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“I don’t care what you just mean, Danny. I don’t want her instead of you. God…” He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging at the ends. “If it weren’t for you, I’d have never gotten through this last year. You’re my best friend. You’re part of me, Danny. If I lost you, I don’t know what I’d do.”

Genuine fear shone on his face, and I grabbed his arm and pulled him to me. He hugged me so hard, I thought my bones were going to break.

“I’m not going anywhere, Alex. I promise.”

His fingers dug into my skin, and I matched his fierceness with my own. His chest was pressed to mine, and I could feel his heart beating in tandem with my own.

I had no idea how long we stayed that way but when we separated, the sun had set and the outside lights had turned on.

“We should go inside,” Alex said as he wiped his eyes discreetly.

“Okay.”

We didn’t say anything else to each other and once we stepped inside the house, everything seemed to return to normal…well, as normal as having a Russian tied to a chair who had hamburger for a face.

“He still out?” I asked.

“On and off. I think maybe Alex gave him a concussion.” Penn was shining a light in Oleg’s eyes.

“What’s that mean?” Alex didn’t look even a little bit upset for what he’d done, and why should he? The asshole deserved that and more.

“It means you have a seat and let me talk to him. Threatening his rep bothered him. Maksim may be on to something.” Gideon brought a chair over for Alex, who sat.

Oleg groaned and slowly lifted his head. His face was bloody and swollen, but his jaw wasn’t broken yet, so there was room for improvement.

The man squinted in our direction, more so at Alex. “I get it now.”

“Get what?” Alex snarled.

“You are the groom.” Oleg chuckled, then peered up at Gideon. “I will tell you secret now.”

“Why now?”

“Because it will end this circus you have me in.”

Gideon clenched his jaw. “What secret?”

From behind Oleg I saw Maksim rise from the table; there was a weariness to his expression. “He’d never offer a thing.”

Gideon waved Maksim away. “Speak, Oleg.”

The corner of Oleg’s mouth curled, and he focused on Alex again. “Vladimir wanted Mila to marry Maksim but feared he’d be limp-dicked and not produce offspring. It would be even more of an embarrassment. So, Vladimir tasked me with the job of fucking Mila until she was ripe with my seed and pushing out babies.”

Holy fucking shit. I was about to block Alex, my thought being he’d jump Oleg, but Alex was stock-still, staring daggers at him.

“Is that it, your big secret?” Alex was eerily calm.

“It is. She’d resist of course, but a good Russian woman knows her place.”

Alex hummed. “Is that all you’re going to share with us this evening?”

I met Gideon’s eyes; they were resigned. No way were we going to be able to stop what was about to happen because if it were any of us Oleg was talking to about someone we loved, he’d be dead already.

“I think so.”

Alex dipped his chin, reached into the inside pocket of his jacket, and pulled out a knife.

“Alex,” Gideon tried.