And what looked like a bottle of vodka in his back pocket, but I ignored that and wrenched the door open.
Decoy rotated to fully face me, strict shoulders squared, ready for battle or an out-of-context hug. For him, it was all the same.
I tugged him into an embrace I hoped was enthusiastic enough for anyone watching to believe he was here to hook up with me and Alexei.
Then I gave him a genuine peck on the cheek because, fuck me, that pizza smelled good.
I yanked him inside.
Decoy let it all happen, stoic as always, expression so steady it was hard to believe he was real.
The pizza was real, though.Mother of Christ, please let it be real.
The door shut behind Decoy.
Reading me, he handed me the giant pizza box. “Alexei thought you might be sick of eggs and chicken.”
“He’s not with you?”
“Downstairs. Chatting up the doorman while he checks the place out.”
I turned towards the kitchen, trusting Decoy would follow. “And you’re here for an orgy, right?”
“Apparently so.” Decoy’s tone didn’t change. He trailed me to the kitchen doorway and stopped there, surveying the scene, expression only shifting when he spotted Juana. “Hello. You look well.”
Juana ventured forward, eyes on the pizza box. “Thank you. Is that for us?”
“It is.”
“I’ll get Liliana.”
Decoy stepped aside so she could slip past him. Once she was gone, he reached into his pocket and set a paper bag on the side. “Prenatal vitamins for her. Vitamin D for Liliana, seeing as she’s not getting any sunlight.”
I winced. It was a rare day Decoy didn’t spend every hour possible outside with Ivy. Liliana had been cooped up four weeks. Amonth. “This can’t go on.”
Decoy nodded. “It’s not going to. I don’t know what the plan is, though. I don’t know anything.”
I believed him, which made his presence in Alexei’s flat even less logical.
He caught my curiosity and shrugged. “It’s the summer holidays. Ivy is with her mum for two weeks so I needed a distraction. Plus, I promised her I’d bring Rubi his birthday present.”
“Present?” Rubi appeared and hawk-eyed the pizza box. “Is that for me?”
“It’s for all of you.” Decoy stuck his hand in his other pocket. “This is your present.”
He took Rubi’s wrist and tied a plaited bracelet around it that matched mine. His was hot pink, which suited him down to the ground, as now I was lucky enough to know he didn’t own a single pair of boxers that weren’t the same colour.
Rubi grinned. Then narrowed his gaze at me. “Your birthday was in July, so I get why you’ve got one, but how come Mats got his early, huh? I’m the dude who had his nails painted three times in one week.”
I spread my hands. “Maybe it takes a while for little fingers to weave them.”
“Fuck off. It’s Deeks who sits up all night making them.”
Decoy laughed. “I probably would, but she’s got these down. Um...” He shot me an awkward glance. “Mateo actually taught her to make them. I asked him about it the other day and he said he used to spend hours on YouTube trying to figure out how to be a fun dad.”
I was still holding the massive pizza box. With rocks in my throat, I laid it on the counter and moved to the sink.
Alexei’s glasses were all heavy and crystal. I filled one with water.