Page 32 of Innocent Bratva Virgin

“Were those the Italians from the hospital?”

Vlad looked up briefly from the screen and nodded, then gestured at the phone with his head. I was back to waiting for him to finish up his message.

“Yes, that was them. I had a feeling they were going to follow us from the hospital. Apparently, they wanted some time to regroup. But we can’t stay here. You need to pack a bag, and I’ll bring you to my place. It’s completely off the map. You’ll be safe.”

I looked up at Vlad with my mouth hanging wide open when I finished reading.

“You can’t be serious. I’ll just call the cops, and these guys will be arrested. I need to report this crime.”

Vlad glared, shaking his head.

“Look, I get that you don’t think it’s safe here. Fine,” I sighed, my brain churning with plans and second plans. I can go to my parents' house. They’re well-off and have an excellent security system.”

But even as I was speaking, Vlad was on the fucking phone typing up another message. When he held it up, I was tempted not to read it. But something about that seemed especially rude, given that it was the guy’s only means of communication.

“You can’t go somewhere that the Italians could have learned about. Your parents' identities and home addresses are public records. That won’t be safe. Do you really want to bring them straight to their doorstep?”

I wanted Vlad to be wrong. I wanted him not to have this undeniable point about staying with my parents. Because the truth was, my parents’ house wasn’t safe, and if I went there I would be bringing trouble right to them. I didn’t want that. As much as they drove me crazy, I didn’t wish them actual harm.

Throwing up my arm with a sigh, I turned on my heel and pushed into the closet, searching for a bag to put some clothes in.

“This fucking sucks, you know that? I didn’t ask for any of this, and now, I’m being forced into an incredible situation with no idea how to proceed. I just wanted to help you with your traumatic mutism, and now…”

My words drifted off, and I began to haphazardly shove clothes into the black duffle I found stuffed in the back of my closet. I wasn’t matching anything together, but I was proud of myself for remembering underwear and a sweater.

At least you won’t be cold.

When I faced Vlad again, he stood in the doorway with the phone held out slightly, pinching his brow between his fingers.

I slung the bag over my shoulder and grabbed the phone. I assumed he just meant to give it back to me, but another message was typed up on the screen.

“This isn’t what I wanted either. It’s not like I planned this. Just let me get you out of this mess, and then you can go back to work. We never have to see each other again after that.”

My chest went tight like I’d just been dealt a blow right to my sternum, and I shuddered in a breath shakily when I tried to breathe.

“I didn’t mean…I’m not asking to never see you again. I still want to help, Vlad. I just…I was just venting. I’m stressed and needed to get out the words trapped in my head.”

He cocked his head in a half-shrug, taking the duffle from me and throwing it over his shoulder. And while Vlad not saying a word wasn’t anything new, right now, that silence felt heavier. Regret pooled in my gut because of what I’d said, but Vlad was clearly not in the mood to discuss things now.

It would have to wait until we got to his place, and boy, was I interested to see whatthatwas going to be like.

***

Vlad held the door open for me as we reached the front entrance to his house. To say that I was impressed was a massive understatement. The enormous mansion was like some cabin-esque, modern palace tucked into a secret spot in the woods. It was butted up against a small lake, and every wall was made from glass—except, of course, the slim few that needed to be solid enough to hold up the house.

It was three floors, and there was no sign of the dirty cement floors and chains hanging from the ceiling that I expected from a mafia mercenary’s hideout.

This was a home—a lovely one at that. Cozy comforts and decorations everywhere revealed themselves when Vlad pushed the door open, and I stepped inside.

“Holy shit.”

There was that sound again from Vlad, that little chuckle he couldn’t hold back. And the way that he immediately stopped himself let me know that he really wished he could. I liked that sound, though, and after the night I had, I felt like I deserved more of it.

“This is not what I imagined.”

I looked around the room, taking in the vast, open floor plan. It contained an oversized living area with a massive couch and a dark wood dining table that flowed naturally into the kitchen on the other side of the room.

The windows at the back of the house revealed a downright gargantuan patio that stretched out behind the home and down to the lakeshore. I couldn’t see much of it with it being night and on a few lamps outside to light it, but I was undeniably curious about what else was out there.

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