Page 53 of The Silence Lies

“You didn’t have to do all this,” Sera huffs, sliding into a seat between me and Luca.

I glance over her, seeing a scowl sharpening his already deep features. I’d say whatever went down between him and Sera upstairs is definitely the reason for his mood, which only makes me want to know what happened.

“Don’t worry about it,” Raf waves a dismissive hand. “I was hungry, I thought all of you would be, too.”

“Well, I’m starving!” Matteo groans, joining the table. His chair screeches along the floor, followed by Marco’s. It’s not until everyone else is seated that Raf completes the seating plan, taking head of the table. It should be Sera up there, but I already know she doesn’t care for chauvinistic attempts to assert dominance. She knows she’s in charge, meaning everyone else should too, no matter where you’re sitting at a table.

“What about Gio?” Sera asks the group.

I slide my hand over her thigh and give it a squeeze.

She shivers, looking up at me.

“He’s okay,” I assure her. “Just give him some time.” Of all people, Sera should understand the way guilt can fester, even when it’s not your fault to begin with. She’s dealing with it firsthand, after all.

When the acknowledgment dances across her face, I slip my hand back and dig into the breakfast.

“I still need answers,” Sera mutters, narrowing her eyes on Mancini.

“You got it,” Raf replies.

After that, it’s silent, except for the clinking of cutlery, and the tension building in the room. I can’t quite tell if it’s because of Sera’s distaste for Mancini or Luca’s bad mood. Either way, I’m determined to get to the bottom of both. Luca called Raf to help us for a reason. He trusts the guy, and in turn I trust Luca’s judgment.

Eventually, there’s movement. The Ferrante brothers move to the kitchen sink with the plates. Luca excuses himself from the table to go who-knows-where, while Sera huffs for a minute or two before following suit.

I look at Raf and shrug. We should really get down to business and debrief everyone. Raf must have intel and right now we all need answers. Though we have an idea over who is behind the attack, it doesn’t hurt to have solid evidence. I just need to get everyone in the same room again. Though I’m not sure who I should go to first; Luca or Sera?

I opt for the latter since she is the most important. I’ll deal with whatever Luca’s problem is afterwards.

Checking all over the house becomes fruitless. Sera isn’t in any of the rooms, not even the den. For a second, I wonder where she’s disappeared to, but then I see the patio door is open. I step outside, rounding the corner of the pool, only to see Luca perched on one of the chairs, running his hands through his hair.

He looks like he’s seen better days, I won’t lie. He left the attack last night unscathed, just like myself and the brothers, but that’s all immaterial right now. He’s battling something, a deeper kind of hurt that isn’t physical pain. It makes my own chest hurt because I’ve never seen him like that before. Fontana is always so put together. Aside from his father’s death. I never actually saw how it affected him. It was only Sera’s lackies that kept me updated with mundane shit. It was mainly to keep an eye on the other families. I knew I didn’t have anything to worry about when it came to Fontana, but you can never be too careful.

“Hey,” I say, approaching him.

He lifts his head, brows furrowed with so much tension that I’m surprised his face hasn’t cracked with the pressure.

“What’s eating you?” I perch on the chair opposite him, resting my elbows on my knees as I lean forward.

Luca shakes his head.

“Nah,” I huff. “You don’t get to do that here.”

He frowns back at me, the look of disdain clear on his features. Just like Sera, he clearly doesn’t want to talk.

“I’ll be fine, Marchese. Just leave it.” He throws a thumb over his shoulder toward the pool house. “She’s in there.”

“I’ll speak to her after. I want to know what’s bothering you. You were fine before taking those pills to Bianchi, so what happened?”

I watch Luca’s lips lift into a smirk, disbelief wavering in his tone. “She did.”

I don’t know what the fucker is talking about, but all these concealed words is starting to piss me off. First Sera, now Luca. Something happened and I want to know what.

“What did she do?” Sera’s words linger in the back of my mind. She upset him. I lean back in the chair. It’s the least intimidating position, which I hope shows Luca I’m not going to get pissy with whatever he has to say. I’d like to think I have a lot more going for me than being a moody bastard like him. “Out with it,” I say, tipping my head up.

“It doesn’t matter.”

I feel the waves of guilt rolling off his shoulders. I know he wants to tell me, but something is holding him back. “Did she turn you down?” I tease.

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