Page 52 of Queens and Monsters

“You were going to marry anyway.”

“I proposed.” Jano chuckled. “She said no.”

A scoff came from my lips, a bit of humor to take a chunk out of the palpable tension currently filling me with dread. “I want to marry her. But first, I want to be sure she’s safe from Myshkin. I don’t know why the capo brought Jasmine back to Kansas City with her mother there. She was safer in New York.”

Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

“In New York, she had Piero,” my brother said. “With the capo, she has an army.”

“I don’t like it.” Something felt off. “There’s no place safer than Bella. I filled the capo in on some things I found connecting Jasmine’s mother withMyshkin. I’m on my way to the penthouse, and I’ll bring Jasmine back with me, with or without the capo’s approval.”

“If you deflower his princess before your wedding, that knife he threatened you with—yeah, he’ll use it.”

“I’d hate to make Cat a widow.”

“Fuck.” Jano let out a frustrated growl. “No knives. No guns.”

“No weapons,” I agreed. “Either she is his princess, or she isn’t. He can’t have it both ways.”

“Call me before you leave Kansas City.”

“Sí jefe.”

My next call was to Dante. With each ring of the unanswered call, my nerves tightened to the point of snapping. The call went to his voicemail. “Fuck.”

In ten more minutes, we’d arrive at the parking garage. That was the first point of entry. I’d counted on Dante to get me into the capo’s home. If Dante wasn’t my answer, I had no alternative but to call the capo himself.

He answered right away. “Reinaldo, I’m sorry to hear about your father’s home.”

Yeah, I hadn’t really processed that. “Herrera is getting too bold.”

“I spoke toel Patr?nearlier. I don’t think there’s anything you and I need to discuss.”

My jaw clenched. “Did you review the information I sent you regarding Leah Renner and Myshkin?”

“I have.”

It was like pulling fucking teeth. No, I’d done that. This was more difficult. “And your conclusion?”

“I’m speaking with Kostya this afternoon. I’ll know more then.”

“Where? In your office?”

“That’s not information I choose to share.”

“Send me a fucking passcode. I’m seven minutes from your building.”

His voice slowed in a threatening manner. “You wasted a trip. Go do your job in California.”

“Your alliance with Myshkin is a sham. It’s fucking fragile, and you’re the one getting played. If you want to keep the alliance with the Roríguez cartel, you’ll let me up that fucking elevator.”

“Aléjandro may have permission to speak for Jorge. That doesn’t transfer to you. You’re third, not second.”

“I’m coming up. Either I take out a few of your guards and make my way up or we communicate like men. Send me the damn passcode.” I hit the red button as my vision seeped with bright fire-engine-red rage. “Asshole.”

Willing my heart not to beat out of my chest, I checked my gun and secured my knives as I waited. It took nearly five minutes, but finally the text message arrived.

I let out a long breath. “We have the passcode.”

---