Page 20 of Queens and Monsters

“Jasmine, please talk to us,” Em said.

“I’m fine.” Her words were clippedas she moved to a seated position, wiped her face with the back of her hand, and gasped for air.

Turning back, I looked at her in the strobing light from the overhead streetlights. Her complexion was pasty white.

“Stop the car,” I said to Em. “Stop the car before we get on the highway.”

“I’m already?—”

“Fuck,” I growled as I climbed between the front seats and over the console. It wasn’t easy to get my long legs bent and my loafers through the space. Finally, I made my way to the back seat, lowered my tone and softened my timbre. “Jasmine, let me look at you.”

She nodded, her lips pale.

I reached for her wrist. Beneath my fingertips, her pulse thumped rapidly. Looking in her blue eyes, I noticed her dilated pupils. Feigning calm, I smiled. “I need you to breathe for me.”

“I’m breathing.” Her words came out in gasps.

“Deep breaths.” I sat tall and inhaled. “Come on. Do what I do.”

“This is silly—” She looked past me to the rearview mirror.

Em spoke, “You could be in shock or going into shock.”

Her hand went to her chest. “I can’t get enough air.”

I held both of her hands in mine. They were like holding ice cubes. “You can. Look at me.” Slowly, her gaze met mine. “We’re safe. You’re safe. Now, deep breaths in…”

Jasmine complied.

In.

Out.

We breathed together as Em drove us back to the penthouse.

“You did great back there,” Em said.

Jasmine blinked and exhaled. She retrieved her hands and pulled the zippered sweatshirt from the floor before putting it on. Once she had her arms in the sleeves, she rested her hands on her lap.

I, once again, took her hand in mine.

Her beautiful blue eyes slowly met mine. “I was scared.”

“Good,” I replied, “normal people should be scared.”

“Were you?”

I shook my head. “We aren’t normal, Jasmine. That’s what we do.”

She inhaled, her nostrils flaring. “One time” —she seemed to be on the verge of tears— “a man broke into my apartment. We think he roofied Piero.”

I tightened my grip of her hand. “What happened?”

“He beat me up—wanted to scare me, but Piero woke, and he shot the man in the arm. We got away. That all came back to me at the sound of the shots.”

More questions came to my mind—was she injured? Did he violate her? I knew now wasn’t the time to ask her to relive either trauma. Pink was returning to her lips, and her hand was warmer than it had been minutes before.

I settled on the seat beside her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, tugging her closer. It took a moment, but slowly, she began to relax. The tensioneased from her muscles as she rested her face against my shoulder. “You’re safe and the capo will probably kill Em and me on sight.”

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