Chapter 9
Irun my tongue along the column of Sera’s neck, a grumble of appreciation erupting when I inhale a familiar scent. It didn’t take a genius to know why Sera had a glow on her face and a no nonsense attitude about when she came downstairs earlier. Luca was nowhere to be seen, meaning he was stewing over things.
Clearly, Sera bested him and she got what she wanted. But knowing Luca, he wouldn’t have been able to resist our leader; those pouty lips and big brown eyes are his weakness.
“I can smell him on you,” I growl, running my hands over her thighs. “Did he satisfy your needs, Bellissima?”
Sera moans against me as she perches on her chair, her legs widening to allow me access.
“Did he fill you up? Make you cry out as you came?”
A whimper parts her lips as she grinds against my hand. “Are you jealous?” she asks breathlessly.
I nip at her earlobe, rubbing delicate circles between her legs. She’s so damn responsive, even though I know Luca already had her screaming. “You have no idea.”
Sera runs her hands over mine, drawing them up behind her to pull me closer. I’d be more than happy to bend her over her desk just to prove a point; that I can please her just as well as Luca did. But a throat clears, forcing me to look up.
“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Enzo accuses Sera.
I pull away slightly, barely enough to create distance, but enough for Enzo to see that I’m not a complete asshole. I know deep down he still has feelings for Sera. When you love someone that much, you can’t just stop.
“Shouldn’t you be dead?” Luca mutters, entering behind Enzo. Stepping past him, he makes a beeline for me and Sera, rounding the desk and laying a hand on my shoulder before dipping down to kiss Sera’s cheek.
The sight seems to irritate Enzo. His jaw feathers as he looks between the three of us.
“Something you want to say?” Sera challenges, smirking as she kicks her legs up on her desk.
I can’t fight the way my lips lift as I admire the way power emanates from her. It’s like she’s a whole other person, one who is done with the bullshit of being underestimated and overseen. She was always a force to be reckoned with, but now, she’s leveled up.
“I’m just struggling to understand…” he folds his arms, nostrils flaring.
“Understand what?” Sera tilts her head in question.
“When you decided one dick wasn’t enough for you.”
Before I can react, Luca lunges towards Enzo, reaching forward and gripping his shirt so quickly even Enzo doesn’t see it coming. He forces him to stumble backwards, their height matching one another’s. “Have some respect,” he snarls.
“Like you, you mean?” Enzo retorts with scoff.
Giving him another shove, Luca pins him with a glare that could cut through glass. Sera doesn’t even flinch like I expect her to, instead allowing Luca to stand his ground and put Enzo in his place. “I’m tolerating you right now, LaRosa, only for Bianchi’s sake. But don’t think I won’t hesitate to slit your throat while you sleep.”
“Poetic,” Enzo snarks before tilting his head to peer over Luca’s shoulder. “Is this what you see in him?”
The air freezes in my lungs as my gaze darts from Enzo to Sera. But Sera is so damn calm and collected that I almost believe she’s an imposter. She stands up from her chair, rounding the desk to perch on the other side. She folds her arms, all the while watching as Luca’s fist tightens around Enzo’s collar.
“What I see in Luca and Levi is not your business,” she replies resolutely. “You lost any right to know my business the day you died. Need I remind you who you’re talking to?”
For a moment, silence falls and the only sound is the grandfather clock in the corner of the den. Enzo and Sera are locked in a staring contest that feels like it stretches for far too long. They’re like two sides of the same coin, only now the roles have reversed and Sera is holding her ground. I’m so damn proud of her that for a second, all I can do is gape at her in admiration. It isn’t until Enzo mutters a resigned “No”, that I redirect my attention.
Luca drops his grip, stepping back to return to Sera’s side. There’s an awkward atmosphere that fills the room, a tension of unspoken words and unresolved issues. Sera is still yet to talk to Enzo; to find out what really happened to him that day. We’ve all been given the short version of the story, but something tells me Enzo is hiding a lot more from all of us.
Footfalls replace the silence instantly, the twins and Raf entering the den and slumping down onto the couches in the middle of the room. This is where Sera asked us all to meet. She said she had something to discuss with us, and though I sense I know where this meeting is heading, I also know that Sera isn’t in the mood for much talking.
She offers each of us an uneasy smile before she clears her throat and moves in front of the couches to address us all. Luca and I follow, falling in line on either side of her. We’re all still wary of what Sera’s been through. I haven’t missed the nervous gazes the twins swap or the shift of Raf’s attention when she looks right at him. But it’s pointless telling her to rest when it’s not in her nature. It’s pointless asking her to take a breather when uncertainty is lurking around every corner. Sera is in fight mode right now, and we all need to be on board.
“Before we get started, I want to make one thing clear.” Her gaze sweeps through the room, pausing on each of us. When she’s satisfied she has everyone’s attention, she continues, her feet pacing back and forth in front of the couches. “I’ve already made my decision on this. Nobody can change my mind, so I’d appreciate it if you all respected that.”
With a frown, Raf nods, the twins follow, and then hesitantly, Enzo silently agrees. He kicks up a foot, resting his ankle on the other knee as he drapes his arms over the cushions.
“Good,” Sera smiles. “Then I’ll get straight to the point. I’m releasing Gio.”
“No!” Enzo snaps, but before he can get another word in, Sera is pinning him with a stare.
“I don’t recall this being up for discussion. I’m releasing him and that’s that. He can—”
“He can’t be trusted.”
“And you can?” Luca counters, glaring at Enzo.
“I only ever traced calls between Gio and Luciano,” Raf supplies.
“That’s not to say he wasn’t in contact with anyone else,” I challenge. There’s no way Sera can be serious about this, but convincing her otherwise would only cause more friction within the group. And that’s not the kind of friction I’m after right now.
Sera raises her hands, effectively halting our chaotic conversation. We all fall silent, obeying her command. “He wants his daughter back. And if he wants her to be safe, he won’t make another move against us.”
“Against you,” Luca corrects. Their eyes meet, sadness filling them, and I so badly want to comfort them both, but it’s not the time or place.
Sera turns her attention back to the group. “I didn’t come to this decision easily, but I made him a promise.”
Sliding his hand into Sera’s, I watch them share a simple moment. I love how Luca can share those gestures with her—with me, too. He’s come a long way from being the moody asshole with a chip on his shoulder. He’s proven just how much he cares for Sera, how far he would go to ensure her safety. Her pain is his pain. Her sadness is his, and when it all comes down to it, they share a level of understanding that not even I can compete with, nor do I want to. Luca can provide Sera with something I can’t, but he also provides me with something she can’t. While I can’t pinpoint what that is, we’re all on the same page when it comes to this relationship.
“What do you need?” Raf asks when the silence persists.
Sera snaps her attention to him, brown eyes narrowing and shoulders rolling back as she takes a deep breath. “I need to know everything you do; about any other compounds, warehouses, and businesses. I want to know who the Verdis have on their side, who runs what. I want a list of buildings, businesses and bodies. I want to know what that piece of shit Don Verdi has for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Verdis are under my scrutiny now, and I won’t rest until I find Gio’s daughter.”
“They’ll come for you,” Enzo reminds us.
“They’ll come for you, too,” Raf adds. “Taking out Luciano and destroying that compound is going to be met with retaliation.”
“Good,” Sera snaps. “I’m expecting it. We all should. But that little girl doesn’t deserve to be anywhere but with her father.” I hear her voice crack a little, the emotion she’s trying so damn hard to detach herself from slithering to the surface.
“We need to move fast then,” Raf states, tapping away on his computer.
“All this for a traitor?” Enzo scoffs.
“Are you questioning my authority, LaRosa?”
Remaining quiet, Enzo’s gaze flickers to Raf. But he gets no support from his friend, which seems to piss Enzo off even more.
“Move Gio back into the pool house,” Sera orders. “Get him medical treatment and see to it that he doesn’t have any contact with anyone unless I approve it.”
With a huff Enzo stands. It’s not hard to see that he doesn’t approve of any of Sera’s decisions. But just like Sera said, he’s no longer her second in command; I am.
“If you don’t like my orders, you know where the door is,” she snaps at Enzo.
His knuckles whiten by his sides, as if he’s fighting back whatever he wants to say.
In a strange way, I feel a little sorry for my cousin. I know deep down he thought he was doing right by Sera, but it doesn’t detract from the fact he failed at his job. We all did. It’s something we all have to live with, but what sets us apart is our ability to accept that.
Sera has Luca and me to help her with whatever she needs. I know Enzo wants to be a part of that, but he’s caused too much pain and hurt, forcing us to grieve over his death. Overcoming betrayal that deep will take a while. There’s not one word to describe the feeling when you come face to face with a ghost. There’s not one emotion that can sum up how you’re supposed to feel when that day comes. We all just have to try and move past it.
“Make the best out of a bad situation,”as Luisa would always say. The reminder that my sister is still out there with Ronaldo pinches at my chest. I know better than to raise my concerns about that right now. This is Sera’s meeting; Bianchi’s orders.
“Levi?” Sera’s voice softens, her brown-eyed gaze finding mine. “What’s wrong?”
“What are the chances you can track my sister?” I ask Raf.
He starts tapping on his keyboard, leaving me impatiently waiting for his answer. He’s focused on his computer screen so intently that my blood starts to bubble with irritation. My fists clench, and I’m about to ask again when he spins his laptop around on his knee, displaying a satellite image of another compound.
I swallow thickly, glancing between Sera and the screen. The compound is surrounded by desert and a thin valley below. Sitting on the edge of a cliff, it’s hard to make out where exactly it is, but I’d guess somewhere east. “Where is that?”
“Further out of the valley. Vegas, to be precise,” Raf answers.
“Vegas?” Marco startles. He’s been quiet for so long I almost forgot the twins were even here.
“Ronaldo has Luisa out in Vegas?” Matteo asks.
“I’m about ninety percent sure,” Raf replies. “I’ve been tracking everyone. Even Greco.”
Luca steps forward to inspect the screen. “What’s Greco got to do with this?”
“Greco isn’t as innocent as you all thought,” Enzo sighs exasperatedly. He rubs his thumb across his brow. “Those bodies that turned up at the docks belonged to Greco, not Verdi.”
Sera growls, “Motherfu—”
“So you’re saying they’re working together?” I confirm.
“I’d say so, yes. I’m sorry I can’t get a better image for you. If my drones get too close, the signal cuts off.” Raf types something else into his computer before candid images flicker on the screen. “I did manage to get these, though.”
We all peer closer as Raf scrolls through each image. Girls and women of a variety of ages bounce in front of us. My stomach churns the more I see, because the flesh trade has never been aligned with any of our interests. The Verdis shouldn’t be near this, nor should the Greco family. This is cartel territory, and these two families are treading too close to the line.
I can’t handle it any more. My chest constricts and I’m suddenly finding it hard to breathe. The room feels like it’s closing in around me as my worst thoughts rise to the surface. If this is what the Verdis are doing to girls, where’s my sister?
I spin on my heel before Raf can finish the reel of images, storming out of the den to seek fresh air. Slamming my back against the wall to the patio, I heave a deep breath. I know I have to stay strong. The last week has been tormenting for all of us, and while I’ve done what I can to keep a level head, sooner or later, my resolve is going to break.
I just don’t want anyone to see that when it does.