Page 46 of Jackpot Joker

“Jorgensen told me about your phone call right before he asked if I thought we should keep her on. Of course, I said no. Her work is mediocre at best, and we all know the reason you kept her around. The bitch had no business being here. Though…” He sighs. “I am going to miss those tits.”

He laughs, but it quickly turns into a gasp as my hand wraps around his throat. “You don’t fucking talk about her or her tits; do you understand me?”

The man whose name escapes me gasps under my grip, and I’m not sure if it’s him I should kill or Jim Jorgensen himself. I drop the piece of shit I’m holding down to the ground, stepping over his lumpy-ass body and heading in the direction of the man who fired the woman I want.

The display on my dashboard lights up as I speed through the city. I groan seeing Gio’s name, not wanting to speak to him right now. There’s only one person I care to communicate with, and I’m terrified I’ve ruined any chance I have of making that happen.

“What do you want?” I ask, finally growing tired of the incessant ringing.

“Jim Jorgensen was found dead in his office.”

I smile. “What a shame.”

“The call I got said he was strangled. You know anything about that?”

I shake my head and remember he can’t see me. “Sure don’t.”

Gio sighs. “Does this have something to do with the attorney?” I remain silent, and Gio sighs again. “I hope she’s worth it.”

I click the phone icon to hang up on my brother. Jasmine’s worth it. She’s worth everything. I only hope she thinks I am, too.

My heart is pounding at the same volume as my fist against the door. “Jasmine, please. Open the door.”

There’s no answer, but I know she’s home. Her very annoyed neighbor came out to ask me what was going on after the first fifty times I shouted her name and confirmed he had heard her slam the door closed almost an hour ago.

“Jasmine, if you don’t answer the door, I’ll break it down.” I wouldn’t actually break it down. That takes a lot of force, and I’d rather keep my shoulder in place and bruises away from my flawless skin. I would, however, break in.

Fortunately, I don’t have to rely on espionage, as the door cracks open wide enough to be stopped by a sliding chain lock. “Go away, Dario.”

I can only see a sliver of her face, but it’s enough to feel like a punch in the chest. Her long, blonde waves are pulled up into a mess of a ponytail on top of her head. There’s not a stitch of makeup on her face. But what bothers me the most is that her hazel eyes lack their usual brilliance. Instead, she looks sad. Empty.

“Please let me in.”

“Why? So you can help me lose my home next?” Her voice is as bitter as her favorite beverage, and I can’t say that I blame her.

I rest my head against the front of the door and look at the floor as I beg for entrance one last time. “Please let me come in and explain.”

A second passes. Then two. And then the door shuts.

I take a deep breath, not entirely sure how to break in. That isn’t exactly my area of expertise, but I’m sure either of my brothers could provide the knowledge. Though that would mean just another thing on top of what I did.

Gio’s gonna be fucking pissed.

My head pops up as the door clicks open, and I see my fierce bull standing there with no fight left in her. “Jasmine, you look…”

She snorts, cutting off my sentence. “Horrible? Defeated? Unemployed?”

I was going to say gorgeous, but I have a feeling she doesn’t want to hear that from me right now. In fact, I’m fairly certain she doesn’t want to hear anything from me right now. I’m honestly surprised she opened the door, regardless of my persistence.

She has on a pair of flared black pants in some stretchy material that does wonders for her ass, which I can’t help but stare at as she turns away from me and walks toward the couch. A cropped sweatshirt reveals a small sliver of skin over her soft stomach, and I have to bite my lip to keep drool from leaking out of my mouth. I’m not sure why I find this attire as sexy as the fuck-ready dress and heels she had on at Inferno, but I’m not questioning it.

When she plops down on the floral monstrosity, she motions for me to join her. “You may speak. But the second you piss me off, you’re out the door. Do you understand?”

I nod at her authoritative tone and do as she says, taking a seat close enough to her I can inhale her sweet vanilla scent, but far enough that I’m not touching her without her consent.

“I want to start with it was never my intention to have you fired from the firm.”

She crosses her arms, causing her shirt to ride further up, and I have to lick my lips to keep from letting the moan escape that built up in my chest. “I will admit that I asked Jorgensen to remove you from my counsel.”