Page 78 of Carnival Master

Tears well in her green eyes. “He’ll never forgive me for this.”

“His forgiveness isn’t worth having.” My jaw tightens. “A man who forces his daughter into an arranged marriage, who locks her away when she dares to choose her own path? That’s not love, Sofia. That’s control.”

“I’m just scared.” She presses her face into my chest.

“Don’t be. I’ve got you.” I kiss the top of her head, breathing in the vanilla scent of her hair. “Your father needs to answer for what he’s done. To you, your mother, and everyone he’s stepped on climbing his way to the top.”

“Boss, they’re here,” Lars mutters from my left.

Jimmy’s convoy pulls up outside, black SUVs forming a semi-circle. He steps out, flanked by his goons. His face is twisted with rage when he spots Sofia standing beside me.

“You dare show your face here with my daughter?” Jimmy’s voice echoes.

“It’s over, Jimmy. The feds have enough to put you away already.”

He laughs. “You think I care about recordings? About evidence? I own this city!”

“Not anymore,” I say calmly. “Your empire’s crumbling. Your suppliers have turned. Your protection’s gone.”

“You ungrateful little bitch,” Jimmy turns on Sofia, his mask finally slipping. “I gave you everything! And this is how you repay me? By running off with carnival trash and spilling my secrets?”

Sofia stands taller. “You gave me a prison, Dad.”

“Everything I did was for this family!” Jimmy roars. “Every person I killed, every cop I bought, everyshipment of drugs I moved—it was all to build something for you!”

Phoenix’s voice comes through my earpiece: “I got it all, boss. The feds are moving in.”

I smile. “That confession just sealed your fate, Jimmy.”

His eyes widen as sirens wail in the distance. He reaches for his weapon, but Lars and Nash are faster, their guns trained on his men.

“You destroyed everything,” Jimmy spits at me. “My empire, my family?—”

“No, Dad,” Sofia interrupts. “You did that yourself.”

I watch Jimmy’s face contort as his daughter’s words hit home. His fingers twitch, and I catch that telltale shift in his stance. The same one I’ve seen countless times before violence erupts.

“You ungrateful whore,” he snarls, lunging forward with surprising speed for a man his age.

The flash of metal catches my gaze briefly before Jimmy pulls the trigger. I dive forward, shoving Sofia behind me as pain explodes through my left shoulder. Thankfully, it only clips the flesh and zooms past me, not embedding itself in me. I stay upright, my body a shield between Jimmy and his daughter.

“Ty! Oh god, you’re bleeding!” Sofia’s hands press against my back, trying to see the wound.

I push her further behind me with my good arm. “Stay back. It’s a scratch.”

Blood seeps through my shirt, hot and sticky, but the pain is nothing compared to the rage coursing throughmy veins. Jimmy’s face twists with frustration as he realizes he missed his target.

“Please,” she begs, her fingers clutching my shirt. “Let me look at it.”

“I said stay back!” I growl, keeping my eyes locked on Jimmy. His gun remains trained on us. My guys are itching for their guns, but part of the feds’ rules was that we bring no weapons and leave it down to them.

Where the fuck are they?

Jimmy is beyond caring about his own safety. His eyes are wild, fixed solely on his daughter cowering behind me.

“You think a bullet will stop me from protecting her?” I spit blood from my mouth where I’d bitten my tongue. “Try again, old man.”

“Dad, please stop!” Sofia sobs, but I keep her firmly in place despite her struggles.

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