Parker frowns hard and glances away.
I shake my head. “Would you two zip it? We have shit to handle.”
“You sound excited,” Tomas snaps. “Did you get snubbed by her, too?”
Shrugging him off only seems to worsen my agitation, so I chug some of my drink, set it down, and plant my hands on my thighs. “We have to wait for Mikhail.”
“What’s taking the little jerk so long?” Parker grunts. He sips his whiskey, looks out the window, and squints against the light of the setting sun invading the room. “Goddamn fucking slowpoke of a goddamn kid.”
“Did you age forty years or something?” I joke. “You sound like an old man.”
He rolls his shoulder as though he’s loosening a knot, but he could also be preparing to knock my lights out. “I don’t know.”
“Wow, no retort for that?”
“I’m under a lot of pressure right now.”
Tomas nods. “New king of the castle.” He glances up at the ceiling and sighs with relief, then looks around the room. “Not bad.”
“Don’t get too cozy. You’re a bigger target now,” Parker warns. “More fucking responsibilities, too.”
“That’s why we have to talk,” I tell him. “And why we need to wait for the other guy in Macedon who’s wearing a crooked fucking crown.”
Tomas chuckles. “Jesus. What wound you up so tight?”
“Nothing,” I spit, though I’m sure we can all admit to the same thing.
We’re all worried about where the hell Alex went. She hasn’t been answering calls or texts. Even the group chat with her in it feels oddly empty. Her absence weighs on my heart, and while I can’t boast about us being on good terms, I can’t say I’m not always thinking about her. I know Tomas and Parker are the same way.
They probably didn’t hesitate with that vow, I reflect while drinking the last of my whiskey. And here I am, sitting on my fucking hands about it. How long am I going to think it over?
The worst thought is wondering how long Alex will wait.
But I try not to think about that at all.
“Gentleman,” Mikhail greets while wandering into the room.
I do a double take when I see him. His resemblance to Lev is so strong that even a slightly similar haircut puts him at twin status with his late brother. It’s alarming and comforting at the same time—and it makes me grateful that Alex isn’t here. She would have burst into tears the moment Mikhail walked into the room.
Her feelings for Lev were so obvious that it made me reflect on how I never saw it before. Has she ever looked at me that way? Or talked about me that way? I could ask the boys, but I’m afraid of the answer. Getting rejected by a potential date is one thing, but getting rejected by Alexandra Moretti is another entirely.
My stomach flips as I avoid thinking of how she ran off. Will she be back? Or is she on another one of those risky adventures again?
Christ, I should put a fucking tracker on that girl, I think while scrubbing my knee worriedly. She’s making me lose a lot of beauty sleep with all this goddamn worrying.
Mikhail stands awkwardly near the end of the couch where Parker sits, hand resting tentatively on the rear cushion. “Can I—?”
“Sit the fuck down,” Parker bites. “Grab a drink. Jesus, just chill the fuck out.”
I snicker while shaking my head, watching the poor kid dance between the couch and the drink cart. Tomas seems amused by the show as well, hiding his chuckles behind his glass. When Mikhail sits down, the four of us exchange a few awkward glances, trying to determine who’s going to speak first.
“This is a fucking mess,” Parker groans. He looks at Tomas and asks, “Who the hell attacked your home?”
“Fuck if I know,” Tomas sighs while swirling a finger in his drink. “Couldn’t get a good look at them during the chaos.” He shakes the water off his finger, splashing a few droplets on my jeans. “Alex was under the bed for most of it. Happened pretty fast.”
“Was she hurt?”
I blush when I realize Parker and I asked the same question. We avoid eye contact, both of us acting as nonchalantly as possible as though we weren’t just rushing to check on the safety of the chick who’s been tugging around us for half a damn year. Or has it been longer?