Page 20 of Blood Vows

“Yeah. I figured that out.” Something almost like amusement flickered in her eyes, but it disappeared quickly. That worked for him because this wasn’t funny. Nothing about this was.

He reached past her and grabbed the coat off the floor where it had landed earlier, and held it out. She took it, and their fingers brushed again. Too much awareness sparked from too little contact. Dante pulled his hand back. That was another thing he hated, because he didn’t do distractions. He didn’t do confusion, and he definitely didn’t do this—whatever the hell this was.

Elena slid into her coat slowly. “You’re worried.”

Dante stared at her. “No, I’m not,” he lied.

“You are,” she said as though she could read his mind.

“I’m assessing risk,” he insisted.

“That’s a fancy way of saying worried.”

“It’s a more accurate way.” Her lips twitched, but Dante ignored it. He checked the hallway, then motioned for her to follow. “Stay behind me.”

“I remember,” she spat.

“That would be a first.” She muttered something under her breath, and he almost smiled. Fuck. He needed distance. He also needed her where he could see her. Those two things were becoming incompatible.

They made it downstairs without incident. His men had cleared the building. The shooter upstairs was dead. He had no identification, no wallet, and no phone. He was exactly the kind of man Dante hated dealing with—the kind who didn’t exist long enough to interrogate.

Outside, the street was still—too still. Dante opened the rear door of the SUV and waited, and Elena looked at him. “What?” she asked.

“Get in,” he ordered.

“You first,” she insisted.

His eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Because someone has already shot at me once tonight, and I really don’t need another hole in my body,” she said. Dante paused. He didn’t like that she had a point. He scanned the vehicle, then climbed in, and Elena followed. The second the door shut, Dante pulled out his phone. He had three missed calls from Luca and one text with three simple words.

GET OUT NOW!

Dante called him, and Luca answered on the first ring. “Tell me you have her.”

“I have her,” Dante said. Elena looked at him, but Dante ignored her.

“Bring her straight here,” Luca said.

“We’re moving now,” Dante said, following orders.

“Anyone follow you?” Luca asked.

“Not that I can see,” Dante said.

“Not good enough,” Luca said. “Be sure that you’re not being followed before you head this way.”

“I know how to lose a tail,” Dante said. Luca exhaled sharply. Dante could hear voices in the background—Marco and possibly Isabella. The family was gathering, and that meant Luca understood exactly how serious this had become.

“What do we know about the body?” Dante asked.

“Male, mid-thirties, and no ID,” Luca said.

“Do we have a cause of death?” Dante asked.

“His throat was cut,” Luca said.

“Did it look like a professional hit?” Dante asked.