Page 47 of Brutal Kiss

Dante's voice is weak and confused, but it's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard.

I drop the bag and rush back to the couch, where he's trying to sit up despite the obvious pain it's causing him.

He blinks at me in confusion, like he's trying to process how I'm here, how any of this is real.

We stare at each other for a long moment, and I can see him trying to work through the implications of what I've done.

"Sofia..."

CHAPTER 24

Dante

"Sofia..."

Her name comes out rough, barely above a whisper. My head is pounding, and every muscle in my body feels like it's been put through a blender, but none of that matters compared to the sight of her kneeling beside the couch, her eyes red-rimmed and exhausted.

She saved me. She could have left me to die in that wreck, could have taken her chance at freedom, but instead she dragged me through a storm to safety.

"How...?"

"Long story. You crashed the car avoiding a deer. I dragged you here." I check the bandage on his forehead, relieved to see the bleeding has stopped. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a semi.” His eyes focus on my face, and I can see the moment awareness starts to return. "You were in the car."

"Yeah."

"You could have left me."

I meet his gaze directly. "Yeah. I could have."

"But you didn't."

"No. I didn't."

I try to sit up, but she pushes me back down with surprising firmness.

"Don't. You have a concussion, and you lost a lot of blood."

"How long was I out?"

"A couple hours. Long enough for me to think you might not wake up." There's something in her voice—fear, relief, exhaustion all mixed together.

I study her face in the dim light. There's a cut on her forehead, and mud streaks her clothes. She looks like she's been through hell.

"Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. Just a bump on the head." She waves off my concern. "Dante, what happened at the meeting?"

The question I've been dreading. The conversation I don't want to have but know I owe her.

"You really want to know?"

"I have a right to know."

She's right. After what she just did for me, after proving that she'll choose my life over her freedom, she deserves the truth.

"Vito called a summit. Tomorrow night. All the families, all the major players in our network." The words taste like ash in my mouth. "They're going to vote."