Page 34 of Innocent Bratva Virgin

“Put it away, gentleman. You’re freaking out our guest.”

A woman’s voice sounded from behind me on the stairs. I spun around, wondering how many people lived here, and immediately noticed that the gorgeous blonde was carrying an infant, likely under a year old.

What the—

“Adley,” Ivan left his brothers to continue glaring at each other, taking the baby from her arms, “did we wake her up? Hi, Gracie.”

The imposing, heavily tattooed mercenary took the baby in his arms and held her delicately. The anger and wrath that had dominated his expression evaporated, and in its place was a look of profound love for the little girl.

“You’re fine. She was hungry. That growth spurt is kicking my ass.” The woman, Adley, smiled weakly and then turned to me. “So, you must be Emory. Nice to meet you. Sorry, it couldn’t be under better circumstances.”

My mouth hung open. I couldn’t speak. There was a baby here. And a woman who was being quite nice to me, considering the situation. A woman and baby who appeared to be connected to the lead of Vlad’s little crew of mercenaries.

And she was acting like this was all just a Thursday.

“Umm…I…”

“Ha!” Abe chortled. “I think you broke her.”

Adley stepped down off the last stair and swatted at Abe. She actually walked up to him and smacked him in the arm like he wasn’t one of the most terrifying people on the planet, his two brothers up there with him.

“That’s enough out of you. Go away, or I’m making you change the next poopy diaper when it comes at six in the morning.”

Abe glared at her, but he was quick to pull his indignant chin back toward himself as he huffed up the stairs and went somewhere deeper in the house.

“How…How did you do that?”

Smiling, Adley came up to me and put an arm on my shoulder. “Oh, ignore Abe. He’s just a dick. He’s also very attached to his manhood and knows that Ivan has no problem clamping it if he misbehaves.”

I couldn’t help the laugh that rocketed out of me in a hard burst. This entire situation was so bizarre, and all I wanted to do now was lie the fuck down.

When Adley walked me back over to where Ivan and Vlad were chatting, I was ready to ask when I was staying so that I could find a bed to crash in. Ivan was reading something that Vlad had typed up on his brother’s phone, and Adley shuffled past them toward the kitchen. I watched her for a moment, but she was clearly going for a bottle for the baby, and then Ivan spoke to Vlad.

“The Italians were at the same fucking hospital? Jesus, what are the odds? Ugh. It was good you got out of there. But fucking call me sooner next time, asshole. We didn’t know what had happened to you. Do you think they followed you here from Emory’s?”

I looked over at Vlad as Ivan handed the phone to his brother. Vlad just cocked his head in that half-shrug again, though.

“Dammit. I don’t like it. We have to assume the place has been compromised or will be soon. You know what this means.”

Vlad nodded, but I was completely in the dark. I approached them cautiously, raising my brows as I interjected myself into their conversation.

“Excuse the interruption, but care to clue me in. Idon’tknow what this means, and considering I’m directly involved, I’d like to.”

Flicking his stare on Vlad, Ivan paused before answering me. When Vlad turned his attention to me, I just held his gaze, my eyebrows still up to my hairline.

“Come on. Out with it.”

Annoyance was flaring in my blood, and with it, my resolve to get answers with or without the usual tact. I was done asking nicely. I needed to understand what exactly I’d gotten myself into.

“All right, all right.” Ivan sighed. “We need to take out the Italians, at least the ones currently interested in us. They’re not going to drop it, so we need to end them.”

My mouth dropped open for the umpteenth time in the past few minutes, and my heart lurched in my chest.

Vlad, Ivan, and likely Abe were planning to pursue the men who’d followed us from the hospital.

To kill them.

Chapter 14 - Vlad

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