The Truth Hurts: Part Two: The Twisted Betrayal Duet

Chapter 15

“We have to get her!” Levi exclaims as he paces the room. I can practically feel the irritation eating away at him like a goddamn rash he can’t get rid of. He can scratch at it, smother it, soothe it, but nothing can make it vanish. Clearly, his time with Sera this afternoon was short-lived, because he’s no longer the calm and collected guy that walked into the den only ten minutes ago, wearing the smuggest look on his face. I’d say I was jealous, but I’m just pleased Levi finally got some time with our girl.

Our girl. The term feels alien to me, yet my chest blooms with warmth every time those words cross my mind.

“We can find a way to get in, we’ve done it before!” Levi presses.

“We had help before,” Marco remarks bluntly as he passes Raf’s laptop back to him.

When I told Levi to come back to the house, it was because Raf had news and wanted to break it to us all at the same time. While the information Raf found wasn’t exactly good news for us, it has reduced some of our concerns.

We now know for certain where Luisa is being held, but it’s not like the other places we took down. Hell, from the way Enzo described where Sera was being held during her captivity, that place was like a playground in comparison to where Ronaldo is keeping his wife. The compound is pretty much a fortress, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The only entry point is through solid steel gates, manned twenty-four-seven by at least ten guards. It’s not going to be easy, but with the right manpower, we might be able to make it work.

We still have no idea why Ronaldo would keep Luisa locked up. Sure, the Verdis are known for being sick and twisted, but caging a grown woman whose connection to us is through marriage doesn’t make sense. She has no bearing on Sera, so she’s not being held as leverage

What else is he hiding?

Levi spins around, waving a hand in his cousin’s direction. “Don’t we have help now?”

Just looking at Levi is getting me agitated. I understand that he’s got all this pent-up guilt and frustration over his sister, but he’s geared up to step into the fire without any regard for his own safety. We need a plan. We need to think strategically, because otherwise there’s no way we’re getting out alive, let alone with Luisa.

“We need to gather resources before we think about rescuing anyone,” Enzo states.

“No,” Sera cuts in, something I’m thankful for because then I don’t have to be the one to shoot the guys down. “I’m not risking it.”

“Not risking it?” Levi questions, his nostrils flaring. I can see the storm brewing behind his eyes, the one he says consumes me on a daily basis. It’s like we’ve switched roles, adopting each other’s traits like they were always ours. “What does that mean?”

Sera pushes up to stand, her authority and power emanating from her. “It means,” she says sternly, “I’m not risking anyone’s lives until we know what we’re dealing with.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Levi presses.

“Nothing, right now.” Sera steps forward and takes Levi’s hand. “We can’t go storming the castle without an escape plan, Levi. Luisa deserves better than a half-cocked rescue mission. The twins will work with Raf to come up with a plan, and then we’ll get her back.” She strokes his face, soothing the storm that threatens to overwhelm him. It seems to calm him, something I’d never be able to do with a simple touch.

I glance at Enzo, not surprised to see the look of jealousy painted across his own features as he observes the interaction. I guess since we’ve all agreed to set our differences aside, he’s still struggling to come to terms with the fact that the girl he’s always wanted is the one girl he can’t have. She’s taken, and there’s more than one man in his way.

Not gonna lie, it’s a little satisfying knowing I have something the great Enzo LaRosa so desperately wants.

“It’s been months, Sera,” Levi sighs, sadness etched in his words. “What if…”

“You’ve seen it with your own eyes. She’s alive,” Raf interrupts.

Though that’s as much as we’ve been able to see; a brief reflection of her through a window. Raf couldn’t get any closer without the quality of the feed blurring, but it gives us the hope we needed to know she’s still alive.

“How long?” Levi asks.

“I don’t know.” Raf sighs as he continues to tap away at his keyboard. “I’m trying to find floor plans, schematics, and architectural drawings. But there isn’t exactly a library for enemy lairs.”

“Okay,” Sera claps before turning to us all. “Raf, find what you need to. We don’t do anything until we have a plan. Marco, Matteo, I need you to come up with the plan once we know what we’re up against. Preferably something low risk that doesn’t involve another gunshot wound or worse. Once we have something solid in place, we’ll go get her.”

There’s power in every single word she says. I’m in awe at how strong and resilient she is, assuring Levi without any doubts. If she has any, I wouldn’t pick up on them. Her confidence in all of us is unwavering, making me realize just how close we are.

I watch her lean up and kiss Levi’s lips softly. The tenderness they show each other is something I always feel like I shouldn’t be watching, like they’re sharing a private moment. Despite everyone else in the room, the two of them seem to shut out the rest of the world for a few precious moments, keeping it just for themselves.

The sound of a phone ringing cuts through the silence, Sera jumping back as she stuffs a hand in her pocket to retrieve it. She sighs deeply, eyes shutting briefly like she’s in pain before she opens them again.

“What’s wrong, Dolcezza?” I ask, leaning forward to take her hand.

She passes her still-ringing phone to me, marching out of the room without a word. I look at the phone to see her father’s name on the screen. Judging from the way she walked off, I’m assuming talking to him is out of the question.

“Let it go to voicemail,” Enzo grunts.

“He’ll be wanting to check she’s okay,” I supply.

Levi snatches the phone from me, hitting the reject call button and tossing the phone into Enzo’s lap. “He’s your responsibility.”

“How?” Enzo frowns. “I’ve told him she’s safe.”

“And now he knows that you’ve defied his orders, right?” I raise a brow at him. “Sera was never supposed to know you were alive. So it stands to reason that this is your mess to clean up.”

“I don’t see how—”

“If you don’t see how this is up to you to handle, we’re going to have to defy Bianchi’s orders and remind you,” I growl, putting all threat behind those words..

“Fine!” Enzo resigns, throwing up his hands in surrender. “I’ll handle it.”

“Matteo and I are going to work on rescue plans,” Marco tells us, then turns to focus his attention on Raf. “Once you have a layout, we can look at how to approach this and what resources we need.”

The twins and Raf talk some more about how they’re going to infiltrate the compound. After seemingly going around in circles, we all agree to wait for more information from Raf. There’s a lot riding on him getting this right—not just for Levi, but for Sera, too. Raf lost her respect after hiding the fact he was harboring Enzo at his place. It’s taken a few attempts from Levi and I to reassure her he’s on our side, but it’s going to take time for him to get in her good graces, especially now he’s got an even bigger task on his shoulders.

I wouldn’t want to be him right now.

The twins and Raf exit the den while discussing how to utilize more drones and surveillance, leaving Enzo, Levi and I to ruminate in the awkward silence that ensues. It doesn’t stretch for long before Enzo clears his throat and shifts in his seat.

“I want to talk to you both about something.”

“What?” Levi snaps, and I swipe a hand over my mouth to hide my smirk. His snappy attitude is comical when it isn’t aimed at me.

“It’s Sera,” Enzo replies apprehensively.

“What about her?” I quiz.

He glances between me and Levi, contemplation stunting his words for a moment—which is unusual when it comes to Enzo. He usually has a lot to say and never holds back. It’s why there have been so many fistfights under this roof lately. Enzo just can’t help himself, which is why his apprehension to speak freely draws out my suspicions.

“Well?” Levi pushes.

“I want to do something for her birthday.”

“Is this your way of making it up to her?” I snort. “You really think throwing a party is going to erase everything that happened?”

“How many times are you going to bring that up, Fontana?”

“Until you realize how much pain you’ve caused!” I shout back. My chest heaves with unfiltered rage, though I try to rein it in. It’s not like we can all just forget what happened. We might have agreed to set our differences aside for the sake of Sera, but his actions still leave a bitter taste in my mouth that no party can cleanse.

“Don’t you think I know that! I had to watch you guys with her!” His face is flushed, his jaw clenching as he looks between us. After a beat, he drops the act, his features softening slightly as he cards his fingers through his dark hair. “I just… I want to do this for her,” he mutters, swiping a hand across his face. The unmistakable look of longing and loss is etched across his features, something I never thought I’d see.

I glance at Levi, who raises a brow at me. I can’t tell whether he’s asking my permission or questioning my pushback. We’ve never been great at reading each other’s minds. It’s more intuitive; an ability to read Levi’s body language more than anything. And right now, his body is telling me he wants to let Enzo have this, but he still has reservations.

“It’s not safe,” I remind him.

“It’ll be low-key, just the two of us.”

“No!” I snap, stepping forward. The last thing we need is her alone with Enzo, somewhere without backup or protection. One man isn’t going to be enough if the Verdis come after Sera again. “Being alone is what got her into this mess, remember?”

“She won’t be alone. I’ll be with her.”

Enzo’s effort to reason with me is pointless. If he wants to do something with Sera, then he has to take me and Levi with him. I’m sure that’ll put a damper on this plan of his, but that’s the least of my concern. Sera’s safety is paramount.

Levi steps in, pressing a hand to my chest. “It’s not up for negotiation,” he states, redirecting his attention to his cousin. “If you’re planning on taking her anywhere, you need backup. You know it’s not safe right now.”

“Fine. You’re right,” Enzo exhales loudly. The defeat in his tone only raises my suspicions further. Either the guy has an ulterior motive, or he’s really trying to make amends. Whatever he’s planning, I’m still not budging on my decision. Sera isn’t safe going anywhere alone, and Enzo can’t deny that. But the way he just caved isn’t like him at all.

Sighing, I glance over at Levi. Sera’s birthday is still two weeks away, and while I can’t say either of us have thought that far ahead, I don’t want her to miss out. She still deserves to celebrate her birthday. When he meets my eyes, I see that he’s just as conflicted.

I retake my seat and ponder it for a long moment. I don’t have a problem with Enzo planning something for Sera; it’s probably the least he could do after his past transgressions. But leaving her open to another attack just doesn’t sit right with me. We have to think about this logically, cover all bases and potential risks—my speciality.

“What did you have in mind?” I finally ask Enzo.

“A trip,” he shrugs.

“Ahh fuck!” Levi grumbles, rubbing his brow as he takes a seat beside me. “Seriously?”

My attention darts between the pair of them. I’m not sure what I’m missing, but these two being on the same page is a little unnerving. After some time passes, Levi chuckles, like they’ve just shared some silent conversation, reminiscing on old times. Cousin or not, it grates on my damn nerves that they have a history I don’t share in. They have the ability to talk without words—Enzo has the ability to talk without words to my man.

Levi taps my leg, peering at me with a mischievous smile. “She always looked forward to her birthday,” he says, as if I should know how to read between the lines of that statement.

“Why?” I frown, confused more than ever at what’s happening right now.

“Because she never knew what to expect,” he laughs.

Enzo joins in, chuckling deeply like he’s reliving past memories.

As tentative as I feel, I also want to give Sera the opportunity to relax and enjoy some time away from this side of our lives. It’ll be difficult, but if we can pull this surprise off, it might just bring us all that little bit closer.

Looking back at the guys, resigning to the fact I have no choice. I sigh, nodding once. “Fine. What’s the plan?”