Page 215 of Titus

“Because Christian got greedy and kept pushing, digging, and paying.” Mark’s expression hardened. “The investigators eventually found enough inconsistencies to alert regulators.”

Jim’s jaw tightened. “After that?”

“Where it’s at today,” Mark shrugged. “It stopped being Christian’s investigation and is now the government’s.”

“And the second regulators became involved,” Sebastian added. “Nobody controlled what happened next. Not even Christian.”

Spencer slowly closed the file. “What about proof that Titus didn’t know? That’s the only thing keeping him held.”

“That’s what we need to bring to the attorneys, and they can bring to the feds.”

Spencer leaned forward. “That’s the sole reason he’s still in detention.”

For the first time all evening, Mark smiled. “You’ve been asking the wrong question.”

Mark reached into the file and pulled out another stack of documents. He slid them across the table.

“What is this?” Jim asked.

Mark nodded toward the pages. “Corporate restructuring records.”

Spencer’s eyes moved down the first page. “Jesus...” He paused while flipping through pages.

“What?” Wyatt said, reaching to pull the file toward him.

“Titus dismantled them,” Spencer said. “It’s all documented.”

“Why don’t the feds have those goddamn files?” Colton said. “If they did, my brother wouldn’t be in jail right now.”

“That’s the question I don’t have the answer to,” Mark said.

“Because they weren’t looking for evidence that would help Titus,” Sebastian said. “They were only looking for evidence to build their case.”

Spencer pointed to the records. “Titus started dismantling this shit shortly after he took over.”

Jim reached for the documents. “Right here is proof that Titus shut down three of Herbert’s shell structures. Then he consolidated assets.”

Wyatt picked up a paper. “This shows where he forced ownership disclosures and ordered internal audits.”

I looked between them. “What does that mean?”

“Titus spent years unknowingly cleaning up his father’s mess,” Sebastian said. “It’s officially documented in those papers.”

“They obviously arrested the wrong Hawk,” Jim said. “Jesus Christ.”

Spencer looked up. “So, this is a track record of what he knew about his father’s shady deals…” He stopped, shaking his head. “Shit. This isn’t just a record of what Titus knew,” his eyes roamed back over the documents, “it’s a record of what he did every time he found something Herbert hid.” He looked up. “He destroyed it.”

Sebastian looked around the table. “Exactly. Think about it. If Titus knew about the hidden entities currently under investigation,” he tapped the records, “why would he spend years dismantling every other hidden structure he found?”

“Right,” Mark said. “His behavior since taking over the company is the evidence.”

Sebastian nodded. “These investigators found records showing Titus repeatedly eliminated structures tied to Herbert’s era.”

“And now? It’s time we turn this whole damn file over to the attorneys to make their case and present it to the feds and get him the fuck out of there,” Wyatt said.

Colton picked up his phone and said, “I’m calling the attorneys right now.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE