I shake my head and rub my jaw. I don’t know what my mother is planning for this whole Christmas circus, but I trust her.
Chapter 28
Kelly
Iscratch my head and stare into the wardrobe like it might offer some divine guidance.
What do you wear when you’re about to go meet a family filled with insane mafia psychopaths? When Alexei told me his mother wanted us to come to her house for Christmas, I thought he was joking.
Alexei’s very suspicious about this. Which makes me even more nervous about what I should even wear to this thing.
I look at my shirt and curse under my breath. Nope, this is not going to work at all.
I start taking off the shirt and dig through my closet for another option, tossing rejected pieces onto the bed.
“Are you changing again? We’re going to be late.”
I glance over my shoulder and glare at him. “Don’t start with me. You can wait on the couch.”
He looks so freaking good in black dress pants and a white shirt with a black suit jacket that fits him perfectly. I’ve never seen him in a suit before. He looks like he stepped out of a magazine, which makes me feel even more pressure to find something that will make me look presentable instead of like some random guy he picked off the street.
He groans when I pull out another sweater and then put it back immediately.
“If you don’t leave this room right now, I will take twice as long getting ready.”
He lifts his hands up in surrender. “Fine. I’ll pet Clover since at least she doesn’t snap at me.”
I shake my head and pick up another shirt with a blue jacket that might work with my chinos. This has to be good enough because we really are going to be late if I keep spiraling.
I throw it on and make my way to the living room. I hear Alexei saying something low in Russian as I approach him. I slow down so my steps don’t sound so loud and spot him holding Clover against his chest, speaking to her with a genuine smile while using what sounds like a baby voice.
I clear my throat. He looks up with an immediate scowl, turns around to put her down, and walks toward the garage without saying anything.
I rub the back of my head and follow him. When we reach the car, he opens the passenger door for me. I slide in and he closes it behind me before walking around to the driver’s side. The engine roars to life and he pulls forward out of the garage, then down the driveway.
“So any final warnings about what not to say or do?”
He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “If they start arguing about a fucking vase, we’re leaving immediately.”
A what?
“Okay, anything else?”
“No, just be yourself.”
I stare out the window, watching the scenery blur past. We drive for about ten minutes before approaching a huge black metal gate with the family crest embedded in the center. This one is smaller than the one we passed when we first got to hisplace. There are four guards outside wearing tactical gear and carrying guns. They nod at the car, and the gate opens smoothly.
We drive up a driveway lined with massive trees on both sides, and a smaller black house comes into view. Men in suits walk out with earpieces.
Seeing the actual mansion, I gasp out loud because calling it a mansion doesn’t do it justice. This thing is a palace. Fully black and modern with tinted windows everywhere.
The driveway has a waterfall in the middle with the road circling around it to the front door. The cars parked outside are insane. I spot a purple McLaren that makes my eyes go wide.
“Is that Lina’s?” I ask.
“You’re looking at Daniil’s ugly-ass car,” Alexei says with amusement.
“Really?”
