Page 94 of Day Shift

“Huh, somehow you both are correct,” Lachlan shot out in surprise.

Nik let out a sarcastic laugh, wincing. “Oh, I didn’t know that my buddy, Colton Davidson, had already given it to you. I hired him a long time ago to work for my company, DarkMatter, and eventually we became partners. He’s the good guy to my bad guy. He focuses on security and client relations while I handle…other things.”

My heart raced as I listened. “Nik, what are you saying?”

He hesitated, catching his breath. “After I came back to the estate and found out that Ana had taken off, I tracked her phone and saw her last location was at the airport and assumed she was flying back to New York. I called Colton right away because I knew I’d need to get a team together to protect her. He runs everything for the security side of DarkMatter; I’ve been hands-off for several years. We’ve never needed to discuss details of the firm’s client needs here in the US. When I told him my sister was in trouble and Viktor had put a hit on three brothers with the last name of Thorin, Colton was stunned by the connection. And, coincidently, he had just gotten a panicked call from Atticus Thorin, telling him about Jane Doe’s true identity.”

Nik paused, grimacing as the car took a sharp turn. “Colton had already sent a security detail to Atticus’s house by the time I spoke with him. He had never talked to me about what happened back in December. Viktor, wanting to keep a lid on the losses he’d suffered, had only informed me of the basics and how it had impacted his operations. Since I’ve spent so much of my time in the UK and Kyiv these past couple of years, I haven’t kept up with Volkovi Notchi business. I’ve been trying to separate myself from it as much as possible. Russian mafia dealings have never been my thing. Colton hadn’t mentioned anything to me about what happened in Tacoma because he had no idea I was connected to the kidnapping nightmare Viktor unleashed on Samantha and Atticus. He’s always known I had underworld ties but didn’t know my real last name, much less that I was Viktor Volkov’s son. So, yeah, we had a lot to discuss.”

“What? I can’t believe this is all so connected!” I gasped.

Nik took a long, deep breath and then continued, “We’ve been working together for the last two days, trying to come up with a plan. As soon as Ana landed at JFK, I knew where she was because I had installed a tracer on her phone. By the time we got security on her, you and Braxton had already left for New York.” He turned to look at Conan, whose brows were pinched tight. “When Ana showed up at Club Xyst the morning after getting back to the city, we discovered Luca was closely watching her too. My guys spotted his thugs and another crew, which we assumed was from the Moretti organization, tailing her. We chose to lie low, and we’ve kept eyes on her ever since so we could figure out who all the players were.”

Conan growled, “Why the hell didn’t you communicate with us, Nik?”

“Because,” Nik said through gritted teeth, “as soon as you showed up at Club Xyst, everyone knew who you were. And since then, Luca’s been watching you—all of you. My guess is that Ana’s apartment is a hot mess of bugs and video surveillance. You guys didn’t even try to be discreet—busy enjoying yourselves with my sister. So get the fuck off my back.”

My breath caught. “What?! That’s so fucking wrong! You should have told me, Nik. I feel so degraded—dirty. That’s such an invasion of my privacy. How could you not tell me?”

Nik licked his lips, shaking his head. “Ana, it was the only way I could help you. With that many eyes on you, there was no way I could extract you. None of them suspected me of being involved with anything outside the Volkovi Notchi. To them, I’m just Viktor’s lackey, so they all assumed I was in town for the wedding. I thought it was best to just let things play out, to get them all in one place so my guys could take them out. The plan was for me to whisk you away immediately after the ceremony ended as you moved into the narthex. Then, as all the kingpins headed out, they’d be sitting ducks. There are only two ways out of that church—the front or the side entrance—and we had them both more than covered. I never imagined someone would take Frankie out in the most loaded room in the city.”

Conan’s eyes burned with anger. “I get it. You used Angel as bait, you goddamn motherfucker! If you weren’t already shot, I’d put a bullet in you.”

Nik groaned, pain etched in his face. “It’s not like I had much time to deal with what was going down—a three-family mafia war. Once Ana’s hot-headed self up and left Tacoma without giving it two thoughts or letting anyone know, it was too late. Damn, Ana, that’s twice now your impulsiveness has almost gotten you killed.”

Conan and Nik looked like they wanted to murder each other.

I threw up my hands. “All right, all right, I get it. Now’s not the time to bitch about things. People fucking died in that church, for Christ’s sake.”

At this point, I’d begun shaking from shock, anger, and guilt. This whole mess was my fault. “I didn’t want anyone to get killed. Poor Father Russo,” I said, my heart sinking.

Nik sighed. “Ana, I hate to tell you this, but I’m sure Frankie and the priest aren’t the only ones who lost their lives back there. Luca found out about my suspicions that Viktor wanted to take over all of New York, which escalated this mafia showdown.”

“Oh my God,” I whispered. “It was me. I’m the one who went to Luca. He’s always been good to me, and I wanted to warn him.”

Nik winced again. “Well, that explains why he and his men started taking so many defensive measures all over the city. I’m sure he’s been searching for Viktor and his goons, just like we have. Viktor’s been slippery. If we’d known where he was or what kind of men and guns he had in the city, we would’ve gotten you out before the wedding. But we needed access to him. I hated to use you as bait, but we had to get all the players into one room. Too many loose ends otherwise.”

“Fucking bait,” Conan snarled, jerking on the belt, causing Nik to yelp.

“Watch it, brother,” Braxton warned.

Nik’s face tightened. “The big question now is, what side is Luca on? He might take out Viktor and the Morettis who were involved in Frankie’s plans with Viktor, but who knows, with him married to Elena. I’ve never met the man, but I’ve studied him. He’s smart. He’ll do whatever’s best for the Genovese family.”

I stared at Nik, my mind a whirlpool of fear. “So, what now?”

Conan snatched Nik by his hair, yanking his head back. “I’ll tell you what’s now. You’re going to stay the fuck away from my girl.”

“No, no!” I cried. “You guys can’t hate each other. None of this is your fault. It’s mine! Nik’s right. I was an idiot flying off to Tacoma without a thought and then foolishly thinking Uncle Luca would help me… I was wrong. I was the one who stirred up the hornet’s nest.” My breaths started coming shallow and fast as my vision blurred. Conan saw my reaction, leaned back, and pulled me close with one arm.

My hands started to shake uncontrollably. Everything hit me at once—guilt, anger, and sadness all swirling together. The blame sat heavy on my shoulders, and I could hardly breathe. My chest tightened, and a panic attack hit me hard.

Conan’s face softened. “Hey, I’m sorry, my sweet Angel. Breathe, slow and steady, to the count of three. We’ll figure this out.” His voice was firm yet soothing as he pulled me against his chest. His touch was grounding, but my mind still raced, unable to process everything I’d just been through.

As Lachlan sped out of the city toward the safe house, the car grew silent. The tension in the SUV was thick, and my thoughts were a jumbled mess. The images of the blood, the screams, and the violence at the church replayed in my mind like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. Conan’s arms were the only thing keeping me tethered to reality. I clung to him, desperate for the small comfort amidst the madness.

Chapter forty-one

Angel sat in silence for the rest of the drive to the safe house. Her eyes were empty, and I feared she had gone into shock. The sight of her draped over the backseat, clutching Nik’s blood-covered hand, made my blood boil. I was furious at him for using her as bait, but I had to push that aside. I worried about what might happen once she snapped out of her numbness and realized the extent of the horror she’d just lived through. When the shock wore off, Angel would likely experience a torrent of emotions—fear, anger, confusion, and who knew what else. I worried she might freak out and struggle with flashbacks, leaving her grappling with the terror long after all this had passed. So as much as I wanted to confront Nik, right now, I needed to focus on her.

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