1
New York,New York
USA
Sean Delaney climbedout of the taxi and tugged his suit jacket back into place. He turned to watch as his fiancé, Alexei Dvorkin, closed the door and came around to meet him on the sidewalk. The automated taxi pulled out into the evening Manhattan traffic, the vehicle’s AI leading it on to its next fare.
“Think we beat everyone?” Alexei asked as he draped an arm around Sean’s shoulders. The smile on Alexei’s face was contagious, and Sean found himself smiling back as he looked up into sparkling gray eyes.
“I think everyone was betting on when we’d get here and probably arrived before us,” Sean replied.
“Wait forever. Had long dinner.”
They had, mostly because the expensive meal at a high-class restaurant had been paid for by Jamie Callahan, which meant Alexei had kept ordering enough alcohol that he should’ve been drunk by now. Since both he and Sean were metahumans, they were both only mildly buzzed. Their faster metabolisms processed alcohol quicker and easier than normal humans. That side effect was going to come in handy while they enjoyed their bachelor party tonight.
December was cold, but the inside of the Andromeda club was warm once they made it into the swanky reception area on the fiftieth floor. The place was one of those luxury clubs that catered to the super wealthy, where privacy and exclusivity was the name of the game. A random person on the street or in the general party scene would never make it past the security-manned elevator on the ground level.
The hostess who greeted them with a polite smile could’ve been walking a runway with her looks. She seemed to anticipate who they were, which wasn’t surprising. It had nothing to do with their unwanted fame after the events last spring, but instead the guest list Jamie had probably submitted to the establishment when he reserved a private party space.
“Mr. Dvorkin, Mr. Delaney, right this way. Your party is expecting you,” the hostess said.
They were handed off to another woman, who led them through a set of sliding doors into a smaller room empty of furniture and decorations.
“Please hold still for the security scan,” she instructed them.
Alexei shot Sean a wistful look that made him chuckle. Sean slipped his hand into Alexei’s and gave it a squeeze. Gone were the days when either of them would carry weapons or be in the field as active members of Alpha Team. They might not currently be deployed by the Metahuman Defense Force, but Alexei’s pyrokinesis and Sean’s phase power would always be weapons they could fall back on that no modern-day scanner would ever be able to locate.
The security check was quick, and the woman waved them toward the doors that slid open in front of them. “This way, gentlemen.”
Once they left the security room for the interior of the club, the noise level rose, hitting Sean’s ears with a rush of sound. Music and conversation bled into each other as they entered the main lounge area. Sean took a second to orient himself to the space.
A bar lined the interior wall, and a dance floor pressed up against the opposite wall of windows overlooking the Manhattan skyline. Unlike the street-level shops that were decorated for the holidays, Andromeda never changed its decor. Its lone concession to the festivities that happened throughout the year were special holiday-themed drinks Sean knew Alexei couldn’t wait to taste. The Christmas one apparently came with a candy cane as a straw.
Softly illuminated stairs led to the second, private level that looked out over the main floor. The space was discreetly divided into reserved VIP areas by lounges, chairs, and privacy screens that showcased rotating images of space, stars, galaxies, and planetary images casting colorful light on them as they passed.
“The guests of honor have finally arrived!” Madison Chan cheered, waving at them when they got within eyesight of their friends and family. “What time is it? Who bet on this hour?”
Sean laughed, always amused at how everyone who used to be on Alpha Team would find an excuse to bet onanything—movies, sports, arrival times, what color the sky was. If someone could win money off of it, the bet would happen.
“Am here. Party can start,” Alexei said with a smirk as he spread his arms wide. “Where is vodka?”
Kyle Brannigan, Alexei’s adoptive little brother, peeled himself away from Jamie Callahan’s side and grabbed the vodka bottle chilling in the ice bucket on the low plas-glass table. “Get over here so I can pour you a shot.”
Alexei snagged Sean’s hand, and Sean allowed himself to be pulled along. His gaze skimmed over everyone who had come for their bachelor party, the same people who would be sitting front and center at their wedding in Boston in two days. Tonight was less about the tradition of getting drunk and more about seeing everyone they missed.
All the members of their old Alpha Team had shown up, along with everyone’s significant others. Tatyana and Valentina, Alexei and Kyle’s two younger sisters, had also been invited. They were chatting excitedly with Sean’s brothers, who made up the rock band Atomic Grace. Zach, Caleb, and Parker had taken time off in December from the last leg of their world tour for the wedding and the holidays.
Sean’s relationship with his family had gotten better since they’d learned he was a metahuman last year. The anger and tension that used to color their interactions was gone, and it was easy to accept the back-slapping hugs his brothers gave him before Caleb shoved a beer into his hand.
“We’ve been listening to everyone else bitch about losing the bet with every fifteen minutes you guys were late,” Zach said cheerfully.
“Dinner ran long because Alexei wanted dessert twice,” Sean replied.
Caleb made a pained face. “Please tell me that’s not a euphemism.”
Sean laughed, nearly snorting his beer. “It’s not. Dinner was just that good.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Jamie said with a smile as he stepped up to greet him.
