“Thank you. We appreciate it.”
“Da,” Alexei said, coming up behind Sean to wrap an arm around his waist. “Was good. Club good, too.”
Sean glanced around their private area, not seeing the usual men and women in suits who seemed constantly attached to Jamie and Kyle these days. “No Secret Service detail tonight?”
Jamie took a sip of his whiskey. “They’re waiting on the street. Burwell knows with the entire team here we can handle any problem, not that I expect any to show up.”
Jamie’s father, Richard Callahan, had won the presidential election last month. It hadn’t been in a landslide, but neither had it been a razor-thin win. In spring, before the attack on the nation’s capital and the revelation of their classified identities, the polls for Richard weren’t favorable due in large part to Alpha Team’s mission. When the truth came out, and Jamie’s status as a metahuman had come to light, the public’s perception of Richard had gone through a seismic shift.
His poll numbers had climbed, and he regained the lead in the presidential race, never losing it. Even the congressional investigations that stretched through summer weren’t enough to dent Richard’s forward momentum. Poll popularity wasn’t a guarantee of an election win, and the Callahans had stumped hard right up to election day, with Jamie and Kyle both working as surrogates for Richard on the campaign trail.
Sean glanced over at Kyle, who was deep in conversation with Ekaterina “Katie” Ovechkina and her partner, Matthew Gailani. Aside from being madly in love with Katie, Matthew had been Alexei and Kyle’s former captain when they’d both been part of Strike Force. Everyone had gotten to know Matthew since meeting him on the mission in Montana last year, and it’d been a no-brainer to invite him tonight and for the wedding.
Sean rubbed his thumb against the simple platinum band with its round diamond set in the center. Compared to Alexei’s hefty gold and diamond ring that could be called many things, just not subtle, Sean’s was a classic style. The rings they’d chosen for each other each fit their personality, and Sean was looking forward to making everything official.
“Hey, boys,” Annabelle Brown said with a smile as she elbowed her way into the circle, carrying a tray of what looked like truffles. Sean wasn’t sure, as he’d only seen the delicacies once before while on a mission, and had never gotten to taste them. “I know you two had dinner, and I’m mad I didn’t win the bet, but you can’t say no to these.”
Sean felt Alexei zero in on the chocolate like a heat-seeking missile. “Truffles?”
Sean wriggled free of Alexei’s arm, snagged two truffles off the tray before they were demolished, and went to say hello to everyone else while Alexei basically bogarted the tray, much to Annabelle’s amusement.
“Better order another one,” Jamie told her.
Annabelle mock saluted. “On it.”
Trevor Sanchez, his live-in partner Brendan Kane, Donovan Williams, and Dr. Gracie Gold had commandeered the tequila and rum. Sean squeezed between Trevor and Katie, setting his beer on the table holding all their drinks and the bottles of alcohol.
“It’s the man of the hour!” Donovan said with a grin, holding up a hand for a high five. “Literally, on the hour so I could win the bet. Thank you for that.”
Sean high-fived him with a laugh. “Glad to be of service.”
He and Alexei had seen more of Donovan, Gracie, and Katie than everyone else over the past six months, mostly because they all still worked out of the MDF headquarters. Technically, all of them who were formally on Alpha Team were in the MDF Reserves. Sean and Alexei had taken a short leave of absence back in spring before returning to the fold to help work with and train new MDF agents, metahumans or otherwise.
They’d been recalled only once, under the Phoenix Rising team moniker, back in September to clear out a Sons of Adam terrorist cell that had encroached on Trevor’s personal life. Getting back into the field had been like returning to an old normal, despite the months of downtime, but everyone’s new normal had still called to them once they took off their uniforms.
Sean was happy being base-bound after years of running missions for both the CIA and the MDF. They’d all earned a long break.
Gracie pushed a glass of tequila toward him. “Drink up. I brought enough hangover prevention medical shots for those who need it to clear everyone’s head before we leave.”
“Nice.” Sean gamely took the glass of tequila, tilting it in a toast at the other four. “Glad you guys could make it.”
“Like we’d miss it,” Trevor said from where he sat with his arm slung over Brendan’s shoulder. “Thank you for not setting your wedding during my finals.”
“Are you done yet?”
“Two more finals next week. The only time I won’t be studying is tonight, the rehearsal dinner tomorrow night, and your wedding day.”
“I swapped shifts with someone at the station to get your wedding day off, but I lucked out and already had tonight off,” Brendan said with an easy smile.
Trevor was in medical school, and Brendan was an EMT. They’d met during an attack on the teaching hospital Trevor went to and were inseparable these days. Sean had met Brendan a handful of times and liked the other man. He was funny and personable, and everyone could see how happy he made Trevor.
Sean leaned back on the leather couch, taking another sip of tequila. They chatted for a little longer until Alexei made his way back to him. Everyone scooted over so he could sprawl next to Sean, settling a warm hand on Sean’s thigh.
“Should have vodka,” Alexei said, handing Sean his glass.
“I have beer and tequila. You keep the vodka. If you haven’t eaten all the truffles yet, I want some, Lyosha,” Sean replied.
Alexei got a faintly guilty look in his eyes. “Sorry. Ate all. Can get more?”
