdering as many motherfuckers as I could. I tried to fill the void by devoting my every waking breath to whatever I had to do to benefit the Benet
tis. I will never, ever touch another woman, Frankie. Never.” Before she could respond, I stormed over and snatched her by her arms again. “And, I swear to God, if you ever think to go to another man, for anything, I will fucking kill him and unleash a hell on you so brutal that you’ll wish you were dead.”

  The fire in her eyes was back. “If I haven’t gone to another man in these past six years, I’m not about to start now, Phoenix,” she threw back. “Unfortunately for me, my love for you outweighed just how far I would let myself go in life.”

  I crashed my lips down on hers and I didn’t care how sore she was or if my dick was still raw. I was going to prove to Frankie what she meant to me. I was going to honor the fact that there’s been no one else for either of us in six years. That meant something. No one in their right mind goes without sex for six years unless they are insane or so helplessly in love with someone else, it just can’t be done. Frankie and I fell into the latter category, and that meant something.

  She also wasn’t fighting me. No. Her lips and hands were just as desperate as mine. I ripped her t-shirt over her head and her hands immediately went to my belt as she fumbled with freeing my dick from my slacks.

  I was tearing off my dress shirt when her soft, delicate hand wrapped around my hard dick and I had to stop, close my eyes, and just savor her touch. Last night had been me taking everything I needed from her, but Frankie wrapping her hand around my dick was her giving herself over to me, and I wanted to shout to the fucking Heavens. It didn’t matter that my dick was, indeed, tender either. I just didn’t fucking care.

  My knees almost buckled when I look down and Frankie was already on her knees before me. She didn’t give me a chance to even appreciate the sight before her lips were wrapped around my cock, and she was taking it down to the back of her throat. “Holy fuck,” I hissed, tangling my hands in her hair.