Page 30 of His Prince (Unexpectedly Twisted #2)

28

ANGEL

C asey and Gael were admitted to the hospital, and I’m left sitting in the waiting room with nothing to occupy my mind but the fluorescent lights and the utter doom. I called my dad to inform him of the situation, and he’s on his way out to help me, but he won’t be here for hours. So I’m left to wait with Dima and Steve.

Steve, who is currently sitting back in his chair, texting on his phone, looking cool as a cucumber. Whereas I feel like I’m caught between sobbing and a panic attack. I’m trying to hold it together, managing by a mere thread. Dima is talking quietly on his phone with the guards at the house, updating them and Nina about what happened.

I’m glad he’s here. I can’t cope with explaining this to anyone. I may never recover if I have to.

“Are you sure that lady knows what to do?”

Steve snorts and meets my desperate gaze. “Yeah, she does. She has a whole…hm, how do I say this…a whole slew of people who don’t like the chaos this causes in our nicely, unchaotic life.”

“Yeah?” I ask, and Steve shrugs.

“Yeah.”

I nod slowly, hoping I’m reading too much into it when the older woman from the restaurant storms through the door.

“I never introduced myself. I’m Vera. The cousin of Ethel who lives on the West Coast.” I have no idea who Ethel is, but I don’t say that. “And you are?”

“Angel,” I reply, and she nods.

“Well, little bug, we have everyone on the hunt. Daniil has been on our radar for a while now. He always gave me a bad feeling, and now I know there’s merit behind it.”

“But you let him into the restaurant in the first place.”

She scoffs and then pats my head. “Keep those enemies close, flower. Keep them close.”

I meet her gaze and she purses her lips.

“Now tell me everything you know about this man. I want to make sure I’m not missing anything…”

I spend far too long detailing every little piece of information to Vera, who is a very good listener and who encourages me to lay it all out. Dima also chimes in as well, giving as much information as he can when I fall short. Fuck, I hope that any of this can help find him because I’m at a loss. I literally have no idea where to start looking.

Steve, on the other hand, is still scrolling on his phone, almost seeming disinterested, but he’s obviously listening because there are times when he pipes up and adds in little helpful thoughts about motive and even where Daniil may have taken Mikhail.

I don’t understand how the two of them know so much, but then again, this is their territory, and they’ve apparently been keeping a close eye on Daniil and his movements .

By the time I’ve told them everything I know, Vera purses her lips, and Dima curses under his breath, something in Russian. I bet he’s blaming himself for not catching this earlier as well.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find him. Daniil should know better than to mess with me,” Vera says, almost sweetly.

I don’t know how an old lady can take down someone as sinister as Daniil, but it seems like she’s some kind of mob boss herself. Very unsuspecting, though. No one would think she’s running some kind of underground operation.

“We have our fingers in all sorts of pies. Apple, blueberry, pumpkin,” she adds as she pulls out her phone again and speaks to Ethel.

All of this takes so much time, time I feel we don’t have, but I have no other option. I just need to wait and hope for the best.

It has to work out. It has to.

Just as I think that, my phone rings and I see Diablo’s name flash across the screen.

I suddenly realize I never updated him on what’s going on.

“Dad just told me,” he says as the clacking of the keys resonates in the background. “I’ll find him.”

“I’m with someone working on that too. Vera.”

“Who the fuck is Vera?”

I turn away slightly and whisper, “Some old mob lady, I think.”

“Which mob?”

“I don’t know,” I say and then turn to face Steve, who is eyeing me suspiciously.

“Technically, we’re the LGM,” he says.

“I’ve never heard of that. What does that stand for?”

“Lizard Granny Mafia.”

Diablo hears that and snorts, and I can’t help but grin softly. That’s just so fucking ridiculous. Lizards. Wonder where they came up with that name.

“Well, the lizard grannies can help you, and so will I. Don’t worry, Angel. I promise we’ll find him,” Diablo reassures me.

The soothing tone of his voice has me gulping back tears .

“Hurry. Please hurry.”

Almost as if I can feel it, I know time is running out. That I may never see him again. That I won’t get another chance to hold him or hear his Russian accent whisper things in my ear. I may be a widower far too early.

I always knew the mafia life was harsh, that people never live long, but I stupidly thought my life would turn out differently.

It seems I wasn’t so different after all.

Tears track down my cheeks, and I swipe them away as the doctor approaches.

“Don’t worry,” he says, holding up his hands. “They’re both stable.”

“Were they poisoned?” Dima asks, his voice almost breaking.

He nods. “Yes, it appears to be something they ingested. We don’t know exactly what yet, but we’re running some blood tests. The police have been called as well. They’ll need to take your statement.”

Nerves settle in at that moment, but I push them aside. “Fine, but I need to see them. Can I?”

“Of course, right this way.”

He leads me down a corridor, Dima following behind, silent and stoic. But I can feel his worry andhis stress as well. Because I know Gael is a friend to him. Mikhail’s men are all very close and losing one would be like losing a brother.

The doctor pushes a door open, and I see Gael and Casey inside, both of them laid up on hospital beds, their skin pale, wires and cords everywhere. I move to Casey first, his eyelids fluttering open at my approach.

“I’m so sorry,” is the first thing he says, but I shush him, pulling him into a tight hug.

“I’m so glad you’re okay. Oh god, Casey. They took him.”

“Mikhail?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck,” he murmurs and then groans, trying to sit up .

“No, don’t move. There’s nothing you can do. My dad is on the way, and Diablo is doing his best to find him. And I have a little old lady named Vera who says she can help me.”

“Angel.”

“Rest, please get better. I can’t cope with the fact you could have died.”

He huffs but relaxes, and I press a kiss on his cheek before moving to Gael, who is watching me intently.

“Little husband,” he says, and my tears fall more freely.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks to you.”

I pull him into a hug and whisper reassurances that he will be okay and how he needs to rest, before standing up, wiping my eyes, and letting Dima lead me back to Vera and Steve.

“Alright, little bloom. Time to make a run for it. Don’t want to get caught up with the police. They won’t be able to help you, anyway. Inept, the lot of ’em.”

She grabs on to my arm, and I must be hallucinating because for a moment I see her tongue flick out, almost like a reptile would, before I blink back my sanity. I’m just exhausted and stressed , I think as we move out into the parking lot, Dima ushering me to the SUV.

Just as I settle in the seat, my phone rings and I see that it’s Diablo.

“I’ve found him,” he says, and I frantically call Vera and Steve over to us.

I put the phone on speaker and ask, “Are you sure?”

“I’m almost positive. This guy is a slob, but I found he owns a shell company that has property all over the U.S. The one closest to you is a house on the outskirts of town.”

Just as Diablo says it, Vera gets a call. She moves away and then returns a moment later, speaking to Diablo loudly.

“Tell me the address. I just want to confirm before I mobilize.”

Diablo rattles off the address, and Vera nods.

“Got him. That fucker. ”

I almost faint with relief. We’re going to get him and bring him home.

Everything happens quickly after that. Vera leads us to a parking lot where several older women are waiting, wearing dresses, Brooks shoes, and glasses. None of them look like they can fight this battle, and my spirits sink when I realize that maybe I overestimated their ability to help me. But when they start to grab guns from the trunks of their vehicles, one even going so far as to assemble a Glock without looking at it, I realize that maybe I’ve underestimated them.

“Would you like some pie?” one of them asks, and I shake my head.

“Of course he doesn’t want pie. His husband is missing, Bertha.”

Bertha rolls her eyes. “I know, but sometimes people like to stress eat. It’s a thing. And it’s apple crumb. Everyone loves apple crumb.”

I blink as I watch their interaction, and Dima moves up next to me, his hand landing on my lower back.

“I have mixed feelings about all of this,” I whisper.

“Me too. But we’ll take all the help we can get,” he says and then adds, “Felix and Titus are on their way up as well.”

“I don’t want any more men hurt…”

“Well, little husband, it seems we need help, and they insisted. We’ve underestimated Daniil, and I won’t allow it to happen again.”

I nod, sniffling loudly. “You’re right. I know that. And my dad will be here too, but I don’t think we have time to wait for him.”

“We’ll have Mikhail back before he lands. And then, if Daniil is still alive, there may be a fight over who gets to dismember him.”

“They can all have a turn,” I reply and then wince when Vera hands me a gun, the cool metal a shock to my system.

“Do you know how to use it? I’d assume so, as the son of Anthony Costello and the husband to Mikhail Ivanov,” she says, and I see all the other grannies strapping on bandolier belts, making them look way more badass than they initially appeared.

“Yes, unfortunately, I do,” I reply, knowing that I’ll need to use this to save him. To protect him.

I’m going to have to reach deep within myself to find that part of me.

I need him alive. I need him to come back to me.

“Good. Hopefully, you won’t have to use it, but if you must, aim for the head. It will explode like a watermelon.”

She grins at me and snaps her teeth before turning away, and I’m left feeling even more nauseous than before. But then I square my shoulders and hold my head high.

I’ll cry later. Right now, Mikhail needs me.

“Alright, grannies. Let’s teach this Daniil a lesson.”