Page 38 of Angelo's Vengeance

Me: Come over. Bring your judgey eyebrows.

Frankie: On my way. Is there food, or should I stop?

Me: I met Norris.

Frankie: He’s great, isn’t he?

Me: Already proposed. He rejected me.

CHAPTER 23

THEODOSIA

Frankie showedup with a bottle of our favorite cheap Chianti, which we used to buy when we lived in our shitty apartment and an armful of hydrangeas, which she plopped into a pasta pot because, quote,“Vases are for boring people.”

Squeezing her tightly with my good arm, I savored the hug. “They are bestie, they are. It’s like you know me.”

“It’s so good to see your face. Let me take a proper look at you. Angelo sent updates, but…” She peered at me before guiding me into the family room. I didn’t argue as she peeled my shirt off my shoulder to peek at the bandages. Frankie was a registered nurse at a local hospital, so I wasn’t surprised that her first order of business was to see if I was healing all right.

It felt like forever since I’d seen Frankie. It had been a year, but it still seemed like longer. She looked happy, her hair down around her shoulders and her eyes less shadowed than they had been when I had left.

After she had rebuttoned me and talked me back into the sling, I asked, “How’s married life?”

A grin spread across her face. “So good. Better than I could have imagined, really. If you had told me it would be like this, I would have laughed in your face. But he sees me and doesn’t judge. He even lets me put plants in the bedroom.”

“I’m happy for you. Truly. Plants in the bedroom are a big deal for him.” I laughed, but for Conall and his OCD tendencies, that was a significant step. When Frankie moved in, she did a little redecorating in the living area but left the other sections of the house untouched. That was quite a big deal if he felt comfortable enough to let her extend into the penthouse.

“I know, right? I’m happy.” She gave me a mischievous grin. “Happy enough that Ihad an appointment and got my IUD removed.”

We had the conversation via text, but I was still excited that she felt safe enough to take that step. Her mother had done a number on her, bringing up another point. I wondered if anyone had informed her that Carlotta was involved in this fiasco.

“Conall is great with Maxim and Cora’s baby. Just wait until you see Vasily. He’s so adorable. Angelo is in love with him, too.” She gave me a sly look.

I wagged my finger at her. “Don’t get any ideas. I’m not there yet.” However, the thought of a baby Angelo with those eyes and cheekbones was tempting. Deep inside, there was a strong desire for children — a lot of them. However, I wasn’t sure about this life and the violence that followed. “So, when will you tell Conall? Or are you just waiting on those two little pink lines? He’s going to be thrilled, I’m sure.”

“I’m going to tell him tonight. I don’t want to spring it on him, you know. That wouldn’t be fair.” She bit her lip in hesitation. “He’s been really good about not pushing, but it wouldn’t be right for me not to discuss it withhim without first telling him that I wasn’t on birth control, especially after I made such a big deal about it.”

“Of course, bestie. Consent is a two-way street.” I nodded. Frankie looked at me with gratitude, thankful that I understood.

“So …” she picked at a thread on the sofa’s edge. “This whole Renzetti thing? Do you want to talk about it? You got nabbed in Italy?”

There was hesitation in her voice, and she had her head down so I couldn’t see her face. Frankie had been through a lot, an assault and her own kidnapping, so I knew she’d understand. “Yeah,” I hedged. “What did Conall tell you?”

She tugged fiercely at the thread, pulling it as if it were the poor couch’s fault. “I could tell it bothered them a lot. Initially, Conall and Angelo didn’t want to tell me, but I kept asking until they caved. I know it was Carlotta who took you. They said you were taken from a meeting, then flown to New Orleans and given to Renzetti. Conall flew there with Maxim. I guess Renzetti is here trying to get territory that used to belong to Oliveto.” She looked over at me hesitantly. “Ifyou want to talk about anything, you can,” she offered.

The whole Oliveto situation was an unfolding mess that was a ripple effect from an incident between Fausto Oliveto and Frankie years ago when he tried to rape her, and she’d killed him. Frankie and I burned the body, but his brother, Cosimo, had never stopped trying to find out who killed him. It became his obsession, ultimately leading to the loss of his territory. Yet, vacuums like that in the underworld just sucked in more evil. They never remained empty. I wasn’t sorry about the Olivetos — they got what they deserved. So would Renzetti.

“I’m honestly fine. You’ve summed up the experience. Nothing happened. I got shoved into a nice dirt cell for a while, but that wasn’t bad. There were some threats. I fought back a little.” I frowned. “I tried to stab someone in the eye with my heel. You know,” I quirked an eyebrow at her. “It doesn’t work like it does in the movies. I really tried.” That still pissed me off.

“That’s what you’re upset about?” she laughed. “Really?”

“Well, yeah. It should work. It’s a stabby thing. It should stab.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Her fingers returned to the thread. “So, Carlotta? Did she say anything about us? I hate to ask. I’m not sure why I am.”

Gripping her hand, I brushed my face against her shoulder. “Frankie, it’s okay to ask. It’s okay to care and be curious, to hope that she has somehow changed. It’s okay to be disappointed that she hasn’t.” Recalling the conversation was a bit of a chore. Angelo wanted details, too, but not for the same reasons as Frankie. I think he had more insight into Carlotta than she did because he was older, and he was searching for clues instead of a reason why she was built the way she was. Angelo already knew. “She seemed to be working with Renzetti, but Angelo wasn’t sure why. She knows I am arranged to marry him, so I assume she knows about you and Conall, but that’s all. She was very focused on getting me to that meeting.”

“What do you think her angle is?”

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