Page 184 of Barinov

I huff out a breath.

Zeke knew what he was doing when he picked Brett to distract Luca. The man could talk a bullet out of a gun. Or at the very least get himself shot trying.

“Keycard,” the guard at the top of the stairs says.

As he reaches out, I catch a glimpse of a C scorched into the meat of his wrist when his sleeve rides up. I keep my face neutral as I press the plastic onto the cold glass screen of the card reader.

BEEP. BEEP.

“All good.” He nods to the door. “Welcome, gentlemen. The party is out back by the pool. Help yourself to refreshments along the way.”

We flash a quick smile and head inside.

“Shit,” Brett mutters as we pass by a table overflowing with gifts. “You think we should have brought something? I didn’t see a registry, but what do you get for a psycho who wants to marry his—”

I smack the back of his head.

“Ouch!” he groans, rubbing his neck.

“Split up,” I say, ignoring his soon to be tantrum. “You both know what to do.”

They vanish with a nod.

The backyard is full of masked men and women all dressed to the nines. Black ties and glittering gowns dancing beneath strings of Edison bulbs. Servers weave through the crowd with trays of champagne flutes. The liquid catching the glow like hundreds of little lightning bugs flickering in the dark.

Massive bunches of blood-red roses spill over everything—centerpieces, the bar, even climbing up a wrought iron stand over the main table. And past the heat of the crowd, the pool stretches out like a sheet of dark glass. Moonlight skims the surface, creating silver ripples in the breeze.

“Champagne?” a waiter with a glittering white mask asks.

I take the flute without looking at him, my eyes already hunting for Bella. It takes every ounce of willpower in me not to lunge the second I get a glimpse of her.

Luca’s standing beside her, looking like a damn predator in a tuxedo. His arm is slung way too low on her back as he parades her in front of a couple.

“I got eyes on B,” I whisper into my comms.

“How’s she look?” Nate asks.

Brett whistles. “Sexy as shit. Lex would be foamin’ at the mouth if he saw her.”

“Knock it off.” I grind my teeth, but he’s not wrong. The deep red satin of her gown clings to every curve and has a slit so high you can damn near see her ass from here. Lex would lose his mind if he saw her like this. Hell, Cade too.

Luca leans in and presses a lingering kiss to her temple. My jaw clicks.

“Brett,” I rasp, my grip tightening on the stem of the glass so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t shatter. “Get the fuck up there.”

“On it.” Brett weaves his way through the crowd and up to the main table. He offers a hand to the monster standing next to Bella. Her eyes widen when she sees him but she doesn’t flinch. Instead, she takes a deep breath and peers out across the sea of masks.

“She’s tryin’ to find us,” Ty says, clocking her glance.

“Don’t move,” Nate warns. “Let your brother get Luca away first.”

“Does anyone have eyes on Zeke?” Knox asks.

I scan the crowd quickly. “He ain’t here.”

“How do you know if they’re all in masks?”

“Because Ty’s the tallest fucker in here, and Z’s got at least two inches on him that’s how.”