Page 68 of Day Shift

Lucian stepped closer, raking a hand through his hair, and said softly, “Ana, I had no idea.”

They all stared at me in shock.

“I did everything I could to keep the club a secret from my family and friends,” I said apologetically, glancing down at my hands. “It was the one thing in my life that I’d achieved on my own, something that meant everything to me. Here, for the first time, I could be strong and independent. If I hadn’t met you guys, I would have jumped off a building long ago.”

Lucian released a sigh and relaxed his shoulders, coming to stand in front of me. He now wore a look of protective concern on his face. “I’m sorry, Ana. If I’d known, I would’ve never even considered a physical relationship with you. I never would have put you in that sort of danger.”

“Oh, God, Lucian, don’t say that.” I hopped off the stool. “Without you, I would have never known how amazing sex could be. I just wanted a taste of normalcy before being stuck with someone I’d probably hate for the rest of my life. There was no pressure to find the perfect guy or have a perfect relationship. You made it fun and easy. Our open arrangement kept things simple for us and everyone here. Right, guys?” I asked, glancing at the others.

They all grinned and nodded.

Resting my palms on Lucian’s chest, I implored him to understand. “Please don’t regret being that person for me. Your friendship means everything.” I turned to the guys. “You all mean the world to me.”

“Don’t you worry, hun; we’ve got your back,” Lachlan said. “You’ll always be like a sister to us—well, except for Lucian, and that’s between the two of you.” He chuckled.

I smiled. “You guys need to understand, everything about the club’s operation is the same as it’s always been. No one in my family knows I’m a part owner except Uncle Luca.” I took a deep breath, twisting my fingers around a strand of my hair. “He was the first person I went to see. I just got home late last night. Actually,” I paused, shifting my weight from one foot to the other, “I met with him just before coming here to get answers about some information my brother told me about…our family.”

I glanced around the room, making eye contact with each of them. “But I made a point of asking him about the club, and he assured me the rest of the family still didn’t know about it. I don’t know how he found out about it a couple of years ago, but he promised to never tell Elena or anyone else. I don’t think he would ever do that. He’s always respected me and seems supportive of my ownership. He’s even helped us by keeping the police off our backs.”

I turned to Lucian, my expression softening. “But Lucian, I can’t explain why he came down here and let one of his thugs beat you up.” I reached out, placing a hand on his arm. “I’m really sorry he did that to you. Please believe me.”

The tension in the room eased as Lucian enveloped me in a big hug. When he released me, he gripped my face in his hands and kissed me hard. For a moment, I melted into the kiss, but then thoughts of Conan surfaced, and I realized this was nothing compared to what I felt with him.

A loud smack on the far end of the bartop rattled the glasses, making me jump.

Gabriel shouted, “Who the fuck are you? We’re not open!”

I turned to find the source of what had rattled the bar, and my heart skipped a beat. There was Conan, coming in hot, his long strides eating up the distance between us. His intense gaze was locked on me. I pulled away from Lucian, wiping my mouth and flushing with embarrassment. Conan’s unexpected arrival would have thrown me off balance as it was, but the radical change in his appearance truly stunned me. His gorgeous long hair, which he had often worn in a ponytail or bun, was now buzzed off, making him appear even more menacing than he had before.

“Conan? What are you doing here?” I stammered. For the life of me, I couldn’t pull my attention away from him. Between the fire in his eyes and his fierce appearance, he had my insides smoldering. “And what happened to your hair? You look…different. Intimidating. Don’t get me wrong—I love it—but why the drastic change?”

He stepped closer, his eyes never leaving mine. “It’s not good to have long hair when you’re preparing for battle, so I shaved it off. Don’t you think for a minute that I will not protect you from Viktor. You’re my girl, and I’ll be more than happy to cut Viktor’s tongue off and shove it down his throat.”

His ferocious words took my breath away. “You came all the way here to fight for me?”

“No, I came here to die for you.”

His declaration stunned me.

“How…how did you find me?” I asked, bridging the distance between us and reaching out for his arms. But he stepped back, his face hardening.

“Since the fucking mafia attacked Sam, Atticus has implemented extremely high security measures, including tracking all electronic devices. We followed your laptop as soon as we got off our flight from Tacoma.” My mouth dropped as my breath hitched. I hadn’t ever seen this aggressive side of Conan, and I was taken aback. “So, Angel, care to tell me who your little friend is?” he asked, jutting his thumb toward Lucian.

Lucian, never one to back down, shoved Conan. “None of your fucking business, mate.”

The tension exploded.

Conan and Lucian started throwing punches, and Julian shouted, “Where the fuck is Slade? How did this asshole get in?”

Throwing myself between them, I tried to break them apart. “Stop it, both of you!” But in the chaos, I was knocked into the side of the bar. My arm hit a couple of bottles, sending them crashing to the ground. Between the high heels and the slick, whiskey-covered floor, I slipped and fell onto my hands and knees, a piece of glass slicing into my palm. Blood surged out and ran down my arm as I lifted it.

“Angel!” Conan’s anger morphed into fear, and he rushed to my side. Lucian wasn’t far behind. Both of them struggled to help me up without slipping in the mess. “Back off,” Conan barked at Lucian. “Go get a first aid kit or a clean towel.”

Lucian hesitated, then nodded and hurried to the other side of the bar. Conan gently lifted me onto a bar stool before examining the cut on my hand. The others hovered near, their earlier hostility fading at the sight of my cut.

Within seconds, Lucian pulled a first aid kit out and flipped it open. After unwrapping a stack of gauze pads, he gestured for Conan to take one.

Conan took the gauze and pressed it firmly against my wound, applying enough pressure to slow the bleeding. “Keep this here,” he instructed, guiding my other hand to hold the gauze in place. He grabbed a small bottle of antiseptic from the kit, then gently removed the gauze. “This is going to sting,” he warned. Then he poured the antiseptic over the cut.

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