Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
Jasmine
A s I made my way up to my room, bits and pieces of my conversation with Dario cycloned through my mind, obliterating anything else with hurricane-force speed.
I’ve been promised to the son of Dario’s sworn enemy.
My phone was blocked—Rei and Em hadn’t ignored me.
My mother was alive, out of prison, and looking for me.
Dario gave el Patr?n another option for Rei to marry—a better option, a Luciano.
Isabella.
Disappearing into my bedroom, I shut the door, closed my eyes, and leaned against the barrier. A deep sigh came from my lips. No longer did I see the penthouse as a luxurious mansion in the sky. I saw it for what it truly was and what it made me.
It was a gilded cage, and I was a prisoner in my own home. That wasn’t the way I used to see it, but the veil had been ripped away. By offering Isabella, he made it clear that I wasn’t worthy.
When I opened my eyes, I saw that my suitcases had already been deposited on my bedroom floor. Scanning the room, I wondered how different my life would have been if my mother had never been arrested or incarcerated.
What would life be like with her?
I was relatively certain she wouldn’t make me marry someone I didn’t even know.
Josie didn’t like to talk about our mother, and my memories were nonexistent. Not knowing the details of one’s own past created a void I didn’t realize I’d hidden for most of my life. Curiosity spurred more questions than answers.
Why did Josie detest her so much?
What did our mother do to warrant the hatred of a person who taught me to see good in everyone?
I wasn’t willing to take my new fate sitting down. Fighting Dario’s decision alone was not possible. I needed help. Taking my phone from my purse. I went back to the first floor in search of the man who could help. I found Armando sitting at the tall library table in the front sitting room. With his jacket off and his holster showing, he was reading his tablet.
Armando looked up from the screen and smiled as I crossed the threshold. “Jasmine.” There was a welcoming tone to his deep timbre.
“Hey.”
Armando was about fifteen years older than I, tall and muscular, even more so than Piero. He could be the poster child for the bodyguard persona. While Armando’s current primary responsibility was Catalina’s safety, he too had been present since our arrival and was an intricate part of my life. To some, I supposed that he would be intimidating, perhaps even frightening. That’s not the man I knew. To me he was a gentle giant. “I need your help.”
He turned off the tablet and sat taller. “Anything for you.”
“Thanks.” A grin curled my lips as I pulled my phone from my back pocket. “Dario informed me that there’s a block on my phone, not allowing me to call, text, or to be called or texted by Reinaldo Roríguez and Emiliano Ruiz.” I pushed the phone across the shiny table in his direction. “Can you please undo that for me?”
“Can I?” He nodded. “Will I?” He shook his head. “Not without Mr. Luciano’s permission.”
“Armando, please? If he didn’t want me to get it changed, why did he tell me about it? Besides, shouldn’t I have some say over something?”
“Let me talk to Mr. Luciano.” He pushed my phone back. “From what I understand, neither of those men are part of your future.”
“Friends. I want to talk to friends,” I lied. The pain in my chest told me that they were both more important to me than simply friends. My feelings were strongest for Rei. If I married Zhdan, they’d both be out of my life. I didn’t like the thought of that.
“If he says it’s all right, I’ll be happy to do it for you.”
Taking the phone, I murmured, “I guess that’s better than a flat denial.” Feigning a smile, I took the seat across the rectangular table from him. “We can wait for him together. I wouldn’t want you to forget.” I thought about my mother. “Did you know about my mother?”
His smile dimmed as he nodded. “What about her?”
I sighed. “First that she’s out of prison. And second, I don’t know anything about her.”
“I learned about her when the two of you moved in. Mr. Luciano likes thorough research.” His lips pressed together. “She’s a bad seed. You don’t want to have anything to do with her.”
“Another subject that I have no control over.”
“Jasmine.” His voice softened. “You don’t owe her anything. You don’t remember, but mothering wasn’t her thing. Whoring was. She raised you and Josie in the back room of a club not half as nice as Emerald Club.”
“I don’t remember that.”
“It’s why Mr. Luciano doesn’t want you at Emerald Club. Also, the woman’s a criminal. She killed a young man by selling him fentanyl-laced drugs—a college student.”
“I’m just trying to get this straight. I shouldn’t see her because she is a criminal—as in she did or does things to break the law, killed someone, and had sex for money?”
“Correct. I know Mr. Luciano made the decision to tell you she is out of prison. If I were him, I wouldn’t have darkened your life with the news.”
I sat straighter. “Tell me how what she did is any different than what you do or Dario does?” I asked. “I don’t think you’ve ever sold yourself to support your children, but I’m most certain the difference between my mom being a murderer and you or Dario is that to our knowledge, my mom has killed only one person. The famiglia owns Emerald Club. The club has prostitutes.” My phrases grew louder. “Explain why she’s bad, but you two and others aren’t.”
Armando lifted his hand and spoke softly. “I promised your sister to not tell you things that your mother did. I already broke that promise. I’ll just say that you’re right. We’ve never claimed to be good men. Those of us sworn to the famiglia do bad things for the right reasons. We have honor. In the case of Leah Renner, she sold drugs for drugs. Worrying about feeding her children was way down her priority list. Mr. Luciano doesn’t tolerate illegal drug use.”
I scoffed. “Come on, the famiglia and cartel sell it.”
“Sells yes. Uses no.” He leaned forward. “I doubt she’s clean.”
“Seventeen years in prison makes it hard to get drugs.”
“The world isn’t nearly as black and white as you believe it to be. There are shades of gray everywhere.”
“What can you tell me about Zhdan Myshkin?”
It was as if a shadow passed over Armando’s face. “Mr. Luciano has done his research.”
“And…” I prompted .
“His father started Zhdan out as a brigadier. That’s like our capos on the street. They oversee a group of boyeviks, or soldiers. Zhdan proved himself worthy. When the sovietnik, which is like our consigliere, died, Kostya made Zhdan his sovietnik. That means he works for and advises his father, the pakhan.”
“He’s high ranking.”
Armando nodded.
“How does one become high ranked in the bratva?”
“Similar to the Mafia.”
“He’s in Dante’s position,” I said.
“Yes.”
“Dario thinks less of the bratva than the cartel.”
“Is that a question?” Armando asked.
“No. It’s an observation. He’d marry me to the second-in-command of the bratva, but not to the third in the cartel.”
Armando’s expression softened. “I’m not sure why you think that, but it isn’t true. Zhdan saw you at the Green Lady Lounge. He wants you.”
I sighed. I thought Rei wanted me too.
After over a half hour, I peered out in the hallway. Dario’s office door was still closed. “Do you have any idea when he’ll be free?” I asked.
Armando shook his head.
Giving up, 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 assignments and tests for as long as I needed.
There were perks to smaller colleges. Also, being associated with one of the most powerful men in the country wasn’t a disadvantage.
Letting out a long breath, I lay back on my pillows. My mind battled between Dario’s announcement about Zhdan Myshkin and my mother.
What is she like?
What is he like?
What does she look like?
Is he kind?
He’s in the bratva—kind probably didn’t describe him.
What about Rei ?
He’s in the cartel, but he could be kind.
Did my mother want to give up custody or was she forced to?
The questions were never ending.
My phone lying next to me on the bed vibrated with an incoming call. My hands began to tremble when I read the name: Rei Roríguez. I’d done it. I’d unblocked my phone.
Was it too late?
“Hi,” I said, fighting back tears.
“Fuck, Jasmine.”
My lips curled at his pronunciation: Jazz-mean .
“I’m so sorry I haven’t been in touch.”
“ Preciosa , I’ve been worried. Have you gotten my text messages? I was beginning to think you were blowing me off.”
Warmth filled my cheeks at his concern and use of the endearment. I took the last part literally. “No to the text messages, and I’ve never done the other thing…but maybe someday.”
Something sounding like a primal growl came through the phone. “When we’re together, I’ll let you read each and every one I wrote. I want to see your cheeks grow pink as you read the ways I want to make you feel good.”
My cheeks were getting hotter imagining what they might say. “I’d like to read them. You can read the ones I sent as well.” I thought about the warring cartels. “Are you safe?”
“ Sí . As safe as we are in this world. We’ve lost good soldiers. ”
Em? I wanted to ask.
“Anyone I would know?” I tried.
“No, Emiliano is still alive.”
“Dario told me” —my voice softened— “that he recommended another woman to Jorge for you.”
“A girl, not a woman. And I told mí papá that it doesn’t matter. My mind is set.”
His words gave me some confidence. “Isabella is a Luciano.”
“The only thing that matters to me is that you will be a Roríguez.”
“He’s promised me to someone else.”
Rei’s volume rose. “That’s not possible.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. “He doesn’t think I’m worthy of you.”
“That’s bullshit.”
“There’s something else you should know,” I said with a tightening in my chest. “There’s a reason I’m not good enough…” I let the words spill out. “When I was three years old, my biological mother was incarcerated. She was given a twenty-year sentence. All I know is that she’s out of prison now and wants to see me.”
“I didn’t know she was out.”
I sat taller and wiped my eyes. “You knew about her?”
“ Sí . She doesn’t matter. Your past isn’t as important as our future.”
“Does el Patr?n know? If he does, he probably doesn’t want you to marry?—”
“He knows.”
“I don’t want to marry someone else. ”
“I told you what would happen if you did.”
His words came back— I’d be a widow before my marriage was consummated .
Rei lowered his tone. “Tell me who the capo promised you to.”
I could hardly get the name out between sobs. “Zhdan Myshkin.”
“Myshkin? Fuck no.”
“Rei, what can I do? Maybe if I could get to my mother.”
“First, let me learn what I can about your mother. Mí padre will call the capo and put an end to the talk of you marrying a Russian. For now, stay with Piero and follow the capo’s rules.”
“I don’t know if your father can change his mind. I’m tired of having rules.”
“No, my rule follower. Soon, they will be my rules.” There was something about that promise that twisted my insides.
The sound of other voices came through the speaker, voices speaking Spanish. I didn’t want to end the call. “Is everything all right?”
“I must go, preciosa . Do not worry. We will be together.”
Nodding, as more tears streamed down my face, I said, “I want that too.”