Page 112 of The Silence Lies

Am I weak?

As the crisp air fills my lungs, I clap a palm to my chest, chasing my erratic breaths until they’re nothing more than a steady rhythm. I think about what my father said. I don’t believe for a second that those people in there care about the men I keep beside me. All they see is my second in command and my enforcer… right?

Footsteps pace behind me, and I turn around to see Giovanni catching up to me. But the moment he does, I hear the click of a gun.

It all happens so fast.

One minute I’m locking eyes with Giovanni, the next I’m pummeled to the ground, gasping for the oxygen that was just knocked out of me.

Giovanni rolls away from me in less than a second, his gun already in his hand as he aims and shoots into the darkness.

I don’t see them at first, too dazed to see past my blurry vision. I must have knocked my head against the pavement, because the pain behind it is so excruciating that I have to bring my hand up to soothe it. Warmth coats my fingertips. It’s not a lot of blood, but enough to make me dizzy, enough to make me squint and bite back a groan.

From the corner of my eye, I watch Giovanni shoot over and over. He’s an expert, taking down the attackers one by one. The only way I know that is because the gunshots seem to lessen.

With his body blocking mine, he guides me between two cars. Suddenly, I’m yanked sideways. My body shifts, and I have no way to control or fight it.

“Put the gun down!” the assailant orders, pressing the warm barrel of his own gun to my head.

I freeze, staring at a wide-eyed Giovanni. He’s so deathly calm it’s unnerving. But for some reason, I’m not scared. I’ve already had two near death experiences, what’s another? Now that I know the capabilities of the men around me, I don’t need to fear death, I need to embrace it.

I grip the man’s arms, fighting back, but between the dizziness in my brain and my lungs still trying to work again, he’s too strong.

To my surprise, Giovanni doesn’t comply, either. He aims his gun, challenging the assailant, and in a matter of seconds, two gunshots ring out.

Pressure disappears from my body, the cold air replacing his sticky heat as the man behind me drops to the ground with a thud. My pulse beats so loudly that, paired with the ringing, I don’t have a clue what is going on until I turn to see Giovanni clutching his stomach.

I lunge forward, but it’s too late.

“No!”

Levi

We sprint outside as soon as we hear it. The frantic gunshots fill the skies, pop after pop until there’s just silence.

“Where did it come from?” Luca huffs.

I look left and right, my chest heaving as I scan the parking lot, but I can’t see anything. “Fuck knows.”

“No!” a scream tears through the parking lot to the left.

Luca takes off before me, but I’m close behind, drawing my gun out as we follow the cries.

“Help! Somebody!”

“Sera!?” I call out.

“I’m here!”

I search and search through the darkness, my eyes squinting in the hopes it will help me see better. We keep running forward through the dark until I can just make out the edge of Sera’s dress poking out from behind a car. I pick up speed, my feet moving faster than ever until I reach her.

We skid to a halt as our eyes land on the blood coating her and her beautiful dress, her arms holding Giovanni against her chest. Then my eyes move to a man with a bullet in the center of his head lying behind them.

“Gio, stay with me!” she orders.

Cazzo. There’s so much blood.

I drop to my knees, checking Giovanni’s pulse. It’s weak, but still there. His eyes are glassy and he’s clutching his jacket to his stomach, spitting out blood. At least he still has some strength in him to stay awake, but he’s still not in a good place.

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