Page 24 of Blood Vows
Marco took a photo. “I’ll run it now.”
Elena stepped forward. “That belongs to me.”
Luca looked at her. “It belonged to your father.”
“And he left it to me,” she said.
“Which means he wanted you to find something,” Luca said.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“And now people are trying to kill you for it.” Elena went silent, and Luca’s tone softened slightly. “Let us figure out what it opens.” She looked at Isabella, and her cousin nodded at her. Reluctantly, Elena backed down. Dante watched the exchange. That was trust—family trust. It was something he understood, and something he rarely saw outside the Camorras.
Luca looked at Dante. “You stay with her.”
The room went quiet again, and Dante’s gaze narrowed. “For how long?”
“Until this is finished,” Luca said.
Elena’s head snapped toward Luca. “I can take care of myself.”
Luca ignored her, but Dante didn’t. He looked at her, and she looked furious. “You heard him,” Dante said.
Her eyes narrowed. “Oh, I heard him.” Marco coughed, and it sounded suspiciously like a laugh. Dante glared at him.
Elena folded her arms. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“You’re right,” Dante agreed. She blinked at him, and he continued. “You need a bodyguard.”
“I don’t need either,” she hissed.
“You’ve been shot at twice,” he reminded.
“Once,” she countered.
“The apartment shooter counts,” he insisted.
“He shot at you,” she said.
“He was there for you,” he said.
“You don’t know that,” Elena spat.
Dante stepped closer to her. “I do.”
Her chin lifted. “How do you know?”
“Because if he wanted me dead, I’d be dead.”
Elena scoffed. “You’re an arrogant ass.”
“That’s accurate,” Dante said. Isabella’s lips twitched, and Luca looked tired already, but Dante didn’t care. He wasn’t leaving Elena alone—not tonight, and maybe not tomorrow. Not until he knew who was hunting her, and maybe not even then. That thought landed harder than it should have.
Elena looked at him. “What exactly does staying with me mean?”
Dante held her gaze. “It means where you go, I go.”
“No,” she said. “I need privacy.”
