Page 32 of The Dante (Those (Damn!) Texas Dantes #1)

She hadn’t told anyone yet—not even Lily—that she’d temporarily left Titus. That she’d walked out of his mansion with nothing but a duffel bag and a fragile hope that she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of herlife.

“How do you know that?” she asked carefully.

Sam took another deep swallow of his drink, his gaze unreadable. “Because I know men like them. Because I’ve worked with men like them. Reported to them. Played their games just to survive.”

“Like Titus... Or like all of them?”

Sam wobbled slightly as he poured himself another drink, his fingers unsteady, guilt etched into every movement. He let out a humorless chuckle, shaking hishead.

“I guess it won’t matter soon, will it? Vex.

The Feds. They’re coming for The Dante.” He glanced up, his eyes bloodshot and tired, meeting Jazz’s with something between defiance and justification.

“I may have helped them take him down. After what he did to me? To you girls? You should be thanking me.”

Panic shot through her, avisceral need to reach for her phone, to warn Titus before it was too late.

Her pulse pounded, her hands trembled. Fear clawed up her throat, not just for him, but for herself, for their baby, for the life they had barely begun to build.

She had to call him. She had to tell him—

But then she froze. Titus already knew. He always knew. He anticipated threats before they fully formed. Would telling him now change anything? Would it help? Or would it just confirm what he had already been waitingfor?

A new wave of desperation swept through her. If she couldn’t warn him, she had to do the next best thing—gather every detail, every scrap of information that might help him stay ahead of this. To grab her phone, dial his number, and tell him exactly what her father had just admitted.

But as her fingers twitched toward her pocket, she hesitated. He already knew, she reminded herself again. Of course he did. Titus was always five steps ahead, always anticipating the betrayal before it even happened. Would telling him change anything? Would ithelp?

Her gaze snapped to Sam. “Who else have you talked to? What exactly have you told them?”

Sam hesitated, his grip tightening around his glass. “It doesn’t matter now. It’s done.”

“It matters,” Lily cut in, her hazel eyes flashing. “It matters because if you’ve done something that puts Jazz in danger, we need to know. Now.”

Jazz watched as her father shifted uncomfortably, his bravado flickering under the weight of their combined stares. He had always been a survivor, someone who played every side to his own advantage. But now, he looked cornered—like a man who had run out of angles, out of cards toplay.

He took another sip of his drink, fingers tightening around the glass as if searching for stability. Abead of sweat glistened at his temple, betraying the fear he wouldn’t voice. His eyes darted between them, evaluating, but for once, Jazz saw something she never had before.

Doubt.

“I gave them what they wanted,” Sam muttered, his voice rough.

“Financial records, offshore accounts. Names of men tied to Titus’s operations.

Ifed them enough to make them think they had something solid—something that could bring him down.

But I didn’t give them everything. Not yet.

They think they’re close, but they don’t know how much of it is real and how much of it is smoke. ”

Lily’s expression didn’t change, but something in her posture stiffened. “Do you have copies of what you gave them?”

Sam scoffed. “Of course I do. I’m not an idiot.”

Lily’s voice sounded steady, but Jazz could hear the demand beneath it. “Then I want to see them. All of what you have. Now.”

Jazz turned to her sister, confusion flickering in her chest. “Lily, why—”

Lily barely spared her a glance. “Because if there’s anything in those files that can hurt you, we need to know before the Feds use it against you. You can’t be pulled into this mess.”

Jazz hesitated. That made sense, didn’t it?

Lily was always steps ahead, just like Titus.

And wasn’t that exactly what worried her?

Had Titus sent her away for a reason? Had he seen this coming?

The thought unsettled her, gnawed at the fragile certainty she clung to.

She swallowed hard. “We need to make sure Titus gets everything,” she said, her voice quieter now. “He has to protect himself.”

Lily met her gaze, unreadable for a beat before nodding. “Of course. I’m the computer geek, remember? I’ll make sure he gets what he needs.” She turned back to her father, giving him the evil eye. “Nowwhat about Vex?”

Sam frowned. “ What about him?”

Lily’s gaze didn’t waver. “How are you involved with him? What have you given him? Because if you gave this info to the Feds, I’m guessing you also gave it to Vex.”

Sam let out a dry laugh, shifting uncomfortably. “Come on, Lily. You think I’d be stupid enough to give Vex everything?”

Lily didn’t blink. “I think you’d be desperate enough, especially if you’re playing both sides. So tell me, Dad—how deep are you in? Are you just feeding Vex scraps, or are you setting Titus up for the fall?”

Sam’s jaw tightened, and he drained the rest of his drink in one long swallow.

He set the empty glass down with a careless, heavy clink.

“Fine. Yeah, Igave Vex something. Ataste. Enough to keep him happy, to make sure he didn’t come after me.

But it wasn’t the full deck. Like the Feds, he doesn’t know everything. ”

Lily folded her arms. “He knows enough, though, doesn’t he? And that’s a problem.”

Sam rubbed his jaw, stalling. “I didn’t have a choice. Vex has been circling for months. He wanted leverage, and I had to give him something or he would’ve torn through everything. Imade sure it wasn’t enough to bury anyone—”

Lily’s lips curved, but there was nothing amused about it. Her smile grew acrid, edged with something cold and knowing, the kind of look that sent a chill down Jazz’s spine. “I just needed to know if you were as stupid as you looked. Turns out, you are.”

Jazz turned to her sister, heart pounding. “Lily—what do you know?”

“Enough,” Lily said smoothly. “Enough to make sure this doesn’t touch us. But we need to know exactly what Sam handed over so I can make sure it’s… handled.”

Jazz felt the strength of her sister’s words settle into something tart and sure. “Then let’s get everything. Every name, every file, every conversation. We need it all.”

Sam let out a low curse, running a hand down his face.

“You don’t get it. This isn’t just about what I gave them—it’s about what they think they have.

The Feds are building a case, and if they connect the dots the way I think they will, Titus won’t just be in trouble—he’ll be buried.

They don’t need the full picture, just enough to make the charges stick.

And once that happens, there’s no getting out of it.

Titus won’t be able to outmaneuver this. He’s going to jail.”

Lily narrowed her eyes. “Then we’d better make sure we know exactly what they’re holding before he does. Because I’m not going to let Jazz go down with him.”

Jazz turned to her sister. “We need to talk. Privately.”

Lily nodded immediately. “Yeah. We do.”

She led Jazz past their father, who watched them go with that same infuriating mix of regret and self-preservation. He knew more than he was saying. He alwaysdid.

And Jazz had the sinking feeling that whatever he knew…

it would blow up in all their faces and soon.

But this time, she refused to stand by and let it happen.

She was done reacting. If Titus stayed five steps ahead, then she needed to be six.

She squared her shoulders, ready for whatever camenext.

Lily led the way down the hall, away from their father’s prying eyes, and pushed open the door to what used to be a spare bedroom. But as Jazz stepped inside, she realized it had become something else entirely.

Rows of monitors filled the space, along with cables snaking across the desks, and efficient processors humming softly, their cooling fans whirring in a constant low drone.

The glow from multiple screens cast shifting patterns across the walls, illuminating the room in a pulsing rhythm of green, blue, and white.

The faint sound of keys clicking filled the air, an almost hypnotic symphony of rapid typing.

The screens flickered with lines of scrolling code, some running commands too fast for Jazz to follow.

Two young women sat at opposite workstations, their fingers flying over keyboards, faces illuminated by the blue glow of the screens.

Jazz blinked. “What the hell is this?”

Lily barely spared the room a glance as she strode in. “We work on computers for companies who need our coding abilities.”

Jazz let out a low whistle, her eyes scanning the room in awe. “Damn, Lily. And here I thought you were just good with computers.”

Lily grinned, leaning casually against the desk. “Not bad, huh?”She snapped her fingers, drawing the attention of the two women. “Go home. I’ll need you first thing in the morning.”

They didn’t ask questions. One grabbed her laptop, the other stretched, barely acknowledging Jazz before they slipped out of theroom.

Once the door shut behind them, Jazz folded her arms, eyes scanning the room. “How long have you been running a coding business?”

Lily sighed, rolling her shoulders as she dropped into a chair and propped her feet up on the desk. “A few years now. Started small, mostly consulting gigs, then built it into something bigger. Companies like hiring problem-solvers.”

Jazz dragged a hand through her hair. “This is… a lot. Ihad no idea you were doing all this.”

Lily waved a hand. “What’s happening with Titus is a lot, too. Which is why we need to talk.”

Jazz didn’t hesitate before lowering herself into the chair across from her sister. She trusted Lily implicitly, always had, and after everything, she was just relieved to have someone on her side. If her sister was offering help, she wasn’t about to turn itdown.

Her tension eased just a fraction. “Alright. Talk.”

Lily’s expression turned unreadable, fingers tapping idly against her knee—asteady, measured rhythm. She didn’t appear nervous. If anything, she seemed calculating, weighing each word before she spoke, like she was trying to piece together a puzzle only she couldsee.

“I need to know exactly what you think Titus is hiding. What he’s planning. Because, Jazz—Sam isn’t wrong. The Feds are coming for The Dante. And when they do, they’ll try to use you to bury him.”

Jazz’s stomach tightened. “Titus would never let that happen.”

Lily leaned forward, her voice low and serious. “And what if it’s out of his hands? What if they’ve got something real this time? He’s not untouchable, Jazz. And if he goes down, you go down with him.”

Jazz swallowed hard, the stress of Lily’s words hitting like a brick. “Then we make sure that doesn’t happen. We find out what they know. We get ahead of it.”

Lily’s lips curved in approval. “Now you’re thinking like a Dante.”

Jazz felt a flicker of something unexpected—satisfaction. It wasn’t just about survival anymore. It was about taking charge, playing the game on her terms. For the first time in days, she felt like she wasn’t just reacting—but planning.

She swept her hand through the air. “Just tell me what we need to do.”

Lily stretched her arms over her head, already shifting gears. “We’ll get into all of that tomorrow. Be ready to work. And work hard.”

Jazz hesitated, then shook her head. “I have a doctor’s appointment first thing.”

Lily raised an eyebrow. “Everything okay?”

Jazz let out a breath, her fingers toying with the hem of her sleeve. “I think so. At least, according to the pregnancy test.”

Lily stared at her, frozen for half a second before her face split into a wide grin. “Holy shit, Jazz! You’re pregnant?” Without waiting for an answer, she launched forward, wrapping Jazz in a tight hug. “This is huge! Oh my God.”

Jazz let out a shaky laugh, hugging her back. “I mean, Ihave to confirm it, but yeah.”

Lily pulled back just enough to study her, her eyes scanning Jazz’s face. “How do you feel about it?”

Jazz’s eyes narrowed in consideration. “Honestly? Idon’t know. But I think— I think I’m happy.”

Lily squeezed her hands. “Then that’s all that matters. And whatever happens, you know I’ve got your back.”

Jazz nodded, warmth filling her chest. “I know.”

Lily grinned again, then leaned back in her chair. “Alright, pregnant lady. Get some rest. Tomorrow’s gonna be a long day.”

Jazz chuckled, shaking her head. “Yeah, yeah. Goodnight, Lily.”

She turned for the door, feeling lighter than she had in days. Uncertainty lingered at the edges, but for the first time, hope pressed against it, stubborn and unyielding. Whatever tomorrow brought, at least she wouldn’t face it alone.