31. ANASTASIA
Chapter thirty-one
W hen I stepped out of the taxi in front of Club Xyst, a thrill of excitement shot up my spine. I had fucking missed this place. Slade was hard at work on a ladder adjusting a security camera that hung off the eave of the portico. As much as I adored him and wanted to stop and chat, I was hell-bent on getting some answers from the guys, especially Lucian.
“Hi, Slade. Good to see you. I’ll come say hello in a little bit.” I gave him a quick nod and a wave and hurried past. His face fell a little. A small pang of regret went through me. I tugged the door open and was greeted by a whoosh of cool air.
Inside, I found Lucian and Lachlan unpacking a crate of liquor bottles next to the main bar. As I approached, they looked up, their eyes widening in disbelief. For a moment, they just stared at me, shocked, as if they couldn’t quite process that I was standing there after disappearing for a month. Then, they broke into wide, astonished smiles.
“Ana! Where the hell have you been?” Lucian called out, but I didn’t slow down, tossing the bag with my laptop on the bar with a thud.
Marching straight up to him, I shoved him—hard. He slammed into the bar, a bottle of whiskey slipping from his grasp and shattering on the floor.
“That’s right, I’m fucking alive!” I screamed, inches from his face. In the most annoying way possible, I poked my finger in his chest with each accusing word. “Not that any of you give two shits. I nearly died and had amnesia for a month, and you never stopped to think, ‘ Hey, I wonder where Anastasia is? Weird. Wonder why our co-owner and business manager never showed up again?’ I thought you guys would have at least made an effort to figure out what happened to me. Good to know how little I mean to you!”
Lucian raised his hands defensively. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, Ana. Slow down. Your uncle—Luca Genovese —and his men paid us a visit and said you had to step away for a while for family business. His thugs made it clear that the type of business you were taking care of was none of ours. He straight up told us he’d break our knees if we went looking for you.”
Lachlan added, “When Lucian said it didn’t sound right to him and copped an attitude, one of the thugs beat the crap out of him. Check out the new curve to his nose. So maybe you should stop being so self-righteous, lose the damn attitude, and tell us about your fucking mafia ties.”
I pulled Lucian’s face toward me and took a closer look. Sure enough, his nose had been broken and still looked tender. My stomach twisted with guilt. “Oh my God. No. I’m so sorry. Fuck me, all I do is bring misery to everyone I care about.” Exhaling a pent-up breath and trying to iron out the creases on my forehead with my fingertips, I stepped back a little. In a much softer voice, I asked, “How can I make this right?”
Lucian pushed off the bar, putting more distance between us. “Well, you could start by telling us the truth about your mafia connections… You’re a goddamn mafia princess, for crying out loud. No wonder we were able to run a gambling room and the whole NYSLA issue just disappeared. I must be stupid because I assumed the uncle you were so close to was just politically well-connected. None of us would have ever thought the shy librarian who came in that first night for a job as a waitress was under the notorious Luca Genovese’s guardianship. I think that small detail should have come out over the last few years, don’t you?”
More guilt hammered at my conscience. I grabbed a towel and started cleaning up the mess from the broken bottle. “I’m sorry, Lucian. I should have told you.”
“Step back, Ana,” he said, waving me away. “In that fancy dress and those heels, it won’t be long before you’re flat on your ass.”
Just then, Julian and Gabriel came out from the back.
Gabriel’s eyebrows shot up as recognition hit. “Ana, I can’t believe it’s you! Where’ve you been?” His smile fell, and he cocked his head to the side. “It’s good to see you, but I’ve got to admit, I can’t believe you just checked out on us like that.”
“Yeah, and what’s up with mafia thugs?” Julian asked.
They both stared at me expectantly. My time of reckoning had come. I had to tell them the truth but didn’t know where to begin. No more secrets. I pulled out a bar stool and hiked myself up on it. “It’s complicated…especially now. For most of my life, I had no idea who my family really was. Over the years, I slowly learned they were powerful and tied to the mafia, but I had no clue what that meant until I got much older.” I let out a huff.
Waiting for me to continue, Julian and Gabriel crossed their arms, while Lachlan jammed his hands in his pockets and Lucian leaned against the bar.
“I was shipped from Russia to a boarding school in upstate New York when I was twelve.” I hesitated, gathering my thoughts. It was difficult to condense twenty-seven years into a brief explanation that would make sense. “They separated me from my twin brother, the only person who ever loved me. My last name was changed to that of my aunt, Elena Genovese, and she and Luca became my godparents.”
My cheeks flushed with embarrassment as I tried to hurriedly recount my past. “Over time, I became the typical American girl, passport and all. After boarding school, I went to Kennedy University and earned my master’s in library and information science, just as my aunt and uncle wanted me to.” Nervously, I chewed on my cheek. I hated sharing all this with them.
“It wasn’t easy for me as a young girl. My lack of English and my thick Russian accent made it hard to learn and make friends, not to mention I was super shy. So, I spent loads of time watching TV, carefully observing and listening to my classmates and then practicing alone in my room. I tried to speak like they did and forced any hint of my accent away. I wanted to be like all the popular girls in my school, but my aunt and uncle made it clear that my only purpose in life was to be a dutiful daughter, marry whomever they chose, and have babies. Sounds easy, I know. The problem was, I was lonely and completely miserable. I was desperate to taste freedom and live a little but didn’t have a clue where to begin. Not long after I started working for the library, I came across your ad for a job at Club Xyst. Coming to work here was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.” I glanced around at each of them, hoping the truth of who I was hadn’t ruined things between us. “I want you guys to know that I had no clue about the types of dealings my family was really involved in until after I began working here. And then…how on earth was I supposed to tell you?”
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. “No clue about the drugs and human trafficking, huh?”
I shook my head. “None. It was almost a year later that my aunt sort of told me about how mafia families work,” I said, a lump forming in my throat. “She told me they were searching for the best marriage contract to benefit the family and explained I was part of one of the most powerful families in the world. She called it a privilege, saying I’d be the beneficiary of immense wealth, but didn’t get into any specifics about where all that money had come from. All I had to do was stay a virgin, marry who I was told to marry, and I would be a pampered mafia wife for the rest of my life, never having to work.”
Julian sat down next to me, his brows knitting in worry. “And if you didn’t?”
“At first I tried to refuse, to tell her I wouldn’t go along with the arranged marriage, but that didn’t go over so well. She laughed right in my face and said the alternative was an untimely death.” I paused, steadying myself. “She followed up later by sending me images of women’s dead bodies—those who had stood up against family expectations. They were tortured and mutilated. So what choice did I have? It was then I truly realized what it meant to be part of the mafia. Before, I’d thought they were just powerful businessmen who walked the line of what was legal and illegal. I didn’t understand about the violence, the drugs, the sex trade. I’d never had a reason to dig deeper. I mean, you guys have gambling in the basement, but it doesn’t mean you sell women or drugs on the side. ”
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.
I winced at the sharp pain, but Conan’s touch remained steady. He patted the area dry before reaching for the Steri-Strips.
“Stay still,” he murmured, carefully aligning the edges of the cut. He meticulously placed each strip to close the wound and ensure the skin stayed together. Once he was satisfied, he wrapped my hand with a clean bandage, securing it until it was snug but not too tight.
“There, my pretty Angel. That should take care of it.” He lifted my palm to his lips and gave it a chaste kiss. Lucian’s eyes darkened at the endearment, but he said nothing.
Hoping to ease the tension, I made some quick introductions. “Conan, this is Lucian. This is his brother Lachlan, and these two are Julian and Gabriel,” I said, gesturing to each one.
Lucian’s lips curled into a smirk. “Conan, huh? Are you thick in the head like Conan the Barbarian?”
“Stop antagonizing him, Lucian,” I snapped.
Conan looked Lucian dead in the eye. “My real name is Constantine. I picked up the nickname Conan in high school because, in my senior year, I was the biggest guy. Not because it came naturally, but because I’ve always put in the work. Physical fitness is important to me, and I’ve enjoyed mixed martial arts for many years.”
Conan’s real name surprised me. There was so much I didn’t know about him. Despite the time we’d spent together, our relationship was still new.
The guys were eyeing him suspiciously. His presence here demanded an explanation. “Conan was on duty in the ED the day I had the wreck.” I looked from Conan to Lucian. “He was the one who first treated my injuries.”
Conan nodded. “Her injuries were pretty severe. The trauma to her brain resulted in a form of amnesia where she couldn’t remember anything from before the wreck. We feared she might never regain her memories or be able to return to her previous life.”
“It was awful. I had no clue who I was for almost a month,” I said. “Just a black hole where my memories should have been.”
“Yeah, Ana said something about almost dying…and losing her memory,” Lucian said .
Conan’s face tightened with anger. “And none of you assholes thought to look for her when she disappeared out of the blue?” he spat, glaring at Lucian and then others.
Lucian raised his hands defensively. “Whoa, man. Her mob uncle had one of his thugs beat the crap out of me and threatened to kill us if we went sniffing around. He said she was away on family business. Nothing about a car wreck on the other side of the fucking country.”
Just then, Braxton burst in, a little disheveled, with Slade trailing behind him. Annoyed, Gabriel quipped, “What?! This is the second guy who’s burst in here. You’re just allowing random dudes in when we’re closed now? What the fuck?”
Slade, who was sporting a busted lip, rubbed his jaw and shrugged. “Sorry, boss. Wasn’t expecting them, and this one got the better of me,” he said, pointing to Braxton.
The guys eyed Conan and Braxton with a newfound respect. “Slade, you’re one of the toughest guys I know,” I said. “Didn’t think anyone could get the better of you. Looks like today neither of us fared too well.” I held up my hand and smiled.
Slade dropped his chin and shook his head.
Lucian reached behind the bar, filled a towel with ice, and handed it to Slade. “Here, take care of that jaw.”
Just then, a few of the club’s employees came in.
“Let’s head up to the office,” I suggested. “We need to talk about what’s going on with me and my family. You guys deserve to know all the ugly details.”
We headed toward the elevator, leaving Slade to return to his post at the entrance of the club. The tension was thick as we made our way up. I could almost taste the unease and the unspoken questions hanging in the air.