ELENA’S POV
The words still rang in my head, sharp and merciless.
“He’s not leaving my sight. Not now. Not after this.”
Dante had spoken them like a vow, a death sentence, and a promise all at once.
I should have shouted at him, thrown him out, slammed the door in his face. I should have done something. But Luca’s wide, hopeful eyes had silenced me, it had stripped every argument I’d prepared down to fear.
And then Dante’s phone buzzed.
I didn’t know what was written on the screen, but I knew the second I saw his face. The shadows carved themselves deeper into his expression, the kind of look only a man who had walked through blood and fire could wear.
Danger was here. Close. Too close.
And I had brought my son straight into the middle of it.
…
Mrs. Romano ushered Luca back upsta
