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“Lead the way, Dudley.”
The poor man almost tripped over his own words at Egor’s impatience. “Yes, sir, madam. Right this way.”
With a cheesy grin, I mumbled so he could hear, “Mr. Yezhov, huh? You must really get off on this kingly treatment. Seems like you’re popular around these parts.”
I didn’t see his face, but I didn’t need to to know the corner of his firm mouth was pulled tight when he responded.
“I own the place.”
The smirk on my lips faded.
Right.
Of course, he owns the place.
He wasn’t only a dangerous criminal; he was a real-life businessman, too, and I wondered just how many more establishments he owned in Los Angeles and just how much of this man I was yet to know.
When we walked past the seating areas, my hopes fell, and suspicions rose. I had to bite my tongue from asking Dudley where he was taking us. But as it turned out, I didn’t have to.
Soon, we were being ushered to a dark rooftop with a breathtaking view of the city under the canvas of the night sky. Unable to hold back, I opened my mouth to ask mydarlinghusband if he had finally gotten creative with ways to murder me when bright, blinding lights came on from every corner, and a chorus of voices shouted, “Surprise!”
Someone whistled, music started playing, and loud laughter rang out as people walked up to us to share their hearty congratulations.
After Nadia waltzed up to me,complimented my dress, and expressed her own share of congratulations, my heart skipped a beat at the reveal of four figures I thought I would never ever see again until I kicked the bucket. Time seemed to pause, and the world around us faded into nothing.
“Mom?”
Those darn hormones.
Her warm smile and sparkling eyes made my chest swell with emotion. It had been years since we’d last seen each other, and the ache of her absence had never truly faded; as always, she wrapped me in her arms, suffocating me with her chamomile-floral scent and lots of love.
“I’ve missed you, baby.”
Emotion and thick, hot tears filled my voice when I buried my face in her neck. “I missed you so much, Mommy.”
Next to her was Zeya, my little sister, who had grown into a beautiful young woman. She was almost as tall as me now. Her bright smile and twinkling eyes made my heart sing. I remembered the few times I’d visited, the nights I’d stayed up late, reading her stories, and the mornings I’d helped her get ready for school. The distance between us had felt like an eternity.
Zeya flung her arms around my waist, holding me close as if she’d never let me go again.
“My big baby.” I kissed her hair, struggling to hold back the tears and allow a smile to shine through. “I’m super glad that you’re here. We have so much to catch up on: school, friends, life…boys.”
She laughed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’m sure we’ll have all the time to talk about those things. For now, just enjoy the night. This is all for you. Congratulations, Freya. I love you so much. Mom and I will be around, just in case you need us. You have so many people here who want to say hi.”
“I love you, too, pumpkin. And I’ll always need you guys.”
She stepped away with a bright smile, and behind her stood Ruby—my confidante, my best friend. Her eyes shone with happy tears as she held up a pink-slash-blue balloon, and I felt a lump form in my throat. Fresh tears welled up.
“Ru….”
She crashed into me, sniffling.
“I don’t…. I can’t even begin to tell you how scared I was. I couldn’t reach you. No one knew anything. You wouldn’t even go to Cloud 9, and then, all of a sudden, Paris?”
She was crying and touching me gently, inspecting me with concern and joy. My heart clenched. She didn’t need to voice her fears; I knew a part of her had thought I was dead.
“Hey…hey, look at me. I’m fine, okay? I’m good.”I’m good now that you’re all here.“Everything is fine.”
“I know. Silly me.” She laughed in the midst of tears. “Tonight is for celebrations and, maybe, getting laid, if I can.”
