1
SERAFINA
I stare out from my office that overlooks the city below me; at the vast expanse of blocks and buildings that make up Iris Bay, California. Far down, towards the edge of the city, the water that makes up the bay glistens under the morning sun, and what I wouldn’t give to slide my toes through the sand and revel in the heat. It’s not the same as the beaches in Sicily, but they’re just as beautiful.
I’m instantly brought back to the moments where Enzo and I would race down to the beach, dive between the waves and laugh like idiots. Every weekend since we were kids, we would pack up snacks and head down there, the ritual never changing as we grew up.
Now, everything has changed.
I have a family to lead, a business to run and so many jobs to do.
“Are you sure we can’t go to the funeral?”
I turn my head to meet Levi’s gaze. He’s Enzo’s cousin and my new second in command. By no means has he replaced my best friend, but I need someone equally as fierce and protective, someone I trust just as much as I did Enzo.
After what went down at my grandfather’s in Sicily, three weeks ago, I’m not taking any chances on my safety or Levi’s. A feud has started between the families. There’s a vendetta against the Verdis and I’m counting down the days until I can finally get my revenge.
“I’m not going, Levi.” I close my eyes and fight the tears that threaten to escape. “I won’t stop you from going, you know that. You need to pay your respects to your cousin.”
“Enzo would have…” Levi says, clearing his throat and I wince at my dead best friend’s name. “He would have wanted you there.”
“He would also be alive if it weren’t for me, so don’t?—”
Levi marches forward and cups my cheeks between his palms. “Look at me.”
I meet his dark eyes and swallow hard. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the similarities Enzo and Levi share. The way their hair flops in front of their face when they tower over me, the way their lips thin and jaw clenches when they’re fighting to say what’s really on their mind. The only differences are Levi’s curly hair and Enzo’s tattoos.
“You need this closure. You deserve to say goodbye, too.”
Gripping his wrists, I pull away from his touch. It’s cold and hurtful, but I need the space. “I don’t deserve anything, Levi.”
“Don’t do that, Sera.”
I turn away, opting to look out of the glass window instead of at my second in command.
“He died protecting you, and I have no doubt he would have done it again if he had the choice.”
But he didn’t have a choice, I feel like saying. However, the words get stuck in my throat.
I’ve done nothing but relive that moment. The blood. All I see is his soft smile, the way he stroked my tears away and told me the truth, right before he slipped away in my arms. I’ll never forget the moment his body was taken from me by the paramedics, and the news that later confirmed he had died. Everywhere I turn, I’m reminded of what I lost. Not just my best friend, but two leading families.
“It’s not safe,” I mumble.
I feel Levi wrap his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder. It’s comforting and warm, an easiness settling between us as he murmurs, “ You need to sleep.”
“You know it’s not that easy,” I say, shrugging out of his embrace. It’s not just the nightmares of Enzo’s death that haunt me, it’s the lingering uncertainty. I have enemies now. They’ve made themselves known. I haven’t slept because I’m on edge all of the time, and that would be normal in any other circumstance, especially in my position, but things are more volatile now.
“I have to make them pay, Levi.”
“We will,” he nods, backing away to put some distance between us. “But first, we need to put our pawns in place. We need to weed out who we can and can’t trust, and we need to follow up on the alliances.”
“You’re right,” I sigh, rubbing the tired expression from my face. “What is your family’s stance?”
He laughs, shaking his head as he takes a seat on the couch in front of me. “After what happened to Enzo, my family gave my sister an ultimatum. She has sided with her husband.”
His words take me by surprise, and I’m forced to heave out a breath to calm myself. “So your family has shunned her for taking her husband’s side?”
Levi shrugs like it’s nothing, like he hasn’t just lost his sister to the enemy. With his sister married to a Verdi, it’s no wonder his family did that, but I know too well the manipulation the Verdi’s can achieve when they set their minds to it.
“My loyalty remains to you, and my family will stand by that.”
I appreciate the support, it’s more than I deserve right now. It warrants a smile—a weak one at best, but it’s still a look of appreciation, and Levi accepts it with a gentle nod of his head.
“I also have something for you.”
Perching on my desk, I frown at him. “What have you done?”
He rolls his eyes, but his expression doesn’t give away a thing. It’s another similarity that Levi and Enzo share. Shared.
Pushing up from the couch, Levi heads out of my office door. He’s gone for all of one minute before he returns with another man. A silent, brooding man who seems to zap all the energy from the room.
“Levi, I?—”
“Hear me out.” He raises a hand, halting me from speaking any more. “This is Giovanni. He’s a bodyguard, who comes highly recommended.”
“By who?”
“Your father.”
“And whose idea was this?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.
Tilting my head to take in the bodyguard’s appearance. Giovanni, stands tall, unmistakably tall. He’s got at least four inches on Levi, but he’s muscular, too. Wearing an all black suit, he looks like he means business. He has green eyes that remind me of sea glass, the tiny shards you rarely find on the beaches, and with a jaw set so sharply, he looks like he might be cut from it too.
Levi clears his throat. “It was mainly your father’s idea, but you and I both know you’ll be safer with someone by your side, permanently.”
“Permanently?” My eyebrows shoot so high I almost think they’ve merged with my forehead.
“Sera,” Levi whispers, stepping closer to me. “You’re not sleeping. You won’t let me stay with you, I don’t?—”
“And you think I’m going to let him stay with me?” I scoff. It’s not that I don’t want anyone in my space. I can’t even count the amount of times Enzo used to come over and we would just hang out like we were kids all over again. Those are the moments I miss, they’re the moments I’m constantly reminded of every time I step into my house. Which is why I don’t want Levi there. He’s just another reminder, and I don’t know how many more of those I can take.
“He’s a trained bodyguard. I don’t think he’s too bothered about having a place to sleep.” Levi smirks, glancing back over his shoulder. “You need to get some sleep, Sera. You need to start moving forward.”
Easier said than done.
I glance over at Giovanni, who is still standing stoically with his hands joined in front of him. He doesn’t bat an eyelid in Levi’s direction, or even mine. He doesn’t say a word as I approach, and right now, that’s a good thing. I don’t think I can handle any more prying questions over what happened or if I’m okay .
“Just a bodyguard?” My intrigue and skepticism are both piqued.
“Is that a yes?” Levi asks, quirking a brow. I can see he has all the best intentions for me, and my heart swells at the kindness, but I don’t like the unknown, and I certainly don’t like strangers entering my premises without my permission.
With a sigh, I take another look at Giovanni. “Welcome, Giovanni.”
He takes my hand and shakes it, a spark of heat curling up my arm at the contact. His grip is fiercely strong. It’s a confident handshake, one not afraid to break me, and I think I like that. He’s still silent as he releases my hold, the action leaving a frigid sensation in its wake.
“Does he speak?” I tease.
“Well he hasn’t said one word to me,” he mumbles, shrugging his shoulders.
“Suits me,” I smile. I think that’s what I need. I don’t want some bumbling idiot who talks just as much as Levi. I don’t need another person asking me how I’m doing. Silence is golden right now.
“Would you mind waiting outside?” I ask Giovanni.
He nods and without another word, he removes himself from the room. As soon as the door closes, I whip my attention back to Levi, giving him a sharp look. “Is this what you really want? Some stranger following me around?”
“It’s what I do now, isn’t it?” he smirks.
“You’re not a stranger,” I mutter. I already know my position hasn’t just made me a target, but everyone else around me. How do I voice that to men of this caliber, when they literally fight and protect for a living? I don’t want another death on my conscience, at least not Levi’s.
“Sera,” Levi’s tone warns me. “It’s him or me.”
“You or him?” I repeat.
“Yeah…” He stands to his full height to approach me, backing me up against the desk. His hot breath skates past my lips as he continues, and I would be in denial if I said his proximity doesn’t steal my own breath slightly. “…And trust me, I won’t let you sleep.”
I shiver at his words, the sound of them doing something weird, yet not unfamiliar to me. I would be a liar if I said Levi was unattractive. Much like his cousin, he oozes confidence, but he never pushed any sort of boundary with me. This is just a game. Playful words to cheer me up, because Levi is a flirt.
So I play him at his own game and grab his tie, tugging him down to my level. My lips are a breath away from his, but it’s still so much distance, too much distance. “Trust me, Levi,” I husk. “Nobody gets in my bed that easily.”
All confidence seems to float away as Levi gulps, his eyes drifting down to my lips. There’s an unfamiliar tension building between us, and I can’t ignore the way my heart picks up its rhythm. My throat runs a little dry, but I have to keep my composure. I know I’ve got him where I want him when I feel the twitch of something hard press against my leg.
I snap into boss mode at that moment, knowing I’ve taken this too far, feeling like in some way I’m betraying Enzo’s memory. I don’t want Levi to get the wrong impression, so I push him away.
He stumbles backwards, confusion furrowing his brows. Whether he wanted that moment to go further or not, I’m not willing to find out. I’m his boss, he’s almost family to me.
What the hell was I thinking?
I need to distract myself.
“Go find out whether Fontana is willing to play ball.” I push off the desk and round it, taking a seat in my oversized leather chair. I attempt to keep my voice as calm and collected as I can—the total opposite of how I’m feeling inside. I shouldn’t be feeling anything at all right now. I should be numb—to a certain extent I am—but I shouldn’t be flirting with my second in command.
“With his father’s death, he’s going to want just as much revenge,” I add.
“And if he doesn’t want to align?” Levi asks, straightening his crooked tie.
“Then there are no hard feelings. I’m pretty sure he’s going to want to, though.” I still remember the cold look in Don Fontana’s eyes when he fell to the floor beside me. I can’t forget the soulless image. It haunts me almost as much as Enzo’s does. I know I shouldn’t feel guilty for what happened that day, but I do. I should have done more. I should have protected them. That’s what a leader does.
Levi flashes me an obedient smile, knowing whatever just happened between us needs to stay here, in the confinement of my office. It’s an unspoken rule, a level of respect everyone in La Cosa Nostra is aware of. And as my second in command, it’s his job to maintain my privacy.
“I’ll tell Giovanni he can stay then?” he laughs, edging towards the door. Despite his playful attitude, I don’t miss the disappointment in his tone. I let him leave before my thoughts wander, because maybe once upon a time, I would have let things escalate between Levi and I.
Who am I kidding? In another life, I wouldn’t be here. I would be traveling the continents and experiencing culture; not forming alliances with families, not planning how to take down an enemy. Yet, here I am.