Page 65 of The Silence Lies

“I’ll put a plan together with Raf,” Luca nods toward Sera.

“Great. Let me know what that is when you do.”

As awkward as this feels, Luca nods at her like the obedient soldier he is and leaves.

I’m starting to see Sera in a whole new light now. I guess that’s what near death experiences do to people, and she has been in two. If I could console her, I would. But there is nothing I can do that will change the situation. Levi and Luca need to come up with a plan, and Sera needs to stop the Verdis and The Vultures before more people get hurt.

It’s a heavy burden I’m all too familiar with, and for once, I’m glad it’s not me making the decisions.

Sera runs her hands through her long hair, letting it cover her face as she drops her head forward into her hands. And just like that, Sera looks even more stressed than when I entered.

Luca

A few days have passed since Sera’s club was set on fire. It’s salvageable, but it’s still not safe right now to go anywhere near The Vault. It’s a shame because that place was up and coming and a great source of income for Sera. Right now, though, we need to focus on other things.

I’ve spent the better part of the past two days trying to work out the best plan. Unfortunately, I know Sera, so any plan that doesn’t include her is practically null and void. That’s not to say I’m happy with this plan, but it’s the only one I could come up with that would keep Sera relatively safe, while we draw The Vultures out.

I shift nervously in my seat. We’re all in Sera’s den, settled on the large sectional sofa which takes up the majority of the room. I kind of like it down here. It’s dark, private, and in a weird way, calming.

“So what do you have for me?” Sera asks, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. Right now, she looks so casual despite the suit she’s wearing, like we aren’t about to trap some ruthless motorcycle gang members.

I take a deep breath, glancing at Raf. It was just as much his plan as it was mine. Levi was a little more reserved about—okay, that’s a lie. He fucking hated the idea. The only plan he could come up with was to use a decoy. He couldn’t see how that would be an issue until I stated that The Vultures would know it wasn’t Sera.

“Raf has been watching The Vulture’s movements. They’ve been sniffing around your clubs.”

“Any damage?” she asks, darting her attention to Mancini.

“None,” he confirms. “I think they’re waiting for you to come out of hiding.”

“I’m not fucking hiding!” she snaps.

Raf ignores her outburst like the rest of us, typing something on his laptop. “The fire at The Vault was a warning,” he explains. The TV ahead of us sparks to life, and footage begins to play silently. “I couldn’t scrape all the footage, but I managed to get some of it back. This is one of the camera’s recordings.”

We all watch the scene play out on screen. Patrons dart about the room, probably screaming with fear if there were sound. It’s chaos on the dance floor as everyone tries to escape the masked men entering the premises.

Sera sucks in a breath as the area clears. A masked man appears on screen, saluting the camera before turning around and heading onto the light-up floor. He draws something out of a hoodie, his features completely obscured by the darkness now. Only the lights that flash from the dance floor grant us sight of what’s going on.

The man waves his arm. We can’t make out what he’s doing until his body moves to the side and he salutes at the camera again.

RUN BIANCHI RUN

The paint covers the dance floor, shitty graffiti that might only be temporary, but the words are certain; a threat.

There’s nothing more to look at other than the silent picture of the words filling the screen before it goes black. Sera stands and shuts off the TV. We know what happens after that and I sense watching your pride and joy become engulfed in flames isn’t exactly something to revel in.

“Have the fire marshalls said when we can go back in?”

Levi shakes his head. “Not yet. They need to test the structure. If the damage is just superficial, we’ll be good, but they need to test it first.”

Sera turns her attention to me next, her brown eyes searing into me. There’s a mixture of fear and determination swimming in her chocolate irises. A fierce need to prove every fucker wrong; that she is capable of leading.

“What’s the plan?”

I swallow heavily, already regretting the words that are about to come out of my mouth. We’ll do everything we can to make sure she’s safe, but I still hate bringing her into this. Most people in her position would let their soldiers do all the work, but this isn’t the usual situation. These are extraordinary circumstances where families are joining forces to protect one person.

“We do what you suggested.”

“Just for the record,” Levi cuts in. “I don’t agree with this plan.”

---