Chapter One
Blood pools around me. My legs, arms, and hands are covered in it. The metallic scent fills the air.What have I done?
My heart hammers against my chest as I reach out and search for a pulse. It’s useless. There wasn’t one the last three times I’ve checked. There’s not going to be one now.
I didn’t mean to do this. I just reacted. I wanted him to stop. My hands shake as I stare down at them, my boyfriend’s blood darkening my nails.
Think, Jazzy, think!
Crawling around the kitchen, I find my phone. It landed on the tiles by the stove when Freddie knocked it out of my grip.
The phone slips again, his blood now covering the screen. I grab it and flip it over, scrubbing my palms down my jeans in an attempt to clean them. I repeat the process with my phone.
I open my contacts, my finger hovering over my dad’s name. I know without a doubt Icancall him. He’d be here and he’d clean up this mess for me. But I can’t tell him what I’ve done. I don’t want him to look at me like I’m a… killer.
Fuck! I didn’t mean to kill him.
My gaze darts back to the lifeless body on the floor only a few feet away from me.And I scroll through my contacts until I get to the name of the one person I know will come and help me—and keep it between us.The phone rings three times before he answers.
“Princesa, how are you?” My uncle’s voice is comforting. He’s always had this effect on me. Ever since I was six, and he calmed me down after one of my nightmares.
“Tío E… I… I did something bad,” I say, unable to explain further.
“Jazzy, where are you?” my uncle asks.
“In my apartment. I didn’t mean to do it, Tío E. I just wanted him to stop,” I try to explain.
“What did you do, princesa? Are you alone?”
“Yes, I’m alone. I… I killed him.” I look to Freddie. I’m assuming a dead body doesn’t count as company. My voice isquiet. “I didn’t mean to. There’s blood everywhere. I didn’t mean to. I just wanted him to stop.”
“Did you call your father?”
“No, please, Tío E, you can’t tell him. Please! I don’t want him to know.”
“I’m getting on the jet now. I’ll be there in a few hours. But, Jasmine, do not answer your door for anyone.”
“Okay.”
“I want you to go and shower, Jazzy. Put the clothes you’re wearing into a trash bag. And wait for me to get there. Don’t call anyone else,” he says.
“Okay.” I nod even though my uncle can’t see me. The call cuts out, and I’m left sitting in the silence with Freddie’s body.
Go and shower.I can do that.
I push myself up from the floor and stand on shaky legs. Walking the long way around the kitchen island so I don’t have to step over Freddie, I then head into the bathroom, where I strip out of my clothes. I avoid looking in the mirror.
I never wanted to become this person. A killer. My parents did everything they could to shield me from the realities of the lives they lead. Not an easy feat when your father is one of the Vegas underworld bosses and your stepmother is a mafia princess. Antonia’s father was a Don before he tried to kill both her and my dad. I never met the man, not that I would have wanted to.
Adjusting the water until it’s as hot as it will go, I step under the spray and watch as it turns red around my feet. I sit down and lean my back against the wall. Closing my eyes, only to have a replay of the past thirty minutes show up. I feel the first tear fall. Then another. And before I know it, I’m sobbing in the shower stall.
The door to my apartment opens four hours later. I look up and see my uncle walk in with my cousin, his son, Elias. My eyes widen. I thought he was coming alone.
“Jazzy, it’s okay.” Tío E approaches me. I don’t stand. I stay curled up on the sofa.
I can see Freddie’s head from here. His face is turned away, but there is blood all around him. Tío E kneels in front of me. He cups my jaw and turns my head from side to side. His eyes turn darker than I’ve ever seen them.
“It’s going to be okay,” he tells me. His jaw is clenched tight.