After a quick drink of her water, she said, “I don’t think so.”
My brows rose. “Really?”
Her eyes, the exact same as mine, looked down, and shame coated her pretty features. After a second or two, she looked up at me again. “It’s a healthy reminder of what could have been,” she said, miserably. “I don’t ever want to get comfortable again, Ciro. I know you guys will always do what you can to keep me safe, but I need to keep me safe.”
My heart lurched in my chest. An unhappy Frankie was a bitch to witness. “Well, now that you realized just exactly who you are, trust me when I tell you Luca, Nix, and I will sleep better at night.”
“Luca sleeps?” she teased.
“Not as far as I know,” I quipped just as the sound of the doors opening invaded our banter. I turned around to see who it was, and speak of the devil…
“We were just talking about you,” Frankie informed him as she walked back to the fridge and pulled out a 7-Up she kept stashed just for Luca. He only drank it whenever he was with Frankie.
One raven-colored brow shot up. “Really?” he replied dryly as he kissed Frankie on the head and grabbed his soda from her.
I looked over at him as he took the stool right next to mine. “Yeah. We were debating if you slept or not.”
Luca shook his head at us. The only thing missing was the eye roll. “Are you guys telling me you don’t have better things to discuss?” he asked, popping open his 7-Up.
“Well, we were talking about my classes,” Frankie offered.
Luca gave her a curt nod. “Phoenix told me he’s already been working on transitioning the legitimate businesses to you,” Luca replied.
“He has,” Frankie confirmed. “Even though they’re only your personal businesses, there’s still a lot going on with you three.”
“I only have the clubs,” I pointed out. “And the money is structured pretty much the same way.” On paper, I legitimately owned four bars, The Diamond, The Sapphire, The Emerald, and The Ruby. They all served a specific clientele, and they were all extraordinarily successful.
“Phoenix has his accounting firm and real estate venture he’s starting with you both as equal partners,” Luca mentioned. “Then you have just my restaurants.” Luca owned three restaurants, very much like my clubs. They were different in their menus and clientele. “It should be a piece of cake, Francesca.” He also only ever called Frankie Francesca.
Again, weird bond those two had.
“I think you guys place too much faith in me,” she said wryly. “You guys are swimming or sinking me.”
Luca’s voice was tinge with icicles when he said, “We would never let you sink, Francesca.”
Her face softened. “I know, Luca,” she replied softly. “I was just kidding.” Luca was successfully pacified and went back to drinking his 7-UP.
Growing up, there were times when Luca would stay holed up in a room with Frankie for hours. Sometimes, they would just sit in the backyard silently, wrapped up in each other’s arms. Nix and I never pried, and because we trusted both of them with our lives, there was never any jealousy or suspicion surrounding their relationship. Whatever there was between Luca and Frankie, it was deeper than friendship, but nothing sexual. Frankie had always been meant for Phoenix, and we all felt it. Even as small children, we had known Frankie and Phoenix were connected on a different level. However, there was another Luca Benetti that only Frankie has ever met, and she’s probably going to be the only person on the planet who will ever know him.
“I know it’s a lot, Frankie,” I chimed in. “But we’re confident you’ll get the hang of it.”
“I convinced Phoenix to wait until I got my degree to have children,” she blurted out.
“Why the fuck do you want to wait to have kids?” I exploded.
“Calm down,” she said sardonically. “It’s only six months, Ciro.”
“I don’t give a shit if it’s only six weeks,” I countered. “I want a goddamn niece or nephew already.”
“He’s not wrong,” Luca added.
Frankie’s mouth dropped open. “Are you serious, Luca?”
He aimed a well-practice look at her that didn’t work on her at all. “I’ve never made it a secret what your children will mean to me, Francesca,” he replied. “You and Phoenix will have beautiful children together and I’ve been waiting forever for them to come into existence, so I can spoil them.”
Just then, the front doors slid open, and it could be only one other person. Mine and Phoenix’s apartments, along with Luca’s penthouse on the top floor, were equipped with handprint scans that allowed you entry. Only Luca, Nix, Frankie, and I had access to the three homes. There was also a secret passage that connected my apartment to Nix and Frankie’s apartment, and a secret staircase that led upstairs to Luca’s penthouse.
“No one thought to invite me to the party?” Phoenix posed as he headed straight towards his wife.
“Don’t look at me. I was here first, just trying to spend some quality time with my sister, and then you two fucks showed up,” I tossed back.
“I live here, asshole,” he replied.
“No one cares, Nix,” I pointed out. “And what’s this shit that you’re waiting until after Frankie graduates to have kids?”
Phoenix rolled his eyes as he placed a kiss on Frankie’s cheek. “I didn’t realize this was a group decision,” he grumbled.
“How could it not be?” Luca asked seriously. “These are our children we’re talking about.” I let out a choked laugh because I knew that’s how the man saw it. Whatever children we end up having, they will be all of our children.
“Frankie wanted time to get…settled,” Nix offered as a way of an explanation. “What’s six months?”
“That’s what I said,” Frankie added.
“Not sure that’s going to work for us,” I informed them, and I got a nodding confirmation from the psychopath sitting next to me.
Nix went to stand behind Frankie. His placed his hands on
