Page 66 of Dark Christmas

I hear footsteps rushing toward my office, quick and urgent. My muscles tense, expecting the worst, but when Amelia bursts into the room, her face isn’t filled with fear, it’s lit with pure joy.

"Claire’s going into labor!" she exclaims, breathless. "We have to get to the hospital now!"

For a split second, I’m caught off guard, but then I smile. “We’ll leave in a minute.”

She’s gone before I can say another word, hurrying upstairs to change. As soon as she’s out of sight, I pull out my phone and text Sasha.

Claire’s in labor. We’re heading to the hospital. Meet us there and do a perimeter check with Mashkov’s men.

Sasha’s response is fast, as always.

On my way.

Chapter 33

Amelia

Ithrow on my jacket and rush downstairs, practically tripping over my own feet.

Melor’s already by the door, looking calm and collected, of course. Meanwhile, I’m buzzing with excitement. Duke is perched on a shelf in the hallway, watching us. I give him a quick scratch behind the ears.

“We’ll be back,” I tell him, like he’s a little person who needs reassurance.

As soon as we step outside, Mashkov’s men are there, approaching the house. One of them steps up and asks, “Heading out?”

Melor nods. “Her friend’s in labor. We’re going to the hospital.”

“Need an escort?” the other guy asks, like we’re heading into enemy territory instead of a maternity ward.

Before Melor has the chance to think about it I answer. “No.”

Melor shoots me a look, one that clearly sayswe’re not discussing this here. But I don’t care. Claire’s having a baby, andthe last thing she needs is to see a couple of Russian bodyguards hovering around the hospital.

I can tell Melor wants to push back but after a long sigh he turns to the guys. “Keep an eye on the house while we’re gone. And top off Duke’s food and water.”

The men nod, and I swear one of them smiles when they see Duke sitting there like he owns the place.

We jump in the car, but before we can pull out onto the street, a fancy sports car pulls up beside us, tires barely making a sound on the pavement. I tense up immediately, my heart thumping in my chest. “Who’s that?”

Melor, totally unfazed, glances over. “That’s Sasha.”

I blink. “Sasha?”

“My close friend. The one I met in the middle of the night. He’s coming with us.”

I’m about to protest but Melor cuts me off. “It’s a compromise. No hulking bodyguards, just my friend. He’ll make sure things are safe, but he’ll keep a low profile doing it.”

I sigh, running my fingers through my hair. “Okay, but Clairecannotget stressed out. We’re supposed to be supporting her, not turning her delivery room into an action movie set.”

“He’ll stay back. She won’t even notice.”

Sasha, a massive guy with a shaved head, expensive clothes, and flashy shoes, approaches the car. He taps on the window, and Melor rolls it down.

“Hop in,” Melor tells him as he nods over his shoulder.

Sasha slides into the backseat, filling up the whole damn space with his presence. He looks at me. “Sasha,” he says, grinning as if we’re old friends. “You must be Amelia.”

I’m a bit wary. This guy looks like he could pick me up with one hand. “Yeah. Nice to meet you.”