Page 81 of The Silence Lies

“Levi, please.”

“You want Fontana?” I bark. “You can fucking have him.”

“That’s not what I want and you know it.”

“Yeah, I know! You want to sleep with the whole fucking crew by the sounds of it!”

Cazzo.

I don’t even mean for the words to come out, they just do. I look at Sera but she doesn’t react the way I thought she would. She’s more angry than upset, and I think that scares me more because I’ve never really seen Sera angry before.

“Okay,” Marco whistles, stepping in between the group to push me away. “I think that’s enough. Sera is still our leader so treat her like one. Respect it or leave.”

“Fine! This is too fucked up for me, anyway!”

“Levi!”

“I won’t be a part of it, Sera. I’m done! It’s either me or him.”

“You can’t make me choose,” Sera argues. “This isn’t a competition!”

I stalk towards her until Giovanni steps in front of me. I’m glad he’s finally taking his job seriously, but now’s not the time to prove his loyalty.

As if sensing my frustration, Sera taps Giovanni on the shoulder. He moves away with a huff, allowing Sera to step forward. “Levi, let’s talk.”

The thing is, I don’t want to talk. There’s nothing to say anyway. She wants to be with Luca, the guy who wears the moody look like a goddamn accessory while I’ve done everything I could to be patient, understanding, loyal. Luca might have her wrapped around his finger, but not me. I don’t know what Luca’s angle is, but Sera’s caught up in his net. There’s nothing I can do to stop her but be there when he eventually fucks it up.

Once again, I find myself back on the sidelines. It’s the only place I can be right now because if she thinks I’m willing to watch Luca fuck her, she’s got another thing coming.

“Don’t make me choose,” Sera whispers, reaching for my hand.

Just those few words cement everything I’ve suspected. In a matter of seconds, I’ve gone from doting on Bianchi to doubting what we had. I hate myself for what I do next, but this situation is too much for me to handle. I’ve been bombarded with information I can’t get to grips with and Sera just bulldozed any last sliver of hope I had for us.

Snatching my hand away, I feel every dark and empty emotion rise to the surface. Looking at Sera only makes it worse because I know she’s hoping for a different outcome. Too bad I’m done sitting on the sidelines.

“You just did.”

Giovanni

My phone is filled with missed calls and messages. Each one more daunting and threatening than the last. I’ve managed to avoid them for the last week, but I can only put it off for so long.

My phone starts to ring for the fifteenth time today. I stare at it, willing it to stop and after a few more rings, it does. I know I can’t keep ignoring it forever, but the prospect of answering it and having another awkward conversation fills me with dread. Avoidance is the only solution right now, until I can wrap my head around what I’m going to do. I knew this job wasn’t going to be easy. There’s a lot at stake when it comes to protecting Bianchi, and while I’m not prepared to let anything happen to her, I’m also battling with the other threat, the one I have no control over. The one that cements everything for me. Of course, nobody besides me knows what lurks in the shadows, the threats that linger over not only me, but Bianchi and her crew. It’s my job to ensure everything runs smoothly.

While Bianchi is insistent on finding the gang leader’s daughter, I need to ensure her safety. I caught a glimpse of the picture that was handed to her by the leader of the gang, and to say I’m shook is an understatement. I could make out the fear in the girl’s eyes, her bedraggled state serving as a warning to the gang that they can and will do anything unless they follow the rules.

I shudder at the thought, because like so many others, I’m aware of what the Verdis are capable of. It’s only a matter of time before that girl becomes less of a bargaining chip and more of a toy. And we all know what happens to broken toys.

Refocusing my attention, I watch Sera, who has been sitting quietly at her desk all morning in the den. Exhaustion and stress weigh her features down. I know she’s struggling with the turn of events from a few days ago, but she’s pushing past it for the sake of her position.

Since Luca and Levi threw it down in the courtyard, Levi has been walking around silently—giving me a run for my money—while Luca just grunts at everything. They’re both sporting some cuts and bruises to their faces, but that’s not what seems to bother Sera the most. She always told me that the silence bothered her. Now, the only people to fill the void are the twins and Raf.

The room has been silent for the better part of half an hour now. Raf and the twins are checking out maps and floor plans, matching up areas that could be a possibility of where the Verdis are keeping Zeke’s daughter.

She had asked Levi to run this meeting with Luca, in an effort to put their differences aside. You can imagine how that went down. They’re currently sitting across from each other, staring each other out. It would be funny if it weren’t for the fact they’ve already pulled guns on one another twice today.

Such a pair of assholes. It doesn’t take a genius to work out how much they like Bianchi. If I were in their shoes, it wouldn’t matter to me whose dick went where and when. Having a woman like Sera before you is a gift in itself. She’s fiercely independent, yet unafraid to show a more vulnerable side. Sometimes I wonder if that’s what makes a great leader. Compassion and power go hand in hand, and she reminds me so much of …

I push that thought to the back of my mind. I hate going to that place. Reliving the past isn’t going to change my present or future. It isn’t going to bring her back to me. Focusing on the now and putting one foot in front of the other is all I know, all I can do.

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