The Truth Hurts: Part Two: The Twisted Betrayal Duet

Chapter 25

Ikick back my foot and rest it on the wall behind me, locking eyes with Levi as I suck on my cigarette. We’ve been standing in this stairwell for the past ten minutes, absorbed in silence as we listen to Sera’s conversation with the Verdis through our earpieces. My fist clenches and relaxes rhythmically, while my other hand grips the cigarette as I take a long drag of nicotine. I hate how clear I can hear Ronaldo’s voice; not because the earpiece picks up every single fucking sound, but because he’s so close to her.

“How does it feel to know you were just a pawn in this game?”

My jaw clenches as I attempt to rein in my anger. It’s taking everything I have not to storm in there already. I had my reservations about getting Giovanni involved in this plan, but now that he’s alone with her and the Verdis, I’m even more anxious. Sera will always be my priority. I swore I would protect her—not just to her father, but to myself. I’ll do whatever it takes to accomplish that, including taking out her bodyguard if he so much as touches her.

“Why did you come back?” Levi questions me from the opposite wall. He wears irritation like a second skin, and I have no doubt my reappearance is the reason.

“I don’t know what you wanna hear, cuz?” I huff, taking another drag of nicotine.

When Levi’s gaze darkens, I know I have some making up to do. Sera might have already forgiven me–to a point–but my cousin still harbors resentment for me. I can’t say I blame him. He’s family, and I hurt him. Sera’s words from last week echo in my head as I take a deep breath and look him in the eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I confess into the silence. “I hurt you, too.”

“You’re damn right you did,” he glowers.

“I don’t know how I can make it up to you. I’m really trying with Sera, and I know that’ll take time as well but–”

“Just so we’re on the same page. You being here won’t change anything. Luca and I are as part of her life as you want to be. I won’t let you make her choose, so if that’s your angle, I suggest you take that gun and do what she didn’t.”

I resist the urge to snap back because I can’t fault his words. I see how much he cares for my best friend, how much he makes her happy. The moment Sera and I shared on the beach, I was completely honest with her. I do want to be the reason she has a smile on her face. But I’m also unsure how this works. Sharing was never a part of my vocabulary but Sera’s happiness is a big part of my life now.

“I’m not going anywhere, Marchese.” I lift my head defiantly. “Accept that.”

After a brief silence where Levi seems to think over my statement, he nods. “So what’s the plan here?” he asks, changing the subject quickly.

“We wait,” I reply boredly.

“We know why you’re really here,” Ronaldo’s voice comes through the earpiece. And while I’m pretty sure we can all hear what’s being said, my breaths seem to freeze in my chest, my instincts edging me closer to the fire exit. All it would take is three steps and I’d be in that room, pressing the barrel of my gun to the back of Verdi’s head. I’d take the greatest pleasure in ending Ronaldo and his father’s life. I didn’t have much time to relish in Luciano’s death, but I plan to rectify that with the remaining Verdis.

“I’m tired of all this,” Sera sighs. There’s movement in the background, the sound of glass clinking and gentle footsteps–her footsteps– thudding across the floor. “I want peace between the families.”

“You should have thought about that before you killed my son,” Verdi retorts.

I take another drag on my cigarette, listening intently to everything being said.

“Enzo, we have a problem.” Raf’s voice cuts through the earpiece, and his panic can be felt instantly. “We’ve lost contact with Luca and his team.”

I lock eyes with Levi as he straightens, eyes blowing wide as his gaze darts from me to the door. Panic sets in as I hear Raf repeat Luca’s name over and over, only to get no response.

“What about the twins? I ask nervously as I discard my cigarette on the floor, stamping it out under my heel.

“Nothing. It’s like they’ve hid a dead spot, or…”

The line goes silent for a moment. The tapping of his fingers on his keyboard resumes, and though I know I shouldn’t be worried, my pulse quickens as the tapping increases. “Raf?” I growl, reaching for my weapon tucked into my slacks. “Now would be the time to talk, or I’m marching in there and getting Bianchi out.”

“Something’s not right. Cazzo!” Raf bangs his fist, and the sound is almost deafening, the high pitch of the communications being interrupted piercing through my eardrum.

Levi and I wince, cupping our ears as if that will somehow protect them. There’s a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. I rarely listen to that feeling because most of the time it’s only my life on the line, but right now we have a team of twenty, including Luca and the twins, who’ve put their lives in jeopardy to bring Luisa back safely. If anything happens to them tonight, it won’t just be Sera feeling the pain of it all.

I glance at Levi, who’s running his fingers through his now unruly dark curls. I don’t know how deep he feels for Luca, but I know that whatever is going on between them isn’t just some fling. Levi has never been the type, and as far as I was aware, he wasn’t even into guys before Fontana. I can’t allow him to lose his sister and boyfriend.

In my earpiece, I can hear Sera trying to buy time. She’s bargaining with my name, negotiating the identity of Luciano’s killer. There’s no way Don Verdi will bite, but I admire the effort.

“I want one other thing,” she tells them, which has my own interest immediately piqued.

I hear Ronaldo scoff in the background, the sound setting my teeth on edge. “I don’t think you’re in any position to ask for anything.”

“Go on,” Don Verdi says, and I can tell Sera’s got him. “I’m listening.”

“Raf?” I grumble. This is cutting it too close. We need information before this gets out of hand, and judging by the tone of the conversation on the other line, we don’t have long.

“Gio’s daughter. You give her back. Alive.”

I swallow my nerves as an unsettling pause ensues. Raf and I are already aware of what the Verdis have been up to– we’ve been tracking them for months, keeping tabs on their movements. They were tight with keeping their location under wraps, but as soon as their shipment was caught at Sera’s dockyard, it was no surprise who was to blame.

It might not have been planned, but those bodies were a part of something big– something not even Sera can stop– and I have a nauseating feeling that Giovanni’s kid might be stuck in the middle of it all.

“She has her uses,” Don Verdi says, and that’s all I need to know to confirm what Raf and I discovered. “They all do.”

Giovanni’s voice raises through the earpiece, his threat strong and clear. “If you’ve touched her—”

“You’ll what?” Don Verdi laughs, the tenor of his cackle causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. I’ve met this guy enough times to know what he’s like. His son wasn’t much different, and I doubt Ronaldo strays from the same path. These men have stepped out of line. Human trafficking isn’t something our outfit does, it’s never been in the interest of the Famiglia, and now I’m understanding exactly why the Verdis want to take Bianchi out and claim control. This was never just about Sera taking the seat, but about the Verdis’ rulership.

“They’ve tripped a sensor!” Raf barks.

“Who?” Levi paces towards me.

“Luca,” I mutter. “Cazzo! We need to get Bianchi out of there.” I grab my phone from my pocket, hitting send on the message I already compiled. The one thing I never go into a mission without is a backup to my backup plan. Sera will have my head for this, but I never trusted Giovanni. I had to plan ahead so I could keep my promise.

“I… I don’t know how I missed it, but—” Raf continues to blabber on.

“It doesn’t matter now. We’re going to plan C.”

“Tut tut,Topolina.” From the volume of it, Ronaldo’s voice is close–too close for my liking. But it’s not his words that have me reaching for the door. It’s the clear message behind his taunt, the one that tells me we’re not the only ones who know what’s happening back at the compound.

“Plan C?” Levi startles behind me as I yank the fire exit door open. “What’s Plan C?”

Verdi’s guard straightens up as soon as he spots us, his head snapping in our direction as he raises his gun. He’s less than a meter away from us, yet he pauses as if he doesn’t want to pull the trigger.

Mistake number one was giving this man with a nervous disposition a gun.

Mistake number two was the fact he only had to shoot me.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he says, his voice wobbling, and then I really do feel bad.

Still doesn’t stop me from pulling the trigger, though. My bullet hits him square between the eyes in less than half a second and his body drops to the floor, the thud no doubt heard from the other side of the hotel room wall. His eyes are wide and empty, blood trickling from the entry wound, but his brains have painted a pretty canvas on the wooden surface behind him.

“Neither should you,” I mutter as I kick his corpse aside.

“What’s going on?” Giovanni asks.

“They know.”

There’s a loud crash, like glass splintering and shattering, followed by a deathly scream. Chaos sounds over the earpiece, but it’s too distorted to make out what’s going on. Somewhere amidst the rumble of groans and screams, I hear Verdi shout, “Enough! Kill them.”

With my blood pumping loud and hot, I kick open the door to the hotel room, gun aimed at a screaming Ronaldo. Blood pours down his face, coating his fingers and slipping between them. From the looks of it, there are shards dug deep into his flesh. Sera didn’t waste an opportunity there. I can’t help but pause in admiration for her–she’s certainly surprised me, but then again, I’ve always enjoyed her proving me wrong.

I quickly push forward, knowing Levi is right behind me, and press the barrel of my gun to the back of Don Verdi’s head. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

I glance at Sera, who looks more than pleased with herself, but when her eyes lock with mine, something more sinister slithers its way through.

“And why’s that?” Verdi sneers.

It takes every ounce of strength within me not to pull the fucking trigger and end this asshole’s life here and now. But I know there’s a bigger plan afoot, and we need at least one of the Verdis alive.

“Unless you want to be met with the same fate as your son, I suggest you let us leave.”

“Cuts will heal,” Verdi shrugs me off.

I press the gun a little deeper, and as soon as I hear the sharp wince of Verdi’s exhale, I know he’s got the message. Still, I lean down close enough to whisper in his ear, “I wasn’t talking about Ronaldo.”

Verdi suddenly snaps his head around, eyes locking with mine. They widen with shock as it finally registers in his puny brain just who is standing in front of him.

Sliding my gun to his temple, I give the room a quick once over. Levi has one of the guards in his line of sight. Giovanni has Sera shielded by his body, while Ronaldo is still a sniveling mess on the floor. The other two guards in the room have their guns pointed at me and Levi, but they’re yet to act on their boss’s orders.

“Tell your men to stand down,” I growl, slamming the butt of my gun down on his head.

Verdi hisses a curse, cowering over on the couch. His men step forward as the threat becomes even more real, but they waver again when I refocus my aim at Verdi’s head.

It feels like minutes pass before Verdi finally gives them the nod and they back away. And it’s another example of why this asshole and his offspring would be shitty leaders. They’re ready to throw their men in the firing line— or worse, give up–when hardship comes knocking. It’s a stark difference to our fearless Sera, who I know would jump in front of a bullet for any one of her men. We’re not indispensable like Verdi’s entourage. No, we’re a team; a goddamn family.

“Guns down,” I snap, diverting my focus to the guards again. “Kick them to me.”

Again, I’m met with hesitation. Each man is second-guessing who they’re supposed to be taking orders from right now. They glance from Verdi to Bianchi, then to me, confusion setting in. So I pull out the hidden knife in my sleeve, intent on making a scene if I need to. I swing my arm down so that it sinks into Ronaldo’s thigh, the blade slicing through the air and into his flesh seamlessly.

He screams out again, the agony crippling him so much that he eventually goes silent, passing out on the red carpet.

“Guns!” I bark again.

The resounding click of magazines being unloaded, followed by the thud of the weapons hitting the ground, is like music to my ears. One by one, three guns slide to a halt at my feet. “Up!” I gesture to Verdi. “You’re going to walk us out.”

“You’re free to go,” he grunts as he staggers upright. Clearly, the impact to the head not only knocked some sense into him, but threw him sideways. He’s stumbling badly, but I can’t find it in me to feel any remorse over that. After everything he’s done, after the pain he’s caused, I don’t feel one single shred of regret.

“I really fucking hate repeating myself,” I grumble. I pull my arm back, about to swing for him again, when he shudders, raising his arms in the air in surrender.

What did I say about this asshole being a coward?

“Okay! Okay!”

I smirk to myself as I nudge him towards the open door. Giovanni and Sera follow, with Levi right behind. We step past the disappointment of a guard laying still on the floor, and I don’t miss the gasp that escapes Sera’s mouth. I know exactly what she’s thinking before she even says it, so I snap my head to her, trying to convey in the single look I give her that I had no choice.

A small nod is all I get in return, but I’ll take it. For now, we need to focus on getting out of here and over to the compound. No doubt there’s already a shit show happening there, and I don’t know how far Luca and the twins got in their plan. All I know is Raf has been trying to contact them for the last ten minutes.

As soon as we reach the elevator, I shove the barrel of my gun into Verdi’s spine. Right on cue, he presses the button to call it up. “I thought you were dead,” Verdi mutters.

Rolling my eyes, I huff out my indignation. I’m really getting tired of this “I thought you were dead,” crap. I’m not. I’m very much alive, and I intend on keeping it that way.

“Clearly, God had other plans for me,” I snark.

Verdi scoffs, his shoulders bouncing as he chuckles harshly. “You really believe that?”

“No,” I say, leaning forward until my presence overwhelms him. “But I think it’s safe to say we’re all delusional, right?” I laugh at my insinuation because this asshole really thought we’d let Bianchi just walk into that room without a backup plan, without anyone looking out for her.

Yeah. Delusional.

The elevator doors ding, sliding open to welcome us in. I shove Verdi in first, making sure he’s less than two inches away from my gun at all times. When we’re all inside, Levi presses the button for the first floor.

“Your plan has failed, LaRosa,” Verdi grunts. “Thinking you could infiltrate our compound? It’s laughable.”

I spin my gaze to Levi, who’s wearing the same wary look as I am.

“Your men are probably dead by now,” he sneers.

Sera’s tiny gasp fills the silence where Verdi’s words linger. I close my eyes, counting to three before I turn and look at her. The last thing we need is for her to fall apart. Nobody knows how true Verdi’s words are right now, but I’d hazard a guess he could be right. But there’s a high possibility he’s wrong. Plan C will be underway soon, I just have to hope that the twins and Luca can hold their own for a while.

My gaze slides to where Giovanni is gripping onto Sera’s hand in comfort. It angers me still that even now, Sera allows the guy who betrayed her to be there for her in her time of need. It should be me comforting her, telling her it’s going to be okay. But I don’t have the heart to lie to her right now.

I don’t have the heart to tell her the truth either.