Page 142 of The Silence Lies

I tilt my head, inspecting his features for clues. I know he won’t give me any details about what happened last night, but I want to be sure I haven’t pushed him into something he wasn’t certain about. “And things with Levi?”

“You don’t have anything to worry about. We are figuring things out.”

I don’t know why, but those words flip my stomach. Hope worms its way through my system, because as happy as I am with my three men, I also want them to be happy too. If that means that Luca and Levi have found something too, I’m okay with that. More than okay.

Leaning down, I peck Luca’s soft lips. “You know you can talk to me.”

“I know,” he smiles again, this time sweetly, more adoringly. It’s almost like I’m looking at Levi with the way his blue eyes light up. “Are you okay with everything?”

I snake my arms around his neck, straddling his thighs. “I don’t think I ever thought I would be this happy. But here you all are, proving me wrong.”

Luca captures my mouth with his. His kiss is soft, and just like our first time, he’s tentative with the way he moves against me. But then it’s like a switch is flipped and he winds his hands into my hair, his tongue delving into my mouth. The way he reacts to me, even through the relationship he and Levi are forming, chases away any doubts I could have over his feelings. Like me, he’s torn, too. And that level of understanding is something you can’t help but appreciate.

“It’s all up to you, Dolcezza. Don’t forget that.”

I brush a hand through his soft hair, reveling the way the strands slip through my fingers. “You’re a changed man,” I giggle, rubbing my nose against his.

“No, Bianchi. I’m a happy one.”

My heart clenches at those words. I know we wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for me, but I’m also not naïve enough to think this is all my doing. At some point we would have all crossed this line. We would have all given into temptation and lust, it was just that we needed the push to get us there.

As much as I hate to say it, maybe Enzo’s death has come with a silver lining. One in the form of three men that are starting to make me feel things I don’t think I ever have before.

Once upon a time, I thought I was in love. I was poisoned and blinded by toxic devotion to a man who thought power came from picking on the weak. I know now that isn’t the case. I’m falling for each of these men. Different depths, different layers, different ideas of love, and I don’t want to lose that.

Amidst the pain, we’ve all found one another.

“Go on,” I usher Luca. “Find out what’s happening down at the docks. I’ll stay with Gio.”

I don’t leave room for argument as I push off of Luca’s lap. His hands still linger on my body as he stands, but I feel like it’s reluctance over breaking our proximity more than anything else.

I feel it. He feels it. There’s a connection to all of these men that deepens the more time I spend with them. It’s a bond I wouldn’t have found if we hadn’t been caught up in something more vengeful.

“See you soon,” he growls, kissing my lips briefly.

I watch him leave before I head into the bathroom. Giovanni is buttoning his shirt, his dark hair still damp from the shower. It’s probably the fifth shower he’s taken in the span of twelve hours, because every time we headed in to get cleaned up, we just started the sexual cycle all over again. Giovanni is insatiable, and I feel like as long as I’m in the company of these three incredible men, I’m never going to rest.

I can’t really complain. Between Giovanni, Levi and Luca, I’m a damn lucky woman. I couldn’t imagine having it any other way. It’s not just their good looks, but their personalities. Their attention and attentiveness. Their loyalty and adoration is faultless and I know without these men behind me, I wouldn’t be the leader I am right now.

There’s still a long way to go and my father’s words haven’t strayed far from my mind. I need to set an example and prove that I can do the job just as much as the men around me. My father’s brutal way of handing the truth to me still stings, but to some degree, I understand what he was getting at.

I need to prove I am capable of leading this family, La Cosa Nostra, into a new era.

“I’m sorry, Principessa.” Giovanni spins around, locking his green-eyed gaze with me. “As much as I’d like to relive the last twelve hours, we need to get out of this pool house before we become hermits.”

I pad forward, sliding my hands up his chest. “I agree,” I say with a smile. “Haze it is.”

Giovanni grips my hips, pressing me to his hard body. “Haze it is.”

The prospect of knowing that the docks are finally open means a lot of things. One, we can finally get back to business without the Feds looming over us, and two, we can push forward with our plans to sabotage the Verdis. We’ve started with the warehouses, but that’s not where this ends. I made a promise to myself that they would meet their maker. For months, we have been chipping away at their defenses, using my power and reasoning to get all the back-up we can.

The Vultures have pledged their loyalty to me since saving their leader’s daughter. I might have Greco by the neck on whatever dirty dealings he is doing, but that doesn’t mean I fully trust him. We still need to figure out who is feeding my father information. If that’s Greco’s men, we will soon find out. Luca and Levi dismissed them, which means if any more information is leaked outside of my house, we’ll know about it.

I sit back in my desk chair, content that everything is as it should be. The clubs are doing well, my staff are content and safe, and I’m happy. For what feels like the first time in forever, I actually feel relaxed enough to admire the view from my window.

If I close my eyes, I can hear the faint sound of the ocean. Memories of Enzo and me as kids come flooding back. But for once, my thoughts of him aren’t tainted by anger. It’s a slow road to recovery, and our vengeance on the family that took my best friend away will come. I’ve realized that biding my time is what makes a good leader, and the more I think about it, the more I know that the Verdis won’t see me coming.

I’m playing the slow game now. I just have to hope that we can beat them before Luciano and his family come for me again.

---