Page 211 of Titus

Well, of course, the critics would chime in with their expert opinions, especially since every random person with an internet connection was now a financial crimes expert.

I walked across the room and grabbed the remote.

The commentator’s voice continued. “…If these allegations prove true, it could become one of the largest corporate-deception scandals in recent memory⁠—”

“Goodbye,” I said, pointing and clicking the power button. “That is why I never watch the news.”

I was already in a shitty mood about what was happening, and I didn’t need the opinions of experts and critics to make it worse. I set the remote down and grabbed my keys.

This was the last thing I needed before driving to Melrose, another reminder that the entire world seemed determined to declare Titus guilty before anyone even bothered to prove it.

After a long day of booking events for clients returning from overseas at the end of summer, I welcomed the invitation to meet everyone at the rooftop lounge of Titus’s hotel, Horizon.

Honestly, I just wanted to catch up with Jim and Spencer before heading home to see if they had learned anything new or found another missing piece to this mess. I was trying to stay hopeful, but I’d been hopeful last week, too, when I met them here with Nat and Avery, and Titus was still sitting in a cell in federal custody.

It was quite strange to be here, surrounded by Titus’s well-known luxurious taste, while he was in custody.

I sat beside Jim with a glass of wine as the city slowly lit up below us. Los Angeles stretched endlessly beyond the glass railing, thousands of lights shimmering below.

Somehow, the world kept moving as if nothing had happened.

“Any news?” I finally asked.

Nobody answered, which wasn’t encouraging. Spencer studied something on his phone. Wyatt and Colton looked exhausted. Jim closed his phone and leaned back.

“No,” he said, taking a sip of his bourbon.

I exhaled. “Fantastic.”

“We know Herbert created the entities,” Spencer added with a defeated grin.

“It feels like that’s all anyone knows,” Wyatt said, the light gone from his tired eyes.

“We know Titus didn’t,” Jim added.

“Then why does he have to stay in that place?” I asked, frustrated.

Colton rubbed his eyes. “Simple. The government doesn’t care what we believe.”

“We need proof that Titus didn’t know those structures still existed,” Wyatt said, taking a sip of his scotch.

“We just keep going in circles, saying the same damn thing,” Jim said, taking another drink.

“We need proof,” Colton said. “I just don’t know where to fucking look for it anymore.”

“Where’s Sebastian?” Spencer finally asked. “He said he has news…”

I sat up. “About Titus?”

“Yeah,” Jim said, glancing down at his phone. “Maybe he shows up, maybe he doesn’t.”

The conversation returned to the same loop of information that was getting these men and the attorneys nowhere.

It may have been better to just go home, but I truly didn’t want to be there. I wanted to hold on to the hope that tonight the guys had answers, the proof they needed to ensure Titus knew nothing about his father’s bullshit.

This had gone on for so long, and I was desperate to see a light at the end of this miserable tunnel.

“No fucking way?” Wyatt said, drawing my attention to the elevators, where Sebastian stepped out with another man at his side.