Page 48 of The Silence Lies

“Sera’s getting seen now. You should probably get that checked, too.”

I frown, reaching a hand up to where he’s pointing. The sharp sting snaps me into focus as I realize I’m sporting a pretty deep cut. Matteo is right, I should get it closed up. I’m sure Bianchi doesn’t want me dripping blood all over her carpets.

“Hey.” Matteo grabs my shoulder. It’s not forceful or dominating. It’s just a friendly reminder that he’s here. “You gonna be okay? It was a nasty crash.”

I nod in reply. My own health is the least of my worries right now. I knew what I was getting into when I signed up to be Donna Bianchi’s bodyguard. I knew what was being asked of me, what I needed to do. Protecting her at all costs has been my mission from day one. I came here with a purpose, I was hired for a reason. Remaining silent and stoic is all I am. I’m the guy who lingers in the background, barely conspicuous. I get shit done because I’m the best. They’re the rules I abide by, boundaries I set for myself because without them, things can quickly get out of hand.

The problem is, the more time I spend around Sera the more I ignore what my job is. What I wasn’t expecting was for Serafina Bianchi to steal my breath, my attention, my focus. I’m constantly drawn to her, watching her so intensely that I’m losing myself bit by bit.

I survey each and every interaction, sometimes wishing it was with me. The way she melts into Levi’s comfort, relishing in the undying support he gives her. They’re easy together. But then I’ve observed how she is with Luca; the fire that smolders between them. At any given moment those embers are going to spark into something more fierce, and it’s all fueled by this insane mutual act of revenge.

In turn, I’ve seen the way Fontana and Marchese both look at Sera. Fontana has a bitterness about him, something he seems to struggle to fight. Tonight was proof of that. From the dance floor to the crash, his true feelings for her are starting to show. He’s no longer the hard-ass vengeful son, who only agreed to help Sera for his own personal vendetta. His thoughts don’t seem to be fuelled by that anymore, but a need to protect our leader.

As for Levi, from day one I saw the way he looked at her. There’s definitely a deep seated level of adoration he holds for Bianchi; only now he’s acting upon those feelings. It stands to reason that whatever they have planned to avenge their family’s loss, it’s going to come with some heavy revelations.

Once Matteo continues his patrol, I join Sera in the living room where she’s getting stitched up by Mancini’s doctor. Levi and Luca are out back talking with Rafael, probably trying to figure out what the fuck happened tonight.

“Ouch!” Sera winces as I enter.

The doctor flinches beside her, clearly expecting more than a yelp from his leader. “Apologies, Donna Bianchi.”

“It’s fine,” she smiles back sweetly. Once again, I’m in continual awe over this woman. She might look innocent and fragile on the outside, but there’s a fighter inside of her. She’s stubborn and impatient, but those two characteristics complement the fire burning inside of her, the need to lead, the urge to avenge her best friend. She never uses it unless necessary, though. She doesn’t exert her power or authority on anyone who doesn’t deserve it. Unlike the men I’ve guarded before, Serafina is a gentle leader.

“I know that look,” Sera comments from across the room. She’s resting her arm on the couch, looking more relaxed than any of us right now as the doctor bandages her up. “Don’t do that to yourself.”

I don’t need to ask her what she means. Somehow, we’re one and the same. She knows what it’s like to harbor guilt, take the blame because it’s easier than the unknown, but right now, I can only blame myself.

I catch her gaze, her expression forgiving, like she doesn’t blame me for what happened.

I do, though.

I should have been able to handle that collision better. I’ve handled worse shoot outs, more chaotic brawls. Tonight should have been a walk in the park.

“We didn’t know this would happen, Gio.”

But I did. I sensed the Verdis were going to be on a warpath and I should have been able to prevent it. Instead of looking out for my mark, I was observing her. Absorbing her interaction with Luca like it didn’t bother me in the first place.

“She’s right.” Levi enters through the sliding doors that lead out to the backyard. “We didn’t know this was going to happen.” He takes a seat beside Serafina, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in comfort.

“But we should have,” Luca grumbles, standing in the center of the room. He folds his arms, watching Sera carefully—we all are. “Last night went far too smoothly, I should have seen this coming.”

I get the feeling he feels just as responsible for what went down tonight. After all, he’s started to take on the enforcer role, which means he should have been scouting for trouble.

We all should have.

“Raf is going to run some intel,” Luca continues. “See if he can find out who these men were, and more importantly, who hired them.”

Rafael has always been an enigma to me. I’d never seen him until now, but rumors of what happened to his family have circulated enough to get a good enough idea of who the man is. He’s pretty much removed himself from the gun game, focusing more on financial corruption and hacking. He seems trustworthy enough for Luca, and Sera in turn, even if that was uncertain when he first rocked up tonight.

We were hit by four gunmen tonight. Five, if you count the guy Sera put a bullet through at the last second. My eyes automatically travel to the bandage on her arm, and my leg starts bouncing nervously.

“I have men guarding the area, just in case the cops turn up.” Raf appears beside Luca, looking just as exhausted as we do.

“Guarding with what?” Sera jibes, tilting her head like she’s goading him for a reaction.

Raf huffs, glancing at Luca before returning his attention to Sera. “Just because I don’t have anything to do with the weapons trade, doesn’t mean we don’t carry.”

“Sure,” she smirks back.

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