Page 168 of Let Me In

I lock eyes with him. Flat. Steady.

“Who sent you?”

He hesitates.

So I grip his jaw.

Squeeze.

“Who.”

His voice cracks.

“Salvatore.”

I don’t move.

“Which one.”

“Lucian. Italy.”

My jaw tightens. My stomach burns cold.

Not a local job. Not a coincidence.

International. Coordinated. Old world money.

And that name—

That name—I haven’t heard it in nearly a decade.

“What does he want with her?”

The man doesn’t answer.

I lean forward. No contact. Just the blade hovering near his cheek.

“What does he want with her?”

“Nothing—nothing personal,” he wheezes. “Not her. You. He found you.”

My chest stills.

Everything in me narrows to a single point.

“He wants me.”

“Not just you,” he rasps. “Your ledger. The old jobs. The contacts you cut loose but never truly lost. You were off-grid too long, and he doesn’t like loose ends. He’s cleaning house.”

I crouch beside him.

Blade still in hand.

“You thought coming after her would do that.”

He nods, shaking.

“It was a warning.”