“Ican alwayscount on you. Your loyalty to this family cannot be shattered. And I respect that, Son. I really do.”
“Thank you.” I would never stop earning his trust.
“You ready?” he asked. “Ready to protect the family before focusing on the one you’re starting on your own?”
“Absolutely,” I vowed. “Always.”
34
SADIE
“Good luck.”
Emil leaned down to kiss me once more before taking off. “It looks like I should be telling you that.”
I glanced back in the direction of where he was looking. Gabriella winced just then, holding her stomach. Luka hovered next to her, watching her like a hawk. I had to laugh. He was just so obsessive about her.
“I’m no expert, but I don’t think she’s actually going into labor this early.”
He huffed a laugh, hugging me loosely and staying close before taking off with Ivan and Alexsei to secure closure on this last big mission of mine. A teeny bit of me hated to be left behind, but I wasn’t naïve or willing to risk this baby. I was definitely not in any condition to be in the field right now.
“Don’t jinx it,” he teased. “She went into labor early when she had Andre.”
I looked back at her again. We were all gathered to see the men off. “So I’ve heard. But she seems so normal.” As I spoke, she was rolling her eyes at Luka fussing over her. Typical, sassy Gabriella. At least that was what I’d learned about her so far. She didn’t seem to be in distress, and with all I was told and read, childbirth was a distressing occasion. I bet she was experiencing the same twinges and slight stabs of discomfort that I was since I woke up this morning. Little aches to remind me that I was carrying a big weight in front of me.
“Trust me, if she goes into labor early and Luka is here to fuss over her, you’ll wish you were someplace else,” he teased.
“It’s sweet, though, how in love they are.”
Moving so quickly that he startled me, he swooped me into his arms in a slight dip to kiss me hard. “It’s not as sweet as how much I love you.”
My heart pattered faster. Committing his sexy, charming grin to memory, I sighed up at his handsome face. “I love you, Emil.” I tugged his head down for one last kiss.
“All right, all right.” Alexsei cleared his throat as he walked through the room, holding Misha. “You’re going to give me a complex.”
Looking around the room, I realized what he meant. Raisa was kissing Ivan goodbye. Luka and Gabreilla were attached at the hip, with her smiling slyly at him now. And Emil and I were close and kissing too.
I winced internally, hating that Alexsei, who so far seemed like the quiet one, would feel left out.
Emil straightened, making sure I was steady on my feet. Dipping down to whisper in my ear, he said, “Seriously, pray that this is over with quickly and she doesn’t go into labor. He’ll go insane worrying about usandher.”
I nodded, smirking. “I’ll see what I can do.”
He chuckled, releasing me, but before he let go of my hand, he sobered with a somber expression. “Be safe.”
I huffed a laugh. “That’s my line toyou.”
Without any more fanfare, we told them goodbye. Allan and another high-ranking guard would be in the house and listening in on the comms units to better track the men as they flew to Haiti. They would check in with us every step of the way, but Luka was adamant that he and Inotwork.
Dr. Hannan was in the house, as a guest in waiting. That was how nervous he was about Gabriella going into labor early.
It was impossible to shrug off this innate tension. Without Emil here, I felt more like I was a guest of the family, not a consultant to work for the Dubinin Dynasty. It was different, but I was glad that I wouldn’t be idle. Not having anything to do would set me up to worry about Emil.
It’s not silly to worry.
I reminded myself of that, knowing he was a skilled, practiced, and strong man. He handled hits all over the world, but this was different. This was war, a coordinated raid and a bigger force of lethal measures against more than one target.
“Sadie?” Gabriella approached me as we all hung out around the huge entertainment system. Raisa had the idea to host arelaxed dinner tonight, making sure the boys were distracted with movies and games, pizza and snacks.
