Queens and Monsters のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 40

JasmineI forgot to breathe as the pilot lowered us to the helipad near the stern of the yacht. Once the landing skids touched down, I took a deep breath.“We’re safe,” Rei said.He sounded a bit annoyed with my fear. That was fine. It was my first helicopter ride over miles of open sea. I had the right to be frightened.The pilot spoke through the headphones. As before, I couldn’t understand. I turned to my husband for a translation.“He’s stopping the rotors. We need to wait until they come to a complete stop. As they slow, they lower. No decapitations on our wedding day”My eyes opened wide. “Good advice.”As we waited for them to stop, five people in white uniforms appeared, all standing like soldiers with their hands clasped behind their backs. I looked at my watch to see that it was nearly four in the morning—six back in Kansas City. “This is crazy that the whole staff is meeting us in the middle of the night.”“That’s not the whole staff.”Well, shit. My life was on a roller co

ReinaldoI woke with my arm around someone soft and warm. It took me a second to realize that it was Jasmine within my grasp and in my bed. Her level breathing told me she was still asleep. I leaned toward the side of the bed and reached for my phone.Fuck, it was after ten in the morning.I couldn’t remember ever sleeping that late. On the other hand, except for a few hours’ nap on the plane back to California, prior to falling asleep, I hadn’t slept for over forty-eight hours. Maybe I’d need to admit I was human. I needed sleep and food.My mind went to my bedtime snack.At first, I was afraid I’d pushed Jasmine too far. It’s hard for a man like me to imagine a woman as genuinely naïve as the one I married. With access to Wanderland and other cartel-owned clubs, my go-to women have mostly been professionals. A long-term relationship with just anyone wasn’t something the second son of the drug lord was on the lookout for. I was historically a one-and-done type guy. Even frequenting t

Reinaldo“You got Jasmine out of there just in time,” Jano said as we walked toward Padre’s office.“In time?”“Myshkin had Kansas City’s streets on fire last night.”I stopped dead in my tracks. “What the fuck are you talking about?”His lips quirked into a smile. “Oh, that’s right. You’ve been out of the loop, too busy popping the ginger’s cherry.”My jaw clenched. “Just know, if you weren’t my brother, you’d be bleeding out right now. And after what Jasmine told me about Mia, I wouldn’t even feel bad making her a widow again.”My brother’s cocky grin disappeared. “Sorry about that. I talked to Mia. It’s a long-standing feud, and my wife’s more than a little emotional lately. She said she knew it was wrong when she got up from the table and promised to talk to Jasmine.”I shook my head. “I had no fucking clue, but I should have. All the capo’s talk about Jasmine not being a Luciano. It makes me want to do whatever I can to make Jasmine feel like we’re her family. It’s like she’s spe

ReinaldoThe fucking car smelled like fast-food and body odor. It wasn’t a good combination. I tried to remember Jasmine’s honeysuckle scent as I stared through the windshield of the inconspicuous sedan. This was the fifth night of surveillance outside Myshkin’s club in the bratva territory. At nearly two in the morning, we were no closer to going back to Bella than we’d been when we stepped off the fucking boat deck.“I need to piss,” Diego said, opening the car door.Laying my head against the seat, I dreamed of less time undercover and more time under the covers with my wife.I would call Jasmine if I could. Jano worried about our phones being tracked. So, they’re now locked in a lead-lined box at the capo’s place. The box was specifically designed to block phone signals. Instead, I was carrying a cheap burner that connected me to Jano, Felipe, Diego, and the members of the Luciano famiglia involved in our operation.We’d been on the lookout for Kostya Myshkin and Herrera. The only

ReinaldoBurying 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 to mí madre. “Jano and I need to talk to you.”“If this is about Herrera’s yacht, su padre already told me.”My brother inhaled. “There’s more.”Madre visibly paled as she sat on the sofa and reached for Viviana’s hand. Her lips began to tremble. “Not su padre.” She shook her head. “No. No. No.” Each word was louder than the one before.Jano and I wen