Page 23 of Crown Of Blood

"No, Bella," I say, voice dropping. "I'm scared of what the truth will do to you."

Something flickers in her eyes—confusion, curiosity, maybe a spark of understanding.

I stand, needing distance that doesn't come. "You'll stay here until I say otherwise. Lorenzo will bring you clothes. Nicole will arrange anything you need."

Her brows lift. "House arrest, then?"

"Protection," I correct.

"From who?"

I meet her gaze, the weight of it heavy between us. "From everyone."

She laughs softly, tired but fearless. "Including you?"

"Especially me."

The words taste like confession, and I leave before she can reply, before I do something neither of us can take back.

In the hall, I stop beside the elevator and let the tension bleed out through my fists.

Her name echoes in my head—her voice.

And Sofia's words—his friend Bella—still linger like a promise I don't deserve.

Chapter 7

The problem with cages is that sometimes they look like luxury.

The penthouse is all glass and silence.

It’s the kind of place you could mistake for heaven—if not for the invisible bars around it.

And then there’shim.

He moves through this place like it breathes for him. Quiet. Sharp. Always watching.

Dante Moretti—Don of New York’s underworld, executioner of silence.

And now, apparently, my warden.

I’m sitting on one of his overpriced leather couches, arms folded tight, glaring at him across the room. He’s at the bar, pouring something into a cup like he didn’t kidnap me tonight.

I break the silence first. “You can’t keep me here.”

He doesn’t look up. “I can do whatever’s necessary to keep you alive.”

“That’s calledkidnapping, not protection.”

“Words,” he says, calm, like he’s choosing not to hear the edge in my voice. “You twist them for a living. I live by them.”

“Try twisting this—give me my phone.”

“Not a chance.”

I lean back, exhaling hard through my nose. “You think cutting me off is going to keep me safe? I have people who will worry—family, coworkers—”

He finally glances up, eyes a cool gray storm. “You mean the same people who leaked your investigation?”