Page 26 of The Dante
Reed sighed, like he was tired of playing nice. “Here’s the problem, Mirabella. You’re a nobody. Adebt-ridden gambler who got lucky enough to latch onto the Dante name—until you outlived your usefulness. You want out? Fine. But we need something real.”
“I—” Sam hesitated, his mouth going dry. He had nothing. Nothing they didn’t already know. He’d tried to feed them scraps, hoping it’d be enough to take Dante down, but they weren’t biting. And now, with their expectant stares pinning him in place, he felt his own uselessness settling like lead in his gut. His mind scrambled for something—anything—that might get them off his back, but all he found were dead ends and regret.
And fear.
A cold sweat broke out as another thought slithered into his mind, more terrifying than the Feds across from him. What if Titus alreadyknew? What if The Dante had people watching him, waiting for a misstep?
His gut twisted violently, bile rising in his throat. If The Dante found out—whenhe found out—there wouldn’t be a deal, no negotiation. There’d be consequences. Final ones. Sam’s breath hitched, but he forced his face to stay neutral, swallowing the terror clawing up his throat. He was trapped, boxed in on all sides, with no way to play this hand without losing everything.
Reed gave him a long, measured look before delivering the killing blow, the moment landing like the turn of a final card in a game Sam had already lost. It wasn’t just a bad hand—it was the end of the game, and he had no chips left toplay.
“Titus Dante is untouchable—unless we flip someone close to him. Someone he trusts.” He let the words settle, let Sam chew on them. “Your daughter, now… she’s in deep.”
Sam’s pulse kicked up, and his throat went tight. “She’s got nothing to do with this,” he repeated,but the words felt weaker this time, like he was trying to convince himself.
His mind raced, his thoughts turning dark. If the Feds got their hands on Jazz, if they backed her into a corner, what would The Dante do? He wasn’t the type to take betrayal lightly, even if Jazz had no part in it. He’d see her as a liability. Aweak link. And weak links didn’t last long in his world.
The thought sent a bolt of panic through Sam’s chest. He had seen firsthand what happened to people who crossed Titus Dante—loyalty didn’t buy mercy, and love didn’t grant immunity.
If Jazz got tangled up in this, there was no telling how far Dante would go to protect himself. Would he turn on her? Would he cut her loose to save his own skin? Abitter wave of nausea rolled through Sam’s gut. He had done a lot of terrible things in his life, made mistakes he couldn’t undo, but letting his daughter walk blind into Dante’s wrath? That was something he couldn’t livewith.
Reed leaned forward. “Look, we’re not asking her to wear a wire ortestify in court. We just need a conversation. Alittle pressure. She’s smart—she knows what’s going on. And if she’s got any sense, she won’t go down with him when this all collapses around them.”
Sam’s stomach twisted. “Jazz won’t turn on him,” he said, but his voice lacked certainty.
Reed shrugged. “Then maybe she needs a wake-up call.” He tapped the file with his index finger. “We bring her in for questioning. Make her see the bigger picture. Maybe she’ll cooperate. Maybe she won’t. But either way, it sends a message to Dante that we’re circling.”
Sam gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles white. He wanted to say no. Wanted to stand up and tell them to leave his daughter the hell out of this. But his mouth stayed shut, the stress of his own desperation crushinghim.
If he refused, what then? They’d let him rot. They’d let The Dante take him apart, piece by piece, while Jazz remained exactly where she was—trapped in a world Sam had put her in. Maybe the Feds wereright. Maybe she needed to see just how bad this was going toget.
“Mirabella.” Reed’s voice was low, patient. “This is happening. Whether you help or not, we’re pulling her in. The only choice you have is how she sees it—whether she walks in thinking she has a way out, or believing she’s already too far gone.”
Sam froze, his breath shaking.
He didn’t want this.
Didn’t want to be the father who sat back and let his daughter get dragged into a mess he’d made. But that’s exactly what was happening, and the realization carved a raw, gaping hole in his chest. Jazz had no idea what she was walking into. She was intelligent, but she wasn’t ruthless. Not like Titus. Not like these agents who saw her as nothing more than leverage.
If they backed her into a corner, if Dante so much as suspected her loyalty wavered, he wouldn’t hesitate to cut her loose—or worse. Sam clenched his fists under the table, his nails digging into his palms. He had spent his lifemaking bad choices, but this? This was the worst of themall.
But he also wasn’t strong enough to stopit.
He nodded. Just once. His throat tightened, aslow constriction that made swallowing feel impossible. His stomach dropped, ahollow ache settling in his gut, knowing that with that single motion, he’d just sealed something he could never takeback.
Reed’s smile was cooly satisfied.
“Good choice.”
Sam felt sick.
PREGNANT!
Oh, dear Lord, she was pregnant.
Jazz stared at the test stick in her trembling hand, her pulse hammering inher ears. The bold pink plus sign stared back at her, unyielding, undeniable. She had half a mind to shake it, as if that would change the result. But no amount of second-guessing or wishful thinking was going to make the truth disappear.
A baby.
