Page 82 of Jackpot Joker

I pull her into me and kiss the top of her head. “No. I’m sorry, angioletta, but we haven’t been able to find Todd. We will, though. I promise we will.”

She pushes me away. “What do you mean? Todd was here.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “What do you mean Todd was here?”

“Dario, Todd was working with the Matarazzos. He was the one leaking the information about the warehouses so they could target them. Todd was the one who told Jim Jorgensen about the two of us and got me fired.”

I shake my head, not understanding. “Why would he do that? What was in it for him?”

“You cost me fifty thousand dollars, you fucking bitch!” a man cries out as he pushes through the doors of the mattress store. Todd waves a gun in his hands, aiming it at where Jasmine and I stand. “I should have taken you out the day you were hired.”

“Jasmine, get behind me,” I tell her, patting my body down for my gun, but realizing I left it inside.

A shot rings out, and I twist my body to protect the woman I love. A sharp pain stings the back of my neck, and I lose control of my legs, collapsing to the ground.

Jasmine cradles me to her as my body starts to go numb.

“Fuck!” I hear somewhere in the distance behind me, followed by another gunshot. Gio comes over and crouches beside me.

“You’re going to be okay, Dario,” he says, and my eyes slowly move over to him.

“Take care of her. She’s family,” I say, my words quieter than ever.

Gio nods, and I take a deep, shuddering breath.

“Dario, no,” Jasmine whispers, and my head moves slowly toward her as the most beautiful tears spill from her eyes. “Dario, you can’t close your eyes. Please don’t close your eyes.”

“You’re beautiful, angioletta. So perfect.”

“Promise me,” she cries. Promise me you’ll stay with me. That you’ll open your eyes and be okay. That we can go back to Angelo after this.”

With a weak hand, I reach up to cup her cheek. “It’s a date.”

“I love you, Dario,” she confesses, her tears splashing against my knuckles.

My lips tilt up at her words as my world turns black before I’m able to tell her I feel the same.

Chapter 41

Jasmine

Pure adrenaline courses through my legs, keeping me upright as Dario’s lifeless body is pushed through the doors of the emergency room.

“Single gunshot wound to the posterior neck. Entry wound only.” I take in their words and shudder as the image of Todd shooting Dario replays in my mind. Just like he always does, Dario protected me, and now it may cost him his life.

“Blood pressure is eighty-six over fifty,” a woman’s voice calls out. “Bleeding is controlled. Oxygen is dropping.”

The gurney is rolling down the hallway so quickly that I can’t keep up. I need to see him. I need to be with him the way he’s always been there for me. As I’m about to reach his side, a man in blue scrubs intercepts me.

“Ma’am, I need you to come with me to the waiting room.” His voice is gentle and kind, but my eyes glare at him for keeping me from the man I love.

“I’m with him. I need to be with him.”

He gives me a soft smile, and I want to slap it off his face. “I understand, but the best thing you can do for him right now is to allow the doctors to do their job. I know it’s difficult to leave him, but we will update you as soon as we can about his status.”

I look back to where they were rolling Dario and find he’s too far for me, then give the nurse a defeated nod.

He has to be okay.