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“Why did you even suggest this?” Tristan asks in a hushed voice. “After last time my mother was around you guys ... well, it didn’t go well and I thought you’d want to avoid fights at your engagement party.”

“We are trying to avoid fights, but Valerie missed your mom when we got together for Christmas,” Chase insists.

“Exactly,” I agree, leaving out that Lief was the mastermind behind this.

Tristan nods. “I get that, but Val might want the perfect family. Our parents being here will help nothing.”

I nod once. Tristan and Chase walk off to talk about something, but my eyes flick to my father. He’s already trying to sneak out and we haven’t even had food yet. I catch him and we step outside. He gives me a cigar and switches to Russian.

“Congratulations on proposing to the woman,” he says.

“You like her or you two would have killed each other in the conference room,” I say.

He sighs and makes a noncommittal gesture. “If she were with one of you, I’d approve.”

“Why are you sneaking out?” I ask.

“I got another letter. I’m going to deal with this so you and Chase can enjoy this moment,” he says.

I just stare at him. It’s something that Valerie taught me. It takes my father much more than ten seconds–Valerie’s normal–but he cracks. “He’s threatened to bomb the mansion. We have many innocent people there. I have to turn myself in. Maybe that will be enough.”

“If you do that, the police will look into everything. We’ll be in jail rather than in matrimony,” I hiss.

He shrugs. “I don’t know what to do, Hunter. I’ve spent my life preparing you two to take over, and now an outsider is going to ruin that. How am I supposed to keep everyone safe?”

“You need to trust us and let us work on this as well. Chase is running some diagnostics on his computer. We are searching every database possible. We could extend the option for a meeting. If we can get eyes on the person-”

“They’d never agree. They know that keeping their identity a secret makes them powerful,” he says.

“Then let’s not have him meet with us,” I murmur as the idea forms. I hate it, absolutely hate it, but I have a feeling it will work.

“What are you talking about?” My father demands as he exhales smoke.

I text Valerie and she appears. “You do not know how perfect your timing is. Vanya and Josefine were teaming up on me about babies. Hunt, I’m so not .... we’re not alone.” She puts on a smile and switches to Russian. “Hello.”

Mr. Volkov hands her a cigar. Valerie has never smoked as long as I’ve known her, but she takes a few puffs. She coughs and hands it back to him. “Thank you.”

“Hunter has a plan that involves ...” My father’s eyes cut to me and he shakes his head once. “Stupid boy.”

“Dorogaya, you love me, remember that,” I encourage in English.

“How could I forget, Krolik ... wait ... what are you about to ask?” Her eyes narrow.

“You’re so pretty when you’re suspicious,” I croon. “But then again, if it’s too much to ask, maybe too dangerous, I can always just go to jail since I’ll never let Chase do that and-”

“You arenotgoing to jail. Spill. Now,” she orders.

She is sexy as hell when she’s pissed off. It makes me love her even more. I stow my lust for the time being. “You’re the best psychologist I know.”

“Theonlypsychologist you know,” she says.

“Dr. Sexy, I need you to take on a 007 level mission. You need to have a session with our attacker and find out who they are. Who they are. Get in their stupid, evil head and destroy them so we can come in and take over,” I say.

She stares at me, just stares. She steals my drink and downs it. “Okay, admittedly, better than baby talk, or thinking about my family, but you’re going to be putting everyone in that clinic at risk. If everyone justleaves, that will be suspicious and the person will walk. How do we even get the person there?”

“We let reporters in on our happiness,” I say.

“It would provide the person a new avenue. Us Volkov men are hard to track, but you are a civilian and easier to gain access to,” Father says.

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