Page 62 of Theirs to Corrupt
I wait for the shock to hit me, but it doesn’t come. Instead, I feel a strange sense of resignation. “He doesn’t shy away from risk, does he?” I muse, more to myself than to Pax.
A ghost of a smile touches Pax’s lips. “He’s more calculated than you might imagine.”
“Does he do this often?” I press, hoping to understand this aspect of the man I’m about to marry.
“This?” Pax echoes, and I can’t tell if he’s being deliberately obtuse or genuinely seeking clarification.
“Gamble,” I clarify. “Visit Vegas.”
Pax takes a sip of his wine before answering. “Gamble? Isn’t all life a gamble?”
Maybe to men like Pax and Link, it was.
A shiver runs through me as I remember the first night I met these two men. The story Link had told, so casually, about Pax shooting someone while balancing a tray of champagne.
“He’s not like your brother, if that’s what you’re worried about. He doesn’t take unnecessary risks, and he doesn’t live his life on the turn of a card or the roll of the dice.”
The memory surfaces unbidden, and I find myself asking, “Is it true? That story Link told that man in the bar? Or was it just meant to scare the hell out of him?”
Pax’s expression turns serious, his green eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that steals my breath. “It was effective.”
I nod.
“Given that, does it matter?”
I think about his question.
If it is true, do I want to know the answer?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Tessa
The question echoes in my mind as I study Pax’s face. His green eyes meet mine steadily, revealing nothing.
“You believe in the Machiavellian principle? That the ends justify the means?” I counter, leaning forward slightly.
Pax’s expression remains impassive, but there’s a slight tension in his shoulders.
“After the threat…” I rub the stem of my glass. “Did Link get his money?”
“The boss plays to win.” Pax’s tone is flat, his gaze unwavering.
That’s probably as close to an answer as I’ll ever get.
For a few minutes, I’m lost, staring into the depths of my wine, and questions I’ve had since I first looked the men up onScandaliciousreturn to me. Maybe it’s the alcohol or the fact we’re alone for once and that danger seems far away. But curiosity gets the better of me. “Is it true that he’s a Titan?”
Pax’s lips curl into a grin, the first real smile I’ve seen from him all evening. “The fictitious secret society?”
“Is it?” I challenge, raising an eyebrow.
He shrugs, the movement causing his shirt to stretch across his broad shoulders. “What do you think?”
I pause, considering my words carefully. “Seems fanciful.” And yet so does this world that I’m now living in. “At one time, I believed my brother was misguided, maybe a little spoiled by our parents, but essentially a good human being. I never imagined he’d try to…”What?Prostitute me?
Shoving aside my upset, I go on. “I thought the Mafia was something that only existed in movies and history. And that I’d be able to stay hidden forever.”
Pax leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His gaze never leaves mine.