“You knew exactly where the pressure points were to keep him calm,” he said.

“You found an infection my own stable master missed.”

“It wasn’t hard to find if you actually care about the animal,” I replied.

Dante took a step toward me, his presence looming large in the narrow space between the trailer and the diner.

“I need someone who cares,” he said.

“And I need someone who isn’t bought.”

“I have a shift to finish,” I said, gesturing toward the diner window where Felix was still watching us, his pale face pressed against the glass.

“How much does Crane pay you?” Dante asked.

“Minimum wage, plus whatever tips the truckers leave,” I said.

“I will pay you ten thousand dollars a week,” Dante said.

“You leave with me tonight. You treat Vesper at my estate.”

My breath caught in my throat.

Ten thousand dollars was more than I made in six months at the Lantern.

“I can’t just leave,” I said, though my mind was already racing with the possibility of escaping this place.

“My lease, my things…”

“My men will pack your apartment,” Dante said.