Page 57 of Wicked Serve

Cooper snaps his fingers, pointing at him. “Yes. But not just laser tag. Nikolai and I—”

“And your sister,” Nik interrupts.

I stand taller, hoping the blush doesn’t show on my face. I won’t lie, it’s weird to see them becoming friends. Or at least friendly enough to plan this event together. When they approached me in the library earlier this week to ask for help deciding on a theme, I nearly spit out my coffee. They wanted to just do dinner—boring—but I convinced them that they could bring the formal vibe to an activity the guys would actually like. Cue the laser tag. I also persuaded them to keep the dress code, because the only thing more fun than running around half-tipsy in the dark is to do it in themed costumes.

“—and Izzy, yes, party planner extraordinaire, have created a game that will test you,” Cooper continues. “Challenge you. Make you regret only renting your tuxedo, Hazelton”—everyone laughs at that, including the skinny freshman who must be Hazelton—“and most importantly, bond you as a unit.”

“By playing laser tag?” Evan drawls. He brought his boyfriend along tonight, a guy named Xander. According to Cooper, it’s new, but Evan’s happier than he’s ever seen him. They do look adorable together, casually holding hands... like how Penny’s lingering by Cooper, and how Sebastian’s resting his chin atop Mia’s head. Oh, and not to mention Victoria and Aaron, looking absolutely lovesick. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to tell them to open it up to partners and friends, too. I’m bombarded by romance everywhere I look.

“Not just any laser tag,” Nik says, a dramatic note in his voice. “We’re playing capture the flag.”

I grin as the guys all start talking over each other. It might be strange to see Nik and Cooper getting friendly, but it’s nice, too. They put a lot of work into this plan, so their teammates better appreciate it.

“Are there actual flags?” Aaron asks.

“We get to shoot each other, right?” another guy calls.

“Haven’t you ever played laser tag?” Cooper says. “It’s going to be a bloodbath.”

“A bloodbath of fun,” Nik adds, letting his Russian accent, usually very slight, hit more strongly than usual.

I raise an eyebrow, and he throws me a wink.

Electricity zings down my body. I don’t dare look at Cooper; hopefully he didn’t notice. This might’ve been my idea, but I’m playing with fire tonight. I know it, and I know Nik knows it... and yet I can’t help but blush at that wink.

“We’ll split into two teams,” Cooper continues. “I’ll captain one, and Abney will captain the other. We’re all playing as secret agents trying to secure vital intelligence—the other team’s flag—before the enemy.”

“What’s the prize?” someone calls out.

Cooper turns to Nik, who says, “One free pass on practice... and front-row seats to any NHL playoff game you want, on me.”

Just like we thought, the prize is a total hit. I give Nik another small smile as we split into teams. Maybe he’s finding a place on this team after all.

Fifteen minutes later, I hitch my skirt around my waist as I dart from one fake rock to the next, blue plastic gun in hand. It’s dark in here, aside from the glow-in-the-dark props and the laser gun flashes. Even though a truly terrible throwback soundtrack blares from hidden speakers, I’m hearing way more of the overly dramatic shouting, teasing, and laughter. I pass Penny chasing after Cooper—she ended up on Nik’s team, whereas I’m on Cooper’s—and spot Sebastian tugging Mia behind another fake rock, presumably to make out with her. (They came for the booze and the excuse to dress up, anyway.) Victoria raises her hand in a wave as she passes me; she’s hot on Aaron’s heels. I wonder if she’s going to smack him or kiss him when she catches him—either is possible, given how he grinned when they ended up on opposing teams.

A guy on Nikolai’s team fires a shot at me, but I twist before it can hit the target on my vest. Mickey shot me right at the beginning of the game, but otherwise, I’ve done a good job of retaining my lives. Cooper sent me, Evan, and Hazelton on the offense, hoping that we can sneak around the edges of the room to grab the flag waving tantalizingly on top of the red team’s tower. Even though the prize doesn’t matter nearly as much to me, I’ll never turn down a challenge. I’m a Callahan. I’ve been trained since birth to dominate games.

I skid behind a large rock, peering over the top as I aim my gun. I see a flash of red and shoot, ducking before they spot me. Nik’s team flag waves in the distance. I want to see the look on his face when he realizes I’m the one who stole it. The next place for cover is a little far ahead, but if I time it right—

A familiar hand curls around my wrist.

“Isabelle,” Nik says, still using that pronounced accent. I should laugh at how ridiculous it sounds, but for some reason, it makes my nape prickle. “When did you betray me for the enemy?”

I smile sweetly. “Who says it was my betrayal?”

“I’m wanted in twenty-seven countries,” he says, sounding for all the world like he just walked out of an action movie. Someone should bottle that rasp and sell it. “And yet I’m risking it all to see you.”

“You’re so ridiculous.”

He presses his gun into my side. “If the pretty girl won’t cooperate...”

“I’m terrified,” I deadpan, although I shiver, lips twitching into a smile, when his hand curves over my hip. “How did you even find me?”

He says something to me in Russian. My eyes widen. He’s only spoken the language to me once or twice, and that’s because I asked him to. I know it’s his voice, obviously, I’d recognize it anywhere, but the way it catches on the syllables is smoother, sexier. He adds something else, grinning at the look on my face. The noise of the game melts away.

Yep. Russian is officially way sexier than English.

“While that’s unfairly hot,” I say with a tremble, “what—”

---