Chapter 21 Lev
LEV
When I return to the dorm with a handful of granola bars and apples—food I was able to carry out of the dining hall easily—Serafina is freshly showered and standing by the window, glaring out of it. She spins the moment the door closes.
“The fucking asshole marked me! I have bruises.”
My gaze drops to her thighs, now covered in sweats. There were the beginning stages of bruising last night, so it’s likely they’ve grown prominent.
“It’s probably stupid to be worried about bruises when it could have been worse, but still…” She shifts, grimacing with slow movements that make me want to hunt his ass down. She shouldn’t be sore. She should be her normal, spunky self who makes me question my own mind.
Silently, I offer her the food, and she rips into a granola bar, her claim about not being hungry clearly a lie. As she chews, her cheeks turn pink. “I guess you saw a lot of me last night.”
“No more than I had to. You were…uh, well, the dress was ripped, and I had to get my shirt over your head. Once you were in bed, I removed the scraps to make you comfortable and saw the marks.”
“It’s fine,” she mumbles around the food. “I trust you.”
She shouldn’t, considering she’s only known me for a short time.
Trust isn’t something that should be handed out easily, even if I’ll never harm her.
I’d do anything to keep her safe, even beyond the kinds of actions I’d take to protect Vanessa and Anastasia.
Anything to protect Serafina’s happiness, because she deserves it.
Because she makes everything inside me feel better.
Still doesn’t make sense, but it’s happening, and I can’t change the way my mind is soothed by her presence.
My phone vibrates, saving me from the mental torment of this entire situation. “Zeno’s down the road. I’ll head down to let him in. You’re good to stay?”
She nods, finishing off the bar while simultaneously searching for more, so I toss her another, alongside an apple.
“We’ll get you something more substantial later, but this will hold you off.”
Once seeing her eat again, I head out to the parking lot in time for a black SUV to swing into a free spot, its tires screeching. Zeno barely parks the car before he’s by my side, his frenzied gaze a testament to his love for his sister.
“Where is she?”
“Upstairs.”
Vanessa comes around the other side of the vehicle, linking her hand into his. With her touch, his stress visibly lessens; the wrinkles around his eyes smooth, and his shoulders lower a few inches.
“Privet,” she greets. “Wish I was visiting for better reasons. How is she?”
Determining Serafina’s feelings isn’t my place, especially since I’ll likely mess them up. “He didn’t… I stopped him in time. She threw up last night, slept, showered, and now she’s eating. She woke confused but quickly recalled everything. Based on an earlier interaction, she’s pissed off.”
Zeno exhales loudly, rubbing his face. “Your picture—it’s Vitale.
The Commission won’t look favourable upon their behaviour and should end the union.
He shouldn’t have gone near her until finalizing the engagement.
She’s still Mancini responsibility. My responsibility.
Once the Commission ends this, I refuse to let this rest. The Vitales have too much to atone for.
This. Helping Ursin and working against my father. ”
Vanessa strokes her hand up his arm in a soothing manner. “This will be over soon. Why don’t we see Serafina, and then you can return to planning war?”
I lead them into the building, and Vanessa heads for the elevator.
“Fifth floor,” Zeno calls out. “We’ll meet you at the top.”
Once she’s gone, Zeno starts up the stairs, and I follow two below him. Electricity tingles in the air until he pauses on the first landing, his hand hovering near my shoulder but not touching.
“You have no idea how grateful I am.”
“I fucked up.” My hands slide into my front pockets, bowing my shoulders. The static in my brain isn’t kind at all. “She was out of my sight, like the two before her kidnapping. This isn’t any different.”
He’s quiet for a moment, probably agreeing with my thoughts. He walks again, only speaking on the next landing. “You were instructed to give her freedom. If that meant going off with him… Look, I don’t blame you.”
“I wouldn’t have gotten there in time if she hadn’t called me.”
“We’re lucky she did.”
When we reach the top, Vanessa’s waiting, and I lead them towards Serafina’s dorm, letting Zeno enter first. Vanessa briefly touches my elbow as she passes. I enter last, catching the end of Zeno’s hug with Serafina.
He releases her slowly, clinging to her shoulders. “Fuck, Sera. Are you okay?”
“Thanks to Lev, yeah.” Her bright eyes flick over his shoulder, and somewhere between blinks, they ice over before she jerks away from her brother, narrowing them. “He said something about a deal, but Lev refused to explain. You know, though, don’t you?”
He backs away with a sigh and falls onto the couch, halfway between my spot and hers.
We have spots, for fuck’s sake. What has become of my life?
He rubs his hands over his face and doesn’t straighten, instead speaking to the floor.
“You know the story of what happened to mio padre. For a while, I didn’t understand what advantage Ursin Volkov had when attacking our territory.
The journal Vanessa discovered detailed it out: he worked with the Vitales, another one of the Five Families.
” He glances up at Serafina, his skin red from where he’s rubbed it.
“You remember everything I told you about the Cosa Nostra?” When Serafina nods, he continues.
“It’s fucked up, but the Families aren’t always loyal to one another, especially when it comes to potential allies.
For the Vitales, that’s what the Bratva was.
In exchange for their help, he’d offer up his daughter in marriage. ”
Serafina’s gaze whips to Vanessa, assuming she’s the aforementioned daughter.
“The Vitales believe in blood purity,” Zeno continues. “In ensuring their bloodline remains mostly of Italian descent. That’s when Ursin decided to acknowledge his other daughter.”
“No,” Serafina whispers after five beats of my heart, realizing he’s talking about her, not Vanessa. Her gaze sweeps over us, landing last on me.
“Yes,” Zeno groans. “Alessandro Vitale accepted the deal.”
Apprehensive air makes the room unbreathable. Being in tense situations isn’t new, but they’re often easy to ignore since, half the time, I barely understand the real issues until Anastasia later explains. But Serafina’s horrors hit a certain piece of me.
“So, what? I’m engaged?”
Zeno flinches. “More like engaged to be engaged.”
She’s already shaking her head. “Zeno, you’ve said numerous times you wouldn’t expect that of me. You told Madre—”
“You’re not getting married,” he interrupts.
“Not if I have anything to say about it. I tried to talk this out with Vitale, but he refuses to break the deal. The Commission will enforce this if I bring it to them, so keeping them in the dark for now is best. They’ll say it’s binding because your father,” he spits the words, “made the deal.”
“You’re the head of the Mancinis. A Volkov never ran us.”
“I’m aware, but in these cases, my position is second to the connection between you and Ursin. The deal was meant to go through on your eighteenth birthday, but Vitale hasn’t called upon you yet.”
“Why?”
He shrugs. “Why do the Vitales do anything? He’s taunting me.”
Serafina snorts, shaking her head. “You’re not the one with your neck on the line!
Or…your left hand.” Her gaze goes to me, realization dawning so brightly, betrayal overshadows it.
“That’s why you’re here.” She breathes the words.
“Why the two before I got kidnapped. Why you”—she glances at Zeno—“were so determined for me to have protection.”
“Until the Vitales make their move, you can’t be alone. They can strike at any time…and they have.”
More silence. More pieces falling into place.
“Alessio. February… Oh fuck. This whole time, he’s been playing with me. Watching me. This is… No.”
Zeno stands. “The number you’ve been texting goes to a burner phone.
That’s when I figured something was off about your boyfriend.
The Vitales are undermining the process because they know I’ll fight it.
Lev got a picture of him last night to confirm who you’ve been dating is Alessio Vitale, Alessandro’s eldest son.
Without the proof, I’d be pointing fingers. Now, the Commission will take my side.”
Serafina’s eyes slide from her brother to me. “That’s why he put himself in my life. Why he never let me near his family. Why he was so secretive. Why he didn’t return this semester; he knew I had someone around. Why he drugged me. Why he said what he did.”
“What did he say?” Vanessa demands, drifting closer and speaking for the first time.
“Something about claiming my virginity to ensure a deal went through.”
Zeno curses, rubbing a hand through his hair. “Insurance. They’re relying on me following traditions. That a woman needs to be a virgin before marriage.”
Beside me, Vanessa bristles. It’s a tradition the Bratva has long let go of. In fact, I know many who’d would prefer their bride not be a virgin. I couldn’t give two fucks, mainly because the idea of marriage and being around someone with so much permanence makes me want to crawl out of my skin.
“Would it have?” Serafina stare at Zeno, crossing her arms.
“Of course not,” he practically sneers.
“This is over, either way. With the proof, you’ll end the engagement?”
Zeno glances at Vanessa with a silent plea for help.
“Not quite,” he replies slowly. “This isn’t going to end well.
Right now, there’s no guarantee the Commission will respect the Vitales breaking procedure.
They should, but this won’t be the final time we hear from them.
And really, I don’t want it to be. I want retribution for Padre, for your attack last night.
This is only the beginning of a bigger war.
Breaking the engagement is simply one battle.
Until it’s over, you need to remain hidden, because I can’t worry about them retaliating. ”
If heartbreak has ever been more obvious on a person’s face, then Serafina writes the dictionary definition. “You’re telling me to drop out of school?”
“Not drop out. A break. For a semester or two…maybe three.”
“Isn’t that why he’s here?” She juts her hand my way.
Staying for another three or more semesters, away from home, in this place that makes everything in my head burn, isn’t what I signed up for. It’s not what Zeno sold this as. But for her, I’ll stay and ensure nothing like last night happens again.
“I know not to trust Alessio,” she continues, imploring. “I’ll stick closer to Lev. Please, Z, don’t do this.”
“It’s not you I don’t trust. And while Lev is great, he’s one man.
You’re too open here. This may be my territory, but it’s easy for the Vitales to find you.
Anyone here can be bought.” His gaze drills through the wall at our neighbours.
“Any of these kids will take cash in exchange for getting close to you. No one can be trusted.”
Her shoulders crumple, and war breaks out on her face. While I might not be able to read her mind, it feels like I can. She’s struggling between doing right by her family and continuing to follow her dreams.
“You urged me away from the mob,” she argues, but with a fraction of the venom. “A bodyguard was supposed prevent this. Now, my future is on pause for the organization. It’s ironic.”
“I know,” Zeno huffs, tone also softening. “But your safety is everything.”
Vanessa’s shoes clack against the cheap flooring, shattering the tenseness between the siblings as she steps between them, a hand resting on Zeno’s chest. They share a moment of silent communication that lowers his arms to his side.
“Could you two leave us alone please?”
“Vanessa—”
“Leave,” she repeats in the same authoritative tone she uses with the soldiers. “Please. Five minutes alone. That’s all we need.”
The two mob leaders stare one another down until he loses and, with a jerk of his chin, heads out of the dorm.
After a final glance at Serafina, I follow.