50
SERAFINA
“ O h, he does more than that.”
Levi barks a laugh, shaking his head at me. “Only you , Bellissima , could make the silent bodyguard talk.”
I shrug in response, a flush of pride blossoming as I think about his words. Yeah, I did get the big guy to talk. Maybe not under the circumstances I wanted, but I’m still blushing over the fact that his vow of silence was broken from me sneaking into his room in the middle of the night.
I know that’s not the entire reason, and I haven’t told Luca or Levi about mine and Giovanni’s conversations, but surely my visits were the catalyst. Whatever the reason, I’m glad Giovanni opened up to me.
“Come on, big boy,” Levi says to Luca, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. “We’ve got work to do before we come back to our girl.”
Our girl. I feel the warmth radiate through my cheeks, spreading my mouth into a wide smile. Levi has always been known to speak without inhibition. It’s what makes him the perfect second in command. He tells me how it is and I respect the hell out of him for that. The same goes for Luca, though as I’m looking at him right now, I can see he’s still trying to come to terms with things.
“Go on,” I tell Levi. “I need to speak to Luca. ”
I push out of bed and grab my t-shirt from the hanger. With the weather right now, it’s dry as a bone—something I’m grateful for, especially after last night's endeavors. Peeling it over my head, I turn to face Luca.
Levi is already heading back into the house and Giovanni has disappeared into the bathroom. It’s just Luca and I now, his body sinking down to rest on the edge of the bed. He’s wearing an inquisitive look on his face, which makes a change from the unsure one he had just minutes ago. It’s strange to know all of his expressions now, when he used to be the guy that made me feel guilty with one look. Like I said before, the past is the past, and we’re all looking to the future.
“You good?” I ask him, stepping towards the bed. I move between his thighs, allowing his hands to roam up my bare legs to cup my ass.
He smiles up at me with his soft blue eyes crinkling at the corners. “Never better, Dolcezza ,” he grins, his arms wrapping around my waist like he’s missed me.
I tilt my head, inspecting his features for clues. I know he won’t give me any details about what happened last night, but I want to be sure I haven’t pushed him into something he wasn’t certain about. “And things with Levi?”
“You don’t have anything to worry about. We are figuring things out.”
I don’t know why, but those words flip my stomach. Hope worms its way through my system, because as happy as I am with my three men, I also want them to be happy too. If that means that Luca and Levi have found something too, I’m okay with that. More than okay .
Leaning down, I peck Luca’s soft lips. “You know you can talk to me.”
“I know,” he smiles again, this time sweetly, more adoringly. It’s almost like I’m looking at Levi with the way his blue eyes light up. “Are you okay with everything?”
I snake my arms around his neck, straddling his thighs. “I don’t think I ever thought I would be this happy. But here you all are, proving me wrong. ”
Luca captures my mouth with his. His kiss is soft, and just like our first time, he’s tentative with the way he moves against me. But then it’s like a switch is flipped and he winds his hands into my hair, his tongue delving into my mouth. The way he reacts to me, even through the relationship he and Levi are forming, chases away any doubts I could have over his feelings. Like me, he’s torn, too. And that level of understanding is something you can’t help but appreciate.
“It’s all up to you, Dolcezza . Don’t forget that.”
I brush a hand through his soft hair, reveling the way the strands slip through my fingers. “You’re a changed man,” I giggle, rubbing my nose against his.
“No, Bianchi. I’m a happy one.”
My heart clenches at those words. I know we wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for me, but I’m also not na?ve enough to think this is all my doing. At some point we would have all crossed this line. We would have all given into temptation and lust, it was just that we needed the push to get us there.
As much as I hate to say it, maybe Enzo’s death has come with a silver lining. One in the form of three men that are starting to make me feel things I don’t think I ever have before.
Once upon a time, I thought I was in love. I was poisoned and blinded by toxic devotion to a man who thought power came from picking on the weak. I know now that isn’t the case. I’m falling for each of these men. Different depths, different layers, different ideas of love, and I don’t want to lose that.
Amidst the pain, we’ve all found one another.
“Go on,” I usher Luca. “Find out what’s happening down at the docks. I’ll stay with Gio.”
I don’t leave room for argument as I push off of Luca’s lap. His hands still linger on my body as he stands, but I feel like it’s reluctance over breaking our proximity more than anything else.
I feel it. He feels it. There’s a connection to all of these men that deepens the more time I spend with them. It’s a bond I wouldn’t have found if we hadn’t been caught up in something more vengeful.
“See you soon,” he growls, kissing my lips briefly .
I watch him leave before I head into the bathroom. Giovanni is buttoning his shirt, his dark hair still damp from the shower. It’s probably the fifth shower he’s taken in the span of twelve hours, because every time we headed in to get cleaned up, we just started the sexual cycle all over again. Giovanni is insatiable, and I feel like as long as I’m in the company of these three incredible men, I’m never going to rest.
I can’t really complain. Between Giovanni, Levi and Luca, I’m a damn lucky woman. I couldn’t imagine having it any other way. It’s not just their good looks, but their personalities. Their attention and attentiveness. Their loyalty and adoration is faultless and I know without these men behind me, I wouldn’t be the leader I am right now.
There’s still a long way to go and my father’s words haven’t strayed far from my mind. I need to set an example and prove that I can do the job just as much as the men around me. My father’s brutal way of handing the truth to me still stings, but to some degree, I understand what he was getting at.
I need to prove I am capable of leading this family, La Cosa Nostra, into a new era.
“I’m sorry, Principessa .” Giovanni spins around, locking his green-eyed gaze with me. “As much as I’d like to relive the last twelve hours, we need to get out of this pool house before we become hermits.”
I pad forward, sliding my hands up his chest. “I agree,” I say with a smile. “Haze it is.”
Giovanni grips my hips, pressing me to his hard body. “Haze it is.”
The prospect of knowing that the docks are finally open means a lot of things. One, we can finally get back to business without the Feds looming over us, and two, we can push forward with our plans to sabotage the Verdis. We’ve started with the warehouses, but that’s not where this ends. I made a promise to myself that they would meet their maker. For months, we have been chipping away at their defenses, using my power and reasoning to get all the back-up we can.
The Vultures have pledged their loyalty to me since saving their leader’s daughter. I might have Greco by the neck on whatever dirty dealings he is doing, but that doesn’t mean I fully trust him. We still need to figure out who is feeding my father information. If that’s Greco’s men, we will soon find out. Luca and Levi dismissed them, which means if any more information is leaked outside of my house, we’ll know about it.
I sit back in my desk chair, content that everything is as it should be. The clubs are doing well, my staff are content and safe, and I’m happy. For what feels like the first time in forever, I actually feel relaxed enough to admire the view from my window.
If I close my eyes, I can hear the faint sound of the ocean. Memories of Enzo and me as kids come flooding back. But for once, my thoughts of him aren’t tainted by anger. It’s a slow road to recovery, and our vengeance on the family that took my best friend away will come. I’ve realized that biding my time is what makes a good leader, and the more I think about it, the more I know that the Verdis won’t see me coming.
I’m playing the slow game now. I just have to hope that we can beat them before Luciano and his family come for me again.
My phone rings on the desk, breaking me from my thoughts. I pick it up, answering, “Levi?”
“Ciao, Bellissima ,” he purrs. “I just wanted to tell you everything is getting taken care of. The Torres family already started to clean up and inventory, so we’ll be home soon.”
Home. A smile lifts my lips, his words making my heart beat faster. “Good,” I reply. “I’m done here at Haze.”
“See you soon, Dolcezza !” I hear Luca shout over the speaker.
Rolling my eyes, I hang up the phone. Giovanni is already standing at the entrance to my office when I step out and he doesn’t need me to tell him what to do. He seems to always be on my wavelength, always in sync with me. It’s what makes him a great bodyguard—and an even better lover .
Giovanni opens the door to the SUV for me, but I skip past him, opening the passenger door to take up residence in the seat. He chuckles to himself as he walks around the car, sliding in beside me. “You never cease to surprise me,” he comments, lacing his fingers with mine.
“Would you have me any other way?” I ask playfully, tilting my head.
“Of course not.”
Giovanni peels us away from the sidewalk almost immediately. His cautious driving lulls me into a calmness as I watch the buildings swish by us. It doesn’t feel like long before my eyes close and my exhaustion takes over. My body relaxes into the seat, and as I feel each bend of the road and soft swerve of the car, I know we’ll be home soon.
“ CAZZO !”
Screeching tires wake me up, my whole body jolting forward and snapping back as my seatbelt kicks in. My chest constricts, my lungs burning as the tightness around me refuses to relent. I’m still hazy with sleep, but when the sun shines through the window and helps me focus, it’s no longer my lungs refusing to work, but my entire body.
“Run, Sera!” Giovanni barks, but my hands are too shaky to do anything.
The bodies in front of us are marching closer, more determined. Giovanni is already stepping out of the car, gun poised as he warns the tiny army off. “Gio!”
I push open my door, but bullets start to fly at me. One catches my wrist, the burn of speed searing my skin and reminding me I’m not as fucking untouchable as I think. I don’t have my gun, I don’t have any protection but this damn SUV.
“Sera! Run!” Giovanni shouts again, but the gunfire blocks out the sound of his voice.
Ignoring his order, I dive into the footwell, hearing the ping of metal, the smash of glass. There’s nowhere to escape, and as much as Giovanni barks at me to run, I can’t. The only safety I have is this car. And it might be strong, but I know it won’t hold up against bullets for long.
I slide my palms to my ears, blocking out the sounds of metal on metal. I suffocate myself in my knees, clenching my eyes shut and willing for this to be just a nightmare.
But I know it’s not, and I know who is outside this damn box on wheels, trying to get to me. I cry out for Giovanni, finally opening my eyes. But he’s gone.
The bullets have stopped and a sickening thud in my chest has my heart sinking as I pull myself up onto the seat slowly. “Gio?” I whisper.
Suddenly, the door behind me swings open and I’m yanked backwards onto the hard ground. The concrete digs into my side, winding me temporarily. I try to breathe through the pain but it’s too much. Black spots dance in front of my eyes as I crawl on all fours, but I can barely get away before I feel the impact in my ribs.
I roll sideways. It almost feels like I’m floating, but I’m pretty sure that’s the adrenaline coursing through my body to save me from the pain. I heave my body upright. I’m determined to use this damn chemical to get me through this, or at least fight.
My body apparently has other plans, and before I know it, I’m on my back, staring at the blue sky.
It’s all blue… until it’s black.
“Come on, Princess!”
“I told you to stop calling me that!” I snap, reaching for Enzo’s leg, but he’s just out of reach. He’s always one step ahead of me, even as kids he would taunt me but I could never catch him. He’s just too quick and smart.
Still, I push harder, even though my arms ache and my chest constricts.
Enzo laughs over his shoulder, dark eyes glancing down at me before he heaves himself up onto a branch. He reaches out, grabbing my hand to hoist me up onto the thick branch with him. I want to push further, I want to reach the very top–something I haven’t ever done–but Enzo is the person to keep me grounded. Not only in the physical sense, but he’s there to give me a reality check when I need it.
“You’re too easy to wind up,” he chuckles lightly, letting my hand go once I’ve settled onto the branch.
I narrow my eyes on him and I half contemplate nudging him just to scare the shit out of him. We’re high up in the trees, the valley below us sweeping, the branches around us swaying. I like it up here. It’s the only place I feel free.
At fifteen, it’s only a matter of time before I’m thrust into the life of La Cosa Nostra. My father has made these plans ever since I was born, when it was confirmed my mother couldn’t carry any more children. I’m the one and only heir to the Bianchi name now, and my father is hellbent on ensuring our position remains at the top.
This was the life I was promised; a burden to me and nobody else. I should feel grateful that my place in this world isn’t to be married off to another family, but to lead. However, I can’t find it in myself to seek that level of relief just yet. I don’t know which is worse, my life constantly at risk because it’s in the limelight, or forever being a bargaining chip?
It doesn’t matter what I want, regardless of my family’s standing. This life has been ingrained in me. I know what is expected of me, and I’ve vowed not to let my father down. Still, I’m nervous about what the future holds for me. I’ll be the first female leader of La Cosa Nostra, and I know not everyone is going to see eye to eye with me.
“You scared?” Enzo asks, breaking me from my thoughts.
“Of what?”
Enzo runs a hand through his black hair, the ends shimmering in the midday sun. “Of what this world can do to us?”
I frown at his words. Sometimes Enzo does that. He talks in riddles, sometimes for enjoyment because I don’t understand half of the questionable thoughts swimming in his mind. We might have known each other since we were babies, but every day I see more of a change in the boy I grew up with. He’s no longer the scrawny guy with an attitude bigger than his weedy muscles. He’s growing up—fast. He’s already been hitting the gym a lot more, spreading his time between me, his workouts, and his duty to his family. It makes me sad that any day we could lose this. I’m not ready for that. Enzo has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. Our mothers are best friends, too.
Casting my eyes down, I watch the ground beneath my feet wobble. My legs sway with the thick branch we’re on, weaving us in the wind. It would only take one wrong move for me to fall and plummet to my death. And just like that my life would be snatched from this world. Maybe that’s what Enzo means?
I shake my head, lifting my gaze back to my best friend. “Why would I be scared? I have you, right?”
Enzo grabs my hand, offering me a wide smile that makes my stomach churn excitedly. He’s always had a beautiful smile, but he rarely does it anymore. The few moments he does are always reserved for me, and I don’t know what I’d do without that smile.
“You’ll always have me, Sera.”