Still, he’d had his fill of Carla.

“Darlin’, you need to go on home,” he said, going to the dresser and grabbing some socks.

“What?” she asked, blinking.

“You need to go home, Carla,” Benny repeated and walked to the bed, sitting on the edge of it, “now.”

He had his socks on and was reaching for his boots when he noticed she hadn’t moved so he looked at her. She was looking at the door so Benny’s head swung that way to see Frankie standing in it.

“Pretty, honey,” Frankie muttered, “you always had good taste.”

Benny’s mouth got tight and he pulled on a boot.

“Who’s she?” Carla asked.

Benny didn’t answer instead he ordered, “Out of bed, babe. Go home.”

Carla was up on her ass with the sheet to her chest and her narrowed eyes were glued to the door. “Who’s she?” she repeated.

Benny pulled on his second boot, saw Frankie hadn’t moved but was smiling her smile that made his dick start to get hard.

There was a reason Vinnie gave it all for her. The bitch was beyond a knockout. Only a quarter Italian, the rest of her was mutt and she got the best of it all. Almond-shaped eyes with light brown irises and naturally long, curling lashes. A thick head of rich, dark brown hair she always wore long. Flawless light skin that made your mouth water just to taste it and made you wonder if that creamy skin was the same everywhere. Fantastic tits, great ass and a tiny waist which were the only things that made her long legs not look like they went straight to her throat.

And the way she smiled that smile, like she had a secret, a really f**king good one you had to know and the only way she’d tell you was when you were close, deep inside and she’d whisper it in your ear. The perfect package from top to toe.

He straightened from the bed and looked down at Carla. “Not gonna say it again, babe.”

Carla looked at him. “Are you tellin’ me that you just let me suck your c**k and then I let you f**k me and you wake me up in the middle of the night to shift me out for round two? You’re good, Benny Bianchi, f**kin’ great, like they all said but nothin’s good enough to put up with that.”

Benny put his hands to his hips. “See this failed to sink in, woman, but I just got dressed and put my boots on. I’m gonna f**k someone else, she’s standin’ in line at the f**kin’ bedroom door, would I put my clothes on?” She opened her mouth to speak but he didn’t wait for her to answer. “I got somethin’ to do, somethin’ before the crack of dawn, somethin’ fuckin’ important. I asked nice, now I’ll say it straight. Get your ass outta my bed, get dressed and get the f**k outta my house.”

She glared at him and then asked sarcastically, “You think maybe she can leave while I get dressed?”

Benny walked to the dresser and grabbed his gun. Carla’s eyes rounded on it, the situation of a wakeup call at that hour dawned on her and her body went still but Frankie spoke.

“Sure,” she said, turned and walked from the door.

Benny waited while Carla dressed and she hurried out the door not sparing him a glance and not getting close. This was either because he’d been a dick or because he was still carrying his gun but he didn’t much care which. She was gone.

He went to his nightstand and tagged his phone. Scrolling down, he called Cal while he shoved his gun in the waistband of his jeans. He waited for a pick up but there was none. It went to voicemail.

Benny figured, he had Vi in his bed, he would likely not pick up the phone at that hour either because he was busy with something not worth disturbing to answer the phone or sleeping after being exhausted by doing something that wasn’t worth disturbing to answer the phone. Benny disconnected the call and tried again. Voicemail. On the third try when he got voicemail, he left a message.

“Cugino. Benny. It’s urgent. Call me.”

He left the room and Frankie was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

He stopped in her space. “Did I ask you to stay?”

“Will you call me when you find out everything’s all right?”

Benny clenched his teeth. She was worried. He heard it. She didn’t even try to hide it.

He knew her life since losing Vinnie had been totally f**ked. He thought she’d move on but she didn’t. He didn’t want to know but he had to admit he’d gone out of his way to keep tabs. Alone, she didn’t date, didn’t even look as far as he knew. She went to work. She came home. She’d go to Rico’s by herself once in awhile and she’d go home by herself. She went on vacation by herself. All in all, she just kept herself to herself.

She was close to Sal, had made friends with some of his boys when Vinnie was working for Sal and she stayed that way because they were the only family she had left. Everyone else had turned their backs on her because they blamed her for Vinnie.

The Bianchis were clean and always were. The Giglias were dirty and always were. They met at reunions, weddings, funerals and when they had to because they were family. The mingling of blood two generations ago was not a happy occasion for the Bianchis. But family was family.

His path crossed with Frankie’s because Sal considered Frankie family, her man had been whacked under his watch and Sal might be a piece of shit but he took care of family. After Vinnie died and Benny made it clear he didn’t want her company and she stopped coming around all the time, Benny saw her but rarely. He knew she’d got tight with Cal because of Vinnie and stayed that way for reasons known only to her and Cal. That was to say she stayed that way as much as Cal would let anyone stay close – which was to say that she probably hadn’t seen him in years.

But she was worried and, f**k him, he f**king hated hearing that in her voice.

“I’ll call,” he gritted out.

“Thanks, Ben,” she whispered and turned toward the kitchen at the back which brought something to Benny’s mind.

“Frankie,” he called, she stopped in the dark hallway and turned to him.

“Yeah?”

“Why’d you come to the backdoor?”

She hesitated then he saw her shoulders shrug. “Old lady Zambino lives across the street.”

“So?”

“So, she’s Bella’s grandma.”

Benny was getting impatient. Therefore, he asked again, “So?”

“So, Bella works for you.”

“Frankie –”

In a rush, she explained, “She’s old and she’s nosy. If Old Lady Zambino sees me and tells Bella, Bella tells Theresa, Theresa doesn’t care why I’m here she just doesn’t want me near any of you, ‘specially you. So Theresa gets pissed but she’d get pissed at you. I was tryin’…”