40. ANASTASIA
Chapter forty
C onan lunged at Nik, but I grabbed his arm. “He’s my brother, Conan! Don’t! He’s helping me! Come on. Let’s go! Let’s get out of here, now!”
Conan didn’t hesitate. He turned, dragging me with him, Nik following closely behind. We scampered through the small cloakroom, dodging piles of boxes and clutter. The sounds of the chaos in the sanctuary echoed through the walls, urging us to move faster.
When we reached the door on the other side, Conan pushed it open, and we stumbled down the short flight of steps leading to the outside.
When we reached the bottom of the steps, I fought my way through the outer door, battling my voluminous dress. I burst through the door and glanced over my shoulder. An unconscious man lay slumped against the wall.
We were met by Lucian and Braxton as they ran toward us.
“This way!” Lucian shouted, turning back and waving us toward a black SUV parked down the street.
We ran toward them, the sounds of gunfire making my heart pound in my chest as fear and adrenaline coursed through my veins.
“What the fuck is going on?” Lucian shouted as we neared him.
There was no time for an explanation. Conan barked, “Let’s go! Move! Move! Move!”
The SUV was waiting with its doors open at the curb. We ran toward it as shots rang out. Lucian sprinted to the front-passenger side while Braxton dove into the open side door. Lachlan was at the wheel.
I struggled to run down the sidewalk, my wedding dress billowing around me like a storm of white silk. The veil caught in the wind, twisting and snapping free, whipping away like a ghostly specter. The train of my gown dragged behind, a cumbersome, fluttering reminder of my captivity. I tripped, the fabric catching underfoot, but Conan was there. He snagged the train, gathering it in his hands. “Keep running!” he shouted, and I surged forward, my breath coming in gasps.
The moment we reached the open side door of the SUV, Conan grabbed me by the waist and tossed me inside before jumping in after me. Nik, who was a few steps behind us, screamed in pain just as he reached the open door. The guys dragged him inside, his feet bouncing off the pavement and leaving streaks of blood, while Lachlan threw the vehicle into drive and started to speed away.
Blood was everywhere. Braxton quickly switched places with Conan and me, moving us to the third row so he could take care of Nik’s leg. Conan checked me for wounds, his hands moving rapidly over my arms and torso.
“Are you okay?” he asked, scrutinizing every inch of me.
“I’m fine. Just help my brother,” I begged, pushing his hands away. I turned my attention to Nik, who was bleeding heavily. Braxton had already pulled off his shirt and was pressing it against the wound.
Conan’s eyes softened for a moment before he rotated in the seat to help Braxton with Nik. “We’ll take care of him,” he assured me.
Nik groaned in pain, his face pale and sweaty.
“We’ve got you, Nik,” Braxton said calmly.
The SUV roared down the block, speeding away from the bloodbath we’d left behind in the church.
Nik was slumped in the backseat, blood pooling beneath his leg. “We’ve got to get this bleeding under control,” Conan said, leaning over to press his hand firmly against the shirt that was covering Nik’s injury. Blood oozed between his fingers, but Nik didn’t flinch.
“We need a tourniquet,” Braxton said. He began searching the backseats.
Lucian tore off his belt and tossed it to Braxton, who immediately wrapped it around Nik’s upper thigh and tightened it.
Nik’s face contorted in agony.
“Hang in there, Nik,” I whispered in a shaky voice. I reached over the backseat and took his hand, needing to be connected to him somehow.
“I’ve had worse. Just…don’t let me bleed out.”
Conan wrapped his massive hand tightly around Nik’s thigh, clamping down on the wound. “Pressure’s key,” he said to Braxton. “We need to slow the bleeding until we can get him somewhere safe.”
Braxton nodded, his eyes focused on Nik’s leg. “Keep talking to him, Angel. Keep him conscious.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded. “Nik, remember when we were kids, and you dared me to jump when we were out on the frozen lake behind the house? You had to break through the ice downstream to pull me out, remember?”
Nik managed a weak chuckle. “Yeah, you always did crazy stuff and never backed down from a dare.”
Conan glanced over at me, cocking a brow. I rolled my eyes in return.
Forcing a smile, I leaned closer to Nik. “You were supposed to be the sensible one. The nanny always said you had to look out for me because I had more guts than brains.”
Nik’s breathing was ragged, but he glanced over at me, his eyes glassy and unfocused. “You scared the hell out of me that day, Ana. I thought I’d lost you.”
I squeezed his hand, which was sticky with blood. “But you didn’t. You always kept me safe. You pulled me out, wrapped me in your coat, and ran all the way back to the house. What were we—ten, maybe?”
His eyes fluttered, and I tightened my grip on his hand. “Stay with me, Nik. Remember how mad the nanny was? She couldn’t decide whether to beat us or hug us.”
Nik’s lips twitched into a faint smile. “She did both and then grounded us for a month.”
“That’s right, and every day you managed to sneak me snacks and books so I wouldn’t get bored.”
Braxton looked up. “Good, Angel. Keep him talking.”
My throat was tight as I chewed on my cheek, trying to think of something else. “Remember how we used to sneak out at night, just to look at the stars? You said you wanted to be a cosmonaut so you could get away from all the craziness down here.”
Nik’s eyes sparkled with a distant memory. “Yeah, and you wanted to be a pop star.”
I laughed softly. “You told me I’d have to travel the world, and we’d never get to see each other… I thought I wanted nothing more than to leave the boring confinement of the estate in Russia. God, how I complained all the time. Little did I know, a couple of years later, I’d get more than I bargained for.”
“You were always sassy and stubborn as a kid; that’s for sure.”
“Still am, I suppose,” I muttered, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead. “You promised we’d always look out for each other, no matter what. We made it through everything else, and we’ll make it through this.”
His grip on my hand tightened slightly. “You were always the strong one, Ana.”
“And you were always my hero,” I whispered.
The SUV hit a bump, and Nik winced. Braxton adjusted the pressure, making sure the tourniquet held firm.
“Almost there,” Lachlan said, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. “Twenty minutes, tops.”
Nik’s grip on my hand loosened, but I held tight. “Ana…sorry about…everything,” he said on an exhale.
“Shut up, Nik. Just stay awake,” I demanded. “You don’t get to check out on me now.”
“Hey, guys, look what I found in the glove box!” Lucian called. “It’s not a lot, but maybe something in here could help.” He handed back what appeared to be a homemade first aid kit.
Conan took it and opened it. “Hmm, these aren’t your typical emergency supplies. There’s combat gauze, a suture kit, and some other items—as if whoever owns this car expected that someone might get shot.” He showed it to Braxton, who lit up with a smile.
“Damn, that’s some good stuff. Combat gauze is impregnated with kaolin, which promotes clotting,” he said, shifting in the seat to take it from Conan. “Here, hold the tourniquet.”
Conan let go of Nik’s thigh and took over holding the belt. Nik swiftly opened a package of the gauze.
“I’m warning you, buddy, this isn’t gonna feel good,” Braxton said.
“Just do it,” Nik growled.
With a nod, Braxton expertly packed the combat gauze into the exit wound on the top of Nik’s thigh. We watched the gauze rapidly absorb blood while Braxton explained that it would expand to apply pressure internally and help with clotting. He then moved to the back of the thigh, carefully packing more gauze into the entry wound. Nik winced, squeezing my hand. His knuckles were white as his face twisted in pain.
Braxton held the gauze firmly in place on the entry wound. Once it was secure, he checked the tourniquet, adjusting it to ensure it was tight but not excessively so. He met my eyes briefly and gave me a reassuring nod.
Conan leaned toward me, giving me that half grin I loved so much. “He’s tough. He’ll be fine.”
The metallic tang of blood was suffocating in the cramped conditions of the SUV. Nik was sweating but much more alert now. I guessed that’s what acute pain did to a person. Clutching his thigh, he sat up straighter and shook his head as if to clear away his misery. He pulled himself forward and, through gritted teeth, called out an address, demanding to be taken there.
“Nik, my brother’s friend has already set up a safe house for us,” Conan said. “We’re heading there now. He’s the guy who provided the SUV. ”
“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.