When it was his turn, he told me all about the kids he’s been helping these past few years, about how he made the right choice to keep helping the kids of the neighborhood versus chemo treatment. He told me his last day was going to be filled with peace at knowing that he spent every day of his life doing what he loved best, loving us.
We went back and forth with all the things we needed to say to each other and all the new things we wanted to learn about each other. He even told me about the elaborate funeral Luca had planned for him. He said that, even though he might not be able to see the funeral, his spirit will be able to feel it wherever he may be. That had brought on another bout of tears that he soothed away.
Eventually our conversation led to the topic of Ciro, Phoenix, and Luca, and when I told him that I really didn’t want to talk about them, he left me with one piece of advice.
Holding me in his arms, he said, “I’ve watched those young men turn into a force that strikes the fear of God into everyone they come across, Frankie. I’ve watched the light die out and darkness take over in each one of them. However, no matter what they’ve done or how soulless they may seem, you are the only thing that still makes them human. You, my dear girl, are the only chance at redemption they have, because you are the only thing on this earth that those three men care about.” His arms tightened around me. “Don’t dismiss the power in that, Frankie. Treat it like the fragile bomb is it. And recognize the magnitude of damage that bomb can inflict.”
His words were cutting me to the bone. He was quietly scolding me, and he wasn’t wrong. I knew leaving them would hurt them, and that’s why I did it. I wanted them to hurt as much as they hurt me, but I never wanted to damage them.
“I still love them all,” I confessed. Phoenix included.
“I know, Frankie Girl,” he said, squeezing me. “I know.”
Chapter 7
Phoenix~
I didn’t partake in this scene often, but I was feeling anxious and I found I didn’t care for that particular feeling. It’s been years since I got butterflies or felt any sort of nervousness, but I was feeling unsettled now, and I needed to ease the tension somehow.
“Just like old times, huh?” Ciro grinned as he meticulously set up his tray of instruments, studiously ignoring the muffled screams echoing off the walls.
“It does bring back a certain feeling of nostalgia,” I replied, taking a seat at the far end of the basement.
“It’s like being back in that warehouse,” he chuckled.
I let out a sigh, leaned back, and got comfortable. Well, as comfortable as anyone could get in these goddamn metal chairs. “Who do we have here?” I asked, nodding towards the poor sonofabitch tied to a chair just like mine. Only mine was stationed comfortably outside the splatter zone. That poor fuck’s chair was positioned and bolted right over the drain.
Ciro smiled, showing me all his teeth. “This stupid bastard is Robert Miller,” he answered.
My brows shot up in interest. “Robert Miller, huh?”
Ciro turned back towards the man. He smiled as he cocked his head. “Yep. Mr. Robert Miller of Meredith.” Meredith was a small outlining town about a half hour drive from Morgan City.
“Nice town,” I commented.
“Yeah,” Ciro agreed. “Not bad.”
I threw one foot across my knee and got situated to watch the show. “And how did Mr. Robert Miller…uh, find his way to Morgan City?”
I watched as Ciro grabbed a handful of Robert Miller’s hair and yanked his head up, causing the man to scream louder behind the handkerchief stuffed in his mouth. “Last night’s delivery,” Ciro said, his voice taking on a dark edge. “Did you hear about it?”
Of course, I did. Ciro knew it too, so this line of questioning was for entertainment purposes only. “Michael Morelli was caught trying to short the shipment,” I replied.
“Yes. Young Michael was caught trying to steal a TEC-9. So, of course, he was questioned, and do you know what we discovered?” You could almost hear the drumroll. I knew Ciro had questioned the kid and had taken him to see Luca afterwards. But Luca had given me the night off because he wanted me to get my shit together before he brought Frankie home, so I wasn’t privy to the aftermath of Michael’s error in judgement. “We found out that there were extenuating circumstances behind young Michael’s attempted theft.”
“Really?”
Ciro finally let go of Robert Miller’s hair, but instead of his head collapsing, his frantic blue eyes were wildly trying to get my attention. The scent of urine was strong, even from where I was sitting. “It seems that our young Michael overheard his mother talking on the phone with her new boyfriend and, in exchange for drugs and money, she made the unfortunate decision to trade her daughter for those…items.”
I could feel my body tense, and now I knew why Ciro had specifically mentioned the warehouse when he talked about old times. I didn’t bother to hide the anger in my voice. “And how old is the daughter?”
Ciro’s voice was ice, and that was a bad thing. Normally, Ciro was a hothead. He often erupted and it was never pretty. But when he was so angry that he couldn’t even express
