"I know," Bella whispered, and in her quiet acceptance, there was a terrifying finality. "It's always 'just business.' But you see, Gio, he's my business."
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze drifting to the tattoo on his hand. "The dragon is very detailed. Was it painful?"
The non sequitur threw him further off balance. "I… what?"
"The tattoo," she said, her voice still a low murmur meant only for him. "The needle. All those hours. It must have hurt."
He just gaped at her, sweat tracing lines through the grime on his temple.
Bella's eyes lifted back to his. The sorrow in them had hardened into something else, something clear and sharp as winter ice. "I want you to understand the pain you caused. Not the 'business.' Not the orders. The pain. The sound he made when the knife went in."
