Chapter 2 - The Mafia Boss Who Never Touched Her
At 6:45 the next morning, Morgana woke fully dressed.
By seven, she followed the smell of coffee downstairs.
Roman stood at the espresso machine wearing a black turtleneck.
“Morning.”
“Good morning.”
“Coffee’s there.”
She poured herself a cup.
Roman gestured toward a stool.
“Sit.”
She hesitated.
“That wasn’t a threat.”
“You make everything sound like one.”
For half a second, Roman looked almost amused.
“Occupational hazard.”
Morgana sat.
“Hayes will take you shopping.”
“I don’t need anything.”
“You’re wearing yesterday’s clothes.”
“I have clothes.”
“You have one duffel bag.”
Roman returned to his tablet.
“Buy what you need.”
“Does it get added to my debt?”
Roman stopped.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because clothes aren’t a gambling debt.”
“Neither am I.”
His eyes rose.
“No. You’re not.”
The answer came so quickly that Morgana had nothing to say.
Then the front door opened.
Hayes entered.
“Boss. Problem.”
Roman put down his coffee.
“What?”
“Viktor Vulov knows.”
Roman’s expression changed.
“Knows what?”
“That Jason gave her to you.”
Morgana’s fingers tightened around her cup.
Hayes continued.
“Viktor says she was promised to them first.”
Roman’s voice became dangerously quiet.
“People aren’t merchandise.”
“Viktor apparently disagrees.”
“Then Viktor and I have something to discuss.”
Morgana stood.
“No.”
Both men looked at her.
Roman frowned.
“No?”
“You don’t get to start a war because of me.”
Hayes glanced at Roman.
Roman asked, “You think this is because of you?”
“They want me.”
“They want to humiliate me.”
“What’s the difference?”
“The difference is you’re not responsible for what happens next.”
Morgana stared at him.
“That’s convenient.”
Roman’s jaw tightened.
“Hayes, take her shopping.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Roman slowly turned.
Morgana crossed her arms.
“You said employee.”
“Yes.”
“Employees can ask questions.”
“They can.”
“Then tell me what’s happening.”
Roman considered her.
Finally, he pulled out the chair opposite him.
“Sit.”
She did.
“The Vulovs have been moving women through cargo containers. I’ve been blocking their access to my docks for months.”
Morgana stared.
“So this isn’t about Jason’s twenty thousand?”
“No.”
“They wanted me because—”
“Because your father told them you worked nights near Interstate 95. They saw someone vulnerable.”
Morgana’s stomach twisted.
Roman continued.
“Taking you from them embarrassed Viktor. Now he’ll want to prove he can take something from me.”
“Me.”
“Yes.”
Silence.
Morgana whispered, “Why did you care?”
Roman’s expression became unreadable.
“I don’t traffic people.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting.”
Hayes cleared his throat.
“Shopping?”
Roman nodded.
“Take two men.”
Morgana grabbed her coat.
As she passed Roman, he spoke.
“Morgana.”
She stopped.
“If anything feels wrong, you tell Hayes.”
“I can handle myself.”
“I know.”
That surprised her.
Roman added, “That doesn’t mean you should always have to.”
Three hours later, Morgana and Hayes entered a roadside diner.
Morgana froze.
It reminded her of work.
Red booths.
Checkered floor.
Old photographs.
Coffee smell.
Hayes noticed.
“You okay?”
“Fine.”
They sat.
A waitress approached.
Before Morgana could order, someone grabbed her arm.
“Morgana?”
She turned.
Jason.
Her father looked terrible.
Unshaven. Bloodshot eyes. Dirty jacket.
“What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.”
Hayes immediately stood.
Jason ignored him.
“You need to come home.”
Morgana laughed once.
“You sold me yesterday.”
“I made a mistake.”
“A forty-thousand-dollar mistake?”
Jason lowered his voice.
“The Vulovs came by.”
Morgana went still.
“They’re going to kill me.”
“You told them where I was?”
Jason’s silence answered.
Hayes stepped between them.
“We’re leaving.”
Jason grabbed Morgana harder.
“Tell Costa I can fix this!”
A chair scraped behind them.
The entire diner seemed to quiet.
Morgana looked toward a corner booth.
Roman Costa was sitting there.
White shirt open at the collar.
Coffee cup in one hand.
Two men in black leather jackets stood behind him.
Roman slowly placed the cup down.
“Take your hand off her, Jason.”
Jason froze.
Roman rose.
The image was almost absurdly calm.
No shouting.
No weapon.
Just Roman walking across the checkered floor.
Jason released Morgana.
“I was just talking to my daughter.”
Roman stopped in front of him.
“No. You were grabbing one of my employees.”
“Your employee?”
Jason laughed nervously.
“I gave her to you.”
Roman’s eyes turned cold.
“That sentence is the reason you’re about to have a very bad afternoon.”
Morgana stepped between them.
“Roman.”
His eyes moved to her.
“Don’t.”
Jason stared at his daughter.
“You’re protecting me?”
“No.”
She picked up her bag.
“I’m protecting myself from having to watch you destroy another life.”
She looked at Roman.
“Take me home.”
Roman held her gaze.
Then nodded.
“Hayes.”
As they walked toward the door, Jason called after her.
“Morgana!”
She stopped.
“I’m your father!”
She turned.
May you like
“A father doesn’t sell his daughter.”
Then she walked out.
