With the car in park, I finally look back at Elena again, finding her still breathing hard, hands clenched in her lap.
“You hurt?” I ask, turning to her fully now.
She shakes her head and sits up normally, swallowing hard. “No…”
“Look at me.”
She does so reluctantly, meeting my gaze.
Before she can try to look away, I scan her face, her arms, and everywhere else I can see for visible blood. Aside from the small cut on her cheek, she’s intact. Alive. That’s what matters now.
Relief hits me harder than I expect, but I keep it to myself, letting go of a discreet breath.
“They wanted you…more than I assumed,” I say quietly, almost like the words were meant more for myself than for her.
Her brows furrow, fear-stricken eyes slowly changing to confusion. “What?”
“That chase wasn’t about me. Not really, anyway,” I continue, letting my grip on the wheel adjust. “That was a pickup gone wrong.”
“But why? What do they want with me?”
“Other than the fact that Vito was going to sell you off to them and didn’t to save his skin from me, I don’t know,” I mumble, trying to consider all the possibilities as my eyes flickback over to hers. “They aren’t above trying to fuck with me on a normal day, but never like that.”
Elena’s confusion morphs into something more akin to helplessness as she puts her arms out in defeat. “But why? I’m not…I don’t have anything—”
“You’re valuable,” I utter, studying her features closer than I should, taking in how that lingering fear makes her look impossibly beautiful. My words sink in as I say them, slowly connecting the pieces. “Somehow, some way, you’re worth risking lives for.”
“Worth it to who?”
“The Grimaldis, apparently,” I say, considering the fact. “And the Balakins. Likely others…which means Vito wasn’t lying. He took you with the intention of selling you, so obviously you’re valuable.”
Elena goes still, almost like she’s afraid one wrong breath could make all of this go very, very wrong for her.
Then, anger sparks in her blue eyes, searing through her fear. “I’m not property.”
“I know. I didn’t say you were.”
She blinks back at me, seemingly surprised to hear it. “So you’re…not going to sell me off, too?”
“No,” I mumble, holding her gaze long enough to catch that flicker of hope within it. The thought of selling anyone, let alone her, makes that irritation burn in my chest. “You’re not going to be sold to anyone, so long as I can help it.”
I don’t give her time to say anything else about the matter as I turn back around, put the car in drive, and pull out of the parking lot.
My mind is already racing as that clarity drips into my system.
I’ve been dodging the Grimaldis long enough to know they don’t make moves like that unless they’re invested and have something serious at stake. Whatever leverage Elena represents, it’s enough for them to risk not only their lives but also being seen so recklessly in public.
Which means, the safest place for her is under my protection, and under my name.
If it means throwing everything back in their faces while I’m at it, then so be it.
“Where are we going now?” Elena asks warily, obviously not trusting me entirely yet. In all honesty, it’s a good instinct, even if I don’t plan on harming her.
“Somewhere secure.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the one you’re getting for now,” I say, not leaving room for protest as I glance back at her.
