leaving a heavy silence between them. Tina sat stiffly in her seat, replaying her encounter with Nathaniel ov

sharp eyes softening for

aniel's words had shaken her more than she wanted to admit.

see right through her, could sense the turmoil churning inside her. He wanted to

s heels clicked against the concrete as she followed Jesse into the elevator. Sh

staring out at the glittering city below. The skyline, with its towering buildings a

ce a comforting weight. "You did g

, trying to hold onto the small bit of control she still had. "He

nning through his hair. "I figured

e we going to do? He won't stop until he destroys us. He want

firm, grounding. "We're not going to let him win. Nathaniel thinks he's

t tightening. "But how? He know

hing in them. "He's powerful, but he's not un

se could handle this. But Nathaniel had always been a master manipulator

lse to get hurt becaus

e fierce. "No one's going to get hurt, Tina

wing at her insides. But the weight of it wa

urrowed. "W

niel... he told me I was just a pawn. That I was not

dening. "That's bullshit. He's trying to

s spilling out before she could stop them. "What if I'm j

"You're not a pawn. Not to me. I don't care what

, for something to hold onto. "I need to know t

Finally, he exhaled sharply, his hands dropping from her face. He

r heart hammeri

lders were tense, his posture rigid. "I've been keeping thi

wisted with unea

t the city for a long moment before finally speaking. "My family. The Petrov

un down her spine.

re involved in... the people we're connected to. It's dangerou

Jesse's family was powerful, that they had ties to the underworld. B

he asked, her voic

e're talking about international arms deals, drug trafficking, po

d. "And you're invol

e. But it's not something you can just wa

e had ever imagined. She had thought Jesse was just a businessman w

l me?" she asked, h

eyes. "Because I didn't want to drag you into it. I didn't wan

he weight of his confession pressed down on her. "But now

expression paine

n, the gravity of the situation sinking in. Tina felt like the ground had shift

she finally asked, he

fight like hell to stay ahead of Nathaniel, to prot

estions. But one thing was clear, there was no turning

e higher than she