Page 122 of Blood Vows

“Must be the head injury,” he mumbled. She smiled before she could stop herself. A loud knock hit the driver’s window, and Valentina jumped. Marco’s gun was in his hand before she even processed the sound. A man stood outside with his hands visible.

“Dante,” he breathed. Marco lowered the weapon, and Valentina exhaled.

Dante opened the door. “You two good?”

Marco got out of the SUV. “Define good.”

Dante looked at the damaged SUV. “You hit someone.”

“They were in my way,” Marco insisted.

“Of course they were,” Dante grumbled. Valentina climbed out, and Dante’s attention shifted immediately to her. “You hurt?”

“No,” she lied.

Dante, Valentina. Valentina, Dante,” Marco said as an introduction. He looked at Dante and nodded to her. “She hurt her shoulder.”

She glared at him. “It’s fine.”

Dante looked at Marco. “You two are going to get along wonderfully.”

“No,” they said together.

Dante almost smiled. “Come on.”

“Where are we?” Valentina asked.

Marco shut the door. “My place.”

She stared at him. “You brought me to your house?”

“To my condo,” he said.

“That wasn’t really my question,” she said.

“No one knows this address here, so you’re safe,” he said.

Dante cleared his throat. “I do.”

Marco looked at him. “Unfortunately, you do,” he agreed.

Valentina folded her arms over her chest. “So your grand plan is to hide me in your condo?”

“For tonight,” Marco said.

“And what happens tomorrow?” she asked.

Marco’s expression hardened. “Tomorrow, we figure out who keeps trying to kill you.”

“And my father’s involvement in all of this?” she asked.

“We figure him out too.” She studied him. There was something different now. At the safehouse, Marco had looked at her like she was a problem Luca had handed him. Now, he looked at her like the problem belonged to him. That should have frightened her, but instead, she felt strangely safer. Marco gestured toward the elevator. “Come on.”

Valentina didn’t move. “One thing first.”

His brows lifted. “What?”

“No more half-truths,” she insisted. Marco’s face went still. “If I’m staying with you, and if I’m trusting you to keep me alive, then I need to know what you know.”