Page 45 of Bastard Prince
“Not happening,” I grumbled. “You get the kid. Francesca is coming with me.”
“You takin’ her to The Shed, boss?”
Before I could answer, Francesca’s phone started ringing, and I watched her frown as he glanced at the screen.
“Rosa?” she asked, astonishment in her voice. We all watched in silence as a whole host of emotions played out across Francesca’s face; first shock, then sadness, then pure, blinding rage. “Where are you now? Okay. I can be there in...give me thirty minutes.” She grabbed her purse off the chair in the room and headed for the door. “Do not move, Rosa. I mean it.”
“Whoa,” I said, grabbing her elbow as she moved past me. “You gonna tell me what that was all about?”
Blinking, Francesca looked around the room, seeming to have forgotten that we were all here with her.
“Sorry,” she shook her head and let out a big breath, pressing one hand to her forehead. My girl was exhausted, but like me, she didn’t know when to quit. “That was my cousin, Rosa. She’s in town. I haven’t heard from her in months, but I guess things are pretty bad back home.” Frowning, Francesca glanced down at her now silent phone. “Her mom and mine were sisters,” she added quietly.
“Why the sudden need to drop in and say hello?” I asked, my natural suspicions rising to the surface. “Where the hell has she been all this time?” I knew Francesca had been practically abandoned by her family, and someone coming out of the woodwork now had me thinking this was some sort of con.
“She’s seventeen years old, Enzo,” Francesca said, defensive. “It’s not like she was able to make those kinds of decisions all on her own.”
“Oh, but she can jump on a plane and head half way across the country?”
“A bus, actually. But, yes, she can.” Taking another deep breath, Francesca pulled up her phone and started typing quickly. “Look, I’m not gonna fight you on this, Enzo. But this girl is my family. The only family still talking to me, apparently, so if she needs me, I’m gonna be there for her.” Finishing her text, she looked up at me in challenge. “Unless you think I should leave a teenager at the bus station all on her own?”
“Of course not,” I growled. “But this isn’t exactly great timing. We got some real shit piling up here, Frankie, and bringing a kid into the mix isn’t going to help anyone one bit.” I expected her to snap back at me, but instead, a slow smile spread across her face. “What? What the hell are you smiling at?”
“You called me Frankie,” she said, stepping close and running her hand up my chest and around the back of my neck. “I’ve never heard you say it before tonight.” Popping up on her toes and pulling me down, she pressed a kiss to my mouth. “I kinda like it.”
Leaning my forehead against hers, I inhaled her sweet scent, letting it fill me up. “You stay here with Vin, I’ll go grab the kid.”
“No,” she said, moving away from me. “She doesn’t know you. I’ll go.”
“How? You have no vehicle, remember?”
“Trust me,” she answered, scowling. “I have not forgotten. Those bastards blew up my baby. Virginia deserved better than that.”
“You named your car Virginia?” Rock asked, laughing.
“Yeah,” she said, with a sly grin. “After Virginia Hill, girlfriend to infamous Mobster, Bugsy Siegel. The two of them took Las Vegas by storm in 1946, you know?”
“Did they now?”
“They sure did,” she said, coming in for another kiss. “Come to think of it, things didn’t end so well for the first Virginia, either. I may have to rethink my naming process with the next car I buy.”
“Speaking of which, you still haven’t told me how you plan on getting to the bus station.”
“Simple,” Francesca said, smiling. “I called a cab.”
And with that, and another wave to Vinnie, she was gone. I stepped out into the hall to watch her walk away, not taking my eyes off of her until she was out of sight.
“That woman is a firecracker, boss,” Rock commented needlessly.
“Yeah,” I responded lamely, trying not to think of all the ways she could get hurt while she was alone.
“She’ll be alright,” Vinnie said, his voice still sounding rough. “I’ve seen her in action; she’s more than capable of looking after herself.”
I nodded but didn’t say anything. I knew Francesca was capable, but I still worried. Fuck if that made me seem weak; I didn’t care what anyone thought about me before, and I wasn’t about to start caring now.
The three of us sat around in awkward silence until the doctor showed up again, giving Vinnie a list of instructions and doing everything in her power to pretend Rocco wasn’t in the room. By the time we were checked out and back in the parking lot, I was feeling all kinds of worked up. It had been far too long since I had really hit someone, and today was shaping up to be a good day for throwing fists. My phone going off with a text from Trick letting me know that the first round of visitors had arrived and were waiting for me only confirmed it. I could feel my blood heating at the prospect.
“Alright,” I said, watching Vinnie gingerly seat himself in the passenger seat of Rock’s Chevelle. “Take him back to the house and get him settled,” I started, but then hesitated. I knew what I was about to say would mean there was no going back when it came to Francesca and her involvement in the ugly side of my business, but she kept telling me she wanted in.
