Page 40 of Blood Vows

Dante stared at her. Everything inside the room seemed to go silent. “When did you put it in storage?”

“After my father died,” she said.

“Who knew about the ledger?” he asked.

“No one,” she admitted.

“Where is it now?” he asked.

“It’s in a storage facility in Jersey.” Dante pulled out his phone, and Elena grabbed his wrist. “No.” His gaze dropped to her hand and then lifted to her face.

“Why are you telling me no?” he asked.

“If Hale told me to stay away from it, we need to figure out why before we go charging into the storage facility to find it,” she insisted.

Dante stared at her, and then something almost approving entered his expression. “You're finally thinking like me.”

“That’s terrifying,” she mumbled.

“It should be.” She released his wrist. He looked down at where she’d touched him, and for just a second, the air shifted. Elena felt it—that same strange pull between them, and the awareness that kept appearing at the worst possible times. Dante took the birthday card from her and tucked it into his jacket, and she narrowed her eyes at him.

“You keep stealing my things,” she said.

“It’s evidence,” he said.

“It’s still mine,” she spat.

“You can have it when no one is trying to murder you,” he offered.

“And when will that be?”

His expression hardened. “Soon.”

“You sound very confident about that timeline,” she said.

“I am.”

“Why?” she asked. Dante stepped closer, and Elena’s heartbeat sped up.

His voice dropped. “Because I’m getting tired of people trying to take shots at you.”

She swallowed. “That sounds personal.”

“It’s becoming personal,” he admitted. There was no teasing in his voice—no sarcasm, and no easy way to misunderstand him. Elena’s breath caught. Dante seemed to realize what he’d admitted, but he didn’t take it back. He just looked at her with his dark eyes and hard face. Everything about him was controlled except for the tension in his jaw.

“Elena.” Her name sounded like a warning, and she knew that she should step back.

Instead, she whispered, “What?” His gaze dropped to her mouth again, and this time, neither of them pretended it hadn’t happened. He leaned in closer, slowly, giving her time to stop him, but she didn’t.

Their mouths were inches apart when a voice came from the hallway. “Boss?” Dante closed his eyes and groaned, and Elena nearly laughed. He muttered something vicious under his breath and stepped away from her.

“What?” he barked.

The guard appeared in the doorway. “We found something.” Dante’s posture changed, and she could tell that he was back to business.

“What did you find?” he asked.

“This was under the dead guy’s jacket.” The guard held out a plastic evidence bag, and inside was a photograph. Elena’s smile disappeared, and Dante took it. His face went cold.