“What the fuck?” Nikita mutters, and I bite my tongue, stopping myself from agreeing with her.
Soon, a place comes to mind. Kenji and I are in a Jacuzzi that’s outside on a porch in the Rocky Mountains. We went there last winter for a weekend getaway. One day, we hung out in the Jacuzzi, naked in broad daylight as it snowed around us. I ended up on Kenji’s lap and rode him. It was fucking out of this world, and I don’t even know how to describe what it felt like when my nipples came out of the water and were instantly cold, only to be plunged back into the heat the next second.
“Perfect. Do you all have a place in mind?”
“Yes,” we all mutter as one.
“Lovely,” Autumn coos. “I’m picturing the time I went to Alaska. I went up there to work for the winter at a resort and saw the northern lights. The way the greens and yellows blended together.” She sighs. “I want to see them again, but with Callum and Emily.”
“That is a beautiful sight, despite the cold,” Nikita agrees.
“Nikita, you go next.”
“When I was a teenager, I ran away to Greece. I was there for two weeks before my father found me, but I loved it. The food was delicious, and the people were amazing. Every morning and night, I watched the sun rise and set on the beach.”
“A beach sounds nice right about now,” I say quietly.
“How about you go next, Miya? What are you picturing?” Autumn says, calling me out.
I absolutely cannot tell her what I was thinking of. There’s no way in hell.
Instead, I huff out a breath and lie, “We are back in Japan. The cherry blossoms are even more beautiful in person than they are in pictures. It’s…”
Before I can finish my sentence, there’s a banging on the door. Nikita moves into the corner, turning to shield the baby from whatever is about to happen. Cleo and Autumn crowd around her, so I take up the front position as the guard moves to the door.
He doesn’t say anything. He only types a message in his phone. After a moment, he lets out a breath, opening the door.
Only, I’m not expecting what’s on the other side.
* * *
This has turnedinto such a mess. Who knew that a simple Christmas dinner could turn bloody so quickly?
From talking sports with Declan to Kado listening in to pure bedlam. Hell, we don’t even know who launched the attack.
“On your right,” I call out to Kado, keeping my back as close to him as I can as I fight off the next assailant.
They aren’t playing. I can see blood pouring from Callum already. Kai is covered nearly head to toe in blood at this point, but I never worry about him. Fucker can survive a gunshot to the head. I’m sure of it.
Me? I’m not so lucky.
“Fuck,” I grumble, feeling the knife slide against my side.
That’s going to require stitches. Still, I force myself to go on a counterattack, snapping the man’s arm in half. He cries out, falling to the ground. Leaning down, I grab his knife, slitting his throat.
Probably a bad idea considering I get covered in blood.
Fucking idiots.
Who are they to think that they can attack us? And on a holiday?
As my anger grows, I move more frantically, snapping the next guy’s neck before he can get any closer.
My adrenaline is still pulsing, so when I stop and look around, I’m disappointed.
The helicopter is long gone, and all the men on the roof are dead.
“What the fuck was that?” Declan curses.
