Page 123 of Inked in Devotion

“Who's watching the kids?” I asked.

“Sorcha and the staff from Kirill’s house,” Kolya interpreted what Aralina signed.

“Sorcha is amazing,” I told Theo. “I leave Sebastian with her all the time, and she’s the baby whisperer. We’re thinking of opening a day care,” I said with a straight face.

Aralina covered her mouth to hide a smile.

“Dad?” Gage asked. “Can I check it out?”

“You’re bored standing next to your old man already?”

“Well, everyone here is old.” He said it with a trace of humor he rarely exuded in my interactions with him. “I see kids my age heading over there.” He tipped his chin down the hallway.

“Nikolai,” someone yelled, calling our attention to a group of men huddled in a corner. That was when I saw Kirill. He was standing with a man who looked to be in his forties. I hadn’t seen him around before. “Get your ass over here.”

Where were Lucy, Ivan, and Irina?

“Fuck.” Kolya transferred Sebastian to me. “Here, hold him.”

“Who’s that?”

“The third brigadier, and no, I don’t want him harassing you with uncomfortable questions.”

Kolya’s body had grown rigid. Worried, I looked over at Aralina.

She was already typing on her phone and then showed me the screen.

“That’s Rurik. Kolya gets irritated with him easily, and it’s better if you’re not around him. Kirill punched him in one meeting where he made an off-color joke about Lucy.”

Whoa. “Okay, keep the peace.”

Aralina nodded.

A muscle was twitching in Theo’s jaw while his gaze followed where Kolya went.

To distract him, I asked, “Are you learning sign language?”

Theo reluctantly returned his attention to us. “Some. Aralina is trying to teach me.”

“He’s a terrible student.” She pouted.

“I’m learning,” Gage announced, then he and Aralina exchanged smiles. Oh good. At least no tension there, I hoped. Or maybe they were ganging up on Theo.

“Oh, we are such a terrible host and hostess.” Ivan appeared with Irina.

“There was trouble with the catering crew,” Irina said. “But it’s all fixed.”

Lucy came around them with a pastry in her hand, and she was chewing and making delicious sounds.

“Oh, were you part of the taste-test crew?” I teased.

She winked. “You know it.”

“Mamamamama.” Sebastian reached for Lucy’s snack.

“He’s saying mama,” Lucy exclaimed.

“I really think he means something to eat, but I’ll take it. If he equates food with mama, that works for me.”