Titus scoffed, disdain leaving a foul taste in his mouth as his gaze hardened. Anger and deliberate defiance surged through him in equal measure, each word purposefully honed. “And if I refuse? What’s your move then, Senator? Are you prepared for the fallout?”
Vex’s smile held little amusement. “Then the FBI will discover exactly whose money you’ve been washing through your operations. And when they do, I’ll ensure Jazz learns every sordid detail. Imagine her devastation when she realizes you’ve dragged her family name into your empireof crime.”
Raw fury pulsed through Titus. His fists tightened at his sides, rage mingling dangerously with cold, predatory patience. Vex had crossed a line Titus rarely allowed anyone to cross—and yet, he’d anticipated this moment. He had planned for it. Every nerve in his body screamed in protest, but he forced himself into a facade of reluctant defeat.
“Dragging Jazz into this crosses the line, Vex,” Titus growled.
The senator shrugged, indifferent, as though discussing the weather. “Collateral damage is part of the game. Either you’re in, or watch everything you cherish burn.”
Titus slowly released his breath, feigning submission. “Fine. I’ll run your damn money.” His voice was tight, raw. “But Jazz stays untouched.”
Vex’s expression turned smug, victorious. He clapped Titus on the shoulder with mock camaraderie, keenly aware of the observers inside the ballroom who now saw them as friendly collaborators. “Excellent,” he murmured. “Glad we’re clear.” His smile broadened, eyes coldlyamused as he added softly, almost casually, “As for Jazz staying untouched…well, time will tell, won’t it?”
As the senator turned away, confidence radiating from every arrogant step, he paused and glanced back, eyes hardening to flint. “One last thing, Dante. Every dollar you touch now is mine. Every secret, every move—Iown you.”
Titus’s pulse quickened slightly, not from fear, but from the thrill of a plan falling into place. Vex had finally shown his hand fully, and made his move. It was exactly the mistake he had been waiting for. He masked his satisfaction behind a mask of reluctant compliance, even as his mind swiftly rearranged the final pieces of his carefully orchestrated plan. Vex had just sealed his fate, and Titus intended to make him regret it.
He met Vex’s stare with barely concealed fury, allowing only a brusque, reluctant nod. His muscles tightened beneath his calm exterior, tension intensifying his focus rather than undermining it. He felt a rush of grim satisfaction mixed with anticipation.Vex had no idea he’d just stepped blindly into the very trap Titus had spent months carefully preparing. As Vex disappeared into the glittering ballroom, Titus watched him closely, committing this moment to memory. The senator had signed his own prison sentence, and Titus intended to savor every second of his imminent downfall.
Movement at the corner of his vision made him glance sharply to the right, his instincts instantly alert. His breath caught painfully in his chest, the world seeming to freeze as he took in the figure standing partially obscured by the ballroom’s heavy drapes. His heart sank, acrushing weight settling deep within him as recognition hit like a punch to thegut.
Jazz stood half-hidden behind the drapes, eyes wide, horrified. Her gaze was filled with a depth of hurt and betrayal Titus had never imagined seeing in her eyes, tearing at something deep inside him. His throat tightened painfully at the devastating realization that she’d overheard enough to confirm her worst fears. Her wounded expression twisted in his gutlike a knife, pain blooming so piercing it stole his breath.
He took one step toward her, determined to explain, to reassure—but she turned swiftly away, vanishing back into the shadows of the ballroom. Titus stood frozen, knowing he’d just set into motion a dangerous chain of events he could no longer control.
But there was no turning back. He had chosen thispath.
And now, everything depended on what camenext.
THE SILENCEin the car was suffocating.
Jazz sat rigid in the backseat, her hands folded tightly in her lap to keep from shaking. She hadn’t said a word since they slid into the sleek black car,and neither had Titus. The driver maneuvered smoothly through the city streets, but it might as well have been the edge of a knife cutting through the space betweenthem.
Her heart was hammering from what she’d overheard.
Vex, saying he looked forward to working with themboth.
Titus, silent. Unmoving. As if the arrangement had already beenmade.
Her hands clenched. She wanted to look at him, to demand the truth, to ask what the hell he had planned and if she’d just been another move on his goddamn chessboard. But she couldn’t bring herself to turn her head. Couldn’t bear to see his expression—or worse, his lack ofone.
Because she already knew what she’dfind.
Cold authority. Absolute detachment. The same unreadable mask he always wore when somethingmattered.
She stared out the window, city lights flashing past in a blur, but all she could hear was Vex’s voice echoing in her head.You made the right decision, Dante.The certainty in those words, the absolute confidence that Titus was already committed to whatever deal they’d struck, settled like ice in her veins.
Why had he just stood there, letting Vex talk like that? Why hadn’t he corrected him? If he truly meant to protect her—protectthem—shouldn’t he have put an end to it right then? Shouldn’t he have shut Vex down, made it clear that she wasn’t part of some cold, planned arrangement?
Hadn’t he told her he wouldn’t let anything touch her? That he’d protect her at all costs? That what was his, he kept? And yet, Vex had said she was basically unprotected. But it wasn’t just about her anymore. It was about their baby, the life growing inside her. And if she couldn’t trust him now, how could she trust him to protect their child?
Her hand drifted instinctivelyto her stomach, fingers pressing lightly over the fabric of her dress. Atremor ran through her as she did, her breath catching in her throat. The smallest life was growing there, fragile and new, yet already caught in a world she couldn’t rule. Aworld where muscle dictated fate, where alliances were made in shadows, and where she wasn’t even sure if the man beside her would protect them—or sacrifice them for a largergame.
A cold dread bit into her, a twisting emotion that came dangerously close to full-blown fear. She thought she knew him enough to be able to depend on him. Thought she understood the way he operated. But as the silence stretched between them, heavy and suffocating, doubt squeezed tight in her chest. She never, ever thought she would see Titus yield the way he had with Vex. It simply wasn’t likehim.
And yet, there was no denying it. She had seen it. Heard it. That cold, impenetrable man who had always been unshakable had let Vex speak for him. Had let Vex claim something that should have never been his to claim. And that terrified her more thananythingelse.
If he wasn’t willing to protect her from men like Vex, their child had absolutely no hope.
