Page 70 of The Silence Lies

“You were acting on how you felt.”

Luca stops pacing. His furrowed brows and accusatory glare have me pinned in place. For someone like me, who should hold all the authority and power that comes with my position, I feel powerless right now. Not just with Luca, but with Levi, too. Something about them draws me in. We all share pain in one way or another, and maybe that’s what links us. Maybe that’s what I’m drawn to; the paralleled pain and suffering we’ve all endured bonds us in some way.

“So am I.” I step forward, taking Luca’s hand in mine. “I don’t know how this works, I really don’t. But there’s no competition. I promise.”

“Does Levi know?”

I shake my head. “It’s probably something I need to talk to him about.”

“No shit!” he scoffs, snatching his hand away.

“Luca—“

Screeching tires have us both spinning around. Our gazes fall to the security entrance, where Giovanni’s black SUV is followed by five other cars.

Seeing the convoy pushes me forward. Relief washes over me as I lock eyes with an unharmed Levi and Giovanni. But that relief quickly evaporates and in its place is something deeper and sharper. Guilt.

What Levi and I shared the other night was special. Not just for him, but for me, too. I know he feels the connection we have isn’t forced, but at the same time, I don’t want to hurt him for liking Luca as well.

Luca pushes past me without another word. All at once, the moody version of him has returned. He rests against the passenger side, communicating something with Levi before he rounds the back of the SUV and opens the trunk.

Giovanni steps out of the driver’s side, joining Luca.

“You okay?” Levi’s voice draws me out of my focus.

He looks a little disheveled; his tie is worn loosely and he’s looking a bit flustered, but other than that, he’s not wearing any marks that would suggest he’s been in any trouble.

I nod, glancing back at the SUV as Giovanni drops a man to his knees on the concrete.

“What happened?” I ask as the Ferrante brothers roll another guy out of their trunk.

Both men groan as they’re yanked to their full height. They’re wearing leather jackets with the sleeves torn off, their jeans smudged in what looks to be a lethal concoction of oil and blood.

A shiver rolls over me as I catch the eye of the guy with tattoos all over his face. Wings cover the column of his neck, the image of a vulture stretching in ink travels down his arm. While this man looks deadly, I think he’s underestimating the lengths these men around me would go to in order to protect me.

Matteo approaches me with a smirk, moving to my side to observe Luca in front of them. “Thought we would get our own back on them for running you off the road the other night.”

“You ran them off the road?” I glare at Matteo. I know they are experienced—the twins know what they’re doing—but I really wish they would be more careful. Like I said to Luca earlier, I worry about all of them. There’s only so much guilt I can handle, and after Enzo’s death, I’m toeing the line of darkness that I know will swallow me up if I give it just another inch.

Matteo smirks back like he can tell what I’m thinking. “Don’t worry. It’s all part of the plan,” he winks.

It would have been nice to know the actual plan. But I can’t say I’m surprised by the turn of events.

“What do you want with Bianchi?”

I snap my attention to Luca who has his gun pointed at Tattoo-face.

The guy doesn’t even flinch. I’m not surprised. They’ve probably come face to face with a barrel more than all of us put together. The Vultures aren’t exactly known for their gentle approach to situations.

“We have a message,” Tattoo-face explains, locking eyes with me.

Furious heat rages through my veins. Memories of the other night come back in flashes of technicolor. My arm still aches from the near miss, and I’m still dosing up on painkillers because of the cut on my head.

“I got your message loud and clear the other night.” I step toward him, towering over the cocky asshole. I’m almost certain if he was there that night I would have gladly put a bullet in his head along with his friend’s.

“Then why are you still here?” The other Vulture sneers at me.

Luca smacks him over the back of the head with the heel of his gun before returning it to rest between his eyes. Clearly, he’s in a no-nonsense mood. I can’t help but feel like I put him in it, but it’s definitely working in our favor.

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