Page 75 of Blood Vows

“It means I won’t lie to you,” he promised.

“Even if the truth hurts Luca?” she asked.

Dante held her gaze. “Yes.”

Her face softened a fraction. “Even if it hurts you?” That was harder for him to answer, but he answered anyway.

“Yes.” Elena looked down. Dante crossed the last bit of space between them. “I’m not asking you to trust the Camorra family.” Her eyes lifted to his. “I’m asking you to trust me.”

“That’s not easy,” she whispered.

“I know,” he admitted.

“You defended Luca before you even knew the facts.”

“He earned that much from me, Elena,” Dante said.

“And I haven’t?” she asked.

Dante’s chest tightened. “That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s what it sounded like.” He reached for her and stopped himself. Elena seemed to notice. Then, she closed the distance between them and took his hand—just his hand. That simple touch hit him harder than the sex had. “I’m trying,” she said.

Dante looked down at their joined hands. “So am I.”

Her mouth curved faintly. “You’re not very good at it.”

“No,” he breathed, “I’m not.”

“Me either,” she admitted with a smile.

“Good,” he said.

She frowned. “Good?”

“I’d hate to be the only one screwing this up,” he teased. That earned him a real smile, and relief hit him harder than expected.

His phone buzzed, and Elena groaned. Dante pulled it out of his pocket. “Luca.”

“Of course it is,” she drawled.

He answered. “What?”

“Same grumpy sunshine as before,” Luca teased. “I found something.”

Dante’s body went on alert. “What did you find?”

“An alliance ledger from twenty-eight years ago,” Luca said.

Elena moved closer to him, and Dante switched to speaker. “What does it say?” he asked.

Luca’s voice was tight. “Camorra, Romano, Hale, and Vale. They were all a part of the alliance.”

Elena’s grip tightened around Dante’s hand. “All four?” she asked.

“Yes,” Luca said.

“What were they doing?” Dante asked.