The Truth Hurts: Part Two: The Twisted Betrayal Duet

Chapter 6

“How’s she doing?” Levi asks from the doorway.

“No doubt she’s been better,” I answer from my seat in the corner of her room, barely taking my eyes off of Sera.

The buttery glow from her bedside lamp illuminates her features; her sharp cheekbones, the purple bruising, the bandage still covering her left cheek. Her eyes flutter beneath the mask of sleep. I hope her dreams are taking her to a better place than where she’s been this week. She spent four days locked up in a damn cell, enduring whatever fucked up things Luciano desired. As if the trauma of her past with the man wasn’t enough, he had to go and kidnap her, no doubt forcing her to relive those moments.

I run my hand over my face, attempting to wipe those thoughts from my mind and averting my attention back to Sleeping Beauty.

Since her confrontation with Enzo, she’s done nothing but sleep, and I’ve done nothing but watch her. I don’t think I’ve even blinked. I’m too afraid this might all be some twisted dream and I’ll wake up only to realize it’s too late; that she’s not really here.

I know my abandonment issues stem from my father’s death. We were so damn close that the loss feels like a wound that’ll never heal. And now with Enzo here, there’s a constant reminder of that day walking around this house. It’s unfair and wrong. I didn’t know Enzo that well, but because his betrayal hurts Sera and Levi, it hurts me, too.

It’s late in the evening now and we’re all exhausted, hungry and agitated. There’s no way you can come to terms with this many revelations and not get overwhelmed. Between Giovanni’s and Enzo’s betrayal, I don’t know which I’m more pissed about. It’s safe to say that Sera is handling the Giovanni situation a lot better than I thought. But it’s the revelation of her best friend that she refuses to accept.

I finally look up at Levi. His face is marked with an array of bruises and cuts; some from me, some from his altercation with Enzo earlier. His boyish charm still shines through despite his ruggedness, adding a dangerous layer of attraction.

“Do you think she’s going to be okay?” I whisper, unable to conceal the guilt I feel.

Levi smiles, glancing over at Sera’s peaceful body. “If there’s one thing I know for certain about her, it’s that she can get through anything.” He rests his hand on my shoulder, giving a tight squeeze. It’s the simplest gesture, yet offers me all the comfort I need.

“For certain, huh?” I quirk a brow, averting my gaze to Sera’s sleeping form. “We don’t know what she went through.”

“Do you want to know?”

I consider his words for a moment. His question leaves too much room for speculation—and I hate where those thoughts take me.

“Knowing what she went through will only anger you more,” he adds quietly.

“Yeah, you’re right,” I say with a deep breath. I hate how fucking right he is, but I’d be an idiot to deny it. It would tear me apart knowing what she went through, and that I couldn’t do a thing to stop it. It would drive me crazy knowing everything and not having a way to retaliate, since Enzo was the one who got to kill that piece of shit. Not knowing is the only thing that will help me focus on the future, our future.

“What about Gio?” I ask. “What are we going to do about him?”

“Enzo has it handled.”

“Enzo is going to kill him before Sera gets a chance to see him.”

Levi sighs, carding his fingers through his hair. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to let that happen?”

“She’s still our leader, Levi. If she wants to see him, we can’t stop her.”

Truthfully, I can’t believe he’s even questioning it. Sera was explicit in her demands to see Giovanni, but we were right in making sure she rested first. It already took so much out of her to confront Enzo today. Seeing Giovanni… we don’t know how she’ll react.

“As her advisor, I’ll advise against it. I don’t give a fuck why he betrayed her, he still did it.”

“For his daughter,” I cut in. Suddenly, the tables have turned and I’m being the reasonable one. “You heard her. Gio had no choice.”

“And the Verdis have my sister, but you don’t see me turning Sera in over my sister’s place, do you?!”

“Levi,” I huff, taking his hand. “I’m not siding with him.”

He snatches it away. “It sure sounds like you are.”

I grip his shirt, tugging him gently against me. “I’m on her side, Levi,” I say, pointing at Sera with one hand, the other still firmly clutching the material over his chest. “She wants to see him and I’m not going to get in the way of that!”

“Fine! But after that, he has to go.”

I don’t think I can agree with him more on that one. Giovanni was the last guy I wanted to trust, but I did so because he was protecting our leader. Though that thought only leads me to another; one I don’t really want to think about. “What about his daughter? Sera knew about her. She wants to see Gio for a reason.”

“Do you think she knows where his daughter is?”

I shake my head with certainty. “She would have told us if she did.”

“I think we should go speak to him, then.”

“What?”

“I want to see him.” Levi glances at Sera. “He did this for his daughter, so where is she now?” His voice breaks a little, and my first instinct is to reach out to him because I know what he’s thinking.

Was this all for nothing? A lie?

Since this week started, it’s been Levi comforting me. It’s always been Levi looking out for me. But the look in his eyes tells me there’s more to what he’s saying right now. This isn’t just for Sera, it’s for him, too. I know I don’t have anything to worry about, but I can’t say I’m not unsettled by this. And I know it’s a bad idea to see Giovanni without Sera.

“When Sera is—”

“No!” Levi snaps, waving a hand dismissively. He turns on his heel without another word, marching out of the room before I can stop him. There’s no room for negotiation as he storms down the stairs, but I’m hot on his heels, chasing him down.

“Levi, just wait!”

“Wait for what?!” He pushes through the kitchen, the twins glancing up at us from the table as Levi yanks the door to the garage open. His footsteps echo as he makes his way across it, heading towards another door that leads to the basement.

I grab his arm before he can make another rash decision. This isn’t him at all. He never lets his anger fuel him or lead him into situations. He’s clear-thinking, always taking a step back from a situation as opposed to me, who leads with my emotions. “Please, Levi.”

He stops in the doorway, staring down the steps that will lead him to Giovanni, to the answers he’s so desperately seeking. Though, I’m not so sure he’ll get them. I don’t even know what state we’re going to find Giovanni in, and despite all the bullshit that has gone on, I’m not sure I want to see it.

Enzo shouldn’t be the one torturing him, though I get why he’s doing it. Giovanni betrayed all of us. He kept secrets from us that put us all in danger.

Suddenly, my clear thinking turns to a simmering anger as I consider what we’ve all gone through. Levi wears the same look as I am, and right there, the decision is made.

“We’re only asking questions,” I remind Levi.

“We?” he raises a brow, accepting my agreement.

“You and me, il mio sole.” I step forward, cupping the back of his neck and bringing him towards me until our foreheads meet. “We don’t touch him.”

With a small nod, Levi agrees. Then he turns and descends the stairs before me, not looking back until both our feet land in the corridor that leads to our new prisoner. Our footsteps echo softly as we move through the dimly lit passage, the walls a dull gray that’s all too fitting for everything about this situation.

I’ve never been down here before; I doubt Sera has. There’s a deep sense of foreboding, though. Whether that was caused by Enzo or it’s just the general eeriness of the place, I get a chill just being down here. For the past three days, Enzo has been handling the situation. As much as I want to know what that entails, I’ve kept myself out of it. Death doesn’t affect me anymore. It’s been a long time since I felt any unease over torturing someone. It’s the bread and butter of this life, so I should be accustomed to it. But Giovanni isn’t just some enemy. He was the one person Sera trusted to protect her; we all did. Having someone close betray you like that changes your perspective on things. In a way, I think it’s put all of us on edge, leaving us wondering who we can even trust anymore.

As we amble through the corridor, my hand finds Levi’s. There’s a door ahead, cold hard steel facing us. A small window sits in its center, like a viewing area for the damned. Levi pushes it open, a soft creak filling the dark room as we step inside.

The lights flicker on automatically from our motion—meaning Giovanni has probably been passed out for quite some time. The stench that emanates is one filled with piss and sweat, not something I ever want to associate with Giovanni, yet here we are. It’s a clear sign that nobody is paying attention to his needs, and if it were any other person, I’d turn a blind eye, but I can’t help but feel sorry for the guy.

What’s worse is the way the color has drained from his features. Blood drips continuously down his wrists from the barbed wire wrapped around them. I have to give Enzo props on his creativity to source ways to inflict pain. I’ve always enjoyed torture myself, slow and drawn out, and this is definitely one for the books.

“Wake up!” Levi barks, the angry tone making me flinch. His authority is unmatched, nothing like I’ve ever heard before. “We need to talk!”

Giovanni shifts with a groan, his feet scraping at the concrete below.

I swallow heavily, noticing the teeth scattered around his scuffed boots. I count four in total, but that doesn’t mean shit in the grand scheme of things. Levi’s eyes follow mine. He must notice what I do, because his lips turn up into a soft smirk, full of surprise and sickening pleasure.

“Just kill me,” Giovanni rasps. It’s barely audible, a meager plea in his desperate and desolate surroundings.

“I’m not here to do that,” Levi answers. “Sera still wants to see you, which means we need to keep you alive a little longer..”

Giovanni lifts his head. Though his eyes are swollen shut, I can tell by the way his breath pitches up that he’s surprised.

I am, too. After everything, Sera’s kind heart continues to win over torture and murder.

“Trust me, we’re surprised too,” I say, folding my arms over my chest.

“Where is she?” Giovanni asks weakly.

“Resting,” Levi answers vaguely. “She mentioned your daughter.”

Giovanni visibly twitches. Family is one of the pillars that forms La Cosa Nostra. It’s why his betrayal hurts so much. It’s why he flinches when Levi pushes for an answer. “Your daughter, where is she?”

“I don’t know.” Giovanni hangs his head, an intense sadness filling the room immediately. “The Verdis have her… I don’t know where.”

“Is she alive?” I ask.

Silence.

It’s so eerie that I have to take a breath to make sure I’m still clinging onto my mortality. Giovanni’s answer is everything; it’s a void; an empty, hollow sob that has my jaw clenching as I fight back the sliver of sympathy I feel over his situation.

“You should have told us,” I add, though I’m pretty sure he knows this already. “We—”

“You couldn’t have helped me.” Giovanni’s gravelly voice travels through the room. “They wanted one thing, and they wouldn’t stop.”

“They won’t stop,” Levi agrees. “This isn’t over. Luciano is dead, but Don Verdi and Ronaldo are going to want revenge for that.”

My eyes dart to Levi. His voice is filled with hatred, but it’s a new depth of the emotion, simmering in guilt and remorse.

“And he has your sister.” Levi turns to me, his eyes soft and filled with pent up emotion.

“After what Sera has been through, I can’t let that happen to Luisa, too.”

“It won’t,” I say, stepping towards him to take both of his hands. I ignore Giovanni’s presence to look Levi in the eyes. In one glance, I see the very same worry I’ve felt all week. While we’ve been tearing our hair out over Sera, Levi’s also had to think about his sister—wondering where she is and if she’s okay. I know he hasn’t heard from her in a while. In fact, the last time he spoke about her was at Greco’s wedding. That was almost two months ago, and we still don’t know a thing.

I cup his face between my palms, pressing my forehead to his. “We’ll get her back, I promise.”

He pushes away slightly, enough to grant some air between us, but not enough to separate us. “I thought you didn’t make promises,” he retorts softly.

“Yeah, well… I also thought I didn’t like guys.”