The pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place.

Felix Crane, the nervous manager of The Lantern, must have recognized me or heard me talking about Vesper’s injury.

He called Marco to clear his own mounting gambling debts.

And Marco called Vance.

“They used Vesper to draw you out,” I realized, looking back toward the trailer.

“Yes,” Dante said. “They injured my horse to make me vulnerable. They knew I would seek help, but they did not expect me to find you.”

The rain turned to heavy sleet, rattling against the windshield like gravel.

Dante accelerated, the GPS screen on the dashboard showing we were nearing the outer gates of the Moretti estate.

“My estate is secure,” Dante said. “But it will not be safe for long once Kroll realizes his men failed at the diner.”

He looked at me, his dark eyes reflecting the dashboard lights.

“I can have my men take you to a safe house in the south,” he said. “A new name. A new life. Far from Vance.”

He was offering me an escape, a way out of the violence.