The Truth Hurts: Part Two: The Twisted Betrayal Duet

Chapter 13

There’s a certain melancholy that seems to stain my thoughts. A level of guilt I can’t shake wraps around me like a suffocating blanket. Serafina has done me more than enough favors. She’s offered me a lifeline where no other person in her position would have. I owe her a debt I can never repay. Not because it’s unattainable, but because she’d never allow me to. This is her way of slicing the knife, cutting ties with me while reminding me that what she stands for will never be the reason she breaks.

Family.

The door to the pool house swings open, and Serafina’s presence offers up the sliver of happiness and relief I feel. She paces through to take a seat in the armchair in the corner of the room, crossing one leg over the other as she glares at me.

Her cheek is bandaged up, the same as mine, masking the evidence of Luciano’s blade and a testament to how hard he pushed her, yet she didn’t break. As for her wrists, we both have them wrapped in gauze and bandages, though mine itch like hell and she doesn’t even seem perturbed in the slightest by hers.

I finish buttoning the shirt Marco brought me earlier before turning to face her.

She exudes power, an air of confidence that I haven’t seen before. This isn’t the Serafina Bianchi I was tasked to protect three months ago. No, this is a woman who has risen from the ashes like a phoenix, using her pain as a weapon, a shield to strengthen and protect her. She doesn’t need the men behind her because I’m looking at a woman who could take you out with a glare.

Moving to the end of my bed, I shift uncomfortably. I’ve been expecting this visit. It’s been three days since she ordered Enzo to release me, and while I’m glad I’m no longer hanging over my own demise, I’m certain that will still be my final destination. Serafina’s words continue to linger in the back of my mind, reminding me that her forgiveness is what’s keeping me alive, promising me I’ll see Gabriella again.

Levi stands beside her, his arms folded as his eyes tour the room. We haven’t spoken a word to one another since their last visit to the basement, but I can feel his turmoil. Just like me, he’s had someone taken from him. Just like me, he’ll do anything to get her back.

“You need to tell us everything,” Sera starts, sliding her palms up and down the arms of the chair. “How it started, what they said and did. I want the beginning, middle and…”

“End?” I answer, lifting a brow.

Silently, she nods, her eyes flickering with something turbulent. I’d describe it as an emotion close to anger, but Sera doesn’t express her anger as clearly as Luca does, so I’m not sure what she’s battling in that head of hers. I just know it can’t be good.

“How did you come to be my bodyguard?”

I slide my elbows to my thighs, leaning forward as I link my fingers together. “Your father. He contacted me, said he needed someone like me to ensure his daughter’s safety.”

There’s something familiar blazing in her eyes. It’s like a fire has sparked, knowledge of what transpired starting to fuel the embers into an inferno. “Did you know who I was?”

I nod, lifting my gaze to hers. “Yes.”

“And that didn’t bother you?”

Tilting my head, I slide my focus between Sera and Levi, my brows knitting together. “Why would that bother me?”

Sera’s lips kick up into a smirk, her head turning to Levi as they share some kind of silent conversation. After a beat, Sera returns her attention to me, the stoic mask readjusted. “So what happened after that?”

It feels awfully hot in here. Even though the pool house is air conditioned, I still feel the creep of heat crawl up my neck, the beads of sweat blooming across my temple. I haven’t retold this story—hell, I haven’t even spoken to my own sister about what happened. We haven’t spoken at all because she believes Gabriella is with me. It’s the only lie I could tell her that wouldn’t raise more suspicion.

Clearing my throat, I avert my gaze. Looking at Serafina only reminds me of my daughter, the defiance, the stubbornness. Though that’s as far as their likeness goes, it still hurts that I’ve not only let Sera down, but my daughter too.

The California sun blazes down on me as I step out of LAX. It’s mid-afternoon, and though the journey was seamless, I can feel the exhaustion creeping in. I chose to catch the redeye flight, so Gabriella wouldn’t see me leave. It would only make things harder and right now, that’s the last thing we need. I switch on my phone, my travel bag in one hand while I wait for my car. I can feel the sticky heat coat my neck, sweat beading across my forehead. It’s a different kind of heat compared to the Texas weather. It’s drier back home, a low humidity that makes it tolerable.

All of a sudden my phone rings in my hand, and as I glance down, my heart sinks. Gabriella’s name flashes across the screen, my hand tightening its grasp.

“Angioletto,” I sigh.

“Not quite,” the voice on the phone says. It’s deep, deviant, with a hint of sadistic intent lacing his words.

“Who is this?” I frown, pulling the phone away to double check the caller ID. Nope, it still says Gabriella. “Who is this?!” I repeat more loudly.

“Giovanni Cruz,” the man tuts. “I’m the person who’s holding something dear to you. One wrong move and that something could… disappear.”

Time seems to slow down; my heart rate, my breathing, my life. My mind grows fuzzy, like whatever I’m trying to understand doesn’t comprehend.

“Where is she?” I growl.

“She’s with me.” I hear the smile that accompanies his words, the evil motive that tells me my daughter isn’t safe, despite what he might tell me.

“What do you want?”

“I want someone to die,” he answers simply.

Time speeds back up, and my blood chills. “I don’t kill. I protect.”

“Oh no!” The man chuckles. “You won’t be killing anyone. But you won’t be protecting them either.”

I don’t know who I’m talking to, but I can hazard a guess that this is the threat Alfredo Bianchi hired me to protect his daughter from.

“Gabriella will be safe with me,” he says. “Follow my orders and you won’t have to worry about your darling daughter.” There’s a long pause that draws out an impatient and worried sigh from me. “It’s a shame. She’s a gorgeous little girl.”

I shudder at the thoughts that spear through my mind. Whoever this guy is, he isn’t to be messed with.

“Please, just let me speak to her!”

“There’s no need to worry her,” he coos, and I imagine Gabriella somewhere near him, shivering in fear. “You wouldn’t want her getting hurt because of something stupid, would you?”

“Please!”

“Just do your job, Giovanni. Keep your mouth shut, you’re good at that. And I’ll be in touch.”

The line goes dead before I can beg or bargain with the man, leaving me lost in my own fear and anger. Sweat drips in rivulets down my temple, my breaths growing shallow and panicked. I’m usually a calm and collected guy, but this isn’t something I’ve ever had to deal with or prepare for. When your mark is in danger, it’s easy to assess the situation, formulate a plan of escape or rescue. But this, this is different.

I don’t know what to do.

I look up at Sera, my eyes burning with unshed tears. Reliving the memory only prolongs the agony, the emptiness consuming my soul. There’s nowhere for me to look than at Sera, and her eyes say it all.

“I don’t remember when I found out it was the Verdis,” I croak.

Sera sighs gently, pushing up from the armchair. “Do you know where they’re keeping her?”

I shake my head. “I didn’t exactly have the chance to ask.”

“That’s what I thought,” she mumbles to Levi. She steps toward me, dropping to her knees in front of me. Cupping my face, I look into those deep brown eyes, soft and sincere. “Raf is searching for her, for Luisa too. We’ll get them back. I promise.”