Jason was the undercover name Bui had given himself for our lessons. He loved trying on different accents and pretending to be from other places when assigned to one of my beginner classes. Later on, I’d remember all those endearing qualities and cry.
But now he was all business as he informed me, “Family emergency.”
I glanced at all my shocked students, people I’d have to refund, and asked, “Is that—”
“Yeah, he said to tell you it’s an order.”
Ugh!
Many apologies and promises to reschedule later, we arrived at the penthouse.
To my shock, all of the guys were here. Not just Chen and the Hawaii STs, but a few of the recruits from K Diamond’s crew, now wearing lightweight suits with their flip flops instead of shorts and tees.
They all stood around, talking in rapid Cantonese, with Han in the middle looking like a Fae king.
I didn’t know what was going on, but a weird urge tugged at my stomach—one that made me want to go to him and stand by his side as several of K Diamond’s former men took turns answering his clipped questions.
His queen.
Somewhere along the way, the impulse to act like his queen had taken root….even though I’d be leaving him before the end of the year.
I decided not to focus on that and watched them closely to see if I could figure out what was going on despite them talking in Cantonese. Whatever it was had them really upset. They were all stony-faced, even K Diamond’s old crew, who Han had complained on several occasions liked to joke around too much.
And after Han bit out an order that sent everyone but Bui toward the door, they all filed right past me. Even Chen didn’t throw me a shaka, and he’d been willing to talk to me about his Christmas plans to propose to Dexter while the Lacerdas groaned in the background a few weeks ago.
Bui also got sent packing with a clipped, “Wait for further orders outside the door” from Han.
“What’s going on?” I asked Han as soon as Bui departed too.
The Fae King regarded me with a grave look that made me feel like I hadn’t gotten my first impression of him wrong at all. “Yaron has betrayed us….”
HAN
Jasmine’s mouth dropped open as Han told her the whole terrible story about what had happened to Dawn just a few days before Christmas and how Yaron was in league with K Diamond now.
But she snapped it closed when he concluded with, “So you will stay here under guard until further notice. That’s an order.”
She took this latest decree about as well as Han expected she would.
“What? Are you kidding me?” she immediately exploded.
“Yes, I am very serious,” he gritted out. “You are my wife. I will protect you.”
“I’m your wife for like two more seconds,” she retorted. “And the holiday season is prime surfing lesson time with all the tourists. I’ve got so many classes booked, and canceling them all will tank my rating on the review sites.”
Han tightened his jaw. “I will pay you double for any classes missed.”
“I don’t want your help!” she yelled at him. “How many times do I have to tell you that? I’m so close to paying you back by myself by New Year, and now you pull this bullshit?”
“It is not—”
“Yeah, right, like I’m going to believe this sudden lockdown doesn’t have anything to do with you wanting to boss me around past New Year’s?”
“They stole Victor’s wife!” Han roared, all of his frustration and worry exploding out of him. “They stole her right from under his nose! And you expect me to take the same risk with you?”
“I’m not your wife, dude. I’m your possession,” she yelled back at him. “And yes, I expect to at least have the chance to earn the right to be my own woman again. If you don’t let me work—”
She broke off and shook her head, tears filling up her eyes. “Who am I kidding? You’re not going to listen to me. You never do.”
Then, as if realizing that Han was a predator who wouldn’t change, Jasmine the doe rushed away. To her room, not his, slamming the door behind her.
It was just a slammed door. The natural response of the petulant child she became whenever Han did things for her own good.
Still, Han flinched. Three months of silence. Three weeks of bliss. But now they were right back where this marriage started.
It doesn’t matter. He thought of how destroyed Victor had looked when Han had reported back that they couldn’t find Yaron, who had helped orchestrate the kidnapping of his wife.
His brother’s face had collapsed as the realization had dawned. His worst nightmare had come true. His enemy had captured his pregnant wife, just as Han’s father had once captured Victor’s pregnant mother.
So it didn’t matter if Jasmine went another three months without talking to him. She could refuse to utter a word to him until next August as long as it kept her safe.
