Chapter 19
Chapter
Nineteen
Jasmine
A wave of nausea ripped me from my sleep. I sat up, dazed as I looked around my bedroom. My mind whirled with questions as I threw back the covers and hurried toward the bathroom. Falling to my knees, I retched as the contents of my stomach came back up my throat.
“You’re going to be okay,” the female voice said softly while gentle hands gathered my hair.
My entire body trembled as I peered over my shoulder to see Catalina. Before I could speak, another wave of nausea hit me like a punch to the stomach. The vomit reeked, splattering into the water and leaving my mouth tasting horrible. Shaking, I flushed the toilet and laid my forehead on the edge of the toilet seat as I tried to remember coming home .
“What happened?” I finally asked.
“Someone roofied you,” she said, kneeling at my side. “Do you remember anything from lunch?”
I pushed myself to stand, using the walls for support and moved slowly toward the vanity. Pain radiated from my stomach, making it feel as if someone were wringing it out—twisting it. Through bloodshot eyes, I stared in the mirror. My reflection was as pitiful as I felt. Red hair messed, and my complexion pale. Reaching for the cup, I filled it with water, rinsed, and spat. As I was pasting my toothbrush, I remembered Catalina’s question and shook my head.
“I remember eating Mexican with Camila.” I spun toward Catalina. “Oh God, is Camila all right?”
“She’s fine. She’s worried about you, but apparently, her drink wasn’t spiked.”
My temples throbbed as I brushed away the horrendous taste. When I finished, I realized I was suddenly parched, drinking two glasses of water. Looking down at my clothes, I saw my jeans were gone, leaving me in panties, a bra, and the blouse I wore to lunch. I scrunched my nose at the material peppered with vomit. “I should shower.”
“Can you? Do you need help?” She feigned a smile. “I can get Contessa if you’d rather have her.”
Shaking my head caused my temples to revolt. I shut my eyes, inhaled, and opened them. “I think I’m okay.” I lifted a few strands of my hair. “This is gross.” I looked at Catalina. “Who did this to me?”
“Dario and Dante are on it. They’ll find out.”
I pulled my shirt over my head. After turning on the shower, I met Catalina’s gaze. “Will you stay here? I’m kind of shaky.”
“Of course.”
Removing the rest of my clothes, I stepped into the shower and lifted my face to the spray. “I don’t remember anything,” I said, speaking louder, “after we went back to the bar.” My hand went to the shower wall for support. “I remember something from before that.”
“What?” Catalina asked.
“Zhdan Myshkin was there. He sat next to me at the bar. He tried to talk to me.” The memories came rushing back. “He touched me, cornered me as I was leaving the bathroom.” My cheeks rose if only for a second. “Camila told him I’d never kiss him and then Piero and Giovanni—they had guns.”
“Did they shoot?”
“No, Zhdan left.” I poured a dollop of shampoo into my palm and worked the lather through my hair. The sweet scent of jasmine and honeysuckle was a welcome change. After conditioning my hair, I sat on the seat and rested as the warm spray continued to rain down.
“Are you going to be able to finish?”
“Yes. I just need a second.”
As I again lifted my face to the spray, tears prickled the back of my eyes. “Dario must be furious.”
“He’s worried. I just sent him a text message telling him you’re awake and showering.”
After rinsing the bodywash from my flesh and conditioner from my hair, I turned off the water. As Catalina handed me a plush towel, I asked, “Were you afraid of marrying Dario? ”
Her eyes opened wide.
“You didn’t know him at all,” I prompted.
Catalina nodded. “I was terrified.”
“And still, you did it. You married him. Why?”
Her smile grew. “I was wrong to be terrified. Dario is a good man and a good husband.”
“Zhdan scares me.”
She inhaled. “This is probably the time to tell you that you have a visitor downstairs.”
Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped myself in the towel and looked at myself in the mirror. A visitor. Zhdan had said something about me kissing him.
Is he here?
“I’m obviously not up for visitors.” I looked around, noticing the window for the first time. The sun had set, leaving the sky dark. “What time is it?”
Catalina glanced at her watch. “It’s nearly nine.”
“I’ve been passed out since what…?”
“They brought you home after two.”
“Piero saved me again.”
“We’re very grateful you didn’t try to ditch him. His and Giovanni’s quick thinking got you out of the restaurant.”
“Did they carry me?”
“You walked.”
Catalina and I both turned toward the bathroom door, to see Camila.
“You walked,” she repeated, “but you were talking oddly. You were laughing and then crying.”
I exhaled. “I’m so sorry.”
Camila came into the bathroom and hugged me. “ Jasmine, I’m sorry. It was my idea to go out and to have margaritas.”
“If someone wanted to roofie Jasmine,” Catalina said, “they could have put it in her water. Although, neither of you are old enough to drink alcohol.”
Camila pressed her lips together and smiled.
“That bartender,” I said, “he did this to me?”
“Dante is getting video footage of the restaurant. The bartender has denied any involvement.”
After running a comb through my wet hair, I turned to Camila. “Who is my visitor?”
“She doesn’t know?” Camila asked. “I figured that’s why you showered.”
“I showered because I stank.” I scrunched my nose. “Did I vomit earlier?”
Camila nodded. “In the car.”
My shoulders drooped. “Oh, I need to tell Giovanni I’m sorry.”
“He said it was good that you were getting the drugs out of your system.” She waved her hand in front of her nose. “I don’t think I’ll be craving Mexican food for a while.”
“This is embarrassing.”
“No,” Catalina said, “you didn’t roofie yourself. You have no reason to be embarrassed. Now, I suggest getting dressed before going downstairs.”
My hands still trembled. “Can my visitor come up here?”
“Definitely not,” Catalina said. “Besides Contessa is champing at the bit to feed you.”
“Food? ”
“Something bland,” Camila said. “It’ll make you feel better, or at least that’s what Dante said. I’m not a real expert on these things.”
Catalina went toward the door. “I’ll go let Contessa and Dario know you’re on your way down.”
After I slipped on panties, leggings, my bra, and a long sweater, I went back to the bathroom. While I was securing my wet hair into a low ponytail, Camila leaned against the doorjamb.
“I really am sorry.”
I shrugged. “I don’t remember acting like a fool.”
“You weren’t a fool. You were talking about Rei. In the car you were asking Piero and Giovanni if they’d help you escape to California.”
I lifted my hands to my face. “Oh, I’m embarrassed.”
“Dante said that the drug lowers inhibitions, kind of like a truth serum.”
“Does that mean I wanted to escape Dario and go to California? Or was I just terrified of Zhdan?”
“I guess we’ll find out,” she said, “when we go downstairs.”
“Why?”
“Rei is your visitor.”
My eyes opened wide. “Oh shit. I can’t go downstairs like this.”
“He was waiting in the garage for you when you arrived covered in vomit. If that didn’t scare him away, the clean version won’t.”
I leaned against the vanity and sighed. “Rei saw me like that.”
She nodded. “He also heard when you told him you wanted him and to do whatever…” She furrowed her brow. “Let me remember. You wanted him to do whatever was in his text messages you never received.”
Wrapping my arms around my midsection, I winced. “I think I might be sick again.” My fingers felt cooler than a moment ago. “I can’t remember any of that. The last thing I remember Zhdan left, and you and I went back to our seats.”
“It wasn’t long after that when you started slurring your words. At first, I thought it was a second margarita.”
“Who else heard me in the garage?”
“Giovanni, Piero, me, oh…and Dario.”
My knees gave out as I slid to the floor. “I can’t leave this bedroom, ever.”
“You can. I don’t know what Rei said or did, but Dante said Dario is giving him another chance.”
“Really?” My eyes opened wide. “And he wants it after seeing me so…awful?”
“Let’s go downstairs and find out.”