Page 63 of Day Shift

Samantha flinched, tapping her fingers nervously on the keyboard. She sighed, steeling herself to come up with the right words. “Angel…wrote about how much she hates the mafia life. She didn’t even know about my kidnapping until we told her about it. It seems she’s been kept in the dark about most of the Volkovi Notchi’s activities. Evidently, she’s just a pawn in Viktor’s plan to ally with the American mob in New York. She sounded scared and warned us not to come after her because these mafia families would kill us. They’re wealthy and extremely dangerous.”

“Kept in the dark, huh?” I asked myself more than Sam, struggling to reconcile the woman I knew with the underworld princess Angel apparently was.

Samantha nodded solemnly. “She apologized over and over. She said if she’d had any idea who she was, she never would have let you get close to her or stayed at our house.”

My gut twisted at the thought of Angel apologizing for something she had no control over.

Atticus spoke for the first time since I’d entered the kitchen. “She’s been under the control of her aunt since she was a little girl and raised to be a perfect little American mafia wife—seen but not heard.”

I jumped up and paced the kitchen, anger boiling in my chest. My fists clenched in front of me as I pictured Angel trapped in that life. “This is fucking insane. Angel—Anastasia—whatever the hell name we’re calling her, she’s so deep in this mafia shit that she can’t escape their grip.”

Samantha held up a hand. “There’s more. She’s been forced into an arranged marriage with a man she despises. And according to her, the only way out of a mafia marriage contract is death. She’s in real danger, and she says that we are too—Viktor has ordered a hit on all of us.”

The words hung heavy in the air. Death. It wasn’t an option. Not for her—not for us. “Like hell she’ll marry some mafia thug,” I snapped, slamming my hand down again, making the cups in the sink rattle. “I’ll go get her myself and bring her back here if I have to. She can’t go back to her old life. Those assholes better understand that I’m not easily intimidated.”

Samantha’s eyes filled with worry. “Conan, you can’t just rush in there.”

“You just watch me!” I shouted.

“Goddamn it, Conan!” Atticus yelled. “Calm the fuck down. We need to think this through. We can’t just storm in after a bunch of mafiosi. It’s not just about rescuing her. We have to protect her and potentially fight off two powerful mafia families. I just don’t know…” He joined me in pacing around the kitchen, wrapping his hand around the back of his neck and shaking his head in frustration.

“Calm down? How the fuck am I supposed to calm down? They’re treating her like property. Arranged marriages are just human trafficking and rape with a different name. I can’t let her suffer that kind of fate. No one—not her goddamn father nor any mafia thug—will force her into something she doesn’t want. I’m going to get her and bring her back here.”

By this point, I was shaking with rage, and I balled up a dish towel in my fist in an effort to contain my anger before I did some actual damage. It was difficult to fathom that Angel had such a deep, dark past.

Atticus grabbed my arm, his grip firm. “Conan, think about this. We need to be smart. We can’t lose you too.”

Samantha’s breathing quickened, her face going pale. “You can’t put yourself in that kind of danger and get yourself killed.”

“If I don’t go after her, who will?!” I yelled. “She’s my girl to protect. I’ll go to New York and bring her back while you guys stay here and figure out how to protect us all from Viktor.”

Atticus whirled around and walked around the island toward the living room. He whipped out his phone to make a call. “Colton, we need protection. Viktor Volkov has put a hit on us. Yeah, the Russian mafia. Get your best team over here. Viktor’s back—”

As I listened, I continued pacing.

Samantha joined me in pacing the kitchen. None of us could sit still. “Conan, she was very specific in her email. Don’t try to play the hero and do something stupid. She was born into that world and doesn’t want anyone else dragged into it. She’s doing everything she can to protect us.”

She was right of course, but every fiber of my being screamed to go to Angel. To protect her. “Then we make a plan. Fast,” I said. “She’s not facing this alone, not while I breathe. Not a chance.”

Atticus’s phone conversation continued, his tone clipped. “Yes, now. We need eyes on us twenty-four seven.”

Bulldozing around the kitchen, I fumed, losing my shit. “We have to do something now. We can’t just let Viktor feed her to the wolves! A sacrificial lamb!” I shouted.

Atticus wrapped up his call and joined us in the kitchen. “Colton’s on it. We’ll have a security detail here within the hour.”

I pulled out my phone, desperately searching for flights. “Dammit! All the flights to New York have already left for the day. I’ll have to wait until morning.”

Samantha placed a hand on my arm. “Conan, Angel warned us. We need to stay safe and plan our next move carefully. Rushing in won’t help her or us.”

Her words hit hard, but my anger and my worry for Angel were overwhelming. “We can’t just sit here and do nothing!”

I stormed around the kitchen like a raging bull, swinging my arm and knocking a glass off the counter. It shattered, pieces scattering across the floor.

Samantha clutched her chest. “Conan, stop. Don’t be so reckless.”

“Dammit, Sam. I have to do this. She’s more than just some girl. Since the day she came into the ED, I knew she was mine. I can’t breathe without her. She’s my destiny. I’ll move heaven and earth to protect her.”

Everyone was shouting, voices overlapping in a chaotic mess. Samantha’s breathing grew rapid, her face flushing as she gripped the edge of the counter. Atticus noticed, and his expression darkened.

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