Page 90 of Blood Vows

The SUV doors shut, and Luca immediately turned to look at Dante and Elena in the backseat. “What did you find?” Dante handed him the document, and Luca read it. His face went cold.

Isabella leaned over. “What is it?”

Elena answered her cousin. “If I die, Hale gets control of Crimson Holdings.”

Isabella went pale. “What?”

“Apparently, I’m worth more dead than alive.”

Dante looked at her. “Don’t.”

She frowned. “Don’t what?”

“Say it like that,” he said.

She shrugged. “It’s true.”

“You’re worth more than anything in those fucking papers,” he insisted. Dante became aware of everyone looking at him. Luca slowly turned his head toward the window and Isabella’s mouth curved. Elena just stared at him, and Dante swore under his breath. “What?” he growled.

“Nothing,” Luca said, smirking.

“If you have something to say, just say it,” Dante insisted.

“I value my life too much to do that,” Luca said. Elena’s expression softened, and Dante looked away before he did something stupid like kiss her in front of everyone.

Luca returned the document. “So Hale kills Elena and gets controlling interest.”

“Yes,” Dante breathed.

“That explains the attacks,” Luca said.

“Most of them,” Dante agreed.

Isabella frowned. “Most of them?”

Dante leaned forward. “The body numbers don’t fit.”

Elena looked at him. “What do you mean by that?”

“Hale needs you dead. He doesn’t need a war between the Camorras and Romanos,” Dante explained.

“Unless the war makes it easier to kill Elena,” Luca said.

“Exactly.” Dante looked at him. “If both families are fighting with each other, protection around Elena weakens.”

Isabella’s expression hardened. “And we blame each other while Hale disappears with the money.”

“Yes,” Dante said.

Elena stared at the floor. “So everyone was supposed to destroy each other for him.”

Dante’s gaze stayed on her. “That was the plan.”

“Was?” He smiled at her. “Hale doesn’t know we have the stuff from your father’s vault.”

She looked at him. “You think that gives us an advantage.”

“It does give us the advantage,” Dante insisted.