Page 73 of The Silence Lies

“Don’t do anything foolish,” she warns Zeke.

I’m suddenly in awe listening to the strength in her voice. She doesn’t waver or shake, she’s perfectly poised and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen her as confident and in control than she looks right now. I’m instantly reminded of the night Luciano visited, how she was so close to pulling the trigger and ending one of the Verdis. I kind of wish she’d done it. We might not have as many problems now.

Who am I kidding? The Verdis want to overthrow Sera regardless. Killing Luciano would only fuel that more.

“I think you’ll find you’re outnumbered, princess.”

A growl of frustration rips from Sera’s throat. She nudges the barrel of her gun against the man’s forehead. “We both know you’ll be dead before your brothers pull the trigger.”

Even though she has all the power here, she’s still remaining respectful. Respectful, yet deadly.

The leader slowly sits down on his stool, signaling for his men to stand down.

Sera follows his lead, placing her gun down on the bartop, a gesture of good faith and trust. It’s a shame I don’t share the same sentiment, but we all tuck our guns away regardless. “So, what’s a girl gotta do to get a drink in this place?”

All animosity vanishes in an instant as Sera repositions herself at the bar. She relaxes against the side, watching the Zeke reach over the bar in a huff, grabbing a beer. He pops the cap off, slamming the bottle onto the wooden top. Condensation slides down the surface, pooling on the sticky surface below.

It’s an olive branch; a way for the leader of the gang to demonstrate that he’s not a threat anymore. He could have handed her an open bottle, a glass laced with some concoction, but I figure this guy’s efforts are placed elsewhere. We’d all be dead otherwise.

Sera takes the drink graciously. Though I’ve never seen her drink beer before, she swigs it like a champ, eyes glued to the man sitting across from her.

“Tell me, why do the Verdis have you doing their dirty work?” she asks, pinning the man with a deathly stare. “The Vultures have never taken an interest in Mafia business before now.”

Zeke is silent, his jaw grinding. Whatever Sera said seems to hit a nerve.

She sighs, averting her attention to the glistening bottle. With her perfectly manicured fingernail, she starts picking at the label like she’s already bored of this conversation. “I didn’t peg any of you for chauvinists, so what have the Verdis got on you?”

The man shifts nervously. If it weren’t for the heat outside that’s swarming through the open doorway, I’d say this man was on edge. Something got him there, and the fact Sera is poking around seems to disturb him. Nobody likes strangers in their business, and I’m certain Sera has just stepped into that territory.

Despite her calm words, the guy doesn’t answer her.

“It must be something big if you’re prepared to take me out.” Sera glances around the room, taking in all the men surrounding us, ready to attack on command. All of them silent. “Nobody?” she quizzes, looking back at the leader.

That’s when I see it. The look of inevitability plaguing the man’s features. Luca’s words echo in the back of my mind and I’m taken back to a few days ago when Raf confirmed The Vulture’s part in taking down Bianchi.

“Something they want.”

I see the turmoil this man is drowning in. He may be a strong gang member, leader of the most ruthless biker gang this side of the coast, but right now his vulnerability is speaking louder than his silence.

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me.” Sera’s tone remains sweet, almost innocent. If it weren’t for the gun her other hand is resting on, you’d think she was a fucking angel. But that’s Sera down to the letter. She’s always been caring yet stubborn. She isn’t a liar, but she cares enough to make promises.

“You can’t help me anyway, Bianchi. We played nice, despite what the Verdis asked, but I can’t stop them taking over and doing the job themselves.”

Serafina turns to me, her brows furrowing with the same confusion I’m trying to conceal. And then her expression filters from confusion to concern, to realization. She snaps her attention back to Zeke, leaning towards him. If I weren’t so close, I’d barely catch what she says next. But I do, and I’m in awe that she’s pieced it together so quickly. We’ve barely had anything to go off of walking in here, but Sera has just worked out something we all missed.

“Who is she?”

Zeke frowns, his lips pursing together. He looks at all of us but we don’t have a clue what’s going on. Sera seems to, though. And with a huff of exasperation, he pulls out a photo from his pocket, handing it carefully to Sera.

“My daughter,” he murmurs lowly.

“They have her?”

The man nods, and suddenly I’m all too aware of the tension suffocating the room. These men are fighting for their own blood now. Taking us out was never really an option for them, but an order they couldn’t refuse.

“I’m sorry,” Sera mutters sadly.

Her words fall on deaf ears, though. Her apology isn’t welcome here. Zeke snatches the photograph back, the sound of it crumpling in his fist feels like he’s conveying more than just a threat. “You need to get out of the city Bianchi. You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

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