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Ettore blew out a sharp curse "The idiot Sallie owed him money?"

"A lot of money More than any of us could pay By the time we learned what he’d done, Massioni was out of patience He tortured Sal, nearly killed hi breath "My brother was scared and desperate, in fear for his life He couldn’t have been thinking clearly… At least, that’s what I’ve had to tell ive him for what he did to rave understanding "Your brother is the reason you’re with Massioni?"

She nodded "Vito showed up at our Darkhaven one night, along with a dozen arotiate Theto be next He ive Massioni the house, the vineyard--everything he could think of None of it appealed to Vito, of course He had plenty of property, plenty of money Then Sal looked at rowl "Jesus, he didn’t"

Bella sed "Sal told hiine how much richer he could be if he had the ability to see the future Sal promised that I orth ten times as ht Massioni tookhis er dark, but crackling with shards of ae As he spoke, the tips of his fangs glinted bright white behind his lips "That cowardly son of a bitch If your brother were alive right now, I’d fucking kill him myself" He reached up to touch her face and she could feel the power of his fury beneath the tenderness of his fingers

"It doesn’t matter anymore I did what I had to in order to survive Chiara and my little nephew are what matter most to me They’re the reason I stayed with Massioni He held their lives ransoet away"

"Well, he can’t hurt anyone now," Ettore said "As of tonight, Vito Massioni’s either dead or damned close to it"

"No You don’t understand" She stepped back, shaking her head She wished she could stand there all night under the war by the ave instructions to his entire cri ever happened to him If he’s dead, so are they Or they will be soon"

Ettore studied her for a ht curse "Your brother’sand her boy--are they still at the vineyard?"

She nodded

"Fuck That’s three hours in the other direction" He stared at her, griet us there in under two"

"Does that mean you’ll help me?"

"Topal deeper So that lit a dorle with heat

She knew he felt the sa eyes, and in the lengthening points of his fangs

He o, but all of the attraction and need that had existed between the inside both of theh "We’d better go"

Chapter 5

They made it to Potenza in just under two hours, thanks to clear late-night roadways and the seven hundred horses at work inside the Pagani’s e turned onto a narroo-lane and headed for the Genova faive him directions He had been born in the same southern province of Italy, and, like her, he had spent the better part of his youth traipsing around the volcanic soil foothills of the region’s i Mount Vulture