Page 39 of Innocent Bratva Virgin

“Ivan and I’s relationship didn’t happen in what most people would consider the typical dating scene. So, trust me. I couldn’t possibly judge anyone.” She smiled, her eyes drifting out of the room before returning to me. “And I want to be honest with you, so I’ll admit I had a feeling about you two. Once you’ve fallen for an Ustinov brother, it’s easier to see the signs.”

“Well, I guess I’m glad I’m notthatobvious.” I sighed again. “We actually met before he was my patient—total chance. I was at a bar looking for a drink to settle my nerves about meeting my first patient, who, of course, turned out to be Vlad, and he was there. He stopped a guy from slipping something into my beer.”

A knowing smile lit up Adley’s face. “That sounds like something Vlad would do. I know he’d never admit it and be annoyed if he heard me, but Vlad is a good man. He’s been the mediator between his brothers his entire life, and it’s actually made him the most level-headed of all of them. Though with the competition being Ivan and especially Abe, the bar was pretty low.”

“Ha,” I laughed, still keeping my voice down. “I got that sense from Vlad during our first session. And meetinghis brothers, well, yeah. Let’s just say that several of my assumptions were proven correct.”

That stillness crawled back in, and I found myself raking over the intricate whirls in the wood once more. Still, this time, Adley’s reassuring presence had me getting out the thoughts that I’d been keeping locked up.

“I do like him. More than I should, I know. He, umm, he made me laugh…so much. And yeah, I really want to help him communicate better, but I’m not here to change everything about him. I feel for him, but honestly, I also havefeelingsfor him. And it was damn near immediate. I’ve never been a ‘love at first sight’ kind of woman, but dammit, if Vlad is maybe changing my mind.”

“Hearts are funny things,” Adley replied. “I fought how I was feeling about Ivan for a long while. It didn’t stop us from…you know, but I think that lust and feeling of being drawn to each other was just a symptom of the bigger truth. We’d been in the deep end since the moment he offered to pay off my family’s debts.”

I raised my brows, asking the question without needing to speak the words.

Adley rolled her eyes playfully, chuckling a little. “That’s a long story. But for now, I think we both need to get some sleep. And this one is ready for her crib, I think.”

Standing up, I stepped forward and did my best to hug Adley without disturbing the baby.

“Thank you, Adley. This…helped.”

“Any time. It makes the waiting for Grace to be ready easier when I have something to do with myself.”

“Night, Grace. Be good for your Mom. She deserves her rest, too.”

Adley grinned, and I smiled right back, patting her on the shoulder as I walked back out to the main areas of the second floor and then down to Vlad’s room.

It was cool when I stepped inside. I had a feeling that Vlad kept the curtains drawn all day, which I realized actually surrounded the room to cover all that glass. It was such an odd choice for a gang of mercenaries, but I had a feeling this wasn’t ordinary glass.

He’d be back soon enough, so I decided to wait for him. I needed sleep, we both did, but I wanted to get a few more things off my chest. And I wanted to do so to Vlad, not Adley.

However, laying quietly in bed made it difficult to stay awake. I settled in, hoping that when Vlad came in, I’d hear him and wake up. And even if I didn’t, I knew that we both needed our sleep. I could always chat with him in the morning before he went off to do…whatever it was he was going to do with the Italian mafia men after us.

It’s fine, Emory. There’s no big rush.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed when there was a knock at the door. The chances were equally good that it had been a few minutes or a few hours. I’d definitely fallen asleep, but I also did, in fact, hear the knock, so at least I was right about that.

Even if it is weird that Vlad’s knocking on his own door.

Getting up, I approached the door while I rubbed my eyes. It had gotten darker in the room, and I realized that the side lamp that had been on was off now.Hmm, it must be on one of those automatic timers or something.

I reached for the knob, turning it easily since it wasn’t locked. Did Vlad think that I’d him out? Assumed that I would? That would be rather telling.

“I didn’t lock you out, Vlad. That’s a dick move, even if we were arguing a bit.”

I pulled the door open, yawning and looking up at the tall man who stood before me. But even in the low light, I could tell one thing for certain. And it wasn’t good.

“You’re not Vlad.”

Then, there was just darkness.

Chapter 16 - Vlad

I jerked hard against the kitchen floor as consciousness returned to me in a sharp rush. My head throbbed, and even with my eyes open, there was little to see. The power had clearly been cut. No faint lights were glowing from any of the electronics, and the outdoor lights on the house were dead.

Fuck. What happened? Dammit. I was just talking with Ivan. Did someone—Emory.

My stomach dropped as my pulse shot up into overdrive. I hauled myself off the floor, wobbling on my feet and balancing by leaning against the island. A headache consumed my entire skull, and I was vaguely sick to my stomach. How in the hell had someone gotten the drop on us? And shit, I needed to get to Emory.

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