Page 125 of The Silence Lies

“What’s up?” I ask, while Luca huffs beside me.

“I owe you both an explanation for the other night.” She stands up from her desk, stepping towards the sectional as she gestures for us to join her.

Without hesitation, I’m right beside her, but Luca is a little more reserved, perching on the end of the couch instead while we get comfortable. I take her hand, lacing our fingers together. It’s the closest interaction we’ve had since Giovanni was shot. To say I’m craving the slightest touch from her is an understatement. She has been completely out of bounds. Add that to Luca’s intense brooding stare, and I’m harboring a constant hard-on that I have no outlet for.

“I’m not going to apologize,” Sera states.

Good start.

“At the end of the day, I am still your leader and I make the decisions.” Her words are aimed at both of us, but I sense this runs a little deeper than her just reminding us of our positions. “Show me respect and I’ll show you the same.”

Luca huffs, folding his arms across his taut chest. Patience is normally his strong suit, but today, he’s definitely short of it.

“Where is this coming from?” I push, squeezing Sera’s hand.

“My father said something to me,” she whispers, her eyes closing as she speaks.

I look to Luca, hoping he can see Sera’s inner turmoil as well as I can. I know he has a heart under that malibu-tanned skin of his, but it kind of stings to see he’s not affected by this moment between us.

“What did he say, Bellissima?” I bring her hand to my lips, kissing her knuckles softly.

“A lot of things.” She lifts her head to Fontana. “But ultimately, that you’re nothing more than my soldiers and you guys will be my ruin.”

I bark a laugh at the audacity of the man that calls himself Sera’s father. The guy doesn’t know the first thing about this situation, and yes, I think we’re all aware of how we’re no longer confining to societal norms. But this has been kept strictly between those of us in this house.

“He’s right,” she says, her eyes wide as she looks at me.

“How so?” I suppress the anger fizzing beneath my skin. I need to hear her out before I start jumping to conclusions—unlike Luca who already seems to be there.

She exhales loudly, an errant hair floating with the force of her breath. “I care about you both. If something were to happen…”

“Let’s not think about that, yeah?”

“Besides, that’s not really an explanation,” Luca scoffs. “You left that fucking party without any regard for yourself.”

Sera scowls, and I can practically feel the anger returning.

I raise a hand to Luca to stop him from saying any more. “Respectfully?”

“I blame myself for what happened to Gio. You know I would never have done anything that would have put you all in danger on purpose.” Sera cups her face, muffling her voice, but I can still make out the words. “I wasn’t thinking, and that’s on me. I won’t ever forgive myself for what happened, but my father got to me. He pushed my buttons, talked about you like you meant nothing, and…”

“Shhh…” I soothe, rubbing my palm over her back. “We get it.”

“Do you?” she snaps, brows furrowing with tempered confusion. She turns to Luca, her anger averting to him. “Do you get it now?”

Luca’s jaw feathers with barely contained fury. I can already see his resolve faltering, though, and I’d hazard a guess that Sera is softening him. “I get why you left, but not why you didn’t tell us.”

Sometimes the fucker can be so wise. Other times, he’s so obtuse that I genuinely believe he is made of stone.

“You shouldn’t have kept this from us,” I say, turning her by the cheek. I grip her chin between my thumb and forefinger, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to her lips. “And it’s not true. You’re not weak.”

“I will always be seen as weak,” she murmurs sadly.

“But being weak isn’t you,” Luca interjects, stepping towards her. He crouches down in front of us, his tune totally changed now that he’s heard Sera’s explanation. “You can’t keep this shit from us, Dolcezza. We’re in this together.”

I kind of like the way he says ‘together’, like this strange dynamic we have between us isn’t just about sharing Sera anymore. I’m not an idiot, though. Luca is as straight as they come, but he also kissed me back just as fiercely as I kissed him that night, and I still haven’t gotten the memory out of my head.

There’s a lot more we need to discuss. The raging elephant in the room is still screaming at me, but right now, Sera needs us, and she will always come first.

---