Free Best Laid Plans by Billy London Page B

automatically disconnected. “Call Rocco.”
    “Do I need to take another trip to Naples?” Rocco asked on answering. “Because I’d quite like to take my fiancée with me to Sicily. We could do a stop off, get you out of whatever trouble you’re in, then stay in Palermo for a week. Maybe two.”
    Tony did say his friends were all dropping like married flies. “I’m not in trouble, I just want to know if I’d get into any if I went back for a really short time. Like a few days.”
    “What are you going there to do?” Rocco’s tone suddenly turned neutral. The same neutral tone he used when he was ripping into the Napoli police without breaking a sweat.
    “My father had a stroke and I need to find some nursing care for him.”
    Rocco sighed. “It’s going to take longer than a few days. It depends on the severity of the stroke. What his mobility is, what physiotherapy can be done to help, what level of care he’s going to need and for what duration. A few days! Mate, you’ll be lucky if you leave before a few months.”
    Luca’s heart contracted wildly. “What?”
    “You’re going to need professional help to deal with him, I’m telling you. Finding the care is what’s going to take time. Plus if you need to refurbish the house to make things accessible for him. It involves builders, electricians if necessary, and plumbers. Can you run all that in three days?”
    To get back to Francesca? No question. “I’ll see what it is he needs, but is La Madama going to come after me?”
    “Like I said, there isn’t a blot on your record. They made the mistake. Do yourself a favour though. Stay away from Dafne.”
    “What if she won’t stay away from me?”
    “I’d encourage you to exercise all caution to avoid that woman at all costs. Like I said, if I go to Naples, I want to be able to take my fiancée with me, and she’s got a serious aversion to police stations. I doubt foreign ones will make a difference.”
    Luca wanted to punch something into dust. “I heard you. Thank you, Rocco.”
    “Take care. Call me if you do run into trouble. That’s the whole point of my genius.”
    The words tugged a reluctant grin onto his mouth. “I will do. Bye, Rocco.”
    The solicitor ended the call and Luca forced himself to take deep breaths. Looked like he was going back home. But before he left, there was one thing he really needed to take care of. Leon Bridges did not need to be alive while Luca was out of the country. It was going to be done anyway, just a little faster than intended.
     

Chapter Ten
    Frankie felt far too excited. It buoyed her through the whole of Monday. She kept having the most inappropriate flashbacks at the most inappropriate times. The best time to think about Luca’s tongue stroking over her skin wasn’t when her boss was trying to talk to her about meetings, nor in the midst of a lecture from her mother.
    “You’ve been gone all weekend and not a single phone call! Anything could have happened to me!”
    Frankie tore her thoughts from how strong Luca’s arms felt beneath her thighs to try and focus on what Joanne was yelling. “What? You’re shouting at me, I’m assuming you’re fine.”
    “That’s not the point. You’re living in my house. You should have enough respect for me to let me know you’re all right. Or at least to check that I am. Or were you too busy with your date?” She spat the last word much to Frankie’s amusement.
    “Last year you couldn’t get me out of the house fast enough. What’s so different now? Is it because someone’s interested in me?”
    “You should be careful.” Joanne looked her up and down with disgust. “And he’ll lose interest in you now you’ve just given up the goods.”
    Nothing she hadn’t heard before. “Even if he does, it was so worth it.”
    Edging around her, Frankie went to take a leisurely shower and find a matching set of lingerie before she met Luca. He wouldn’t be back from the restaurant until late, but