Page 31 of The Dante (Those (Damn!) Texas Dantes #1)

JAZZ BARELY felt the cold tile beneath her knees as she huddled in the shower, the scalding water pounding down on her like it could wash away the last hour. She braced her hands against the tiled wall, her breath uneven, steam rising around her in thick waves.

The pain wasn’t just in her chest—it was in her bones, her soul, in the deep, aching hollow that had opened up inside her when Titus had let hergo.

Had made her go. She could hear his voice, low and unreadable, as he’d said the words that shattered her resolve: So, walk away, Jazz. If you love me, walk away. She hadn’t wanted to, but the finality in his tone, the cold edge of sacrifice beneath it, had forced her hand. She had to leave.

She gritted her teeth, her fingers balling into fists as she pressed her forehead against the wall. The cool tile offered no relief, no anchor, just a surface to lean against while she tried to steady the storm insideher.

He didn’t let me go. Ileft.

She needed to remember that. Or had he orchestrated every move, knowing exactly how to push her to the edge until leaving felt like the only choice she had left?

Had he played her emotions as skillfully as he played the game, making her believe it was her decision when all along, it had been by his design?

Was this his plan all along? Had he nudged her toward this outcome, making her believe it was her choice? The thought gnawed at her, twisting her insides. Every moment, every word—had it all been deliberate? And if so, why? What was he protecting? Himself? Her? Their child?

Her thoughts tangled in endless knots, each one pulling her deeper into uncertainty. Nothing made sense anymore.

She shuddered. Nothing felt like it belonged to her anymore.

Not her thoughts, not her emotions, not even her body.

She could practically feel his hands on her, his breath hot against her skin, his voice whispering in her ear, his command as binding as any vow.

That piece of shit! How dare he touch you.

I won’t allow anyone to put you at risk. Ever.

And yet, he had let her walkout.

She didn’t know how long she stayed under the water, trying to will herself back into something whole.

Minutes blurred into eternity as the steam wrapped around her like a suffocating veil while she tried to drown out the storm raging in her chest. But no matter how much she scrubbed, how much she let the heat scald her skin, she couldn’t wash away the feeling of him—his hands, his voice, his presence all tangled in her senses.

Eventually, her fingers wrinkled, her knees ached from kneeling, and the water started to run cold. She had no choice. She had to move. She had to face what camenext.

By the time she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her trembling body, she had made a decision.

She needed space.

Just for a few days. Just so she could think. Until she could figure out how to navigate this tangled web of love, betrayal, and vulnerability. She wasn’t leaving forever. She couldn’t.

She wouldn’t.

Titus had broken something in her, but she wasn’t ready to let go of him. Notyet.

Maybe not ever.

Just as she belonged to him, he belonged to her. She could feel it in the way his hands had lingered that last time, how his grip had been both possessive and reverent, as if letting go had cost him something vital.

No matter what lines had been drawn between them, their connection was undeniable—deep, unshakable, and carved into her very bones. Just as no one would ever touch her. No one would ever touch him, not if she could help it. And that included the Feds, Vex, and anyone else who threatened herman.

Jazz yanked a duffel bag from the closet and started packing. Clothes. Essentials. Just enough to last a few days. She didn’t know where she was going, but home called to her—the home of her childhood, the house she and her sisters had grown up in. Lily was there now. It made sense.

And maybe, just maybe, she needed her sister to remind her of who she was before she had heard the name Titus Dante.

She zipped the bag closed, her hands pausing on the canvas fabric as doubt clawed at her ribs.

She ran a hand through her damp hair, exhaling shakily.

Was she really doing this? The weight of her decision settled over her like a shroud, suffocating and absolute.

Her fingers wrapped tightly around the straps of the bag, as if she could squeeze certainty from it. She drew in a nervous breath.

Just a few days. That’s all she needed. With resolve that felt fragile but necessary, she threw on jeans and a sweater and forced herself to breathe. This isn’t forever. It’s just a break.

Her fingers hesitated over her phone before her mouth firmed and she dialed her lawyer. She wasn’t going to stand by and do nothing while the walls closed in on Titus. The call was answered on the secondring.

“Jazz?”

“Transfer everything,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. “All of it. Every cent of my inheritance into Titus’s account.”

There was a brief pause before the lawyer responded carefully, “I’ll need your authorization and a signed transfer request. Do you want me to send it to your email?”

“Yes. Right now. I’ll sign and send it back immediately.”

“Understood. But you know once this goes through, you won’t be able to—”

“I know,” she cut in. “Just do it.”

The moment she hung up, aconfirmation email appeared on her screen. Jazz quickly signed, her hands only trembling when it was finished. There. It was done. Whatever was coming, Titus wouldn’t face it alone.

And neither would she.

With that, she grabbed her keys and walked out the door. The evening air hit her like a slap—cold, biting, bracing. The door clicked shut behind her, the finality of it echoing in the quiet, like a chapter closing. She exhaled, her breath visible in the chilled air, and forced herself tomove.

THE MOMENT Jazz pulled into the driveway, the pain in her chest eased just a little. The house was the same as it had always been—white with blue shutters, slightly weathered but warm and welcoming. The porch light was on, casting a soft glow against the early eveningsky.

She hadn’t even made it to the front steps before the door swungopen.

“Jazz?” Lily’s voice was full of surprise.

Jazz swallowed past the lump in her throat. “Hey.”

Lily didn’t hesitate. She crossed the porch in two quick strides and wrapped her arms around her. Jazz let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, sagging against her sister.

“What happened?” Lily asked softly, not lettinggo.

Jazz shook her head. “I just… I needed to get away for a little while.”

Lily pulled back just enough to study her, eyes sharp, the green and gold flecks in her hazel gaze practically glowing.

She looked like a fairy, delicate and ethereal, with her tousled, streaked blonde hair and dimples that could charm anyone into thinking she was harmless.

But Jazz knew better. Lily was reading her, analyzing, already working through every possibility, calculating the angles like the strategist she was.

Jazz had never been able to lie to Lily, and tonight wouldn’t be any different.

But before she could answer, another voice cut through the quiet.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

Jazz stiffened.

Sam.

Her father stood in the doorway, looking pale and drawn, his usual bravado missing. He had a drink in his hand—of course he did—but the way his fingers clenched around the glass told her everything she needed toknow.

Something was wrong.

“Why not?” Jazz asked, her voice steadier than shefelt.

She didn’t wait for an answer. Brushing past him, she stepped inside, letting the familiar scent of home wrap around her—warm vanilla, aged wood, and the faintest trace of Lily’s lavender perfume.

The house was just as it had always been, aplace of chaotic comfort, worn-in furniture arranged around a fireplace that had seen better days.

The walls, once pristine, bore the marks of childhood—scuffs from thrown shoes, faint crayon traces near the baseboards where no amount of scrubbing had erased old memories.

But tonight, it felt different. Tonight, the house wasn’t just home.

It was a battlefield. The air was thick with unspoken words, the tension settling into the cracks of the worn wooden floors like an invisible force pressing down on her chest. The warmth of the space felt suffocating instead of comforting, and every familiar scent felt out of place against the dread gnawing at hergut.

The walls that had once been her sanctuary now felt like barriers closing in, filled with the ghosts of conversations left unsaid. And standing in the middle of it all, her father, with his bleary eyes and trembling fingers, felt like both the cause and the casualty of the war she was walkinginto.

“Why shouldn’t you be here?” Sam took a long sip before answering. “Because this is the first place they’ll come looking for you. And I don’t want to be around when they show up.”

Jazz’s blood went cold. If it was Titus, that meant he had already lost patience, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to face him.

But if it was someone else—Vex, the Feds—then the danger was even worse.

She had known walking away had consequences, but she hadn’t realized just how quickly they would come looking forher.

Lily’s gaze snapped to their father, her mouth tightening. “Why, Dad? What the hell did you do?”

Sam let out a breath that sounded almost like a laugh, only there was no humor in it.

He gestured loosely with his glass, the whiskey sloshing over the edge.

“It’s not what I did, sweetheart. It’s what she did.

” His bleary gaze flicked back to Jazz. “You walked away from him. From all of them. And that’s not something men like Titus Dante, Vex, or the Feds let happen without consequence. ”

Jazz’s stomach turned tolead.