Page 117 of The Silence Lies

What the fuck?

When Levi finally withdraws from my lips, he just stares at me, breathless and confused. I see the frown line forming on his forehead. And like him, I don’t really know what to say.

For a beat, we just stand there still pressed against one another, shocked and lost for words.

Levi removes his hands from my face, the cold air replacing the warmth like a gut punch.

My stomach churns under the weight of guilt now filling the void between us. We’ve gone from fighting over Sera to fighting for something else, and I’m not sure at which point we lost sight of everything. Maybe it’s the fact we’ve been spending more and more time together? The last week we’ve been living in each other’s pockets. Laying low meant we had more time together, all three of us. Have we crossed a line somewhere we didn’t know existed?

Before I can run through any more questions, Levi steps away from me. “Sera needs us,” he reaffirms. “We need to get a grip of the situation, of The Vultures, of any fucking intel we can gather.”

I nod, but his words still sound so muffled over the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears.

“Luca?” he frowns. “You coming?”

“Huh?” I’m still dazed with what just transpired that I haven’t got an actual clue what he just said. Apparently it wasn’t anything to do with that kiss.

That body-numbing, mind-fucking kiss.

“Get in the car, Fontana!” he barks, snapping me out of my daze.

I step toward his Porsche, sliding into the passenger seat beneath the doors. They glide back down seamlessly as Levi starts the engine, the roaring of horsepower beneath our asses killing the silence immediately.

I don’t know where we’re going, but Levi’s urgency has me on edge. He peels us out of Sera’s long driveway, hitting the road back to the Bay in no time at all.

“Where are we going?”

“We need answers,” he replies vaguely.

I lift a brow at him, but he’s not looking to even notice. He’s solely focused on the road ahead, content with us lulling into silence for a short while.

But that’s the problem, because with the silence, I’m left to my own thoughts. I don’t like where they wander either. The ghost of Levi’s lips still lingers on mine. It’s a gesture neither of us want to address. I’d be okay with it, if it wasn’t sitting at the back of my mind like an unanswered question.

Of all people, Levi was the last person I imagined doing that with. Sure, we’ve put aside our differences for the sake of Sera, but fuck, I never thought about stepping the other way. I’ve never kissed another guy before, and I’m pretty sure Levi hasn’t either. Yet everything about it is starting to war with the guilt, telling me I shouldn't feel the way I feel, like I’m betraying Sera. That kiss wasn’t just anything. Something deep in my gut is telling me it happened because of some fucked up reason I’ve yet to discover.

The silence is steeped in tension, a thick fog clinging to the unspoken words. He doesn’t look at me, and when I’m certain it’ll remain that way for the rest of the journey, I avert my gaze to the window.

Twenty minutes later and we’re pulling up to the marina. Levi gets out first, lingering outside until I join him. I hesitate for a moment, noticing exactly where we are.

“What are we doing here, Levi?”

“I told you,” he shrugs. “We need answers, and these fuckers owe us.”

Before I can ask anything else, he’s storming towards the front of the bar, The Vultures’ emblem lit up under the blanket of midnight. The seedy glow of the bar spills out onto the path outside, the music cascading along with heavy thuds and crashes.

Levi steps in first, wary and silent.

“You’re not one of us if you cannot follow orders!” Zeke shouts, towering over three men with another six behind them, all pointing guns at the men’s heads.

Heads lift as we enter, causing Zeke to turn, eyes widening when he takes us in. I’m pretty sure the bloody shirts and scowls on our faces give away the mood we’re in, but Zeke is still concerned.

“Is she okay?” he asks like he knows why we’re here.

Levi nods silently. “Her bodyguard not so much.”

Zeke drops his head, sighing defeatedly. “Loyalty means a lot to us here,” he mutters, picking the dirt from under his nail with his knife. “We had an agreement in place and some of my brothers went against my decision. For that, I am sorry.” The man looks us both in the eyes, sincerity swimming in them. “Tell Bianchi I will make this right.”

“So you know who attacked them, Zeke?” I ask.

---