Page 10 of The Silence Lies

After the door clicks shut, I release a breath. I’m not afraid of Luca, but I sure as shit am wracked with guilt, and that does something to a person. It makes me uneasy, uncertain, and obscenely naïve.

“You really want to be alone in a room with me?” he asks, raising a skeptical brow.

“I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself,” I retort.

I know this is Luca’s way of keeping his distance from me. He thinks that I’ll bring more death and destruction, and he’d be right. But I’ll also bring hellfire and redemption. I’m the one thing standing in his way. I’m the only person who can really stop him from going after the Verdis. Without me, he can’t avenge his father’s death.

Without him, I have no allies.

Pushing away from the table, I make my way to where he’s sitting and perch on the table.

Luca’s jaw clenches, his blue eyes boring into me. I take the time to observe him, noticing the bags under his eyes, the pale skin tone. Sleepless nights and binge drinking will do that to you. He’s suffering, just as much as I am, only I haven’t taken to drowning my thoughts in alcohol. At least, not yet.

When Luca doesn’t say anything, I decide to take the reins.

“I’m sorry for what happened to your father.” Sincerity drowns my voice, my words cracking under the weight of my honesty. I rest my hand upon his. “I wish I could have protected him, but—”

“I don’t blame you,” he cuts me off, snatching his hand away. Though his gesture of disgust shocks me, his words temporarily offer me some reprieve.

I reply with silence, responding with a grateful nod because I can tell how hard it is for him to say that. I’ve only known the guy a few years, mainly at gatherings between the families, but it’s enough to pick up on his tells.

“I do resent you, though.”

His words catch me off guard. “Resent me?” I frown.

Luca leans back in his chair, folding his thick arms across his chest. His eyes flicker for a moment, his gaze wandering over my face, my neck. “You were the last person to see him alive.”

“I’m not sure—”

“If you hadn’t taken up the position, he’d still be alive. I don’t know what he was thinking, but he should have known a female leader was going to cause drama. Yet he still chose to protect you.” He stands up to tower over me, knuckles resting on the wooden surface either side of my hips. “Which is what we all promised, right?”

I shudder at the reminder, at the deep tone of his voice that rumbles through me. Looking up, I finally see the sadness in his eyes. He’s not trying to hurt me with his words, he’s trying to make me understand. He’s being honest, even if it’s difficult to hear. My chest tightens, the tears threatening to escape as I think of his father’s cold, dead eyes, staring back at me. They’re the same eyes looking at me now, cementing his position in this vendetta.

“And I will never take that for granted,” I assure quietly. “I didn’t ask for this position—”

“Yet, you took it.”

“Don’t you think I regret that?” I finally snap, closing a fraction of the distance between our faces. “Don’t you think I know that all of this is because of me!?” I let out an exasperated sigh.

“Regret doesn’t fix what happened, Donna.”

I flinch at my title leaving his lips, because even though he’s remaining respectful, he’s not afraid to express how he feels.

Silence lapses between us. I feel the tension like quicksand. I’m slowly sinking and one wrong move could result in me being nothing but one with the grains swallowing me. “Tell me what I can do to fix this.”

Luca leans forward. He’s so close I can feel his hot breath across my lips. His blue eyes are dark and unwavering and I can’t seem to tear myself away from them.

“Revenge,” he smirks.

There it is. The reason he is here. The reason he is trying to push his hate towards me aside.

“That, I can do.” I smile back, feeling a sliver of that earlier tension dissipate. “But if me leading you is going to be an issue, I want to know now.”

“You being a woman has nothing to do with it,” Luca’s bored tone pierces the tension as he straightens up. “Some of the best leaders in the world were women. I know what you’re capable of, and I want to avenge their deaths as much as you do.”

“Good. I’m glad we’re on the same page.” Placing my hand in front of me, I wait for him to shake it.

He looks down at the olive branch, but instead of taking it, he steps away.

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