Chapter 26
FRANKIE
I head inside as Ali leaves, hidden by my centurion mask and shrouded in the dark cloak and hood.
I stop outside River’s cell and he doesn’t even glance up.
Something has broken him. It’s evident from the slump to his shoulders and the way his fingers are tapping on the ground and I wonder if it had anything to do with what Luca said to him when he led him away.
I decide to speak to Luca first and head off in search of him. As I enter the chamber, they are finishing up with the final Twist ceremony and, as the challengers leave, I move beside him.
As the chamber empties, we remove our masks and Jesse groans. “Man, that was hard tonight. I’ve stood here for three hours already and I need a beer, and fast.”
He nods at me. “Are you coming?”
“Not until I’ve dealt with River.”
“Fuck, I forgot about him. Is the poor bastard still locked in his cell?”
“Yes, and he’s no poor bastard, Jesse. He deserved every minute of his imprisonment for what he did to Autumn.”
“What did he do?”
Jesse is curious, and I growl. “He raised his hand to her and that will never be okay. He intimidated her and didn’t accept her decision, and now he must understand that what he did was wrong.”
“What are you gonna do?” Santi adds as he joins us, and I turn to Luca.
“I haven’t decided yet, but I could use a hand in dealing with this shit. What about you, Luca? I’m sure you’re no stranger to situations like this.”
Luca nods. “I’m in.”
Jesse groans. “How long will it take?”
“It’s okay, Jesse.” I shake my head. “Go back to the house with Santi. Your job here is done.”
“Are you sure? I’m here if you need backup.”
“No. We’ve got it covered.”
Jesse glances at his phone that has lit up like a firework.
“Fuck!” He rakes his fingers through his hair and sighs heavily.
“Trouble?” I ask, knowing who it must be, and he turns off the phone and pockets it with an impatient scowl.
“Nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow. I’m heading home for a beer and–” He hesitates before sighing, “Well, a beer anyway.”
He jerks his head toward Santi. “Are you coming?”
“I’m in. My throat is so dry, it thinks I’m already dead. As Frankie said, my job here is done.”
“He was referring to me, asshole.”
“I took it as a collective statement. Isn’t that right, Frankie?”
Santi doesn’t wait for an answer and hangs up his mask, saying over his shoulder, “Make sure the torches are extinguished. We don’t want fire to destroy the dungeons before The Claiming starts again next week.”
“Are you taking part this time – both of you?”
I regard my friends because last semester they didn’t want to chain themselves to one woman, and Santi laughs out loud.
“Fuck no. My position hasn’t changed. If anything, you’ve left the field wide open for me to play in.
I’m pissed at you for declaring yourself officially single, Frankie, because now they will only have eyes on you. ”
“Nothing has changed.”
I have the guy’s attention.
“Cassie is still my girl and we carry on as before.”
“Have you told her that?” Jesse asks, thinking I’m a fool and I nod. “As it happens, I have, and she’s good with it. We are free but bound together by desire and not because of the rules of The Claiming. She wants me for me and not because I claimed her.”
“So, that’s why you did it?” Santi chuckles softly. “I’m guessing there is more to your madness than you’re letting on, but we’ll run with that if you like.”
I shrug.
“It’s the truth. Cassie is my girl and I don’t want anyone else, and we don’t require a vow made at a stone altar to change that.”
I turn to Jesse. “So, are you throwing your hat into the ring this semester, or are you so tied up with your biggest mistake to try?”
“I haven’t decided yet?” He is noncommittal and as he hangs up his mask, he nods to Santi. “Let’s leave them with their twisted imagination and grab the beer before it all goes.”
As they leave, Luca makes to hang up his mask and I stop him. “We’ll face River as centurions, but first I want to know what you said to him when you led him away.”
Luca’s eyes gleam, and I recognize the spark of excitement in his eye as he nods toward the far end of the chamber.
As I follow him, he leans against the wall and whispers, “I had information about a secret he is hiding—quite well, as it happens and I revealed it to him.”
“What secret?”
His eyes darken. “River isn’t who you think he is.”
Now he has my full attention, and he leans a little closer.
“The Serpent Society?”
Fuck! That again and I’m guarded as I nod. “What do you know?”
Luca nods. “A few hours ago, I received a text from my Uncle Lucian. It was a warning.”
My heart is beating like a drum as he whispers, “Miss Sloane, as you know, is their recruitment officer and has done a remarkable job of sending students their way. She is one of many dotted around the country.”
I nod. “I know, and I was going to talk to you about accelerating my plan for that.”
“And say what?”
I lean against the wall and speak in dark undertones. “You already know that Jesse is being groomed. She is hooking him on drugs and feeding his mind with images, using sex to control him.”
Luca says nothing and I wonder if he would be up for what I’m about to suggest.
“As it turns out, I have an uncle who shares the same opinion as yours, and the guy was removed to his hospitality in return for information. My mission this semester is to break Miss Sloane’s hold on Jesse and ruin her trade, and as you mentioned a honey trap when we last spoke about this, I was kind of hoping you are still up for helping me with that. ”
“On one condition.”
I raise my eyes. “Name it.”
“I get to enter the next Claiming challenge.”
“Is that all?”
I kind of think there’s more and I am right to be concerned when he adds. “And I want you to add your sister’s name to the list.”
As his words register, I’m liable to explode.
“What the fuck!”
I glare at him and wonder why I’m not holding him against the wall right now as I punch his face in.
“Think about it?” He stares at me with a hard expression. “You want to protect her. Were you aware she was heading out on a date with some jock before I intervened the other day?”
I remember the incident at the cafeteria, hating how I agreed to them grabbing pizza. If Luca considered it a date, something must have happened to make him conclude that.
Luca continues. “I warned him off. He won’t be back but it got me thinking.”
“You want to take his place?” I laugh bitterly. “No fucking way.”
“Don’t be a fool, Frankie.”
My rage is rising along with my fist and as he catches it in midair before it connects with his face, he hisses, “We live the same life. Why not allow me to protect your sister? We would be good together and if you cleared the rage fog in your head, you will see I’m right.”
I lower my fist as his words hit home.
“I heard your mom met your father in this place under the same conditions and they went there anyway behind her brother’s back.
Your father formed a club with members of other mafia families under the same roof as we live now.
Why wouldn’t that work for us? It turned out well for them and I’m informing you of my intentions before I do anything about it.
I won’t go behind your back but there is nobody else here I am remotely interested in. ”
“What if she’s not interested in you?”
His voice comes out as a low growl. “She is.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because when I interfered with her date, I took the guy’s place and asked her.”
“So you did go behind my back?” My lip curls in contempt and Luca shrugs.
“We shared pizza and a kiss. Now, I’m stating my intention and if Summer doesn’t want me, she won’t agree to enter the challenge.
It’s simple. I only want her and I want it to be done in the right way.
If she is claimed by me, no other jock, nerd or wannabe will dare approach her.
She will be protected by me and I’m not a bastard with women, Frankie.
If anything, she is safer with me than anyone, and you know it. ”
He fixes me with an intense glare and adds, “We are the same and live a difficult life but share the same values. We could be good for one another in the future and there is nothing wrong with an alliance between us. One day, you will be Don Majerio and I will be Don Romano. We will work together as friends, not enemies, and if Summer is part of that alliance, you will breathe easier knowing she is in good hands.”
“I don’t like it.”
I slump against the wall, hating that he speaks sense.
Summer is a stunning girl who will be hit on by almost every guy with a pulse at Rockwell.
Luca is a dark force that would shield her from that and having one guy to worry about rather than the rest of them would make my life a lot easier.
And he spoke the truth. It worked out for my parents and he was more honorable than they were toward my Uncle Angelo by asking my permission.
As the fog clears, I take a deep breath and regain my control. Turning, I fix him with a dark glare and say heavily, “On one condition.”