Senator Alphonse Reed's mind was racing.
Among all of them—those involved in the crimes hidden beneath charity events, media smiles, and well-rehearsed speeches—he wasn't the richest. He knew that.
Apart from Eliot Monroe, the now-deceased Head of the National Entertainment Industry, and perhaps the elusive owner of LV Entertainment itself, no one else among their inner circle could really match Kai financially if that's what this was about.
And yet, Eliot was dead.
Which meant… Eliot must have tried to pay him off.
And it didn't work.
Still, Alphonse clung to the last sliver of hope that maybe—just maybe—his offer might be different. Maybe he could say the right thing, name the right number, and buy his way out of this nightmare.
He opened his mouth to speak—
But pain exploded through his hand.
He didn't even see it happen. He just felt it.
