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Cade nods tightly while I shake off the guilt and focus on filling the silence.

“So,” I venture. “Was that work? The person you were growling at on the phone?”

“Yep.” One clipped syllable is all I get.

I study his profile in the morning light. “So you don’t do the rosary thing alone. You’ve got partners. Maybe even a supervisor.”

He gives me a side-to-side nod, which I choose to take as a yes.

“Why were they pissed at you for killing Hector?”

His hands flex on the steering wheel. “Because they think he’s more useful alive. I disagree.”

Surprised he’s answering without hesitation, I glance out the window, gathering my courage as I watch the familiar Chicago skyline retreat, replaced by highways.

Since he’s in a sharing mood, maybe he’ll tell me..

I turn back to Cade. “I’ve been meaning to ask about your sister. What’s her name?”

His eyes flick to me, just for a second, before returning to the road. “Why do you want to know?”

I shrug. “Just curious.” I gesture at my new clothes. “She’s got amazing taste and seems really cool.”

Cade’s fingers tap against the steering wheel, a restless rhythm that speaks of barely contained energy. “Sophie.”

My breath leaves me in a rush and my next words burst out of me. “Don Vitelli is your brother-in-law!”

The moment the words leave my mouth, Cade’s face transforms. It’s like watching frost creep across glass. “Unfortunately,” he bites out.

So there’s bad blood there. Can’t say I’m surprised.Two alphas like Cade Quinn and Nico Vitelli are unlikely to get along. Still, desperation makes me reckless.

“Could you introduce us?”

The temperature in the truck plummets. Cade’s jaw locks and his knuckles whiten on the steering wheel. His voice, when it comes, drips with derision. “Why, so you can sell your sex toys to him?”

The mockery in his tone ignites something hot in my chest. “Oh, yeah, Cade, I’m sure the Don can’t wait to try Bliss Xtra’s deep prostate stimulation!”

A shadow of a smirk twitches his lips, but I can’t be sure it’s humor.

Instantly regretting my outburst, I take a breath. “You know damn well he’s the reason behind everything I’m doing. I want to offer a clean, profitable business in exchange for a pardon for the Romanos. I just need to know if there’s even the smallest chance that he’d hear me out.”

That makes him pause. His eyes flick to me before returning to the road. “Your family was in open rebellion against the Outfit for many years. Your uncle nearly killedmy sister.And now you want to try and crawl back into the fold with what? A rabbit vibrator?”

Heat rises up my neck as he reduces my entire strategy to a joke. The dismissal in his voice makes my teeth grind together.

“You don’t get to make a mockery of my work—” I begin, but Cade interjects.

“Even if Vitellididagree to give you the time of day, you’re not the head of the Romano family. He’s not going to make deals with you.”

Hearing Cade sound so much like Papa hurts. “Iknowthat,“ I snap, as the spark of hope that I’d been nursing sputters and dies. “But—”

“So there’s no point in meeting him, is there?” Cade’s dismissal feels like a door slamming shut in my face.

“Know what?Forget I asked!” I whip around, frustration clawing at my insides.

The futility of everything presses down on me. It’s like screaming into a void. My worth—my very existence—is being reduced to genetics rather than the solutions I can provide.

“This is all so fucking unfair,” I mutter, half to myself. Then I turn back to him with a glare. “I’ll tell you what else isn’t fair, Cade. Trafficking is a banned business in the Outfit. How can the Don turn a blind eye to what you do?”