Page 43 of Jackpot Joker

Leaning in, I brush back one of the blonde strands that’s fallen forward on her face. “I see you, mio toro. And one day I hope you see me, too.”

I’m not certain she’s conscious of the movement, but her body leans into mine. With the hair pushed back, I can trail my finger over the soft skin of her face, then, gripping her chin, I pull her closer so my lips can brush against hers.

For a moment, my bull is transformed into an angel. The softness of her lips must be what heaven feels like. The taste of her is all-consuming, and I’m desperate for more, but much too soon, Jasmine’s body tenses and she pushes away from me.

“We can’t do this.”

I shrug. “You’re right. Not now. I have to meet my brothers.”

She huffs and stands from the couch, turning to look down at me. “Not ever. I’ve told you, Dario. I am your attorney. So long as you remain my client, there will never be an us.”

It takes her no time to cross the room and pull open the door. “I think it’s time you leave.”

There is not a bone in my body that wants to leave this horrible couch, but I won’t go against her wishes. I do as she asks, contemplating her words and how I can fix the pesky problem of being her client.

If Inferno is hell, then Luca’s Doom Room is Satan’s lair. I glance around his torture chamber, taking in the space he uses to maim, kill, and dispose of the vermin who cross my family.

A metal slab is on one side of the room with a rolling tray filled with medical supplies, all set up like a surgery center. There’s even a plastic, pink barf bowl somewhere nearby. Ask me how I know.

On the other side is a large wooden shelf holding coils of rope, zip ties, duct tape, and various boxes with gadgets and who knows what else inside. The bottom shelf is lined with perfectly folded towels and tarps. Luca may be a monster, but he isn’t messy.

Sitting in the center is a wooden chair with a large metal drain underneath. And in that chair is my favorite cowboy. Tied up in rope.

“Howdy, Ben.” My greeting from behind him pulls out a whimper I’m pretty sure means he’s about to piss himself. I walk around and pout a little at the lack of moisture on his jeans. We’ll have to fix that.

His eyes dart back and forth between me and Luca. “Are you going to kill me?”

“I’m going to talk to you,” I smile with my signature charm. “Did you have fun in my club last night?”

Ben’s eyes become saucers. “Was that your girl? I had no idea. She had on a gold band and everything.”

“Tell me what happened when you went back to the Ranch Room.”

He begins to tremble, pulling at the rope binding his wrists. “Nothing happened. I swear. That fucking cow got spooked when she saw my rope. She punched me and ran…” He shuts up when my fist connects with his jaw. Tears begin to stream down his face as I tug his head back and curl my fingers around his throat.

“You don’t fucking call my beautiful woman names. In fact, you don’t speak about her at all. Don’t even think about her.”

His pupils are vast pools of darkness, and I strengthen my grip on him, but then my phone rings. I release my grasp on him to dig it out of my pocket, and the man begins to sob loudly. When I go to answer the call, Luca moves quickly and shoves a bandanna into the jackass’s mouth before keeping it there with a strip of thick, silver tape.

“Thanks.”

“Amateur,” Luca mutters before stomping back over to his corner.

“Hey, Jim. Thanks for calling me back.”

“Mr. Caruso, I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long. You said you had an urgent matter you wanted to discuss?”

I nod, then realize he can’t see me through the phone. “Yes. I was wondering if there was any way possible we could remove Miss Baker from my counsel?”

“Consider it done. Is there a problem we need to address with her?”

“Nope. Thanks for calling.”

I hang up the phone before he can say another word. Now that I’ve taken care of things with Jasmine, it’s time to make the man who hurt her suffer.

Chapter 22

Jasmine