“If Harrison agrees,” Jac continued, “then Sophianeedsto win. She needs to provide votes so that Harrison can join the Senate and kill Vianca. I told you I’m going to help free you, and I am. I’m going to see this through.”
Levi gave him a cheap excuse for a smile. “The Irons aren’t the same without you.”
Somehow, Jac doubted that. But he told Levi what he wanted to hear. “Only a few months until everything is normal again.”
Then he turned, eager to end their conversation. In the sitting area, Harrison was on the phone.
We did it, Sophia mouthed, then shot Jac a wink.
A thrill stirred in Jac’s stomach as he sat back down beside her. She threw an arm around his shoulder. It was a thoughtless touch—the sort she might’ve done during a shift at Liver Shot. He didn’t know if he should read more into it, but he wanted to.
“I knew we’d manage this.” Sophia grinned and twirled a dark curl around her finger. “You were amazing, Todd.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he mumbled. “And you can stop calling me Todd, you know.”
“Icould,” she said, with a smirk that told Jac she probably wouldn’t.
“So if we’re going to be partners,” he said, keeping his voice low. “You need to tell me—all this talk about knowing your siblings or not knowing them. Which is it?” He thought of the strange reflection of someone else in Delia’s glasses. “What really happened between you and them? Why don’t they recognize you now?”
Sophia’s smile fell. “I can’t tell you that.”
“Of course you—”
“I can’t,” she said flatly. She slid her arm away. “You wouldn’t believe me, anyway.”
Before Jac could argue, Harrison hung up the phone and adjusted the volume on the radio. “Vance was thrilled,” Harrison said. “This will be the biggest story of the week.”
“There has been a fascinating update in a story currently playing out on the North Side.” Jac assumed it was Vance speaking on the radio now—he had one of those fast-talking radio voices, exactly the sort to be narrating their victory.
Jac should’ve felt excited—he was finally part of a story, a legend in the making—but he didn’t understand why Sophia had shut him out. Whatever happened, he thought they were partners.
“After the death of Sedric Torren, it’s been uncertain who would inherit the Family’s casino business. Although it seems likely to pass down to one of Sedric’s two older cousins, Charles or Delia Torren, we’ve just been informed of another candidate in this race—Sophia Torren, a family relative.”
Sophia gave a whooping cheer and jumped to her feet.
As Vance continued, Harrison dialed down the volume and turned to the window. “Across the river right now, your siblings and my mother are deeply unhappy.”
“Good,” Sophia said seriously.
“Wait,” Levi said, his voice sharp. “Can you turn the radio up again?”
Harrison obliged.
“What an incredible back-to-back story. Captain Hector has just called to say that Delia Torren has been found dead in her Tropps Street hotel, the cause of death being eight gunshot wounds. Though it remains undetermined who killed her—”
“Charles,” Sophia whispered hoarsely.
Harrison rubbed his temples. “I’m sure Charles hasn’t heard the news about you yet.”
“Yeah, he’s probably driving back to Luckluster with his sister’s blood on his hands, thinking he’s won,” Levi said darkly. He glared at Jac, but Jac avoided meeting his eyes. “You think you made him deeply unhappy? How about furious?”
Jac fingered his Creed necklace. There was no going back now. Not for Sophia. Not for either of them.
Sophia’s confidence from earlier was gone. When she reached for Jac’s hand, he felt a taffy wrapper crushed between their fingers.
Jac leaned closer to her. “I told you I would help you, no matter what.”
He meant his words to be reassuring—they were both scared, but they were in this together. She could trust him.
