32
LEVI
S moke fills the skies, a dirty haze sitting thick in the air as we all watch the warehouse swarm with flames. Spits of embers light up the sky, the wispy ribbons laced with drugs and dirty money engulfing us. It’s only a matter of time before this place explodes, and we need to get out of here before that happens. Lucky for us, we’re in the depths of the Valley where the only souls to come by would be none-the-wiser passers-by.
Luca stands stoically, eyes wandering the tree line. I know exactly what he’s looking for. Our mystery sniper.
Whoever was out here with us tonight wasn’t here to take the girl. Whatever they wanted, it wasn’t us. Apparently, we had the same motives, but that only begs the question of who they are.
“We need to tell Bianchi about this,” Marco says. “Whoever was here, whether they meant to or not, they were helping us.”
Luca nods in agreement, but I can sense his reluctance. “I’ll tell her. She might know who it was.”
After a beat of silence, we all agree it’s time to head back. With the warehouse burning to the ground behind us, we all turn, satisfied with what we have accomplished. We’ve got the girl, and we’ve retaliated in the most personal form. Once the Verdis hear about this compound, they’ll be sure to up the ante on taking out Bianchi. But we’re ready. We’re prepared for that. Now that we have Zeke’s daughter, we can start forming alliances with them.
As we head back down the hill to where the convoy is parked, my mind wanders to Sera. I know how much it’s hurting her that we haven’t spoken. I’ve done nothing but hurt her with my silence. But I just can’t seem to wrap my head around everything. I’ve tried for the last few days to understand, to figure out what Luca has that I don’t. He’s got the brooding personality down to the letter, he’s good looking—hell, I’d fuck him if I was that way inclined.
But it’s Sera I want.
“Hey!” Matteo claps me on the back as we navigate our way through the thick forest. He’s no longer holding the girl. He gave her to one of Greco’s guards even though she refused at first.
She looks too weak to walk, though. I don’t know how long the Verdis had the girl, but she looks like she’s seen better days. We can’t risk anything else happening to her, so she had no choice but to accept our help.
I grab a branch as we descend the loose terrain. This part of the Valley is dense with trees and foliage, but is also dry and unstable. It’s probably why the Verdis chose this area in the first place. Hidden out of sight, inconspicuous because there are so many alike—even if they’re miles apart. It’s the perfect place to hide something you don’t want found.
“You still in a mood over the ‘sharing Bianchi’ thing?”
“It’s not a thing,” I snap, causing Matteo to step back. “It’s just…” My gaze shifts to Luca who is climbing over a fallen tree, one of the guards carrying the girl is close behind him.
“It’s a thing, man.” Matteo smiles at me.
The guy is always smiling. Having the twins around is always like having two sides of the same coin. One is serious and structured, the other is free-spirited and fun. While I like having them around, Matteo is the last person I want to talk to about who Sera sleeps with. I don’t want to add more people to the list .
“You need to stop that shit,” Matteo mutters, nudging past me and grabbing hold of a branch as he climbs down the hill.
“What shit?” I growl, following after him.
Matteo turns to me. In the dark, with only the shadows cast by the moonlight, I see his knowing smile point out every fucking silent thought of mine. “First of all,” he huffs, turning back down the hill. “Bianchi is our leader. You really fucked up there, talking to her like a nobody.”
Cazzo. I did do that.
Any other leader would have made an example of me. Not Sera, though. She took my shit, accepted it, and let each syllable burn her like I had intended. For that alone, I should be cast aside. I don’t deserve to be in the same room as Bianchi, let alone continue as her second in command.
“Secondly,” Matteo continues. “So what if she slept with Fontana? She slept with you too, right?”
“Right.”
Matteo stops beside another obscure tree, the darkness covering us entirely. “So what if she wants Fontana? She wants you, too.”
I don’t know what he’s getting at exactly, but his words are starting to ignite a curiosity I didn’t think I had until now.
“Sharing isn’t so bad,” Matteo states.
I frown. Even though he can’t see my expression, I’m betting he can sense my confusion. “I’m not like that, Matty. Threesomes just aren’t me.”
“Nobody said anything about threesomes, you dumbass. Sera wants you both. She wants to explore you both. So let her.”
“And then what?” I huff. “Watch her get fucked by another guy? A guy who wanted her head on a plate not that long ago?”
“You’re such a drama queen,” Matteo scoffs. “Luca never wanted her head, he was in a bad place after his father’s death. He doesn’t have anyone else but us now. Did it ever occur to you that his initial feelings for Bianchi might have been clouded?”
Matteo’s words hit me deep. I didn’t realize Luca had nobody else. I knew his mother wasn’t around, but I didn’t really think of the consequences he found himself in after Don Fontana was killed. That still doesn’t excuse him, and a deeper part of me still wonders if he’s playing a game. People don’t just move past revenge and decide they want to sleep with the enemy. Do they?
“I suppose you’re going to tell me he’s a changed man?”
Matteo laughs, just as the convoy comes into view. We’re still concealed by the trees, but we’re a step closer to getting back. “Fontana is still Fontana. But I’ve seen how he looks at Sera. He’s not playing a game or trying to hurt her. I think he actually likes her. I know that’s not something you want to hear, but it should fill you with some relief that he’s not going to hurt the same person you care about because that’s really what this is all about, isn’t it?”
In some way, Matteo is right. It’s not just the fact I feel betrayed about her wanting someone else. I don’t want her to get hurt. I can’t control Luca, but I can control what I say and do.
Realization hits me like a fucking brick because I did exactly what I was afraid Luca would do to her.
“ Cazzo ,” I murmur.
“Yeah,” Matteo chuckles, clapping me on the back for good measure. “I will say Luca was right about one thing. You’ve been sitting on the sidelines for so long that you feel insecure. You shouldn’t though. Sera is woman enough to tell you what she wants, so I say fucking own it! Besides…” he nods towards his twin brother, “Sharing can be fun.”
“You’ve done it before?”
Matteo’s beaming grin is just about visible through the dark night. “Once. And it wasn’t as bad as you might think. Just think of it as a competition.”
“A competition?” Isn’t that exactly what Sera told me it wasn’t?
“Yeah,” Matteo smirks. “If all else fails, see who can get her off more times.”
I slump down on my couch, flicking the TV on .
After the conversation with Matteo and the silent ride back to Bianchi’s, I made a swift retreat. We left Zeke’s daughter with Sera, ignoring the fact she wanted a debrief on what happened tonight. But I needed to wash up and get the stench of blood and dirt off my skin. The debrief will have to wait.
I’m still caught up in Matteo’s discussion about sharing.
What are the dynamics?
How the hell do you not get in your head about competing against another guy?
There’s a knock at the door before I get the chance to think more on it. Pulling myself out of my thoughts, I head to the door and check the camera.
It’s Sera.
Without hesitation, I open the door, coming face to face with the last person I expected to see tonight.
“What are you doing here?” I frown.
“You didn’t stay for a debrief,” Sera answers abruptly, stepping past me to enter the apartment.
Closing the door, I turn to watch her examining my place. She’s only been here a few times. Nothing has changed, but I expect she’s hoping something has so it can distract her from whatever she came here to say. Because it sure as shit isn’t going to be about the weather.
“Did anyone?” I quiz because I’m pretty sure everyone just wanted to call it a night. We’ve been climbing, fighting and shooting for the better part of a couple of hours, we need to rest.
“We need to talk,” she states.
“Sera, I?—“
“ I need to talk,” she corrects herself, approaching me with determined steps. “And you’re going to listen.” She grabs me by my shoulders, dragging me toward the couch and pushing me backwards.
Before I know what’s happening, she’s straddling me. I don’t have time to remain angry or stick to my guns about keeping away from her, because my dick is getting harder by the second underneath my towel .
Sera ignores it, though, instead opting to rest her hands on my shoulders and look me dead in the eyes.
“I don’t like the silence. I don’t like that we aren’t talking. And I don’t like us like this. You’re my second in command, and I miss you.”
Looking at her and listening to her words, I see the war she has been battling inside for the last few days. I’ve been so hard on her about the fact she was open with me that I never gave her the chance to fully explain, or try to understand why she wants both of us.
“I want you by my side again, the old Levi that brightened up a room with his smile.” Sera cups my cheek, her warm palm soothing the sharp side of receding anger. “I know why you’re angry and hurt, and I’m so sorry that I did that to you.”
She’s right. I am angry. I am hurt. But the biggest emotion that cuts deeper than anything else is fear. “What does he have that I don’t?”
Sera’s brows furrow with confusion, sadness framing her eyes. “Nothing. It’s not about fulfilling what the other can’t. You’re both you, and that’s what I like. You both make me happy, and I care about both of you equally.”
“Then why do I feel like I’ll be competing against him?”
She tilts her head, her other hand running through my hair. “Is that how you feel? Like I’m going to be tallying up who’s better than the other?”
I nod. Since we’re speaking freely and honestly without the labels of who we are to each other, it seems only right that I lay out how I feel, too.
Sera presses her forehead to mine and for the first time since this whole situation rose to the surface, I feel at peace. The slice of proximity she has forced between us seems to buff away the edges of my jealousy and torment.
“I already told you,” she whispers. “There’s no competition. But if wanting this means I have to choose between you both…” she sighs heavily, closing her eyes and letting the words slip free and honestly from her lips. “Then we can go back to how it was before.”
I roll my eyes. The last thing I want is to go back to Luca treating Sera like she’s to blame for everything and me pining after a woman I can’t have.
“I can’t choose, Levi. I’ve already lost so much, I can’t lose you, too.”
“I don’t want to go back to how things were,” I rasp, running a hand over her thigh. “I just don’t know how this works. The logistics, the feelings.”
A small smile appears on Sera’s lips. I love that the slightest hint of a possibility seems to brighten her features. She relaxes against me, her chest pressing against mine. “I don’t know either. But I’m willing to find out. I need you by my side, though. I need both of you.”
Slowly, she lifts her head, her soft lips grazing mine. It’s a gesture that tells me she’s willing to make this work if I am. And I am, I think. I just don’t know how the hell I can put my jealousy aside, knowing she’s going to be fucking someone else. It’s not the societal norm. It’s not conventional in the slightest, but a part of me knows that this would make her happy, and fuck, do I want to make her happy.
“You never lost me, Bianchi. You just took me by surprise.” I lift my hand to comb it through her long hair cascading down her shoulders. “And what pisses me off the most is you spoke to Luca about this before me.”
Sera’s head moves sadly. I don’t mean to be harsh or brash, but I need to be honest.
“It was a conversation that came out of nowhere,” she explains.
“I get it,” I say, leaning up to kiss her lips gently. “But I’m still allowed to be pissed about it.”
That small smile from before widens. I’ve always loved seeing Sera smile, and knowing my words have that effect on her makes me feel weightless.
“I promise, you’ll be the first to know everything,” she replies, kissing me sweetly.
I’m more than satisfied with her response, wasting no time in kissing her harder. Her lips press against mine, a soft whimper escaping her as I slide my hand to the base of her neck. It’ s slow and intense, a flutter of heat and emotions warring with my own desire to get the last few days’ frustration out.
Sera must sense my need—that, and the fact I’m rock hard beneath her and she’s grinding on me like no tomorrow.
“So how does this work?” I ask, suppressing the urge to just strip her naked and fuck her raw.
“I don’t know. Whatever we’re comfortable with.”
“I’m not comfortable with any of it,” I sigh. “But I’m willing to try. Just don’t expect me to watch you get fucked by Luca. I draw the line there.”
Sera chuckles, the sound resonating deep within me. She strokes my face sweetly, the tenderness of her touch cementing my decision. It’s moments like these that I remember how much I care about her, how much I long to make her happy. If this is what will make her happy, I have to be willing to meet at least halfway. “It’s not about the sex, Levi. I like spending time with you both. You both make me feel something I haven’t felt in so long. I want to explore that.”
I nod in understanding. I get it. Sera’s past isn’t one she’ll forget anytime soon, and she’s doing what feels right to her now, to move on from that. I can’t fault her for being honest in what she wants.
“Then let’s make this work.”