Page 33 of Innocent Bratva Virgin

“Let me guess, you were thinking something more Hannibal and less forest getaway?”

I was pulled from my thoughts by the man’s voice coming from my right. When I turned that way, a tall, light-haired guy jogged down the stairs that led up. I had to assume it was one of Vlad’s brothers, and going by the little I knew about them, I guessed this was Ivan, the eldest.

Standing up straighter, I waited just a foot or two away from Vlad as the man approached us.

“No offense meant, but yes.”

He grinned, laughing lightly, before he proceeded to yank Vlad into a quick hug. The guy kept Vlad close to him for a moment, whispering something in Vlad’s ear.

This was definitely the oldest brother. He gave off serious “I’m in charge” vibes, and I could also get the sense that he was keeping his words a secret because they were directly about me and my being in his home.

I wasn’t about to say anything more that might land me on the man’s shit list, so I remained quiet as I stood just inside the house, clutching my duffle bag like it was a lifesaver tossed into a turbulent ocean.

“So this is the shrink? Huh.” Another voice called out from the stairs, and I shot my attention in the other man’s direction. “She’s way hotter than you let on, Vlad. No wonder you insisted on bringing her back here. Just make sure I have time to get my earplugs before you two bang it out.”

And that must be Abe.

A low growling sound rumbled out of Vlad, and he stepped in front of me when the darker-haired man I believed tobe Abe stalked up toward me, his exceptionally broad shoulders casting a shadow over me.

“Oh, come on. Get your panties untwisted. I’m not interested in your sloppy seconds.”

I rolled my eyes, grimacing slightly.Charming.

Vlad bumped his chest against his brothers, and I stepped closer to him, putting my hand on his arm. As I did, Ivan mirrored my move, going for Abe and gently tugging him backward.

“All right, that’s enough.” Ivan scoffed as Abe yanked his arm away. “You always make such a nice impression, Abe. Fucking hell.”

Ivan turned to me. “Well, hi. As you can probably guess, this is Abe, and I’m Ivan.”

I nodded, releasing Vlad’s bicep as he sunk back down into himself and away from his brother.

“Hello, yes, I had a feeling. I’m Emory.”

With a more genuine smile than I expected from an apparent mercenary, Ivan nodded his head, gesturing for us to move further into the house.

“Well, it’s nice to have a real face to put to the name I’ve been seeing. Thanks for trying to do something about my dumb brother. I’m sure he’s been a peach during your sessions.”

Ducking my head, I followed Vlad across the room until he stopped just before the stairs that went up.

“Oh, well, we’ve only met the once officially. This last time, Vlad wasn’t really in a position to speak, considering he’d just been—”

But then Vlad stepped in front of me, cutting off my words, and I stared up at him, confused.

“He’d just been what?” Abe asked.

No one said anything for a few moments, and I watched as Vlad had a silent battle of stairs with his brothers before he finally sighed and threw his hands up. When he glanced back at me again, he gestured toward Ivan, nodding his head like I was supposed to go on with what I was saying.

I looked at Ivan, whose expression changed from a deep glare at Vlad to a gentle smile when he redirected his blue gaze on me.

“What happened, Emory?”

The question was simple enough, and Ivan’s tone was level. Still, there was this bite of a command that whispered behind Ivan’s words, and I swallowed hard.

“Umm, well, he’d been shot. He came into my office bleeding, and I had to get him to the hospital.”

“You were fucking shot.” Ivan snapped his angry stare at Vlad. “And you couldn’t be bothered to fucking tell me when you texted?”

The tension exploded through the brothers, and I reflexively stepped backward as they squared off with each other. None of them moved to actually hit someone, but the threat was there. They were like furious dogs held back by a tiny leash that could snap at any moment.

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