Page 110 of In the Dark

Jasmina

HE BOUGHT MY FAMILY dinner at a beautiful restaurant that he had closed down, and while my cousins went out on the roof to take selfies, I talked with Monte and Perla all about the trafficking, the woman I met, and the goal to help.

At one point, Monte took my hand and kissed it while Perla cried. We were broken from what other family members had done, but we were trying to make it right.

And Callahan swore to them, and to me, he would continue to help in all the ways he could.

Monte, Callahan, and I discussed the Fuerte Firearms business too, like we would be allies, like we had the same goals, like the Ruizes and Knights could unite.

I went to bed happy, Romeo curled up at our feet in the penthouse I thought I’d never see again.

And when we flew home the next day, I wondered if Callahan and I could live like this.

Maybe we could survive. Maybe two years would be just the beginning.

But only if we were honest with one another, and how could we be honest when our relationship was based on a contract about business and money? About a trust that couldn’t exist? I know it didn’t.

But then again, that little SD card was still stashed in the lining of my suitcase, and a lullaby was still being sung on and off in my head.

Callahan had done enough for me to trust him, but I didn’t even trust my own family right now with the information.

I turned to him as our car was pulling up to the estate and considered what I could say, but then I saw that there were more men outside. “Who are they?”

“Just security, Jas,” he said as if I should be fine with it.

I didn’t ask anything else until I saw more men outside my room. Callahan set the cat carrier down on the bed and unzipped it. I glared at Romeo waltzing out of there to go purr around his leg.

Callahan, the man who was supposed to hate my cat with a passion, pulled a few small treats from his pocket.

“What are those?” I practically screeched.

“A palate cleanser for our cat here. He’s sick of his food. He told me.”

My cat was losing the plot as he took a brown pebble from Callahan’s hand, then meowed for another.

Okay, maybe I was losing the plot too, because I almost melted at the sight and started to wonder if Callahan wouldn’t just dote on a pet, but also dote on a child?

My ovaries were going on lockdown. I blinked quickly and took a step back, trying to focus on anything else. I pointed to the doorway. “Why are there more men in your driveway this morning, and more outside my doorway?”

“Extra precautions?” He set down his work bag on the couch so he could rifle through it.

“You know I don’t like men standing outside my door and milling around the house I live in.”

He stopped looking through his work bag and met my gaze. “Why not?”

“Because I can take care of myself.” I moved the huge ring on my finger. God, it was heavy. Carats upon carats too heavy, but I wouldn’t complain. That ring could hold the family over for years if this didn’t all work out.

He waited a beat and then said slowly, “They’re trained in combat.”

I lifted my chin, sitting there in the bed, and cracked my neck. “So am I.”

He looked toward the ceiling and grumbled a swear like he knew I wanted to fight. I couldn’t deny it. I did. “Viper, it’s safety. They’re the best in the w—”

“I could beat any one of them in hand-to-hand combat, a knife fight, or at target practice,” I cut him off. “You expect me to just trust them? You didn’t even ask me if I wanted them here. You just took it upon yourself to make the—”

“You trust me?” he asked, his eyes searching mine.

I licked my lips to stop myself from immediately telling him yes. The time in New York had been perfect, but when my aunt hugged me goodbye, she reminded me, “Keep your wits about you, mija. A charming man can be a deadly one.”