The Holy Ghost

by M. E. Clayton

  Before Luca could answer, his phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket and his eyes shot my way before his brows furrowed. “It’s Francesca,” he told us.

  Ciro chuckled. “She must be pissed at Nix for being gone so long. She’s trying to salvage her pride by calling you to see where the fuck he’s at.”

  Luca rolled his eyes, and it always threw me when he did that. It made him look young and Luca’s never been young, even when he was. He swiped his finger and held the phone up to his ear. “Francesca.” Not even a second later, his entire body stilled, and my heart dropped to my feet.

  Luca has never reacted to Francesca’s voice like that.

  I watched, the blood in my veins frozen, as Luca placed the phone on the desk and hit the speaker function. The voice that filled the room didn’t belong to Frankie.

  “Did you hear me?”

  Luca’s jaw ticked, but his voice sounded smooth as bourbon. “I do believe I missed that,” he replied. “I’ll need you to repeat yourself.”

  The man’s voice was full of contempt. “Of course, you missed it,” the man sneered. “Because people like you don’t have to listen to anyone, do they?”

  “I assure you, I listen to people all the time,” Luca countered smoothly. “It’s what makes me good at what I do.”

  “Well, then listen well,” the man snapped. “If you want your precious Frankie back in one piece, you’ll give me what I want.”

  For the first time in years, I felt rage unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

  I also felt fear.

  Luca’s eyes stayed on mine. I knew he was silently willing me to keep my shit together. “Are you sure you have the right number, first of all?”

  “I really don’t care which one of you assholes I’m talking to,” he replied. “But Frankie’s contact list has one P, two C, and three L. I might not be the head of the great Benetti Family, but it’s not hard to deduce that P is for Phoenix, C is for Ciro, and L is for Luca. The only thing I don’t know is who put those diamonds on her finger. But I do know I’m talking to Luca Benetti.”

  The motherfucker really had Frankie.

  I placed those goddamn rings on her finger just this morning. No one outside the Benettis could possibly know about them unless they knew who Frankie was, and they’d seen her since this morning. I wanted to believe she was in our bed where I left her, but I also wasn’t one to live in denial.

  Luca didn’t offer up any confirming information. He simply asked, “What is it you want?”

  “I want ten million dollars,” he answered. “Ten million with no bullshit, and you get her back unharmed.”

  Ten million wasn’t shit. I had accumulated more than ten million in the past six years with all the high-profile hits I’ve done. And I knew Ciro had just about as much money as I had. I didn’t even pretend to know what Luca was worth, but ten million between the three of us wasn’t shit.

  But this wasn’t about money.

  Someone dared to touch Frankie, and he wasn’t going to live long enough to spend a penny of the ten million he was demanding.

  “Ten million,” Luca repeated. “And you think she’s worth ten million dollars to me? To us?”

  The man’s voice suddenly sounded doubtful. His confidence wavering. “Be…because she’s…she’s Ciro Mancini’s sister,” he stuttered. “She’s…she’s Church.”

  “And where would I take this ten million dollars?” Luca asked. “Are we going to PayPal it?”

  “Don’t talk to me like I’m stupid!” he yelled.

  I felt Ciro come stand next to me, but I couldn’t look at him. I knew if I did, I’d lose my shit in spectacular fashion. Because Frankie meant different things to the each of us, what we were feeling at this moment differed from one another, but those feelings were equally strong.

  “Then quit playing games and tell me what you want,” Luca retorted, his voice still relaxed. “If you’re calling me to demand a ransom, I assume you already have a plan in place. Quit wasting time.”

  “I want ten million in cash brought to Cedar Creek,” he said. “Call me when you are on your way with the money. Once you reach Cedar Creek, call me for further direction.” This had all the makings of a bad action movie. This man was either high, stupid, or desperate. It didn’t really matter which because he was going to die for daring to go near Frankie.

  “I’ll have the money in an hour,” Luca told him. “It’ll take another hour to reach Cedar Creek.”

  “I look forward to hearing from you in an hour,” was his reply. “I also know I don’t have to tell you to come alone, Mr. Benetti. Come alone or Frankie doesn’t make it home unscathed.” Luca’s lip curled, and I knew he was close to losing shit.

  We all were.

  The second the phone went dead, I grabbed the glass tumbler Luca had been drinking from earlier and threw it across the room. “Motherfucker!” I roared.

  “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Ciro chanted, his voice low and deadly.

  “He gave us an hour,” Luca said. “We can make it to Cedar Creek in about forty minutes.” He jerked his chin towards me. “Pull up the tracer, Phoenix.”

  I pulled out my phone and pulled up my tracker app. Because I knew she’d never take them off, I had Frankie’s wedding rings specially made and personalize. The platinum on both the engagement ring and the wedding band was thicker than normal because, not only did I have my name engraved on the inside of the wedding band, but I had a microscopic tracker inserted on the ring. Frankie thought the ‘diamond’ in the middle of the P was an actual stone, but it wasn’t. It was a tracking device. I just never imagined I’d have to use it on our first day of marriage.

  The room was shrouded in complete silence as I pulled up the app and tracked her. After pinpointing her location, I looked over at both Luca and Ciro. They both looked like they were out for blood.

  I knew the feeling.

  “She’s in Cedar Creek,” I confirmed.

  “Let’s go,” Ciro said. “Do we need to stop by Kratos?” Luca had named the penthouse building Kratos after the Greek goddess of strength and power. And Ciro was asking if we needed to stop by for more firepower.

  “No.” Luca was already walking to the back of the office, pushing the false hardback of The Tales of Two Cities that was wired to separate the shelves on the bookcases that lined the back wall. As soon as the shelves slid aside, rows upon rows of weapons shined in the light.

  As we reached for what we needed, I glanced at Ciro. “That sonofabitch is mine,” I told him. Told both of them.

  “Of course,” Luca replied, while Ciro remained silent.

  I stopped grabbing weapons and turned. “Ciro?”

  He finished inspecting the SIG-P226 he’d chosen and looked over at me. “She’s my sister,” he said, and I felt those words in the marrow of my bones. We all loved her differently, but she was the only family Ciro had left. Luca had said Frankie was his entire world, but she meant the same thing to me and Ciro. “She’s my fucking sister,” he repeated. “I didn’t just get her back to have some stupid motherfucker take her from me.” His voice was controlled, and that’s when Ciro was at his deadliest.

  “She’s my wife,” I countered before realizing we were actually arguing about who had the most right to avenge her.

  Luca jumped in, ending the conversation. “If she’s unharmed, I’ll take the lead since it’s my money the motherfucker demanded.” Ciro and I turned to look at him as he holstered a Glock-17. “If her hair is out of place, Ciro can lead.” Then he stopped what he was doing and looked me in the eye. “Anything worse than that, he’s yours.”

  “I’m not going to stand back and let you guys avenge my fucking wife, Luca,” I snapped.

  “I know you’re not,” he remarked, his lip curled up in what could be considered a smile for Luca. “That’s why we’re all three going in there, and we’re all three going to fuck him up. Don’t forget, he might not be alone.”

  “Let’s get going,” Ciro said. �
��We can argue on the way.” With that, Luca closed the armory, and we headed out. “And don’t forget to call Basco.” Basco was our…family doctor.

  We made it to Cedar Creek in under forty-five minutes.

  Chapter 18

  Francesca~

  My head hurt like a bitch. But that wasn’t my main concern at the moment.

  No.

  It was the fact that I was tied to a goddamn chair and, even if I could free myself, Robbie was tied to a chair across the room, unconscious. Even though her head was limp and her eyes were closed, I could make out the bruising on her face and here was blood splatter on her clothes, her skin, and in her brown hair, matting it against her skull. There’s no way in hell I’d leave her behind even if I could free myself.

  When that man had opened Robbie’s front door, at first, I hadn’t realized I was in trouble. It wasn’t until he smiled that I was hit the mistake I made. But it was my fault, and I could acknowledge that. I should have called Robbie and spoken with her on the phone when the text came through that she was in trouble. I made the mistake of assuming it was her on the other end. And, hell, maybe it really was. After all, she was tied to a chair, broken and bleeding.

  I glanced around and saw that we were in a basement of some sort. It looked to be used more for storage and laundry than anything else. There was a washer and dryer on the far right side of the room, but everything else looked to be discarded boxes and junk. Wherever we were, we weren’t at Robbie’s house. She didn’t have a basement.

  The sound of wood creaking had me turning to my left. I stared at the wooden stairs that led up to the house. I didn’t utter a sound as I watched a pair of black shoes and dark blue jeans make their way downward. They were followed by another pair of shoes, these white and green, and another pair of dark jeans.

  When their height finally cleared the ceiling, I saw the guy who met me at Robbie’s door followed by the one man I never expected to see.

  Randy.

  Randolph Masterson, Robbie’s boyfriend.

  I couldn’t help the despair that threatened to take over. If he could do what he did to Robbie, a girl who’s been nothing but good to him, then I didn’t stand a chance.

  “Ah,” he said, smiling, “you’re finally awake.”

  I couldn’t keep the loathing from my voice. I hadn’t liked him when Robbie started dating him, and I sure as hell didn’t like him now. “What is this, Randy?” I asked, cutting to the chase.

  Footsteps momentarily distracted me as I turned my head to watch another pair of feet descend the stairs. The third man made his way over the second one, and I immediately dismissed them. I didn’t recognize either one of them, so I didn’t bother with them. Randy was running this show. It was him I needed to concentrate on.

  He dropped onto his haunches, so we could be face-to-face. I hated that he wasn’t a bad-looking guy. His looks should match his soul. But they didn’t. He was a decent-looking guy with light brown hair and dark brown eyes.

  “A little birdie told me that you are the infamous Francesca Mancini,” he answered casually. “The Church to the unholy Holy Trinity.”

  My heart dropped as I realized I never bothered to tell Robbie not to say anything about Phoenix, Ciro, or Luca. I never told her to keep the newfound information to herself. I hadn’t thought of it at the time to ask her to not say anything and, of course, why wouldn’t she say something to her boyfriend? Significant others often tell one another other people’s secrets without realizing it.

  I wasn’t going to bother denying it. I knew the guys didn’t want the news that I was back spreading, but they couldn’t keep me a secret forever. They wanted me to take my ‘rightful place’, but that couldn’t be done from the shadows. I was going to have to be strong enough to walk among them, so I might as well start now.

  “So?”

  His brows shot up as he stood. He folded his arms over his check, trying to distract from his obvious surprise at my reply. “So?”

  “So, I’m Ciro Mancini’s sister, Luca Benetti’s best friend, and Phoenix Fiore’s wife,” I retorted, not caring about the information I was giving up. These three would be dead before the morning sun rose tomorrow. It wouldn’t matter what they knew. “What does that do for you?”

  He smirked, but it was in disgust. He hated that I was standing up to him regardless of being strapped to a chair, seemingly helpless. “It brings me ten million dollars,” he spat.

  My brows shot up, and my voice rang of pity. “Is that all?”

  I didn’t see the attack coming.

  My head snapped sideways, and pain rang in my ears as he yelled, “No, that’s not all!”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, I had to push the pain aside. Blood trickled down the side of my mouth, but I didn’t care. I had to keep him talking, and even if he were beating me while he was doing it, at least I wouldn’t be dead.

  “Then what else?”

  His dark brown eyes took on a wild look and, for the first time, I considered he might be high. It was no secret he partook in drugs, even though gambling was his demon of choice. “What else?! What else?!” he yelled. “I get to do what no one else has ever been able to do. I’m bringing those three fucks to their knees.”

  A moan from across the room stole our attentions. Robbie was coming to and when she finally lifted her face, the damage was worse than I had suspected.

  “Oh, Robbie…” I whispered.

  Randy strolled her way saying, “She caught me texting you from her phone.” He grabbed her by her hair and yanked her head back, causing her to cry out and gain full consciousness. “She took exception to my plan, and so I had to force her cooperation.”

  “Fuck you,” Robbie rasped out, her voice raw and cracked. Randy brought his fist down and slammed her in the jaw as if she was a grown man.

  I’d never been so repulsed by another human being before. “What a tough man,” I sneered. “Beating a defenseless woman. Afraid she’ll kick your ass if she has half a chance?”

  Randy jerked his head towards the man who answered Robbie’s door, and he immediately came over, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and yanked my head back. “I’d shut the fuck up, if I were you,” he said.

  I scoffed. “Birds of a feather, huh?”

  Next thing I knew, Randy was in my face, my jaw squeezed in between his fingers. “You think we won’t hurt you?” he snapped. “You think you’re untouchable?”

  I was probably signing my own death warrant, but rage was making me reckless. “I think you men are a bunch of pussies,” I shot back. “I think you guys are scared of two women and, if we weren’t tied up, you’d be running scared like a bunch of little bitches!”

  “You fucking cunt!”

  “Leave her alone!” Robbie’s voice was still weak, but we all heard her just the same. “What is wrong with you?!”

  Randy ignored Robbie’s outburst. “Tony, untie the bitch,” he commanded, and the guy pulling on my scalp, released me and went to untying my binds.

  By now, Randy was pacing and enraged that I dared to call out his manhood. The third guy had still yet to do or say anything, but, again, my focus was Randy. I had no doubt the guys were going to do everything in their power to save me, but I also knew I couldn’t sit back like a damsel in distress. I had to do something to save myself.

  The second my binding gave way, I stood up and faced Randy. “Let Robbie go?” I demanded. “She…she needs a doctor.”

  Randy stopped pacing and let out a snort. “Do you think I give a fuck if she needs a doctor or not?”

  “She’s your girlfriend!” Or, at least, she was. “Don’t you care for her at all?”

  “Not more than I care about ten million dollars,” he answered honestly.

  I shook my head. “Do you honestly think you’re going to get away with this?” No one was that stupid, right? “They’re going to kill you.”

  By now, the men had fanned out and with Randy in the middle, Tony to the left of him, an
d the third guy to his right. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was being dared to fight all three of them since calling out their manhood. Of course, I didn’t know better. I didn’t know these men. That might very well be what they were planning since I insulted them.

  Randy’s grin was pure evil. “Not if they want to get you back alive, Frankie,” he taunted. “They have no idea where you are. And when they call, they’ll do everything I say.”

  “You’re underestimating your opponents, Randy,” I replied. “Or you’re overestimating yourself.”

  “I think if anyone is doing any underestimating, it’s you.”

  “Release her!’ I demanded again.

  “Make me,” he taunted before rushing straight for me. I was about to get my ass kicked by some grown men, but I wouldn’t go down without a fight. I wasn’t going to win, but Phoenix, Ciro, and Luca had taught me well.

  Randy swung, and I ducked low enough to get a jab in across his ribs. I knew I wasn’t strong enough to make a startling impact, but I was small and quick. I just needed to do what the guys had taught me, and that was to get a hand on his family jewels and show no mercy. Even if I had to rip his dick and balls clean off his body, that was the objective.

  “You bitch!” he screamed as he wrapped his arms around my waist and threw me across the room. I landed with a breathtaking thud, but I was able to scramble up before he charged at me again.

  “Frankie!” Robbie was screaming my name and I could vaguely hear the chair bouncing around as she tried to free herself. I ignored her cries and focused on Randy.

  “Is that all you’ve got?” I goaded. I let out a rough laugh. “You really are a pussy.”

  The words were barely out of my mouth before he pretended to swing on me again. I ducked but he was ready. His fist came flying into my stomach and I could feel bile threatening to rise. My elbow came up and I jabbed his face with all my strength, causing a bloody nose.

  I glance around and saw an old baseball bat leaning inside one of the boxes, I raced towards it, proving that to be a mistake. Tony intercepted me before I could get my hands on the bat. “Nuh uh, you stupid bitch,” he sing-songed before sending a fist to my midsection. The same place Randy had landed his first blow. I doubled over, and let my body fall to the floor. I needed a second and making them come after me on the floor provided that. Or, at least, it had before the third guy yanked me up by my hair. He leaned down and slammed his lips down on mine. I bit his lip until I tasted blood. He screamed and then backhanded me until I flew a few feet towards Randy.