Chapter 10 #2
Nik leaned back against my desk, jacket open, one ankle crossed over the other as if he owned the place. Black suit. No tie. Tattoos crept up his throat where the collar gaped open. Calm in that frightening way he had.
Lacey stood close by his side, half turned toward him, her hand resting lightly on his chest. Her attention was on Gabriel, though, laughing at something he’d said—her natural warmth cutting through a room full of made men. She softened the space just by being here.
Conan—the man who’d saved Ana when she wrecked her car running from an arranged marriage, and the love of her life—stood behind her chair. One hand rested on the backrest; the other held a bottle of water.
He was massive and heavily tattooed, enough to rival Nik, with calm eyes that missed nothing. The kind of man who could tear someone apart and then go home and build a crib.
Ana looked up when we walked in, her face lighting up. She was radiant, beautiful as always. Her belly was unmistakable now, curving beneath a fitted sweater.
“Lucian,” she called out, her smile breaking wide.
She was out of her chair before I’d taken three steps. Ana barreled into me and wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me hard.
I laughed and caught her, steadying us both. “Easy,” I said, smiling. “Christ, look at you. You’re gorgeous, Ana. Motherhood looks good on you.”
She pulled back a little. “I missed you.”
“Likewise,” I said. “This place just isn’t the same without ya’.”
Behind her, Conan was already moving, one hand at her back, guiding her carefully into the chair again. He reached for the pastry tray, loaded two onto a plate, and set them in front of her.
“Eat,” he said calmly. “You’re growing two humans.”
The room fell silent.
“Two?” Gabriel blurted.
Lach shot me a look. “Twins?”
Ana laughed, delighted. “Surprise.”
Conan’s mouth twitched. “They run in the Volkov family. Let’s just hope they have her looks too.”
She rolled her eyes affectionately. “He’s determined to turn me into a double-wide if I’m not careful.”
“Not possible with the way you’re always on the go,” Conan said, deadly serious. “And you need the calories.”
I shook my head, smiling. “Protective suits you. Good to see you, Thorin.”
He stepped next to me, his palm hitting my back once. “Good to see you too. Heard you’ve been busy.”
“Always,” I said.
Lach moved to Ana’s other side, ruffled her hair as though she were his little sister, then dropped a kiss to her temple. “Congratulations, lass.”
She beamed at him too. That was the kind of girl she was—she made men like us remember they still had a heart somewhere.
Lach circled to the other side of the table, grabbed a glass, and poured himself two fingers of whiskey. Conan took the chair beside Ana, set his water down, and rested a hand on the back of her chair.
Tonight wasn’t just a family reunion, though—we had business to discuss, and I’d been wound tight all day waiting to get to it. I’d lit a fuse going after the mayor’s daughter, and it was just a matter of time before Delgado retaliated.
It wasn’t lost on me how lucky it was to have everyone in this room alive and breathing, after everything that had nearly taken many of us out over the last few weeks. I was determined to make damn sure we had leverage over those cartel bastards.
My gaze swept the room.
Gabriel was sprawled in a chair as though he’d been poured into it, his loud energy kept in check only by Nik’s presence. Rory Lynch, Nik’s consigliere, stood near the wall with a drink, watchful and quiet—then pushed off and took a seat at the table, glass in hand.
The only one missing that mattered was Julian.
Over the last few weeks, he’d been missing from Xyst more than he’d been around. Something was up with him, and if I didn’t have Scarlett Hayes to deal with, I’d already be tracking him down.
“Where the fuck is Julian?” I asked roughly.
Gabriel’s eyebrows lifted. “Christ, way to kill the mood.”
“Answer the question.”
Nik’s eyes flicked toward Gabriel in quiet warning.
Ana turned to Nik, her brow creasing. “He’s not coming?”
Lach huffed. “He’s been gone a lot lately.”
“Julian does Julian,” Rory said with a shrug.
I didn’t like the way Nik’s eyes squinted. The way his fingers tapped against his glass and then stopped.
Ana’s smile faded just a touch. “He said he’d be here. He promised.”
Conan’s hand settled on her shoulder.
“Is that normal for him?” Lacey asked.
“It is,” Gabriel smirked. “He disappears. We survive.”
I looked at Nik. “You talk to him?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“He said he was on his way.”
My jaw clenched. I dropped into the chair beside Lach and laid the folder on the table.
Ana drew a breath and deliberately let it go. “Well. That’s disappointing. I really wanted to see everyone before we headed back to Tacoma. It’ll probably be a while before we’re back in the city.”
“You’re still here for a few more days,” Lacey said, tilting her head. “Maybe he’ll show up before you leave.”
Gabriel reached for a pastry. “All right, before we all start brooding like Catholics—”
“We are Catholics,” I cut in.
Gabriel flipped me off and kept going. “—I want to talk about how you two got married in a church at midnight with no one invited.” He tipped his glass back and forth between Nik and Lacey, smirking.
“Yes, I’d like to talk about that too.” Ana’s eyes flashed to Lacey.
Lacey grinned, completely unapologetic. “It was just one of those spur-of-the-moment decisions.”
Ana leaned back, laughing. “Nik doesn’t do spur-of-the-moment. How did you swing a priest and a church that fast—that late?”
Nik took a slow sip of his drink. “I made a phone call.”
“That’s not an answer,” Ana said.
“It is,” Nik replied.
Lacey laughed. “He’s allergic to providing details.”
Ana pointed at her brother. “You’re insane.”
Nik’s expression didn’t change. His hand slid up Lacey’s back, fingers settling at the nape of her neck in an easy, possessive hold. She didn’t flinch. She preened.
“And another thing,” Ana added, turning back to Lacey. “You didn’t even tell me until after we got here. You should’ve called. I would have dropped everything and come.”
Lacey’s smile softened. “I didn’t know I was walking into a wedding until I was…walking into a wedding. Then things sort of spun out of control.”
Ana blinked. “He didn’t ask you?”
Lacey lifted a shoulder. “He gave me a choice. Just…not a lot of time to overthink it.”
Gabriel cleared his throat. “It was a whirlwind hostage situation with vows.”
Lacey pointed at him. “That’s rude.”
“It’s accurate,” Gabriel said.
Nik’s eyes turned to Gabriel—calm, lethal. “Finish that pastry.”
Gabriel shut up and chewed.
Ana laughed. “So—shotgun wedding? Another Volkov bun in the oven?”
Lacey shook her head quickly. “No. Definitely not…yet, anyway.”
Ana glanced up at Conan, smiling. “When it does happen, we’d better be the first to hear the news. Our babies need cousins to grow up with.”
I watched them—the way Conan hovered, the way Ana leaned into him as if she’d finally found something solid after a lifetime of chaos. I was happy for them.
Nik stood and took the seat at the head of the table. Lacey slipped into the chair beside him as the rest of us turned to face him, settling in as the room moved from casual to business.
Lacey reached for a bottle of water and slid it toward Ana without being asked. Ana murmured a quiet thank you as she uncapped it.
“Let’s talk about the war.” Nik placed his palm flat on the table and looked around the room.