22
Safe Harbor
“>” Kyle whined, shoving at Alexei’s shoulder as they rode the elevator up to Alexei’s apartment. “>”
Alexei eyed his little brother before looking at Jamie. “Says he’s hungry. Not feed in Medical?”
“Gracie fed him,” Jamie replied, holding both their travel bags in one hand. “He just wants food not from the mess hall.”
“Chow isn’tfood,” Kyle retorted.
Alexei nodded in agreement. “Sean making dinner.”
“Is he cooking or is he ordering in?”
Alexei shrugged. “Just told him food.”
The elevator came to a stop, opening up on his apartment floor. The three of them stepped inside and the smell of pizza had Kyle making a beeline for the kitchen where four pizza boxes were lined up on the kitchen island.
“The pepperoni is mine!” Kyle called out.
“Save me slice,” Alexei said.
“Get your own damn pizza.”
“I got two large pepperonis,” Sean said as he came down the hallway. “You can have the other one, Lyosha.”
Alexei grinned and pressed a quick kiss to Sean’s cheek as they passed each other. “Keep safe from Kyle.”
“Yeah, you’re on your own there. Hurry up and come eat.”
Alexei waved for Jamie to follow him down the hallway to the guest bedroom he and Sean had set up once Katie had discovered Jamie’s plans to bunk at the base with Kyle. Since their condo was unlivable and Jamie wasn’t taking up his parents’ offer to stay with them, Alexei had bullied both of them—with Katie’s help—into staying at his and Sean’s place.
The apartment that he and Kyle used to share, but which neither had lived in for months, wasn’t an option. It meant no one on the team had eyes on the pair, and Alexei wasn’t having that. Besides, he was pretty sure Jamie was going to close out the lease now that they no longer had to keep up their cover.
“Is comfy bed. Not too hard, not too soft,” Alexei said.
Jamie placed his and Kyle’s bags on the floor near the bed. “It’s fine, Alexei.”
“Tell you call me Lyosha.”
“Lyosha, then,” Jamie replied with a small, quick smile. “I’m going to unpack. You go eat.”
Alexei scoffed. “Unpack later. Eat now.”
It didn’t take much more effort on Alexei’s part to coax Jamie out of the bedroom and back to the kitchen. Kyle was eating straight out of the box while Sean had grabbed himself a plate. Four bottles of beer sat open on the kitchen island. Alexei grabbed one and downed half of it as he flipped open his pizza box.
“So much better than the stuff in Medical,” Kyle said around a mouthful of pizza.
“You guys made good time. Pizza arrived about five minutes before you did,” Sean said.
Jamie picked up a slice with everything on it and took a bite. “Thanks for dinner.”
“Kitchen is full of food, so help yourselves to whatever. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”
Alexei nodded. “>”
“>” Kyle said.
