Lahat ng Kabanata ng Queens and Monsters: Kabanata 11 - Kabanata 20

JasmineMy heart raced as I woke from a troubled sleep, speeding from dreamland into confusion. A sense of panic rose up within me. Scanning my dark bedroom, I pulled my blanket over my breasts and searched the corners, certain I wasn’t alone.What is happening?Is our home under attack?A large figure moved from the shadows a millisecond before a hand covered my mouth, stopping my scream. The scent of alcohol filled the air as warm breath bathed my ear.“Don’t be scared.”The familiar deep voice resonated through me as I shook my head. I wasn’t scared—alarmed and caught off guard. My pulse sprinted, causing my heart to thump against my breastbone. The reverberating beat in my ears made it difficult to hear Rei’s question.“Will you be quiet?”I nodded as my nostrils flared. As soon as he released my lips, I gasped for air. “Reinaldo?” I whispered as I jumped back. “You can’t be in here. Oh my God. Dario will definitely kill you.” I wished that I was speaking metaphorically, but I was

JasmineDario said Zhdan was older. “He’s thirty-two.”“Rei is only twenty-five.”“Jasmine, stop talking about Reinaldo. Your future is set with Zhdan. We’ve identified another reason for you to marry sooner rather than later.”My temples pounded as I applied more pressure to my teeth. “Sooner?”Dario nodded. “Your mother, Leah Renner, has been released on parole. You don’t need to know much about her, other than she’s bad news. If she finds out where you’ve been and who you’ve been living with for the last thirteen years, she will try to exploit you. Having the famiglia and the bratva behind you will make that impossible.”My mother.“She’s never tried to contact me. What makes you think she will now?”“Our soldiers learned that after your appearance at the Green Lady Lounge, your identity was confirmed. Zhdan was at the lounge. His father had already brought up the idea of you wedding Zhdan. Once his son saw you, he became determined.”“Saw me.” I shook my head. “There were a lot of

JasmineGiving up on waiting for Dario, I made my way back upstairs. I had an idea. Taking my laptop out of my bookbag, I set out to learn how to unblock numbers on my cell phone. A few videos, and I had both men unblocked from my phone. What I didn’t know was if I was blocked on theirs.Only one way to find out.I sent a text message to Rei. Before I began typing, I thought about all that was happening. Before I told him the news, I wanted to be sure he wasn’t upset with me.“Dario told me that he had your number blocked on my phone. If you get this text message, please text back. I promise I haven’t been avoiding you since the last time we saw one another.”Sitting cross-legged on my bed, I checked my emails. There were a few follow-up correspondences with my professors. I’d emailed earlier this morning to tell them there was a family emergency back in Kansas City, and I didn’t know how long I would be gone. All the professors who emailed back said that they would be happy to send a

JasmineI’d done as Dario said and stayed in the penthouse. More specifically, I stayed in my room, hoping that Rei would call me back. Finally, I fell asleep. Contessa must have come in during the night or early morning as there was a tray of food when I woke. I hadn’t been downstairs for dinner. There was nothing I wanted to say to Dario.My eyes were puffy and sore. A shower and dressing did little to help my mood. There was one option for me. Technically, I was leaving the penthouse, but not by much.Taking the elevator, I went down one level to Camila and Dante’s apartment. Camila had been in a similar situation with her father promising her to Rei. I sought advice. “Hello,” I called as the doors opened.“Down here.” Camila’s voice, sounding distressed, came from the hallway to the right, the opposite direction from their living room and bedroom.Panicked by possibilities, I hurried her direction. I came to a stop at the door to their workout room.Wiping perspiration from her fo

ReinaldoMy home office was ostentatious and smothering just like the mansion where it was housed. This place belonged to Gerardo Ruiz, brother of Andrés and Nicolas. Mí padre put a lot of trust into the three brothers, all of them making it to the rank of senior lieutenant in the cartel.Like many men their age, the Ruiz lieutenants had difficulty with Aléjandro’s and my advancement in our father’s organization. Case in point—Nicolas’s ridiculous show of sending a whore to me while I was showering. The only one to support the alliance with the famiglia was Andrés. He had little choice. His two daughters, Catalina and Camila, were married to famiglia, Catalina to the capo dei capi himself.Gerardo Ruiz’s deception topped that of his brother Nicolas. Unwilling to accept that Jano was his superior, Gerardo partnered with our enemy Elizondro Herrera in an effort to sabotage the Mafia alliance and bring down the Roríguez cartel.That kind of treachery was not tolerated.Gerardo Ruiz was n