The Vatican: (Standalone) (The Holy Trinity Series Book 5)

by M. E. Clayton

  His dick was another thing he’d been blessed with. When he had torn through my virginity the night I killed Trent Hendrick’s for raping my friend, Holly Brim, it had felt like my entire body had been split in half. The pain had been excruciating, but it’s what I had needed at the time. I had been lost in my emotions and rage had still coursed through my body. I had tortured Trent for hours, but it still hadn’t been enough. When Francisco had ripped my clothes off and took control of my every thought and emotion with his body, it had been the single most electrifying experience of my life.

  When we were done, he had dressed me in some of his clothes from his locker and had taken me home. None of the men at the funhouse had said a word as Francisco carried me out of the showers and out of the building. He had taken me home, tucked me in, and had disappeared sometime during the night.

  We never spoken of that night, and I was glad for that.

  Otherwise, I would have fallen in love with Francisco Benetti.

  Chapter 4

  Francisco~

  Even though most of our meetings were held at the Benetti Home, I preferred when it was just us at my dad’s. The Benetti Home felt…cold. There was a chill in the air as if ghosts were bemoaning in the walls. Or maybe they were demons coming out to celebrate our company.

  Whichever it was, it was creepy.

  Of course, since there were no Capos in attendance, it wasn’t really an official meeting. This was more of a…staff meeting between the heads of the Benetti Family. It wasn’t something we did often because Dad didn’t like having us all in the same place at once, but sometimes it couldn’t be helped. And, once I came along, Uncle Sal and Dad felt more comfortable being around each other.

  Today, we were meeting to discuss my generation’s progress.

  “Sal,” my father said, kicking off the meeting.

  “Emilio’s turning out to be a fucking wiz with computers,” he remarked. “I think he’s going to excel with security.” Dad nodded. “Sal Jr. is developing some kind of new tracking device that supposed to be undetectable. Christos has decided he wants to go to college, and Antonio is thinking he might want to do the same.” Christos and Antonio were still in high school, so there was time for them to cement their decisions later. “Vincent is doing a hell of a job overseeing everything, and let’s just say, I’m happy Ria is on our side.”

  Dad gave him a simple nod, and then looked over at Uncle Leo. “Leo.”

  “As I’m sure you already know, Angelo’s mind might as well be a calculator,” he began. “He catches patterns like nothing I’ve ever seen. He’s already caught three guys skimming.” We already knew this. My brother had shown signs of genius at a very young age. “Camilla’s already started using her degree to our advantage and is already revamping our tax and audit shit. Georgia keeps blowing my fucking mind with her stock market shit, and she’s making us traceable, legitimate money.” Uncle Phoenix chuckled, and I felt him. The last thing we needed was more money. “Daniel decided he wants to go to college, too. But that might just be Christos influence, I’m not sure. And Matteo is looking to work with Ciro once he graduates from high school.”

  “And Malia?” Malia was Leo’s only daughter.

  “She wants to work with Remy’s non-profit with the kids.”

  “Okay,” Dad replied. “I’ll talk with Remy.

  Dad turned to Uncle Ciro next. “Ciro.”

  “Dante is going to inherit the funhouse because, at the ripe old age of twenty-three, he’s a certified psychopath.”

  “That’s my son you’re talking about,” Uncle Phoenix drawled out.

  “And I say that with all the love in my heart for the kid,” Uncle Ciro chimed back. “The kid’s a fucking natural at extracting information.” Uncle Phoenix shook his head. “And Emilio is following in his footsteps, in addition to the computer whiz shit. The boys are taking to the fighting and study of human anatomy like fish take to water,” he said proudly. “Once Matteo comes on board, they’ll be unstoppable.”

  “And Cira?” Dad asked.

  Uncle Ciro snorted. “She’s absorbing everything Mia is teaching her. She’d be fucking amazing if she didn’t spend all her time trying to find a way to take over the organization.” He looked over at me. “Dude, sleep with one eye open. One eye open.”

  Dad smirked, then looked over at Uncle Phoenix. “Phoenix.”

  “Speaking of psychopaths,” he grumbled, “Mattia and Bianca are going to make great assassins. But I think we need to reassess Massimo.”

  “Why?” Dad asked.

  “The kid’s too fucking sharp to be doing books or hits,” Uncle Phoenix said. “I know he wants to work with me, and I’ll be more than happy to take him, but…I don’t know. I think he can be more.”

  “He’s only eighteen,” Uncle Ciro remarked. “Are you thinking he needs to go to college?”

  “I’m thinking he’d make a hell of a lawyer,” Uncle Phoenix said. “I’m thinking maybe the kids who are choosing college should be questioned to see how they can help us outside these walls. We’d be untouchable with our own legitimate legal team. We could use a couple of doctors, too.”

  It wasn’t a bad idea. Right now, we paid for those privileges, but our secrets would be more secure if our help came from within the family.

  Dad looked over at me. “Son?”

  “I think it’s a great idea,” I replied. “Right now, we pay too many outside sources to handle that kind of shit for us, but for all they do for us, the complete trust is lacking in those relationships. That wouldn’t be missing with family. Family attorneys and doctors are a safer bet in the long run. It saves us a shitload of money on retainers and under the table medical expenses, too.”

  Dad leaned forward and places his arms on the table. “Okay. We’ll talk to all the kids who want to go to college and ask them what they want to go for,” he said. “However, if anyone of them are not interested in law or medicine, we don’t push them. Understood?” We all nodded.

  Then, Dad turned his head my way, and the look in his eyes had me straightening my back. When I looked around, I notice all five men staring at me.

  I turned back to my dad. “What’s going on?”

  Dad cocked his head, and he stared at me in that unnerving way that only he could do. “We’ve been talking, Son, and…it’s time,” he simply said.

  My father taught me ironclad self-control at a very young age, and I was doing my best to exercise some of that control now. I had to remember I wasn’t here as my father’s son. I was here as the next Benetti Underboss. I was here in an official capacity, and Dad would have every right to put a bullet through my head if I got crazy with him, or any of them, really.

  See, I knew what he was referring to-or, rather, who he was referring to. He was telling me they finally thought it was time for me to claim Saveria, and that was pissing me off.

  I had wanted to claim her the night I had taken her virginity, but Uncle Phoenix had talked me out of it. They all had. They had reasoned that she would be feeling some aftereffects from what she had done, and I needed to give her time to process her emotions. And I had done it, believing they had a valid point. But then, Ria started spending all her time caring for her friend that had been raped, and that had also been understandable. Then it went to letting her graduate since she was so close to her degree. And now they were telling me it was time as if I were the one who’d been dragging his feet.

  I’ve waited three fucking years to claim her.

  I looked over at Uncle Phoenix. “Does she know?”

  He shook his head. “No.” He leaned forward, mimicking my dad’s position. “We thought it’d be best if she heard it from you.”

  I leaned back, and smirked. “You mean, you guys don’t want her pissed off at you.”

  Dad leaned back in his chair. “No,” he denied. “It means, Luca is going to be your wife. The start of your marriage is going to begin with that conversation. Therefore, it needs to be a private one between you
and her only.”

  “Plus, they don’t want her mad at them,” Uncle Ciro chimed in, confirming my suspicions. “They’re afraid she’ll be so pissed off that she’ll join forces with Cira, and we’ll all be fucked.” They all laughed around the table except for Dad. He was still pinning me down with that dark gaze that matched my own.

  After a few seconds of the unflinching stare down, I looked back over at Uncle Phoenix. “If you’re ready to give her to me, then I want it done with the full understanding that Saveria will be mine, Uncle Phoenix,” I said. “There’s to be no interference from you-” I glanced around the room, taking in every man seated at the table. “-any of you,” I clarified. “Saveria is going to be pissed as fuck at me for keeping this from her, and we all know it. Before I do this, I want your word that if or when she comes running to you guys for help, you will send her back to me.”

  It was easy for Uncle Sal and Uncle Leo to give me their word because, even though they were blood, they weren’t as close to Dad as Uncle Ciro and Uncle Phoenix. But their word wasn’t the ones I really needed. I needed the word of the three men who hadn’t immediately agreed.

  Assholes.

  “Uncle Phoenix?” I prodded.

  It took him a while, but he finally got the words out. “You have my word, Francisco.” I knew it was costing him. He loved Saveria devotedly. If she were unhappy, then that meant Aunt Frankie would be unhappy, and Uncle Phoenix didn’t fuck around when it came to his wife’s happiness.

  I looked over at Uncle Ciro. “Uncle Ciro?”

  He looked even less pleased about having to butt out of my marriage, but he, too, finally relented. “You have my word. Though, if you hurt her…”

  I gave him a tight nod. “Understood. But hurting her and pissing her off are two different things,” I replied. “I know she’s not spoiled like Cira, but Saveria is also not going to just roll over on this. I don’t need you guys agreeing to some back-alley compromises with her behind my back.”

  He nodded. “Of course.”

  I finally looked over at Dad. “Dad?”

  I saw it in his eyes. He didn’t want to give me his word when he couldn’t promise he’d keep it. If Saveria went crying to him, he was going to struggle with not giving in. However, I knew if he gave his word, he’d keep it at all costs. Only, this time, it might cost him everything he held dear.

  After what felt like forever, Dad finally gave me a tight nod of acquiesce. “You have my word, Francisco,” he said. “But, now, I’ll have your word that you will do everything you can to make this work.” His black eyes narrowed, and he looked every bit The Father of Morgan City. “I want your word that, no matter how difficult it gets, you will never humiliate that girl by mistreating her.”

  We all knew what he was talking about. While a lot of Capos and members of the organization cheated on their wives or kept mistresses, my father and uncles have never strayed, nor would they ever. Their devotion to their wives was absolute, and they’ve done their best to set the example. I may have fucked my way through a few regulars at The Sapphire, but that was only because they said I couldn’t have Saveria yet.

  I gave him the answer all the men in the room wanted to hear.

  I gave him the truth.

  “Do you honestly believe I would cheat on the woman I love?”

  Chapter 5

  Saveria~

  Staring into the mirror, I wondered if I was trying to force this.

  I liked Geno, and he was checking all the boxes, but as I stared at myself in the mirror, feeling like putting on lipstick would be too much of a hassle, I wondered how much did I like Geno, or how much did I like the idea of him.

  Or maybe I just missed sex.

  It’s been a while since I’ve been in a relationship long enough to have sex with the man, and maybe that’s what I was craving. And, while I’ve been in relationships serious enough to have sex, Geno’s the first man I’ve ever had over at my apartment.

  I lived in a Benetti building that was made up of four floors: two apartments on each floor, one occupied by one of us kids and the other by our guard. Mica lived across from me, but he was never intrusive. I lived on the top floor, with Dante below me, Mattia below him, and Angelo on the first floor. It was set up that way because, as one of the Benetti princes, Angelo was expected to protect the rest of us. Our security was topnotch, so there wasn’t any real fear that something would happen, but Aunt Remy had raised her boys to be protective and know their roles at a young age. Aunt Remy was head of our family security, and she took that shit serious.

  And in that spirit, I rarely ever had anyone over to my apartment who wasn’t family. We all were very careful about our personal space. No one wanted to send Aunt Remy into a fit because she could be scarier than Uncle Luca if she was pushed, and nothing pushed her like our safety. But I still felt like Geno had the makings of someone who could handle my family, so I really wanted to give this a shot.

  And, though he’s not been vetted by the family, Mica had done a background check on him as soon as I met him the night at The Emerald. By all accounts, the man seemed on the up and up, and he knew who I was and hadn’t run off screaming in the other direction, so that was a plus. I’ve had a lot of people balk at the mention of my last name, and I’ve had dates who turned themselves into nervous wrecks wondering if they were going to get slaughtered in their sleep if they forgot an anniversary.

  I didn’t suffer weak men easily.

  I couldn’t.

  I’ve been raised by the strongest, deadliest men around. Hell, even the males still in high school were deadly as hell. If I brought home a wimp, he’d be skinned alive.

  My phone chimed with an incoming text, and when I opened it, it was Geno letting me know he was outside. Now, I might be ready to have him visit me in my home, but there’s no way he was getting access to the building. It’d be me getting skinned alive if I allowed that.

  I fired off a text to let him know I was on my way down.

  Our door guards saw me coming and stepped aside, so I could meet Geno. With Mica behind me, he explained that Geno’s been here before, and it was okay. I had no doubt one of them would contact my dad as soon as we got in the elevator, but Dad trusted me and my decisions.

  I think.

  “Hey,” I greeted, smiling to try to ease the tension in the guards. “Is that pepperoni and olives?”

  Geno smiled. “It’s a combination with jalapenos,” he countered. “You can pick off what you don’t like.” I laughed. That was another thing I liked about Geno; he didn’t kiss my ass.

  “Perfect.”

  Mica stepped aside, making room for me and Geno to enter the lobby. All three of us got into the elevator and when we got off on the fourth floor, Mica patted Geno down before heading back into his apartment.

  When the door closed behind us, Geno set the pizza down on the coffee table, saying, “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that.”

  I laughed from the kitchen where I was getting the plates and napkins. “Sorry about that.”

  “Don’t be,” he called back. “I get it.”

  Like we’ve done this a million times, Geno passed me, walking into the kitchen, as I walked into the living room with the plates and napkins. “What do you want to drink?”

  “A Pepsi,” I replied as I set our plates up. “Help yourself to whatever you’d like.” I almost cringed when I realized how that might sound.

  “Pepsi, it is,” he said, ignoring my poor choice of words. Not that I haven’t thought about what it’d be like to have sex with him, but we weren’t there yet. This still felt like the friend stage, and I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable if he wasn’t ready to move forward-if he even wanted to.

  Geno came back with two cans of soda, and we got comfortable.

  Between mouthfuls of pizza, I asked, “What are you going out of town for?”

  “We landed a client who is a jackass but has enough money to make the higher-ups cater to his whims,”
he replied. “He wants us to secure him a property in Newstead.”

  “You can’t work with a realtor in Newstead for that?”

  “I can,” he chuckled. “But Mr. Strathmore needs to feel that we’re exclusive to his needs.”

  I laughed. “Oh, he’s one of those. You’re going to be his realtor.”

  Geno nodded. “Yeah. If we don’t handle it personally, then we’re just handing his business off as if he’s a bother.”

  I shook my head. “People like that ama-” A knock at the door stopped me.

  Geno’s brows shot up. “Expecting someone?” he asked. The continued firm knocks on my front door had me getting up instead of answering Geno.

  When I got to the door, I looked out the peephole and saw my father standing on the other side, looking irritated.

  “Fuck,” I muttered.

  “What?” Geno asked, already getting on his feet.

  I turned around. “It’s my dad,” I told him.

  “Holy shit,” he mumbled.

  “Open up the door, Luca,” Dad demanded through the door.

  “Luca?”

  I grimaced. “It’s my name,” I confessed. “Luca Saveria Fiore.”

  Geno’s eyes bugged. “Holy fuck. You’re named after Luca Benetti?”

  “Luca!” Dad calling me Luca was a bad sign, so I opened the door and put the discussion of my name on hold for another time.

  Dad stormed in, and I shut the door behind me. “Hey, Dad,” I said cheerfully. “What a nice surprise.”

  He turned to face me and lifted a brow. “Is it?” he asked coolly.

  I kept my smile plastered on my face. “Would you like some pizza?”

  Dad ignored me and turned his hazel gaze on Geno. Dad was imposing all on his own but knowing who he was added to the legendry that was The Holy Trinity. “And who might you be?”

  “Dad-” He shot me a look lethal enough to shut me up. I knew it wasn’t that I had a guy over, per se. It was that I had a guy over who he’s never been introduced or hasn’t been vetted by Uncle Sal. Bringing Geno to my apartment was a big deal.