Elena
She stood in Luca’s study with her father’s video still frozen on the screen, and Dante’s hand wrapped tightly around hers.
Around them, the room had gone silent. Luca, Isabella, and Marco were staring at the black screen like Antonio Romano might somehow come back and explain the rest. He wouldn’t.
Her father had said what he needed to say.
Destroy the Accord.
Do not inherit it.
Live your own life.
Elena swallowed hard. “I want it gone.”
Luca looked at her. “The entire Crimson Accord?”
“Yes,” she breathed.
Marco leaned back in his chair. “That means dissolving every controlling interest tied to Crimson Holdings.”
“I don’t care,” she said.
“It’s more complicated than signing a piece of paper,” Marco said.
“I said I don’t care.” Dante squeezed her hand, and Elena glanced at him. She saw no judgment or warning in his eyes—just support. That still surprised her, and maybe it always would.
Luca moved around the desk. “If we dismantle the structure, Hale loses his automatic claim if something happens to you.”
“Good,” she said.
“But the assets have to go somewhere,” Luca said.
Elena’s mouth tightened. “I don’t want them.”
“That doesn’t make them disappear,” Luca said.
She looked at Marco. “What happens if I transfer everything?”
“To whom?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
Marco thought for a moment. “Depends on what you want to do.”
“I want no one to own me because of money my father and three other families tied to my name before I was old enough to speak,” she said.
“That part we can fix,” Marco said.
Elena exhaled. “Then fix it.”
Marco smiled faintly. “Bossy.”
Dante looked at him. “Careful.”
Marco raised his hands, as though he was surrendering. “What? I’m just being honest.”
“You’re annoying her,” Dante said.
Elena turned toward Dante. “Are you going to threaten everyone who irritates me?”
“Yes,” he admitted.
“You’re going to be very busy,” she mumbled under her breath.
“I’ve accepted that.” Despite everything, she laughed. It felt strange in a good way. For so long, fear had been taking pieces of her. A laugh felt like taking one back.
Luca picked up the documents. “There’s another issue.”
Elena sighed. “Why is there always another issue?”
“Because your family was apparently terrible at simple paperwork,” Luca said.
“Your family signed the same agreement,” she reminded.
“That’s fair.” Isabella smiled, and Luca continued. “If you dissolve Crimson Holdings openly, Hale will know we found the vault.”
“Then we don’t do it openly,” Dante said.
Elena looked at him. He was already thinking and planning. She recognized that look. It was the same expression he wore before violence. Except this time, his weapon was strategy. “What are you thinking?” she asked.
Dante looked at Luca. “We let Hale believe nothing changed.”
Marco’s interest sharpened. “You mean keep the company operational.”
“For now.”
Elena frowned. “You just said we were ending it.”
“We are.” Dante stepped closer. “But not before Hale shows himself.” There it was—the part they had all been circling. The ending of Hale.
Elena’s stomach twisted. “You want me to call him.”
Dante’s expression hardened. “I hate that I do.”
“But you do,” she said.
“Yes,” Dante admitted.
Luca nodded. “We need him somewhere we can control the situation.”
“Why would he come?” Elena already knew the answer before anyone said it—because of her. She looked down. “He’ll come if he thinks I’m turning against you.”
Dante immediately said, “No.”
Elena stared at him. “What?”
“You are not convincing Hale that you’re alone.”
“That’s exactly what he needs to believe,” she insisted.
“No,” Dante breathed.
“You agreed to let me help,” she reminded.
“I agreed to let you call him. I didn’t agree to let you walk into a room alone.”
“I won’t actually be alone,” she said.
“You know what I mean,” Dante growled.
“Then stop saying no like that ends the conversation.”
“It works with most people,” he admitted.
“I’m not most people,” she said.
Luca interrupted before they could start arguing again. “Elena’s right.”
Dante looked at him. “Don’t take her side.”
“She is.” Dante’s jaw clenched, and Luca continued. “Hale knows we’re protecting her. If she suddenly asks to meet with half the Camorra family nearby, he won’t come.”
“We can find another way,” Dante said.
“Like what?” Luca asked. Dante didn’t answer.
Elena touched his arm, and he looked down at her. “I’ll be protected.”
His eyes came back to hers. “You can’t promise that.”
“No.” She gave him a small smile. “But apparently neither can you.” He didn’t find that funny, but she hadn’t expected him to. “Dante.”
“What?” he growled.
“I need to do this,” she insisted.
“Why?” Dante asked.
“Because he took my father from me.” His expression softened. “He used you to do it.” A muscle worked in his jaw, and she could tell that she was getting through to him. “He spent years controlling my life without me even knowing it.” She stepped closer. “I need to be the one who ends that.”
Dante stared at her for a long time, and then exhaled. “Fine.”
Marco blinked. “Did Dante Vitale just lose an argument?”
Dante looked at him. “You want to die before lunch?”
“No,” Marco said.
“Then shut up,” Dante shouted. Marco grinned, and Elena almost did too.
Then Luca said, “We make the call today.” She felt sick to her stomach because today, this all ended.
Hale answered on the second ring. They were all gathered around Marco’s equipment in Luca’s study. Dante stood close enough that Elena could feel his body heat. Elena held the burner phone in one hand, and Marco nodded when he started the recording. She pressed the speaker button. “Vincenzo.”
“Elena.” Her skin crawled hearing him say her name. She hated that he still sounded familiar with her—like family. That might have been the worst betrayal of all.
“I need to see you.” Dante’s hand flexed at his side, and Hale was quiet.
“Why?” he finally asked.
“Because I found the vault,” she said. He was silent, and she took that as a good sign. She had his attention.
“You went there?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said.
“What was inside?” Elena looked at Dante and noticed that his expression said, don’t give too much.
“My father’s letter,” she said.
“That’s all?” he asked.
She let a shaky breath escape on purpose. “No.”
“What else did you find?” he asked.
“I know what the Camorras did to him,” she said. Dante’s face went stone still. Elena hated saying it. She hated even pretending she blamed him, but Hale needed to believe her.
“I’m sorry,” Hale said softly.
Liar. She gripped the phone tighter. “You were right.” Dante’s eyes darkened, and Elena continued. “I can’t trust them.”
“I tried to tell you,” Hale said.
“I know,” she lied.
“You’re with Vitale now?” he asked.
She looked at Dante. “Yes.”
“Leave,” he said. The command came fast, and Elena’s stomach turned.
“I want to.” Dante’s jaw tightened so hard she thought his teeth might crack.
“Good girl,” Hale said, and she almost gagged. Dante looked ready to commit murder through the phone.
Elena kept her voice steady. “I don’t know where to go.”
“I can help you,” Hale said.
“I need answers first,” she insisted.
“What answers?” he asked.
“All of them.”
Hale sighed. “Elena, there are things your father did—”
“No.” She hardened her tone. “No more vague warnings. No more dead bodies. No more messages.” Her demands were met with silence. “I meet you, or I go back to Luca and give him everything,” she warned.
That seemed to do it. Hale’s voice changed. “What do you mean by everything?”
“The documents.” Dante gave her a sharp look, but she kept going. “Crimson Holdings, the Accord, everything my father hid.”
There was a long pause, and then Hale said, “You shouldn’t have told them about that.” She could hear the fear in his voice for the first time, and it almost made her smile.
“I didn’t tell them anything,” she lied.
“Where are you?” Hale asked.
“At Luca’s,” she said.
“Leave,” he ordered again.
“I can’t without being followed,” she lied.
“I’ll send someone to collect you,” he said.
Dante shook his head immediately, but Elena ignored him. “No.”
“Elena—” Hale started.
“I meet you alone or not at all,” she insisted.
Dante leaned closer to her, as though reminding her that she wasn’t going to be alone, and she shook her head at him. Hale was thinking—Elena could almost hear him. “There’s an old church on Briar Avenue.”
Marco started typing, and Dante looked at Luca. “St. Vincent’s,” Marco whispered.
Hale continued. “Meet me there at midnight.”
Elena’s pulse jumped. “Tonight?”
“Yes,” he said.
“Why so late?” she asked.
“Because by then, the Camorras will be watching the wrong place,” he said. Dante’s expression changed. He didn’t seem to like that, but then, neither did Elena.
“What does that mean?” she asked.
“You’ll understand soon,” Hale assured.
The line went dead, and Marco immediately started working. “Got him?” Dante asked.
“I only got a partial trace,” Marco said.
Dante swore. “Where?”
“The burner bounced twice,” Marco said.
Luca leaned over Marco. “Anything else?”
“West side. Could be anywhere within five miles,” Marco breathed.
Dante looked at Elena. “He said we’d be watching the wrong place.”
“Yes,” she said.
“That wasn’t random,” Dante said.
“What do you think it means?” she asked.
His gaze shifted toward Luca. “He’s going to cause a diversion.” Luca’s face hardened.
“Here?” she asked.
“Maybe.” Isabella moved closer to him.
Elena’s stomach turned. “If Hale attacks this house—”
“He won’t get through,” Luca said.
Dante looked unconvinced. “Double the security.”
“Already doing it,” Luca said.
Elena put down the phone. “I have to meet him at midnight.”
Dante looked at her. “Not happening.”
She stared. “We just agreed.”
“I’ve changed my mind,” Dante said.
“Oh my God,” she breathed.
“He told you we’d be looking in the wrong place,” Dante reminded.
“That doesn’t mean the meeting is fake,” she said.
“It means something is happening before it,” he explained.
“Then we figure out what,” she said. Dante stared at her, and she crossed her arms over her body.