I lead them into the building, and Vanessa heads for the elevator.
“Fifth floor,” Zeno calls out. “We’ll meet you at the top.”
Once she’s gone, Zeno starts up the stairs, and I follow two below him. Electricity tingles in the air until he pauses on the first landing, his hand hovering near my shoulder but not touching.
“You have no idea how grateful I am.”
“I fucked up.” My hands slide into my front pockets, bowing my shoulders. The static in my brain isn’t kind at all. “She was out of my sight, like the two before her kidnapping. This isn’t any different.”
He’s quiet for a moment, probably agreeing with my thoughts. He walks again, only speaking on the next landing. “You were instructed to give her freedom. If that meant going off with him… Look, I don’t blame you.”
“I wouldn’t have gotten there in time if she hadn’t called me.”
“We’re lucky she did.”
When we reach the top, Vanessa’s waiting, and I lead them towards Serafina’s dorm, letting Zeno enter first. Vanessa briefly touches my elbow as she passes. I enter last, catching the end of Zeno’s hug with Serafina.
He releases her slowly, clinging to her shoulders. “Fuck, Sera. Are you okay?”
“Thanks to Lev, yeah.” Her bright eyes flick over his shoulder, and somewhere between blinks, they ice over before she jerks away from her brother, narrowing them. “He said something about a deal, but Lev refused to explain. You know, though, don’t you?”
He backs away with a sigh and falls onto the couch, halfway between my spot and hers.
We have spots, for fuck’s sake. What has become of my life?
He rubs his hands over his face and doesn’t straighten, instead speaking to the floor. “You know the story of what happened tomio padre. For a while, I didn’t understand what advantage Ursin Volkov had when attacking our territory. The journal Vanessa discovered detailed it out: he worked with the Vitales, another one of the Five Families.” He glances up at Serafina, his skin red from where he’s rubbed it. “You remember everything I told you about the Cosa Nostra?” When Serafina nods, he continues. “It’s fucked up, but the Families aren’t always loyal to one another, especially when it comes to potential allies. For the Vitales, that’s what the Bratva was. In exchange for their help, he’d offer up his daughter in marriage.”
Serafina’s gaze whips to Vanessa, assuming she’s the aforementioned daughter.
“The Vitales believe in blood purity,” Zeno continues. “In ensuring their bloodline remains mostly of Italian descent. That’s when Ursin decided to acknowledge his other daughter.”
“No,” Serafina whispers after five beats of my heart, realizing he’s talking about her, not Vanessa. Her gaze sweeps over us, landing last on me.
“Yes,” Zeno groans. “Alessandro Vitale accepted the deal.”
Apprehensive air makes the room unbreathable. Being in tense situations isn’t new, but they’re often easy to ignore since,half the time, I barely understand the real issues until Anastasia later explains. But Serafina’s horrors hit a certain piece of me.
“So, what? I’mengaged?”
Zeno flinches. “More like engaged to be engaged.”
She’s already shaking her head. “Zeno, you’vesaidnumerous times you wouldn’t expect that of me. You told Madre?—”
“You’re not getting married,” he interrupts. “Not if I have anything to say about it. I tried to talk this out with Vitale, but he refuses to break the deal. The Commission will enforce this if I bring it to them, so keeping them in the dark for now is best. They’ll say it’s binding becauseyour father,” he spits the words, “made the deal.”
“You’re the head of the Mancinis. A Volkov never ran us.”
“I’m aware, but in these cases, my position is second to the connection between you and Ursin. The deal was meant to go through on your eighteenth birthday, but Vitale hasn’t called upon you yet.”
“Why?”
He shrugs. “Why do the Vitales do anything? He’s taunting me.”
Serafina snorts, shaking her head. “You’re not the one with your neck on the line! Or…your left hand.” Her gaze goes to me, realization dawning so brightly, betrayal overshadows it. “That’s why you’re here.” She breathes the words. “Why the two before I got kidnapped. Why you”—she glances at Zeno—“were so determined for me to have protection.”
“Until the Vitales make their move, you can’t be alone. They can strike at any time…and they have.”
More silence. More pieces falling into place.
