Page 54 of Blood Vows

Dante released the man. “Show us the unit, now.” The man walked them down to the storage unit and pointed to the one marked 314. The lock wasn't damaged, and that bothered Dante more than anything. Elena entered the code and the door unlocked.

Dante drew his weapon. “Get behind me.” He entered first. There were boxes everywhere, along with a few pieces of furniture and even a large mahogany desk that sat in the corner. Several pieces were covered with sheets. Dante checked every corner before lowering his gun.

“Clear,” he breathed. Elena came inside, and her face changed immediately.

“What’s wrong?”

“Someone moved things around,” she said.

“You sure?” Dante asked.

“Yes.” She pointed at the desk. “That desk was against the wall.”

Dante looked around. “Don't touch anything yet.” Elena ignored him, naturally. She walked toward a stack of boxes in the back. “Elena.”

“The ledger was here.” She pulled one box down and opened it. There were books inside, along with old photographs. Elena stared inside. “No.”

Dante moved beside her. “It’s not there?”

She nodded. “I put it right here.”

“The ledger?” he asked.

“Yes,” she breathed.

“They knew exactly what they wanted,” Dante said.

Elena wrapped her arms around herself. “Then we're too late.”

“Maybe,” he whispered.

She looked at him. “Maybe?”

“They took the ledger yesterday, right?” he asked.

“Yeah, so?” she asked.

“So you're still alive today,” he pointed out. Her brow furrowed. “If the ledger was the only thing they needed, why put tomorrow's date on your photograph?”

Understanding dawned on her beautiful face. “They still need something from me.”

“Exactly,” he agreed. “We’ll just need to figure out what they want from you before tomorrow.” A sound came from outside. It sounded like metal scraping on metal. Dante went still.

“What was that?” Elena asked. He lifted a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. There was another sound outside, this time, closer.

Dante grabbed Elena and pulled her behind the desk. “Get down.” He raised his gun and listened to the footsteps walking down the concrete hallway. The storage door shifted, and Dante positioned himself between Elena and the entrance. A shadow crossed beneath it.

“Vitale?” Dante recognized the voice, but he didn't lower the gun.

“Marco?” Dante whispered.

“Unless you've got another incredibly handsome hacker who works for you,” Marco said.

Dante closed his eyes. “I'm going to fucking kill him.” Elena laughed quietly behind him.

Marco appeared at the entrance and immediately raised his hands when he saw the weapon. “Easy,” he breathed.

“I told you not to come here,” Dante reminded.