Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
Jasmine
I ’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 forehead, Camila grinned. Her feet were moving fast on the inclined treadmill. “I’m almost done,” she panted. In front of her were large windows showcasing the dreary late-winter gray sky.
“You sounded like you were in pain or danger.”
“I am,” she said with a laugh. She tilted her chin toward a screen. “This program is full of hills, and I hate it.”
I leaned against the doorjamb. “Then why do you do it?”
She continued to run. “I used to swim every day. After a few months of not exercising” —her cheeks pinkened— “not exercising without Dante because that can be a workout.”
Pressing my lips together, I shook my head.
“I thought I was gaining weight.”
Scanning Camila’s frame as the treadmill started to slow, I doubted she was larger than a size four. In workout pants and a tank top, she was youthful and beautiful. If she was considered overweight, I needed to go on a strict diet. “You look fantastic.”
She used her towel to wipe her face again. “Thanks.” Camila inhaled. “What brings you back from school?” She did a double take in my direction and her smile faded. “Are you all right? ”
“Dante didn’t fill you in?”
“He’s been working constantly especially since Antonio was killed. Antonio had been the one helping Dante run Emerald Club and now…”
I hadn’t given that news any time in my brain. Now I recalled Dario mentioning that his cousin’s husband was killed. “How is Giorgia?”
“Not well. Mia wanted to come back here for the funeral and to console Giorgia. Apparently, they were always close. Aléjandro won’t allow her to travel with the baby due in a little over a month. And because Antonio and Giorgia never had children, the famiglia is making her move back in with Francesca.”
“You mean Dario is making her.”
Camila pressed her lips together and nodded. “Dante agrees. He says it’s too dangerous with the threats from Herrera and until things settle with the bratva.”
Settle—as in giving me to them as a sacrificial lamb.
Pushing that away, my thoughts went to Mia. She too was married and a childless widow before she was made to marry Aléjandro. “Dario won’t make Giorgia remarry, will he?”
Camila shrugged.
“Gah,” I called out, lifting my face to the ceiling. “I’m so over men making all the decisions. They say it’s about safety. It’s not. It’s about control.”
The treadmill beeped as the conveyor slowed to a stop. Camila held on to the railings and bent at the waist breathing deeply. “My legs are Jell-O.” When she looked up, she was grinning. “I get it. Honestly, I hated it when it was Papá. I don’t mind Dante having control. ”
“He’s your husband. I don’t have any control, and I don’t have a husband or a father.”
“You have Dario.”
“Did Dante tell you that Dario convinced Carmine Luciano that Isabella is of marrying age?”
“No,” she said, shocked. “Who does Dario want Isabella to marry?”
“Rei.” My nostrils flared as I said his name, yet I managed to keep tears away.
“I can’t believe Carmine agreed to that.” Her eyebrows danced. “I guess that means you are available to marry Em.”
My arms dropped to my side. “I like Em.”
“But you like Rei more?”
“It’s different. Rei makes my pulse race and my stomach twist. Em is sweet.”
Camila laughed. “He’s my brother, and he can be sweet. He’s also a killer like the rest of them.” Camila’s mouth opened wide. “Wait. So, Dario took you out of the running for Rei?”
Dropping my chin, I replied, “Yes. He’s tried.” What little I’d eaten churned in my stomach. “He promised me to someone else.”
“Shit.” Camila’s green eyes grew wide. “Not Rei or Em? Who?”
“Zhdan Myshkin, Kostya Myshkin’s son.”
She came closer and reached for my hands. “Dario wouldn’t do that.”
My tears were back. “He told me yesterday.”
“We have to change his mind. ”
I met her green gaze. “How?”
Camila pouted her lips.
“I thought Rei wanted to marry me,” I said. “And then I thought he didn’t because he didn’t respond to any of my text messages. I found out yesterday the reason why. Dario had both Rei’s and Em’s numbers blocked on my phone.”
She extended her hand. “That I can help. Give me your phone. My papá did that to my phone whenever he thought he could control who I talked to. I know how to unblock them.”
A grin lifted my cheeks. “I watched a few YouTube videos and figured it out.”
“Did you get ahold of Rei or Em?”
“Rei,” I replied. “I texted him last night, and he called me back.”
Camila nodded. “No more texting. If Dario is having your phone watched, he’ll see the text messages. Calls only. After you hang up, delete the call from your phone’s call log. It’s not foolproof, but it will make it harder for Dario to know.”
“You’re helping me communicate with Rei? Dario’s your brother-in-law, twice over, and your capo. You’re supposed to follow his rules.”
She shook her head. “I bucked the system and got away with it. If you want Rei and he wants you…” She exhaled, sat on a big plastic ball, and widened her stance to balance. “It’s great for the core.”
“I’ve been thinking about Rei and marriage since last Christmas. When Dario called me to Kansas City, I thought he would tell me that my wedding date to Rei was set. At first, I was nervous. But when that wasn’t the case, I was mad…and heartbroken. I don’t know Zhdan Myshkin. I know nothing about the bratva. I don’t want anything from Dario. No big wedding.” I slapped my hands against my thighs. “I guess I want one thing. I want his blessing to marry Rei.”
“Weddings are overrated,” Camila said, standing. “Come to the kitchen with me. I need some water.”
“Did it bother you not to have one—a big wedding?” I asked as we made our way down the hallway, past the elevator, and into the kitchen. Having a wedding like Dario and Catalina’s was never a dream of mine.
“Honestly, not in the slightest. We had a priest and a license. Papá wanted to annul our marriage. Because it was blessed and legal, he finally saw the light.” She opened the refrigerator and pulled out two water bottles. “Here.”
I took the cool bottle and sat on a tall stool at their breakfast bar. “Do you think Rei and I could do the same?”
She shrugged. “How worried are you about Dario being upset?”
“I want to say not at all, but the truth is on a scale from zero to ten, I’m a nine.”
Camila pressed her lips together and hummed. “What if you two wed in Mexico?”
“Why would we do that?”
“Because marriages in Mexico are recognized in the US.” Her green eyes opened wide. “I have an idea but first tell me if this is what you want.”
My heartbeat accelerated and my skin chilled. My mind told me that my physical reaction was because I was a rule follower. My heart knew what it wanted. “It’s what I want.”
I didn’t need the permission of a parent. I was an adult. “Maybe, if I can’t have Dario at my wedding, I could have another parent.”
“Cat?”
Taking a drink of water, I shook my head. “No. My mother.”
Camila sat at the seat by my side. “Your mother. I’m sorry. I assumed she had passed away.”
“No, incarcerated.” I’d never been able to say it with such ease. I turned to Camila. “She’s out of prison. I haven’t seen her in over seventeen years.”
“Oh my gosh. That is amazing. Where is she?”
“I believe she’s in Kansas City.” She was in the pictures Dario showed me. “I don’t know for sure.”
“How did you find out?” Camila asked.
“Dario told me about her release and that she wanted to see me. That’s the other reason he called me back to Kansas City. I want to go to the Arts District to ask about her, but I never learned to drive, and I can’t ask Piero.”
“I can drive. Dante would want me to take Giovanni. He could drive us.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, we could have lunch at Taha Mexican Kitchen. I’ve been craving spicy food.”
“I would love to get out of here, but there’s a reason I was thinking of the Arts District.” I exhaled. “Never mind, it doesn’t matter. I don’t think Giovanni will agree.”
“Why?”
“Because the pictures Dario showed me of my mom were taken at the Green Lady Lounge, bratva territory.”
Camila let out a long breath and sat back. “How is your mom connected to the bratva?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know that she is. Dario said she’s been asking questions. I was born in Kansas City. Before we moved in with Dario, Josie and I lived in South Blue Valley. I did a deep dive on Leah last night and accessed court records. She was imprisoned at WERDCC. That stands for the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center. It’s in Vandalia, Missouri. Since she was convicted in Missouri, it makes sense that she was incarcerated here.”
“Do you think she met people in the bratva in a women’s prison?” Camila asked.
“I wonder a lot about her. I never did before, but now that I know she’s close…”
Her lips opened in a gape. “Oh, the Green Lady Lounge. Isn’t that where Rei and Em took you Christmas Eve?”
“I don’t have any other ideas.”
Camila scrunched her nose. “I want to help you, Jasmine, but I don’t feel comfortable going into enemy territory, and I don’t think you should either.”
“I don’t know why not. Dario wants me to marry Zhdan. I’d live in that territory.”
Her emerald eyes lit up. “Have you tried calling instead of going there? ”
“Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Call the Green Lady Lounge and tell them you’re looking for her. It’s a long shot, but maybe you’ll get a connection. Dante wouldn’t want me to go into Myshkin’s territory, but if you could speak to your mom, maybe you could meet her someplace safer.” Camila hopped down from the tall stool and went to the kitchen table where her tablet was sitting. “Let’s look up the number for the Green Lady Lounge.” She began typing on the keyboard. Her smile returned as she brought the tablet to me. “You call and I’m going to message Mia. She helped me get married. She will help you.”
“No, she won’t.” My hopes faded. “She’s a Luciano. She hates me.”
Camila pressed her lips into a straight line. “She’s a Roríguez now. When I first met her, I wasn’t impressed. Since marrying Jano, she’s changed.”
“Is there anyone else you can call? I don’t feel confident about my marriage hopes depending on Mia Luciano.”
“Roríguez. Let me try Mia.” Camila walked into the living room with her phone.
I pulled my phone from my back pocket and called the number on the screen. It was only eleven o’clock. More than likely, the Green Lady Lounge wouldn’t even be open. As I was about to hang up, I heard a voice.
“Green Lady Lounge, how can I help you?”
My hands began to tremble. “This is a long shot, but I’m looking for Leah Renner.”
“No one works here by that name. ”
“I was wondering if you knew how I could get ahold of her.”
“Why are you looking for Leah?”
“Do you know her?” I asked.
“Yeah, I know her, but I don’t give out personal information without a reason.”
“I’m her daughter.”