2
LEVI
S erafina Bianchi . She has always been stubborn. I’ve known her since we were all kids, when I would come to visit my cousin and Enzo forced me to play with her. Not that I minded. The girl defied any preconceived ideas I had about her, and instead of wanting to play with dolls, she wanted to play fucking cowboys. Of course, she refused to play the damsel in distress. She wanted to be the one yielding plastic guns and fighting the bad guys. The woman is literally a force to be reckoned with; she just doesn’t see it.
She is too wrapped up in self-doubt and heartache to see the queen she could be. Ruling over her family isn’t just any feat, she’s the first female in our family’s history to be honored with the position. She was built for this role, whether she wants to accept it or not.
Enzo believed in her, and I sure as fuck do too. Her father put her in this role for a reason, despite what Sera thinks. It wasn’t to remain in the hierarchy. It wasn’t to destabilize tradition or defy what everyone else so clearly wanted. It was because Alfredo Bianchi saw what we all did in his daughter; a ruler.
“Stay here,” I order Giovanni as I step out of the office. “Nobody enters.”
The ever silent bodyguard nods, remaining beside the door to Serafina’s office while I make my way to a more secluded area. I’m still unsure about the guy. While he came heavily recommended by Sera’s father—and I had no real say in the matter— he’s still on my radar. Until he can prove his loyalty, he’ll remain there. I can’t take risks when it comes to Sera’s safety. It’s not just my job to advise her, but to protect her, help her become the leader this Mafia needs. She’s solely focused on revenge right now, but I know she is capable of a lot more. I just need to make sure she has the means to achieve it all.
“Marchese,” Luca Fontana’s voice rasps through the speaker of my phone. “Never thought I’d be hearing from you.”
I hear the ruffle of movement in the background, the unmistakable sound of a woman beside him. I might not have been in touch since his father’s death, but I’ve been keeping tabs, and I know he has been drowning himself in boobs and booze. I should be more of a friend to him, after all, we both lost someone that day.
“Donna Bianchi has a proposal.”
Luca scoffs down the phone, clearly still too drunk to hear me out. “She’s calling herself that?”
“Fontana,” I warn. Grieving or not, he still has to respect the structure of this organization.
“Does she want to put a target on my back, too?”
“Luca, you know that’s not what happened.”
We all know what went down that day. The Verdis didn’t like the idea of answering to a woman, and with the toxic history between Luciano Verdi and Serafina, it’s no wonder they planned an attack.
The only problem is they didn’t anticipate the amount of men who were backing the Bianchi family. We lost some good men, my cousin most importantly. I still miss the fucker, but I know he would want me to stick by Sera and make sure she is safe. It’s exactly what I intend to do.
There’s a heavy beat of silence down the phone. I don’t know whether to start speaking or hold my tongue just a little while longer.
“Fine,” Luca snaps, and I feel relief wash over me. “Where is she?”
“Luca, you have to deal with me.” It’s only precaution, and my job. I can’t let Luca near Sera right now, not until I know he’s really on our side. “If you want to help us get back at the Verdis, then you know where to find us .”
Luca sighs down the phone, and I can tell he’s contemplating his options. He’d be stupid not to. But the thing is, we’re not the enemies here. We’re the ally, and we need him just as much as he needs us.
“What do you have planned?”
“Nothing yet, we need to get as many families on board before we start talking logistics.” I don’t mention that we need weapons and money because since the Verdi’s attack, we lost all of our connections.
“Right,” Luca sounds less reluctant now. “Leave that with me, I’m sure I can get the Ferrante brothers and the Rocco family on our side.”
“The Ferrante brothers?”
He clears his throat, “Sure, why not?”
“If you have connections to the Ferrantes, why didn’t you mention it before?” The brothers are the leading suppliers of guns this side of the states. With their support, the Verdis would have no choice but to back down.
“You know I don’t actually report to you,” Luca jabs. “Do you want my help or not?”
“I’ll be in?—”
“It’s the funeral today, right?”
My chest constricts at the reminder. “Yes,” is all I can say past the lump in my throat.
“Are you going?” he quizzes.
“We’re…” I inhale deeply. “No. Serafina can’t bring herself to go, plus she’s right, it’s not safe.”
We’re taking extra precautions at the moment. While she’s plotting revenge on the family who stole her day, I’m ensuring that nobody takes advantage of her vulnerability and decides to attack. I wouldn’t put it past the Verdis to do such a thing. They tried once, they’ll try again.
“She blames herself?” Luca sighs down the phone, though I know he’s not asking but merely confirming the obvious. Only a cold-hearted son-of-a-bitch wouldn’t feel the way she does.
“Good,” Luca answers my silence, but then the hatred seems to drain from his words. “I still remember you stealing your old man’s watch, immediately after he told you not to go into his study.”
“What’s your point Fontana?” I huff. The bastard is dead and I never want to think about him again. The fact he’s dragging up old memories makes me think Fontana isn’t as serious about aligning as I first thought.
“My point is, Levi Marchese does whatever the fuck he wants. You want to pay respects to your cousin? Fucking do it. Nobody is going to attack her at a funeral, besides, we all know how close Sera and Enzo were. Hell, I’d be surprised if they weren’t secretly in love with each other.”
If only he knew.
Still, I can’t help but smile at his encouragement. I’m taken aback by his weird choice of words and support. Luca is right, though. I do whatever the fuck I want—within reason. I know I’ll be able to convince Sera somehow. It’s just going to take a hot minute for me to wear her down.
“Thanks, Luca. So, can we count on you to help us?”
His breath rushes out against the speaker, making a loud breezy sound. “I can’t promise shit with Ferrante or Rocco, but since it’s revenge Serafina is after…” there’s a long, hesitant pause. “I’m in.”
I lean back against the wall of the corridor I’ve found myself in, that leads to the back of Serafina’s club. Relief washes over me, and the gradual confidence of us rebuilding La Cosa Nostra begins to take shape.
“I don’t need to remind you about telling the Elders,” I warn.
“Not if I want to keep my head.”
Pretty soon after, we hang up, and I make my way back to Sera with one thing on my mind. She’s not going to like it, but we both need this. We both need to do this for the sake of our sanity.
“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Sera hisses from the backseat of the SUV .
Luckily, everyone who attended today had the same idea. Black limousines and SUVs line the drive to the cemetery, guards block the majority of our view. With the sunshine, it makes it even more difficult to see who is actually in any of these vehicles or out at the grave.
“We’ll wait until it’s over, then pay our respects.” Sera’s eyes drift outside the window, to where the LaRosa family are gathered around Enzo’s coffin. What happened in her office earlier hasn’t escaped me. I know I was only playing with her, trying to lighten the mood, but she took it to another level and I can’t deny how fucking hot it was.
Luca Fontana’s words repeat in the back of my mind as we all sit in silence. I knew how Enzo felt about Sera. He adored her, more than a best friend should, but he never overstepped.
It was the same for me. I was instantly drawn to her all those years ago. But unlike my cousin, I remained on the periphery. While Enzo was the protective friend, keeping in his boundary, I was watching from the sidelines wondering if he would make a move, or if I would bulldoze that. I’m not one to ruin relationships, though. Whether they saw it or not, I knew I didn’t have a shot with Serafina Bianchi. That didn’t stop me pining for her for years. With chocolate brown locks and hazel eyes, an attitude to boot; she’s gorgeously powerful, defiantly beautiful. I could forever drown in Donna Bianchi and not give a flying fuck about coming up for air. I was lost to her from day one, but until today, I thought that was as far as it would go between us.
Giovanni sits in the front of the SUV, a stoic expression on his face. I don’t miss the way he glances at Sera through the rearview mirror. She’s undeniably stunning. His presence still sits a little uneasy with me, though. Regardless of how much Alfredo trusts the man, I need a little more convincing.
My gaze turns to our leader, a rogue tear rolling down her soft cheek, and as much as I want to reach over and wipe it away, I don’t. I know that Sera has been beating herself up about Enzo’s death. I’ve tried time and time again to tell her that it wasn’t her fault. The Verdis did this and they have to pay. Unfortunately, it’s pretty damn hard to convince someone like Sera that she wasn’t to blame.
Turning my head toward the procession outside, I see my aunt, Enzo’s mother, burying her head into her husband's shoulder. There’s no way we can hear what is being said, but I’m sure it’s all bullshit. Very few people knew the real Enzo, and two of them are currently sitting in this car. He’d be laughing this shit up, making sarcastic comments about the pretentious pricks crying over him, and how the priest douses his fucking coffin like it might set alight at any moment. He’d even remark on the fact there are people drowning in sorrow, all while wearing their best dress and jewelry, people he’s not seen or spoken to in years. Those are probably the things I miss most about him. The way he could turn something shitty into something funny. The way he could light up a room, even if he was a grumpy fucker most of the time.
It takes another hour before the funeral ends and everyone starts to depart. The cars ahead of us disperse in unformed fashion, and once I’m certain it’s clear, I step outside. I hold my hand out for Sera, her eyes pausing on my palm as she chews her lip. It’s a big step for her, I know. I’m not sure how well my words of encouragement will go but she’s got this far, what’s another little nudge?
I reach forward, untucking her lip. “In the words of Enzo LaRosa, let’s get this shit over with.”
Sera laughs softly, taking my hand and lowering herself to the ground. She takes a look around the silent cemetery, uncertainty warring with her usual stubborn confidence.
Giovanni’s boots hitting the ground avert our attention. His burly figure shadowing us both is something I don’t think I’ll ever get used to. His presence does relax Sera a little, though. I’ve already noticed how her shoulders visibly roll back whenever he’s around. Maybe having him around isn’t such a bad thing after all?
“Let’s get this shit over with,” she mutters under her breath.
“Atta girl,” I tease, squeezing her hand.
With Giovanni only two paces behind us, I guide Serafina to Enzo’s grave. The only thing visible is the dirt mound covering the hole, but even that’s surreal in itself. The realization that my cousin is actually gone hits deeper than I thought it ever would. I feel that lump in my throat return, lodging in my windpipe until it’s too hard to breathe.
“You know what the last thing he said to me was?” Sera speaks up, her meek words piercing the silence. There’s a soft tremble to the way she speaks, like she’s trying so hard to be strong. This is the only time I’ve seen her so vulnerable. Any other given day she would be causing havoc or pissing someone off, but any mention of Enzo does something to her. Something I hate to see but know is necessary.
I turn to her, but I don’t say anything. I fear my voice will break too if I do.
“He told me I was his everything,” she sniffs.
I watch the tear roll down her cheek, observing her quickly swiping it away. I know she hates showing any kind of weakness, but out here, she needs to know it’s okay. I just can’t find it in me to say it. The words are too hard to pull out, because I’m doing exactly what I don’t want her to do.
“I never got to say it back. I was too angry at him and at myself.” She peers up at me, her round doe eyes are red-rimmed and glassy. “Why did he wait?”
I shrug. Fuck knows why the asshole waited until a bullet was in his back to tell his best friend how he really felt. I don’t think we’ll ever know the answer to that question, either. Timing, huh?
Sera tugs something out of her hair, sighing as she opens her palm to expose a hair pin. “He used to get so pissed at me for wearing these,” she giggles lightly. “They would fall out all the time and he would end up standing on them or sitting on them.”
There’s a brightness to her words. Reminiscing the good times seems to make her happier, even though I can tell it’s tearing her apart inside. I remain silent as I watch her drop the pin into the dirt. It just sits there, resting like it’s one with the ground.
I smile at the gesture, re-lacing my fingers with Sera’s. “I hope it sticks him in the ass.”