Page 6 of Desperate Actions

“Oh my God, Andrea, he’s like a real-life Captain America. Leave him alone,” she says, casually, like she hasn’t just knocked the wind out of me.

And then—she pinches my sister’s calf.

Her response is so effortless, so familiar, that it stings in a place deeper than I’m willing to acknowledge.

Andrea gags dramatically. “Eww. You like Sammy? Gross!”

I swear to God, I am this close to shoving my own sister out of the moving vehicle.

“Behave, or I’m telling Mom,” I mutter, leveling her with a look.

She just snorts and leans back, her attention already shifting.

But Aella?

Aella is still looking at me.

And for the first time in seven years, I allow myself a single, reckless thought.

Maybe she’s been waiting, too.

Chapter 2-Aella

The lights of Las Vegas burn bright.

Too bright.

Flashing neon, pulsing LED billboards, the dizzying chaos of Sin City.

It’s loud, ostentatious, a living, breathing thing that thrives on excess.

The first time I came to Sin City as an adult, it was loads of fun. We took in shows, ate at the most exclusive restaurants, and danced like wild things with our parents there, protecting us.

The second trip was kids only,adult kids, but still the offspring of what newly married Dr. Michelle, Michaela’s bestie, lovingly calls theVolkov Clan.

She’s been one of us forever, so she’s like family, too.

Now, I’m a Fury, but I don’t mind being included in that.

My uncles Nico and Luc run Viper Enterprises with my father, Angel Fury. But I know they have a reputation as being something other than businessmen.

Heck, I’d have to be blind not to know that.

But none of it matters to me.

Angel Fury’s reputation might be fierce, but to me he’s just Dad.

I’m his and my mother’s only child, so when I say I’ve been sheltered and kept safe throughout my whole life, I mean it.

So yeah, Vegas is always a fun go-to spot for any of our celebrations. There is plenty of glitz and dazzle to entertain all of us.

But none of it compares to him.

Sammy Ramirez.

He moves through the chaos like a shadow—silent, composed, utterly unaffected.

The kind of man who commands a room without ever raising his voice.

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