Page 72 of The Silence Lies

“Ready?” she quizzes.

Giovanni nods silently, always silent, and then we make our way to the Marina.

The sun is still shining down on us. It’s midday, and with the sun so high in the sky, I have to switch the air conditioning on just to feel some semblance of cool. Secretly, I want to roll the window down and revel in the sea breeze, but that’s not an option right now. The bulletproof glass is the only thing protecting us and I’d be a fool to not anticipate something may go down.

I’m not fully on board with the new plan. Sera made it clear there was no room for disagreement, though. She wants answers, and she wants to face The Vultures head on. In any other circumstance, I would be reveling in this new persona Serafina has taken on, but I’m not so sure how well thought out this plan is.

When I tried to voice my opinion earlier, I was shot down. So I know there’s no room for negotiation right now. Bianchi has her mind set on this, and she’s not backing down.

After a tense fifteen minutes of uncomfortable silence, Giovanni parks us up in the parking lot behind a dingy bar. The Vulture’s emblem is graffitied across the outside wall, acting as a warning for those approaching. And if that wasn’t enough of a sign that danger lies inside, the guards standing outside would definitely alert you to being in the wrong place.

Once the convoy has congregated, Sera slips out of the car. She slides her sunglasses onto her face, conveying the image of a badass leader about to take down the enemy.

We surround her like a shield. The twins check their weapons, ready to follow the fight if needed, but Sera waves them off. “I don’t want this to be a shoot out.”

“We’ve just killed one of his men, and you’re expecting them not to shoot you?” Luca retorts.

“No,” she snaps, pinning him with a glare. “I’m expecting you to follow fucking orders! Unless I say so, keep that fucking thing hidden.”

Silence falls over all of us. Luca is locked in a staring contest with Sera, like he’s challenging her. He’s always challenging her. While his argument makes sense, this is Sera’s decision and she has more than enough protection if anything goes awry. I have no doubt Luca won’t hesitate to protect her, but I feel like there’s more to his protest than just her safety.

With one last glance, Sera huffs and storms away from the group with Giovanni beside her. She’s marching like a woman on a mission. A woman out for blood, if it comes down to it.

“What did you do to piss her off?” I mutter.

Luca huffs, his nostril flaring as he shoots me a look not to mess him. He might come across as the moody asshole with nothing to lose, but he’s already shown more cards than a bad poker player. He definitely cares for Sera, more than an ally should, and I’m not sure if we’re becoming rivals rather than friends. I’m not about to let years of waiting go to waste, though. I’ll fight for Sera.

With a dismissive grunt, I catch up with Sera and Giovanni. Some of Greco’s men stay beside the twins’ car, while the rest post up outside of the other.

We enter with the sun on our backs, the view of the Marina obscured as we approach a bearded man gulping back a bottle of beer. He doesn’t even acknowledge us as we walk in, but the men slouched back on the tattered couch in the corner and the ones who were playing pool have now turned their attention to us. Guns and all.

The room stinks of cheap beer and stale piss, a signature scent that only a place like this would hold. Sera marches forward, ignoring the stench that peels through our nostrils. If she’s disgusted by this place, she makes no attempt to show it. In fact, she looks fucking fierce. She’s wearing her role like armor and nothing can pierce that right now.

“If it isn’t the princess of the Bay,” the bearded guy, which I’m assuming is the new leader of the gang, drawls with his lips pressed to the rim of his beer bottle. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Sera smiles, her power and authority dripping from her. Her all black suit gives her the same no-nonsense approach, her red bottom heels providing her the perfect height to look down on her subject like a fucking queen. “I’ve been wondering the same thing, Ezekiel,” she comments like a long lost friend, perching on the stool beside the man. “You’ve been following me.”

“Clever girl,” he comments.

“I want it to stop.”

Zeke laughs, cocking an incredulous brow at her. “No can do, Princess. I have orders.”

But Sera isn’t about to back down. She crosses her legs, the toe of heel tapping rhythmically against the side of the bar. “I’m sure I can change your mind, Zeke.”

She directs her focus to me, a signal I know too well. I return the nod before waving Greco’s guards to bring in The Vulture’s present. The room falls silent, a sense of tension thickening the air.

Zeke looks skeptically at Sera but she only smirks back at him.

It isn’t until the body is dumped at the man’s feet that he reacts. The crinkle of plastic shifts as the body does, barely concealing the dead gang member inside.

“What the fuck is this?” he growls.

Sera taps her fingernails on the bar, the sound piercing the tense silence. She glances down at the body, then returns her attention to Zeke, pinning him with a malicious smirk. “Consider this my message to you. Leave me alone and I won’t harm your other brother.”

The man’s jaw ticks over, anger rolling off him. In quick succession, Zeke pulls his gun out on Sera, but she’s quicker. We all are.

In less than two paces I’m beside Sera, pointing my own gun at the leader. We’re in a standoff. Every man has his weapon aimed at someone, but it’s Sera I need to protect.

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