Mass inclines his head. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.” There’s a tense moment, then Mass waves a hand toward the door. The waitress arrives as if summoned and he rattles off a dinner order for everyone, not bothering to ask if it’s acceptable. When that’s done, he pours more wine all around and sits back, brooding quietly.
I get the feeling he doesn’t play well with others.
Allie fills in for him though. Where he’s distant and difficult, she’s warm and effusive. She asks me a ton of questions and I like her immediately. She’s got some of Gabe’s charm, though she seems much softer, much more normal in a strange way, even though she’s married to one of the most powerful men in the world.
But inevitably, despite Allie’s best attempts, the conversation drifts back to business after the food arrives. It’s all traditional French dishes from around the region: roast duck, chicken thighs, creamy sauces, various vegetables. “Truth is, Artyom’sgot too much support,” Mass says, glaring at his plate as he eats methodically. “Zohran’s managed to convince the others. Which leaves us in a bad position.”
“I’ve been thinking about that.” Gabe touches my hand. “Nika here has some intelligence on the Greek. She thinks he’s got a weakness for gambling and games.”
Mass’s mouth pulls down at the corners. “Yes, I’ve seen that in him, though it’s not widely known.”
“I have an idea. Let’s call it the beginning of a plan.”
“Tell me.”
“Not right now. We should enjoy the meal first before getting into the ugly stuff.” Gabe brightens, leans over, and kisses my cheek. “Good, right?”
“Good,” I confirm, not sure what he’s playing at, but I sense a reluctance to talk about his ideas in front of me.
Allie swoops in and changes the subject. She asks about growing up in L.A. and tells me some stories from her childhood. “It wasn’t easy having two much older brothers. Gabe was such a pain in the ass. So damn bossy.”
I pretend to be surprised. “No, not my husband. That can’t be right.”
“I don’t like where this is going,” Gabe mutters unhappily.
Allie cackles and relates the time Gabe tried to ground her, which didn’t go well, and ended up with them getting into a minor pranking war. She put soap in his toothpaste and he hid all her pillows for a week. Dominic ended up brokering a trucewhen Allie threatened to literally stab Gabe if he didn’t back off and apologize.
“Siblings can be hard,” Mass grumbles, which is basically all he has to offer. The man seems like a robot sometimes.
But dinner goes smoothly. When we’re finished, Gabe stands and invites Mass to smoke a cigar outside. The men disappear, drinks in hand, and I watch them go.
“You’ll get used to it,” Allie says quietly.
“To what?”
“All the secrecy. You’re going to be a Dragon’s wife, right? Secrets are a fact of life in our world.”
“Gabe doesn’t keep things from me.” But I get an uneasy feeling. Why did they walk off like that? And why didn’t Gabe want to talk about his plan?
“Of course not! My brother would never!” She beams at me and refills my glass. “I know he comes off hard sometimes, but he cares a lot. Maybe he cares too much. He made some mistakes in the past, and I think this whole Dragon quest is his way of atoning for that.”
“He’s a good person. Maybe a little lost.”
“Are you trying to help him find his way back?”
“I don’t, I mean, I couldn’t?—“
Allie laughs at how flustered I feel. “It’s okay, you know. I can tell you two love each other.”
“Love?” My cheeks start burning with embarrassment.
“Ah crap, you haven’t said it yet, have you?”
“No, I mean, our relationship is complicated.”
“Obviously.Dragon. But I’ve known Gabe my whole life, and I’ve never seen him look at a woman the way he’s looking at you. It’s like he needs your approval for everything he says and does. I’m not even sure he realizes he’s doing it, but whenever he opens his mouth, takes a drink, moves an inch, he’s looking to you.”
“Doesn’t always feel that way.”
