Page 21 of Blood Vows

“Close enough,” Luca grumbled. Dante’s jaw tightened.

“And the message?”

“Carved into his chest,” Luca said. Elena looked away. She seemed to have heard enough.

Dante continued. “Anything else?”

There was a pause, and he knew that he wasn’t going to like what Luca was about to say. “Yes.”

Dante didn’t like the pause. “What?”

“His pockets were full of cash,” Luca said.

“How much cash are we talking about?” Dante asked.

“Fifty grand,” Luca said.

Dante frowned. “Why would he have that much cash on his person?”

“No idea,” Luca said.

“Were the bills marked?” Dante asked.

“Marco is checking,” Luca said. Dante looked out the window. Fifty grand, a body with the word Romano carved into its flesh, and Elena’s name as a demand. Someone wasn’t just starting a war. They were buying one. Dante’s gaze shifted to Elena. She was staring out the opposite window; her shoulders were stiff. He ended the call, and the silence settled between them again.

This time, Elena broke it. “Do they think I’m worth fifty thousand?”

Dante’s head turned, and he looked her over. “Don’t joke about that.”

“I’m not joking,” she said, finally looking at him. “What else am I supposed to think?”

He held her gaze. “That someone wants us looking in the wrong direction.”

Her brow furrowed. “How?”

“Bodies with Camorra carved into them.” He ticked it off coldly. “Then the name Romano.” Her face tightened. “A message asking for you.” He leaned back. “That’s too much.”

“Too much?” she asked.

“It’s too obvious,” he said.

Elena looked toward the front seat. “So you think I’m bait.”

“Yes.” The word landed hard. He watched her absorb it.

She swallowed. “For whom?”

“That’s what we need to find out,” he said.

She gave a quiet, humorless laugh. “You keep saying we.”

Dante looked at her. “I keep saying what?” he asked.

“You keep saying we.” He hadn’t noticed, and that annoyed him. “Like you think that we’re in this mess together.”

“It’s a figure of speech,” he insisted.

“No, it isn’t,” she said. He stared at her, and she stared back. Dante looked away first. Fuck.