Page 79 of Vow Of Fire

He was still scowling, but I could feel the tension radiating off him.

“Like me?” I whispered, connecting the dots. “You think Alberto told them where I lived?”

“Alberto gave me your name,” he said grimly. “Plus, he was tortured. There’s only one reason to torture someone, and that’s to get something out of them. I think that something was you.”

I stumbled backward until the backs of my legs hit the couch. Then I collapsed as my knees gave way. I stared up at him, horrified.

“Then… they know I’m here?”

“Not here. But they know you’re under the protection of the Marcelli family now. That means shit is about to get serious.”

As if it wasn’t before.

“What if they find out where I am?” I whispered.

He gave a nod as if to say he’d expected that. “This cabin is secure. There isn’t a record of it anywhere.”

I gulped over a lump in my throat. “You sure?”

“I’m sure. This is the safest place for you right now. Try to stay calm.”

Except he looked anything but calm. Every ripped muscle in his gorgeous body was strained and his jaw popped with tension.

“How can you know that?”

“Nico is monitoring the approach road,” he said. “There’s a camera on the freeway, before the turnoff to the cabin. If he sees trouble, he’ll let me know.”

I heaved a quiet sigh of relief. That was something, at least.

“I’ve briefed my men outside. They know to look out for anything suspicious.”

I had to admit, it did sound like he’d taken care of everything. Although I didn’t want to wait around for a cartel hit squad to find out where I was and come after me.

“Get some sleep, Ophelia,” Dante said quietly. “You look tired.”

Not as tired as he did. Weariness was etched into the fine lines on his face, the deep groove in his forehead, and the shadows underneath his eyes.

“If I’m safe here, why did you come back?” I asked, still watching him. “Why didn’t you just stay in the city tonight?”

He didn’t reply.

“Dante,” I murmured, getting back up. “Why did you come back?”

He could have just ordered one of the guards to move me tomorrow. He didn’t need to drive hours in the middle of the night to come back here.

His gaze met mine then, and something inside me tightened. That kiss had gotten to him too.

“Was it because of me?” I whispered.

One part of me needed to know, but the other, more sensible side was screaming at me to shut the hell up. Not to push him. Did I really want to know the answer?

Dante Marcelli lived in the shadows. He was a dangerous, violent man, and I knew I should leave well alone. But I was in this now, and God help me, I wanted to follow him into those shadows.

Finally, he growled. “I came back… because the thought of them touching you makes me homicidal.”

Suddenly, it was hard to breathe. The room seemed to tilt and I had to take a deep breath to regain my equilibrium.

He’d driven back through the middle of the night just to be here.