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Ian grins. “We can finally see why Uncle Lance doesn’t like him.”

The girls laugh, but Drew’s face tightens, and if he were an animal, his hackles would be up.

Shae asks, “Are you coming with us?”

“No, I don’t interact with celebrities.” Alana takes another sip of her wine.

Drew tilts his head. “But you hang out with Lena Goodlove.”

“Honey Badger,” Lance corrects quickly, shooting Drew a warning glare for saying too much.

“Lena’s different. Like Waverly is. The rules don’t apply to either of them.” Alana waves her hand dismissively. “Now go back to your dungeon and scream for a few minutes.”

The kids need no further prompting. They scurry off, their feet thundering down the basement stairs. A chorus of muffled screams rises through the floorboards moments later.

Alana turns to Waverly. “You wanna go?”

Waverly fans herself, bouncing on her toes. “Oh my god!” But just as quickly as the excitement comes, it fades. “I’m trapped with contractors and inspections, plus the staff needs training on the new reservation system.”

Uri coughs into his hand. “I’ll go.”

All eyes swivel toward him as he shrugs, trying for a casual air. “I can be the cool uncle. Won’t embarrass the kids, take some pictures, you know, whatever.”

Alana eyes him skeptically. “You’re kind of a big fan. You sure you can be cool?”

“As a cucumber.”

She nods. “Fine. You can chaperone.”

Uri’s face lights up with barely concealed glee. One thing’s for sure—he would absolutely die for Alana if she asked. But this? This is Amanda Chase, Uri’s deity of choice.

Chapter

Thirty-Eight

Dimitri

Uri spends hours getting ready. He’s changed his shirt at least seven times, I lost count how much he’s adjusted his hair, and had me test three different colognes.

“You know she’s not going to fuck you, right?” I say, leaning against his bedroom door frame.

“Huh?”

“Amanda Chase. It’s not going to happen. She has a boyfriend,” I say, putting a hand to my mouth to dramatically whisper, “and you’re gay.”

Uri stares at me, blinking in confusion like his brain is buffering. He shrugs. “Oh, right. I just want to look good for the pictures.” I don’t believe him for a second. “What are your plans for the evening?”

“Donny’s coming over. We’re watching the game.” I’m not sure which one. Donny’s been quiet lately. Probably got dumped again.

Uri smooths a stubborn chunk of hair. He’s wearing a custom-made shirt and pants tailored so well he looks different than I normally see him. He looks like a model. He’s rockingthat “quiet luxury” vibe with the Rolex he thought he lost back in Russia. His hand hovers over his gun, but he decides to leave it behind. No need to antagonize security.

Ian is sprawled on Uri’s bed, focused on his Switch, battling some pixelated monster.

“You excited?”

“Yeah,” he mumbles, not looking up. “Shae and Uri are way more excited, though. Drew’s been acting weird lately. I think he’s mad at me.”

“Why?”