I had just finished checking the en suite attached to my bedroom to make sure Frankie had everything she’d need while she was here when my phone rang. “What’s up?”
“Luca said he’d have her there around seven,” Ciro answered. “I figured we’d give her and Massimo a couple of hours to themselves before we showed up there.”
Even with the heads-up from Luca yesterday, it was still hard to wrap my mind around the fact that Frankie was coming back. I’ve waiting six years for her and these last twenty-four hours have been hell. Ciro wanting to wait two more hours to see her sounded reasonable, but they were two more additional painful hours for me.
“Luca’s going to have the hour drive from Cedar Creek to Morgan City to play catch up with Frankie, how many hours do you need before I get her?” Ciro and Frankie’s parents died in a car wreck when they were young and that made Frankie Ciro’s only blood family left. It crushed him when she left. I might have felt alone, but Ciro had felt abandoned. He survived the same way I did; by Luca keeping tabs on her.
Ciro chuckled into the phone. “I just want to see her, Nix,” he said. “You can take her home and fight it out. If you’re both still alive tomorrow, I’ll stop by then.”
“Really?” I asked surprised.
“Phoenix, seriously,” he laughed. “I can’t even begin to imagine the shit that’s going to go down when you two finally come together. I figure she’s going to need me tomorrow to help her pick up the pieces more than she’ll need me tonight.” He was right. “I’ll stop by tomorrow, so you can leave to cool down, and she can pour her heart out to me. Or help her hide your body.”
I snorted. “You’re delusional if you think she’s not still pissed off at you, too,” I pointed out. “The only reason she didn’t claw Luca’s eyes out is because he wasn’t the one who lied to her and betrayed her. He kept our secrets, but then, she never asked him what was going on.”
“True,” he agreed. “However, I’m hoping she’ll be too tired from fighting with you all night to argue with me tomorrow.”
I laughed. “You really are a cocksucker.”
“Hey! Don’t knock those pretty things who spend countless hours on their knees to please me.”
“You’re also a goddamn manwhore,” I added.
Like water off a duck’s back, he said, “I don’t stick my dick in all of them, Nix. For whatever reason, most of them enjoy just blowing me.”
“Enough about your dick, Ciro. I say we give Massimo maybe ten minutes or so of the four of us before we head out and let him rest. I still don’t feel good about all of us being in the same place at the same time. It’s too dangerous for Frankie.” Knowing how many people would love to take us out, Frankie being with the three of us put her in danger as collateral damage. It had actually been a blessing in disguise that she wanted to live low-key in Cedar Creek when she left. No one in that town knew who she was. Sure, neighboring cities knew all about the Benettis, but Morgan City was where they laid their kingdom. Most surrounding towns minded their own business.
“I hear ya,” he replied. “As much as I want my sister back home, I’m not ignorant to the danger this kind of life puts her in.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“Good thing the girl’s a badass and can take care of herself,” he joked, only it wasn’t really a joke. Growing up with us, Frankie learned how to fight, how to shoot a gun, and how to race a car. She knew how to defend herself when needed, and she knew how to escape when needed.
I also knew Ciro didn’t mean anything by it, but his comments felt akin to gargling glass. Yes, Frankie could defend herself, but there shouldn’t ever be a need for her to if I were doing my job as a man. “Ciro, you know I’ll never let anything happen to your sister, right?” I knew the answer, but the question still needed to be asked.
His sigh was answer enough, but he said, “Of course, I do, Phoenix. I never would have let you date her if I didn’t believe you’d love and protect her. But that doesn’t mean shit doesn’t happen, dude. That’s all I meant.”
“Good to know,” I replied “However, you never had a say. Nothing or no one was ever going to keep your sister from me, and that included your dumb ass.”
“I’ll be sure to use that as a direct quote at your funeral after she kills you,” he tossed back.
I couldn’t help but smile. I’ve killed many people in my short twenty-eight years, and I’ve been in more fights than I can count but going toe-to-toe with Frankie was sure to do some permanent damage.
“Look, I gotta go,” I told him. “I gotta make sure everything is ready for Frankie’s arrival.”
“Good luck, man.” And I knew he meant it seriously.
“Thanks.” I hung up and got to checking the kitchen, making sure it was stocked up with her favorites. Then I was almost brought to my knees when I realized it’s been six years. Her favorites might have changed.
She might have
