Page 21 of Queens and Monsters

Jasmine lifted her head. “No, he won’t.”

My gaze met Em’s in the rearview mirror. If we were smart, we’d take her home. Get her safely to the elevator. Ensure she’s ascending to the penthouse and head straight to California. There were a few problems with that plan.

Number one,mí padreandmadreare staying in the Ozarks, at the capo’s mother’s home.

Number two, I meant what I said when I told Jasmine I wanted to marry her.

Once again, Jasmine rested her head. “It’s okay if you didn’t mean it.” Her voice was almost too soft to hear.

Reaching for her chin, I turned her face until I could see her gorgeous eyes. “Mean what?”

“What you said at the club.El Patr?nwill want his son to marry someone better than me.”

“Marry?” Em questioned from the front seat.

She craned her neck, bringing her sapphire-blue eyes into view. “By Mafia standards, I’m now spoiled, having been out unsupervised with the two of you.” She shrugged. “My sister wasn’t interested in their traditions, but I can tell Dario respects them.”

“That’s bullshit,” Em said. “We went for a drink. You weren’t ravaged.”

“No,” she said, “just shot at.”

My teeth were about to crack from the pressure.

“You’re not spoiled,” Em reiterated. “What the fuck about marriage?”

I repeated what I’d told Jasmine.Mí padreand the capo were in negotiations.

Em struck the steering wheel with his hand. “So is my father.”

“Mierda de toro. That’s not possible.” My volume rose. “Andrés would need to go throughmí padrefirst.”

Jasmine sat up, pulling away from me. “Stop it. I’m not coming between friends. After all, you both saved me tonight.”

For the next few minutes, silence prevailed. Not in my head. In my thoughts, I was challenging Em to a duel to the death. And then I remembered Herrera and the Russians. Our cartel didn’t need infighting. We needed to be what the capo said: one family.

No longer resting her head on my shoulder, Jasmine sat pensively looking out the window. She wasn’t currently an open book. Her expression was neutral in a way that would make the capo proud.

Em broke the silence. “We also got you into the mess.”

Jasmine twisted her own hands in her lap. “Once Dario learns about tonight…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but we both knew upsetting the capo dei capi wasn’t the way to win Jasmine’s hand.

“The pass for the garage is in the console,” I said as we approached the entrance to the capo’s building.

As Em reached for it, Jasmine asked, “How did you get the pass?”

“Dante gave it to me.”

She shook her head. “As soon as you scan that card, they’ll know we’re entering the garage.”

“Maybe they’ve been too busy to notice we were gone,” Em said hopefully.

I reached for my phone and turned it on to see eight missed calls. If that wasn’t enough proof, the gathering of suited men near the elevator as we turned into the private garage let us know that they noticed.

“Fuck.”

Chapter

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