Page 6 of The Silence Lies

“Well he hasn’t said one word to me,” he mumbles, shrugging his shoulders.

“Suits me,” I smile. I think that’s what I need. I don’t want some bumbling idiot who talks just as much as Levi. I don’t need another person asking me how I’m doing. Silence is golden right now.

“Would you mind waiting outside?” I ask Giovanni.

He nods and without another word, he removes himself from the room. As soon as the door closes, I whip my attention back to Levi, giving him a sharp look. “Is this what you really want? Some stranger following me around?”

“It’s what I do now, isn’t it?” he smirks.

“You’re not a stranger,” I mutter. I already know my position hasn’t just made me a target, but everyone else around me. How do I voice that to men of this caliber, when they literally fight and protect for a living? I don’t want another death on my conscience, at least not Levi’s.

“Sera,” Levi’s tone warns me. “It’s him or me.”

“You or him?” I repeat.

“Yeah…” He stands to his full height to approach me, backing me up against the desk. His hot breath skates past my lips as he continues, and I would be in denial if I said his proximity doesn’t steal my own breath slightly. “…And trust me, I won’t let you sleep.”

I shiver at his words, the sound of them doing something weird, yet not unfamiliar to me. I would be a liar if I said Levi was unattractive. Much like his cousin, he oozes confidence, but he never pushed any sort of boundary with me. This is just a game. Playful words to cheer me up, because Levi is a flirt.

So I play him at his own game and grab his tie, tugging him down to my level. My lips are a breath away from his, but it’s still so much distance, too much distance. “Trust me, Levi,” I husk. “Nobody gets in my bed that easily.”

All confidence seems to float away as Levi gulps, his eyes drifting down to my lips. There’s an unfamiliar tension building between us, and I can’t ignore the way my heart picks up its rhythm. My throat runs a little dry, but I have to keep my composure. I know I’ve got him where I want him when I feel the twitch of something hard press against my leg.

I snap into boss mode at that moment, knowing I’ve taken this too far, feeling like in some way I’m betraying Enzo’s memory. I don’t want Levi to get the wrong impression, so I push him away.

He stumbles backwards, confusion furrowing his brows. Whether he wanted that moment to go further or not, I’m not willing to find out. I’m his boss, he’s almost family to me.

What the hell was I thinking?

I need to distract myself.

“Go find out whether Fontana is willing to play ball.” I push off the desk and round it, taking a seat in my oversized leather chair. I attempt to keep my voice as calm and collected as I can—the total opposite of how I’m feeling inside. I shouldn’t be feeling anything at all right now. I should be numb—to a certain extent I am—but I shouldn’t be flirting with my second in command.

“With his father’s death, he’s going to want just as much revenge,” I add.

“And if he doesn’t want to align?” Levi asks, straightening his crooked tie.

“Then there are no hard feelings. I’m pretty sure he’s going to want to, though.” I still remember the cold look in Don Fontana’s eyes when he fell to the floor beside me. I can’t forget the soulless image. It haunts me almost as much as Enzo’s does. I know I shouldn’t feel guilty for what happened that day, but I do. I should have done more. I should have protected them. That’s what a leader does.

Levi flashes me an obedient smile, knowing whatever just happened between us needs to stay here, in the confinement of my office. It’s an unspoken rule, a level of respect everyone in La Cosa Nostra is aware of. And as my second in command, it’s his job to maintain my privacy.

“I’ll tell Giovanni he can stay then?” he laughs, edging towards the door. Despite his playful attitude, I don’t miss the disappointment in his tone. I let him leave before my thoughts wander, because maybe once upon a time, I would have let things escalate between Levi and I.

Who am I kidding? In another life, I wouldn’t be here. I would be traveling the continents and experiencing culture; not forming alliances with families, not planning how to take down an enemy. Yet, here I am.

Levi

Serafina Bianchi . She has always been stubborn. I’ve known her since we were all kids, when I would come to visit my cousin and Enzo forced me to play with her. Not that I minded. The girl defied any preconceived ideas I had about her, and instead of wanting to play with dolls, she wanted to play fucking cowboys. Of course, she refused to play the damsel in distress. She wanted to be the one yielding plastic guns and fighting the bad guys. The woman is literally a force to be reckoned with; she just doesn’t see it.

She is too wrapped up in self-doubt and heartache to see the queen she could be. Ruling over her family isn’t just any feat, she’s the first female in our family’s history to be honored with the position. She was built for this role, whether she wants to accept it or not.

Enzo believed in her, and I sure as fuck do too. Her father put her in this role for a reason, despite what Sera thinks. It wasn’t to remain in the hierarchy. It wasn’t to destabilize tradition or defy what everyone else so clearly wanted. It was because Alfredo Bianchi saw what we all did in his daughter; a ruler.

“Stay here,” I order Giovanni as I step out of the office. “Nobody enters.”

The ever silent bodyguard nods, remaining beside the door to Serafina’s office while I make my way to a more secluded area. I’m still unsure about the guy. While he came heavily recommended by Sera’s father—and I had no real say in the matter— he’s still on my radar. Until he can prove his loyalty, he’ll remain there. I can’t take risks when it comes to Sera’s safety. It’s not just my job to advise her, but to protect her, help her become the leader this Mafia needs. She’s solely focused on revenge right now, but I know she is capable of a lot more. I just need to make sure she has the means to achieve it all.

“Marchese,” Luca Fontana’s voice rasps through the speaker of my phone. “Never thought I’d be hearing from you.”

---