Chapter 11: Heartwise Decision Making

Though the safehouse was softly lit early dawn, the light did nothing to remove the traces of the combat that had raged through the night. Dante stood at the brink of the room, his eyes glancing over broken glass and splintered wood. The silence was a far cry from the anarchy that had rocked the walls just a few hours before.

Already working with the others, Enzo and Marco were healing injuries and getting ready for the following wave. They had to be ready since Giovanni would not wait long before acting. But Dante's thoughts kept looping back to Elena even as his mind ran with plans and backup ideas.

He discovered her staring over the edge of an old sofa, a blanket slung over her shoulders, eyes far as she followed the lip of a chipped mug in her hands. Her cheek cut had been cleaned, a little bandage covering it, but it had no effect on softening the still boiling defiance in her eye.

Dante went across the room, the floor cracking under his weight, and sat across from her. Their qui