Page 90 of Queens and Monsters

Thirty-Two

Reinaldo

Burying my nose in Jasmine’s hair and inhaling her honeysuckle scent calmed the raging beast within me. It was as if I could physically feel my blood pressure dropping to a healthy reading. Her arms wrapped around my torso as she laid her face against my chest. It took a moment for me to realize she was crying. Loosening my grip, I palmed her cheeks and tilted her face toward mine. “Why are you crying?”

She blinked, her blue eyes staring up at me. “I’ve been so scared. I was afraid something terrible happened.” She shook her head. “It was a feeling I couldn’t shake.”

“Sí, something did.” Ignoring the others in the room, I turned tomí madre. “Jano and I need to talk to you.”

“If this is about Herrera’s yacht,su padrealready told me.”

My brother inhaled. “There’s more.”

Madrevisibly paled as she sat on the sofa and reached for Viviana’s hand. Her lips began to tremble. “Notsu padre.” She shook her head. “No. No. No.” Each word was louder than the one before.

Jano and I went to her, both of us on our knees near her legs. “Bella was attacked tonight,” I said in the calmest voice I could muster. “Herrera had Volkov send a team of men in response to the bombing of his yacht.”

“No,” she wailed. “It’s not true.”

“One of the crew was able to send a distress call,” Jano said, his voice as flat as mine. “The Coast Guard found Bella approximately fifty miles west of where it had been.” Jano reached for her hand. “There’s no way to say this to make it better. He’s gone. The staff” —his nostrils flared— “all of them—executed.”

Madreleaned forward and clung to both of us. For what seemed like an eternity, the only sound I could hear was that of my mother’s sobbing. And then I realized she wasn’t the only one. When I stood, I searched for my wife.

Jasmine was sitting on the side of Mia’s bed, the two embracing and crying.

Jano and I had done our share of shouting and yes, even crying. We had an over three-hour flight to work out our sorrow. Now our focus was on revenge.

Silas had left a message on Jano’s phone about Mia. That voicemail was our solace as we headed west. LosingPapáwas heartbreaking. If we’d lost everyone, we would have burnt the world down until there was nothing left but a smoldering pile of ash.

Once in the air, Jano contacted Silas and told him to keep all news away from the women. When it came to delivering such heart-wrenching information, it was better for it to come from us rather than hearing from a talking head on television.

The news outlets were filling the airways, podcasts, and social media with sensationalized stories about drug lords Elizondro Herrera and Jorge Roríguez and their deadly feud. Pictures of Herrera’s young family showed in a split screen with his burning yacht. The anchors and podcasters madePadreout to be a monster, a criminal solely responsible for every illegal drug-related death in the Americas. Ourmadredidn’t need to see or hear that.

“What happens now. Will there be a funeral?” Jasmine asked when we were alone in the hospital cafeteria.

I shook my head. “No. It would be a target, and Jano isn’t going to allow that.”

“I’m sorry. I was scared to meet your father, but he was nothing but nice to me.” A tear streamed down her cheek. “He was so excited about a grandchild.”

Wiping her cheek with my thumb, I caressed her soft skin. “Death is part of life. We all know the risks we take.”

Jasmine shook her head. “I don’t want you to die.”

My lips quirked. “I don’t plan on it. Not anytime soon.”

“What will happen to Bella?”

“She’s been seized. The government will take her and sell her.” I clenched my jaw. “They’ll claim they’re selling her for unpaid tax debts, but in truth, they’re doing it to make a mockery out ofmi padre’slife.” I reached over to Jasmine, holding her hands in mine. “When we first heard, Jano and I” —my nostrils flared— “you, Mia,Madre...” I blinked away salty tearsmi padrewould never want me to shed. “It’s a miracle you weren’t on Bella.”

“What about all of us? Will the government come after you and Aléjandro?”

“We’ll need to lie low, but soon, we will be up and running. Only now, Jano is in charge of everything.”

“What about your mother?”

Forcing a smile, I said, “Preciosa, you haven’t seen our home yet, but it’s big.”

Jasmine grinned. “Like Bella is a big boat?”

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