Chapter 13 - Emory

I sat up, clinging to the covers as the roar of breaking glass cut through my apartment. My front door, an interior door in a complex, didn't have glass, and the swell of dread hit harder as I realized that meant that whoever had broken in had used the fire escape to do so.

Scrambling for my phone in the dark, I just got my hands on it when another set of hands stole it away. I jumped, turning around to see Vlad kneeling in the bed next to me. I'd forgotten he was here as I'd been fast asleep only moments before, and I relaxed only slightly as he took the cell away.

"What are you doing?" I whispered. "We need to call the cops."

He shook his head, putting a finger to his lips yet again. I was having quite a few mixed feelings about how often Vlad was silencing me. Glaring, I threw my hand toward the door and clutched the sheet to my chest.

"There are people in my apartment. We need to call the police."

My voice was still a whisper, but it held all the bite of my frustration. Vlad didn't reply, of course, just standing up from the bed naked as the day was long. He rushed toward the bedroom door, cracking it open silently, and I had to sit there and watch, the fantastic view of his ass only a slight consolation.

He peered through the opening for a few seconds, then hurried back to the bed and grabbed his pants. He slipped on the scrubs he'd stolen, and I flinched for him as my attention landed on his hip. What the fuck did he think he was going to do injured?

"Vlad, I—"

But he turned toward me and silenced me with a kiss. The tingling in my belly was admittedly distracting, which had to be what Vlad wanted. As he pulled back, he held out a finger, signaling for "one moment," and then he took off out of the room deadly quiet.

"What the fuck?!" I shouted in a whisper.

Vlad had just left me here, and I had no idea what the hell was going on. In any case, I knew I couldn't stay naked, so I hopped out of bed and got myself over to the closet as quietly as I could. My clothes from before were a no-go, so I blindly searched in the dark for a pair of leggings and a top.

Pulling on a tight pair of leggings, I padded around the waistband to try and figure out which ones they were. The little zipper at the small of my back told me they were the ones I wore running most of the time, the folded pants usually always on the top in my dresser.

I still needed a shirt, so I opted for the rack of hanging clothes, groping for the black one I had with a built-in bra. It, too, was at the front of the options since I'd just put the thing away yesterday, and I shoved it down over my head.

Underwear had been left behind in the rush to get dressed, but I managed to grab a pair of ankle socks and slip on my sneakers that I'd tossed in the back of the closet.

Thud!

The noise was too loud to be good, and I sprinted out of the closet and straight for my bedroom door. I peeked through the crack, looking both ways even though to my right was just the end of the hall that led to the bathroom.

It looked clear, so I slipped out into the hallway, keeping my back pressed against the wall. I moved down the corridor achingly slow, taking it inch by inch with my eyes wide in the dark. The commotion was coming from my living room, and just as I reached the end of the hall, a body went soaring across the space, landing against the wall just past me.

I jumped, clamping my hands over my mouth to keep myself from screaming. When I could trust myself to breathe quietly, I hurried over to the unconscious person, making sure it wasn't Vlad.

It wasn't. Whoever the man was, he was shorter than Vlad and wore a black ski mask pulled down over his face. All his clothes were black as well, and I could see the glint of a knife that had clattered to the floor next to his hand. Kicking it away, I was quick to get back to my spot of relative safety.

"Vlad, what the hell? Where are you?"

Looking toward my living room, I saw three figures tangling with each other. They were silhouetted in the striped yellow light of the streetlamps glowing through my blinds. Vlad was going toe-to-toe with two large opponents, and watching him dodge and throw back the attacks made my stomach drop clean through the earth.

Seeing people fight in a movie was one thing, and I'd never been particularly good with the blood, even knowing it was fake. This was so much rougher and not the seamless chain of movements I'd imagined.

Vlad punched one attacker in the jaw, and his head jacked back as he dropped to one knee. Then he faced the other man, and they both jerked toward each other, neither of them making a connection. It was so brutal and…slow.

I was frozen in the hall as Vlad tangled with them, which was strangely over nearly as quickly as it started. There wasn't some drawn-out action sequence, just a few well-placed hits that sent both his opponents unconscious.

The thuds and smacks abruptly stopped, and my apartment was silent again. But fuck that. What the hell were we doing?

"What's going on?!" I shouted weakly, and Vlad's eyes shot up to meet mine.

He hurried over to me, holding out his hand again in that damn signal to keep my voice down.

"I swear to God, if you tell me to be quiet again, I'm going to scream. You need to talk to me." Vlad furrowed his brow, glaring. "Ugh! You know what I mean. What's happening, Vlad?"

He sighed, getting me to go back down the hall to my bedroom. Once inside, Vlad guided me to the closet and pointed at the clothes. I could guess what he wanted me to do, but I didn't hop into action. I watched him retrieve my phone from where he'd tossed it on the bed, waiting for him to type up a response to my questions.

"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 what that was 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.

"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 to be 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.

"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. I don't know 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.