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“Well, I’m going to go to the bar and get another drink. You guys sit here with your girlfriends,” my mom ordered, even though she already had a full glass of wine.
“No, Mom, you don’t have to—”
“Emmy, I’m fine. There is a bar stool with my name on it over there. I haven’t gone out in years, so it will be nice to get used to it again.” She glanced around the club, and her eyes widened as she finally realized where she was. “Is this a strip club?” she asked in a somewhat scandalized voice.
Ivan cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable answering my mother. “Uh, technically, yes, but Drago sent the girls home so we could come and wind down after everything.”
“Huh,” was all my mom said as she stared at the stripper pole for a couple of seconds and made her way to the bar.
Ivan tugged me out of my seat and pulled me to the other side of the booth with him, while Nikolai slid next to Hannah. His strong arm wrapped around my waist, and he landed a soft kiss on my neck. “How did it go with your mom?”
“Good, we definitely cleared the air.”
His arms tightened around me. “Good. I know how upset you were when you argued. No more secrets now.”
“Nope.” I sighed, my body going limp as I leaned against him and breathed in his familiar, masculine scent. I teased him with how possessive he was, how he kept me so close, but I could admit that I needed him close to me just as much. He had always been and will always be my safest place, the only person I truly trusted to protect me.
“I love you,” I said, staring up into his beautiful, beloved face.
He jerked back slightly, clearly not expecting me to say that. A slow grin formed on his lips before landing a hard kiss on my mouth. “I love you, too. So much. Too much. You have no idea what I went through when Armstrong had you. I found out real fucking quick that my life doesn’t mean shit without you.”
I reached up and rubbed my thumb across his full bottom lip. “I knew you’d come get me. Though, I’m not going to lie, seeing Mikhail there threw me for a loop.”
“That makes two of us,” Ivan grumbled.
“You didn’t know he was going to show up?”
“No. We thought Armstrong was going to make his move in a couple of days. We didn’t have our plan fully in place. Mikhail had just gotten to town, and he discussed how he’d been playing Armstrong and had a plan to infiltrate, but we never got it fully worked out because Armstrong moved up the timeline.”
“You mean that whole thing was planned at the last minute?” I gaped at him, shocked that the impromptu plan had worked so well.
“Mikhail had been planning to offer Anya as a decoy, but I didn’t know anything about it. I’ve been kind of distracted lately,” he said, shooting me a meaningful look. “They were going to fill me in after it was all worked out. We thought we had a couple of days.”
“Jesus, I guess I owe Mikhail a big thank you.” I winced. “I was kind of a bitch to him at the hangar.”
Ivan threw his head back and laughed. “First of all, you were just fucking kidnapped, so I think he’s willing to give you a little latitude. Also, he loved that you gave so much attitude. He told you that shit about Moscow on purpose to make you mad at me.”
I opened my mouth to ask a hundred more questions, but Katya’s voice stopped me.
“Emmy!” Katya slid in next to me and wrapped her arms around my neck in a stranglehold. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay,” I replied after she finally released me.
“I made Drago text me the second everything was clear. Jesus, what is it with this group and shitty dads?”
I laughed, but god, she was so right. I guess these guys had some heavy lifting to do to alter that trajectory in the future.
“Seriously, I thought Yuri was the worst, but I have to admit, Emmy, I think you beat me out with Armstrong.” Nikolai raised his glass, toasting me on having the most superior shitty dad.
“It’s not exactly a contest I’m thrilled with winning, but thanks,” I said, raising my glass and clinking it with his.
“Katya, what the fuck is that on your finger?” The question was screeched by Anya, who finally emerged from wherever she’d been with Callahan.
My eyes dropped to Katya’s hands, and I was shocked I hadn’t noticed the huge diamond sitting on her ring finger. “Oh my god, are you engaged?” I gasped, reaching for her hand to inspect the ring.
“Yes!” she beamed.
“Congratulations! When did this happen?” Hannah asked, trying to yank Katya’s hand toward her.