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“You!” Santino surges forward a step, but the raised guns keep him at bay. Then he turns to me and I see the hope in his eyes, the desire to use me in some way to protect himself, but the two Yakuza guards remain next to me like silent statues.

He has nothing.

This is also something I don’t deserve to see, but witnessing the panic growing in his eyes and the uncertain steps he takes back and forth is better than any painkiller.

“How?” Santino demands. “How the fuck has this happened? Years of loyalty down the drain for some bitch?”

Jasmine laughs sweetly. “You can’t blame them. I saw an issue in Yakuza leadership, so I had it taken care of.”

“You didn’t have the might to take them down all these years, why now?”

“I had some help. See, someone once taught me that an unexpected alliance can be the best way to change things. So I reached out to someone and they offered me their help. And this lovely new Chairman has been more than amicable to my requests because unlikeyou, Santino, I plan to work with them. A partnership of sorts. Alien to you, I’m sure.”

“I’m going to kill you, you fucking bitch! I’m going to?—”

Santino’s words fade suddenly as my world becomes blanketed in cotton. Every sound becomes muffled and seems far away, with the only clear spot being Jasmine. But focusing on her beautiful face rapidly becomes difficult and with each sluggish blink, her edges soften until she’s nothing but a colorful haze.

But that’s okay.

I got to see her one last time.

My body throbs like a bruise for the last time and I close my eyes. As much as I ache to stay here even just to hear how much Jasmine hates me, keeping myself awake is becoming the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.

My head sags and darkness creeps up like an old friend.

Suddenly, warm, gentle hands cup my cheeks and my instinct to flinch away is met by a soothing sound in front of me. I wrestle with myself, forcing my eyes open and finding Jasmine’s gorgeous eyes floating in front of me like two stars.

“Hey,” she says, her words reaching me even as her lips move in slow motion. “You’re not getting away that easily.”

I try not to blink. My eyelids are so heavy, I know they won’t open again if I let them close. “How…how do you not hate me…?”

“Consider this payback for saving me,” she says, sounding even further away. “Now we’re even.”

My eyes close as darkness wraps me in its warm embrace, and the last sensation I register is the soft press of Jasmine’s lips against mine.

“Am I dead?”

“Not yet.” Jasmine’s voice trickles through the darkness. “But I can arrange it if you want me to.”

Huffing out a laugh, the pain across my ribs immediately drags me to complete consciousness. I open my eyes, and Jasmine is perched on the end of my hospital bed with a book dangling from one of her hands. Beside me, several machines beep in rhythm with my heart and betray the lurch when I look at Jasmine. Warm light trickles in from slatted blinds giving Jasmine’s hair an almost honey-gold look, and the way her eyes catch the light convinces me I am dead.

“I think I’m dead.”

“No,” Jasmine says, her red lips stretching in a small, fond smile. “You’re just on a shit load of painkillers.”

“Good ones?”

“The best.”

“Why…” The words catch in my throat and a cough rises, taking all my energy in seconds.

Jasmine moves quickly. She sets her book down, slides from the bed, and is by my head in seconds with a cup of water and a small straw in her hand.

“Here,” she coaxes gently. “Drink.”

As much as I want to joke about it being poisoned, my throat is so dry it’s making my eyes water, so I accept the straw and suck down several glorious mouthfuls of cool water. I’d drain the cup, but Jasmine guides it away from me before I can.

“Doctor said you can’t have too much too soon,” she says. “Sorry.”