Lina’s POV
The drive back from the warehouse was silent. Carlino’s knuckles were white against the steering wheel, his silence a physical weight in the cramped interior of the car. We didn't head back to the bungalow, he took a sharp turn toward a secluded apartment overlooking an industrial docks. It was a fortress of glass and cold stone, far from the prying eyes of his men.
"Trade?" I whispered, the word finally breaking through the static in my head. "Carlino, what are they going to trade me for?"
"Nothing," he snapped, his voice a jagged edge. "Because it’s not happening."
"You can't just 'nothing' a threat like that!" I rounded on him as he killed the engine.
"They were inside your car. They were inside the warehouse.”
He turned to me, his eyes dark pits of frustration. "I a
