Page 79 of Night Shift

He shrugged. “Gotta make sure you start the day right, even if it is two in the afternoon.”

“Atticus, this is…wow.” I crossed the distance and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him in for a big, grateful kiss. “Thank you.”

He grinned, clearly charmed by my enthusiasm.

“Oh, and thank you for the outfit,” I said, spinning around. “It’s perfect. You didn’t need to do this.”

He chuckled, giving me a playful once-over. “I got it for you yesterday while I was out. I knew it would make your ass look fantastic.” Playfully, he smacked my backside.

“Hey!” I laughed, swatting his hand away but secretly loving the compliment. “You’re terrible.” My lips twisted into a teasing frown, but I wasn’t able to hide my delight.

We sat down to eat. The food tasted even more delicious than it smelled. Between mouthfuls, we chatted casually, but I could tell there was something on Atticus’s mind.

When we had both finished, he grew serious. I could tell by the deep furrow between his brows that he was concerned about something. We were about to tread into deeper waters. I braced myself.

“So, while you were busy throwing a rave in my house,” he began, raising a brow and shooting me a you know exactly what you did look, “I was actually out trying to help you.” Guilt pinched at me, but before I could let it get to me, he waved it off with a chuckle, moving on to the meat of the conversation.

“I met with an old college buddy of mine, Colton Davidson, who lives up in Laurelhurst. He’s a big deal in the private investigator world and owns a security firm. Colton agreed with me that it must be the Russian mafia who’s after you. They’re the only organized crime in this area who’d think they could kidnap a nurse right out front of a hospital. He thinks they’re a serious threat to you. Honestly, he was surprised you survived the kidnapping attempt and believes the attack on your apartment was a message.”

“A message? Why?”

“The Russian mafia doesn’t fuck around.” Atticus’s face tightened with worry as he drew his thumb across his lower lip. “He thinks your dad is the reason they’re after you because of his connections to drug trafficking, which was my first thought too.”

“My dad? But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would they come after me for something he did?”

For a minute, he seemed lost in thought, then said, “Most likely to force Mac to bend to their will or to settle a score. Who knows, but I saw the desperation for money in your dad’s eyes when he confronted you outside your apartment. Colton’s pretty sure that now that they’ve made a move and tipped off the cops, they’ll try to take you out…and maybe even go after anyone close to you too.”

My hand flew to my mouth as I gasped. It was one thing to be some bad guy’s target, but it was a wholly different one for Atticus and my friends to be put in the crosshairs of mafia thugs.

“Hey,” he said, reaching across the table and taking my hands in his, “I swear on my life, I will protect you.”

The reality of how serious and dangerous my situation was hit me full force, and tears blurred my vision. “So what do I do? I just…I can’t go back to my normal life, but I can’t stay here knowing I’m putting you in danger too.”

“You’re not going anywhere. Not until we figure out how to get them off your back. You still have a week before the hospital expects you back, so you’re going to sit tight right here. If Mac owes them money, then I might be able to negotiate a deal. At the end of the day, I don’t think they want to draw that kind of attention to themselves.”

“But Atticus, you know I don’t have any money, and there’s no way I’m letting you waste your money on something like this.”

“Samantha, trust me, I can handle this.”

“You know I don’t trust anyone!” I shouted, even though it was a lie. I’d already given him not only my trust but also my heart. But under the circumstances, it was better for him to not know that. It would be better for him to not have anything to do with me at all. This thing with my father reminded me that I had too much baggage.

He squeezed my hands, his gaze unwavering. “There’s one more thing I need to tell you. To put your mind a little more at ease, I had a crew clean up your apartment. It’s back to how it was when you moved in. I also had a conversation with the leasing manager and pointed out several violations with the building, and he was more than happy to let you out of your lease. Don’t be mad, Sammich, but you know you can’t go back there. I want you to stay with me until we can sort all of this out. I can help keep you safe, and you know that.”

I blinked, trying to process everything. “What about all my stuff?”

“Anything salvageable will be here tonight or be put in storage. You haven’t lost everything.”

I was overwhelmed by the great lengths he was going to in order to protect me. My life had become such a mess in such a short time. It made my head spin.

“How can I ever thank you?” My hands began to tremble, and he pulled one to his mouth, placing a soft kiss on my knuckles. “I’ll never be able to repay you. This isn’t fair to you. Maybe I should leave and go somewhere far away.”

I was spiraling, and if I didn’t pull myself together, a full-blown panic attack would ensue.

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m doing this because I care about you. We’re in this together, okay?”

“God, my life’s gone completely off the rails,” I muttered.

My breathing hitched, and I couldn’t stop shaking. The information overload and the reality of my situation hit me like a truck. Mafia? My dad? It was too much to process. Atticus, noticing my distress, stood up, pulling me into a hug.

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