Page 36 of Blood Vows

Luca’s house was already awake when they went downstairs. Marco sat at the dining table with two laptops open and enough coffee to keep a small city functioning. Luca stood near the windows talking quietly on the phone, and Isabella sat across from Marco talking to him. She immediately looked at Elena when she walked into the room.

“How’s your arm?” Isabella asked.

“Fine,” she lied. Dante made a sound behind her, and Elena turned to look at him. “Don’t,” she warned.

“I didn’t say anything,” he said, holding up his hands in defense.

“You were about to say something,” she said.

Marco looked up at them. “You two always like this?”

“Yes,” Elena and Dante said together. Isabella smiled, and Marco laughed. Luca ended his call and looked between them.

“That was disturbing,” Luca said.

Elena folded her arms, and Dante pointed at her injured shoulder. She immediately dropped her arms back to her side. “I hate you,” she mumbled under her breath.

“No, you don’t.” The words came out casually, and Elena froze. So did everyone else. Dante seemed to realize what he’d said a second too late, and Elena felt heat crawl up her neck. Dante cleared his throat. “Are we leaving?”

Luca nodded. “Yeah, we need to get over to the apartment before anyone else does. We’re taking six men with us.”

“I remember,” Dante grumbled.

Marco turned one of the laptops around to show them the screen. “Before you go, I found something else on Hale.”

Elena’s stomach tightened. “What did you find?”

Marco pulled up a scanned document. “His death certificate.” Elena stepped closer, studying it. Dante moved with her, but she tried not to notice.

“What about it?” she asked.

“Cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest,” Marco said.

“So what does that mean?” Elena asked.

“There was no autopsy done when that is the determination,” Marco said.

“Is that normal?” she asked.

“Not when the deceased is fifty-one and has no documented heart condition,” Marco insisted.

Elena frowned. “Who signed the death certificate?”

Marco zoomed in. “Dr. Stephen Vale.”

Dante’s expression changed. “You know him?”

Marco nodded slowly. “He’s on the Camorra payroll.” Luca went completely still, and the room changed. Elena felt it immediately. That invisible shift that happened whenever the Camorras heard something they didn’t like.

“Is he on our current payroll?” Dante asked.

Marco shook his head. “Not anymore.”

“When was he?” Luca asked.

“Three years ago,” Marco said.

Luca stepped closer. “Why was he let go?”