Pathetic.I make another lap around the compound, trying to use the skills Misha taught me to memorize building layouts quickly. One more right up here and I should be…
“Ah!”
“Fuck!”
Teddy barrels into me, rounding the corner like someone’s lit his ass on fire and scaring the shit out of me. He’s surprised, as if I’m the last person he expected, and he doesn’t seem thrilled to see me.Surely, someone has trained him not to run his hand through his hair when he’s nervous?
“You’re in a hurry,” I say, unable to hide my curiosity. He must notice me narrowing my eyes at his obvious tell, because he drops his hand to his side immediately and tries to act nonchalant.
“No! I mean, no. Not at all. I do have somewhere to be, though, so…”
“Somewhere with your passport in your pocket?” Oh God. I’d almost forgotten how awkward he can be. Once he realized Ellie was into him, he became all suave with her. And the Bratva training has made him pretty damn scary to watch in the sparring ring. But this is old-school Teddy. I’ve caught him in a throwback moment of tension.
“Uh. Yeah, actually. Apparently, I’m being summoned to a big Bratva wedding in Russia. Fucking Rusev lost my invitation, so I’ve gotta leave now. You’ll hang out with Ellie for me, right?”
He’s trying to ease past me down the hallway, but even though I’m not quite his size, I can still block him a bit.
“Sure I can, but it’s Friday. What about the exhibition match on Tuesday?”
“Coach knows I’m going, and the wedding is Sunday. I’ll be back before then. Ivan assured me.”
We both realize what he said at the same time. Why the hell am I asking about hockey? Who the fuck cares?
“Is she—”
“I’ve really gotta go, Thatch. You know I love you like a brother, and I hate to see you in an ounce of pain. Please believe me when I say it’ll all work out. I really do think so. But right now, I have a plane to catch, okay? Love you, man.”
“Love you, too.”
I lean heavily against the wall, staying put for the five or so minutes it takes Teddy to grab a bag and head for the SUV waiting outside the front door. Ellie, looking more pregnant these days, squeezes him for a hug and wipes her eyes when she lets him go.I don’t really think she’s been all that emotional lately…
Maybe she’s upset that she doesn’t get to go to the fancy Bratva shindig. Or maybe she thinks Teddy will be in danger during this trip. I guess I can imagine any Bratva occasion having the potential to get rowdy and dangerous.
Continuing down the hallway as the sun starts to set, Teddy’s locked office door beckons. The keypad taunts me even though I’ve never been much of a snooper. I wonder…
2…6…6…2…7
The satisfying click of the lock proves that Teddy hasn’t changed a bit, and I step into the office, closing the door behind me. Too late, I consider that it might be booby-trapped or equipped with lasers that’ll fire poison darts at me as soon as I take a step, but I cross the room to the desk unscathed.
I’ve been here before, but only briefly. I don’t think it’s necessarily Teddy’s favorite room in the house, and I don’tblame him. I wouldn’t want to be reminded of the massive weight on my shoulders any more than I needed to be. It does have a sick bar cart in a globe, though, so it isn’t all bad.
He’s filled in the bookshelves with some of his own knickknacks, including framed photos of him and Ellie. Some of these look like she’s sleeping…Jesus, Teddy.Seeing him and Ellie just reminds me of Mila, as everything else does.
Continuing my perusal, I hit the jackpot on a side table near a banquet chair.A three-wick candle.Hell yes. I haven’t burned a candle since…well, since before Mila. But there’s a big-ass tub in my suite, and a candlelit bath might be just the thing I need to relax.
I need a lighter, though, and there’s not one in sight. Surely in his desk drawer, though. This is invasive, I know, but I’m a trustworthy guy, and Teddy and I have shared alotover the years. I’ll just find a lighter, go enjoy my bath, and go to sleep.
Except there’s not a fucking lighter in sight. Just my luck. Sitting back heavily into the giant leather desk chair that Teddy must have made custom, I note how tall his desk is. I would fit under there perfectly, with plenty of room to kneel and please Mila…
Goddamn, I have to get a grip. I’ll have a bath without a candle, then drink a bottle of wine and go to bed. Anything is better than…ooo, shiny.A golden flash catches my eye in the desk drawer, and pulling it free reveals a thick cream piece of cardstock with gold lettering. It’s in Cyrillic, but based on the entwined wedding rings embossed at the top, I can guess this is the invitation to the wedding Teddy has to attend.
Teddy’s desk phone rings, startling me, and I drop the paper, feeling like a kid who’s been caught being naughty.Which I suppose I am.It’s the perfect reminder that I shouldn’t be in here, and I’m late for my bath. Grabbing my candle in case I finda lighter elsewhere, I bend down to retrieve the invite, realizing it flipped when it fell.
The front text was Cyrillic, but the back…the back is in English, and my candle clatters to the ground as I read every other word, tears clouding my vision immediately.
You . . . cordially . . . wedding
Mila Taranova
