Chapter 15 - Emory

Vlad's book collection was pretty impressive. He had several classic titles that I enjoyed, along with quite a few newer books that I was very interested in reading, except not right now. The idea of losing myself to a book wasn't nearly as appealing as usual, and I couldn't bring myself to fall back asleep.

I'd given it the old college try, too. I laid down on the pillow, but after forty minutes, which I'd verified by looking at my phone, I just couldn't do it anymore.

"Ugh. You're not sleeping, Emory. And this…sucks."

When I had insomnia back home, I would review case notes or go for a late-night run. I couldn't exactly do that right now. I'd get lost in those trees for sure.

I wonder if they have a home gym? The brothers seem like the type.

Getting up, I pulled on my sneakers again and went for the door. I tested the knob. Vlad hadn't locked it, so I slipped into the hallway, intent on finding out if a treadmill was one of my new "hotel's" accommodations.

However, the house was so much larger than any I'd been to. Even with the glass walls, it was challenging to navigate, and I was not sure where what I was looking for would be kept. I wasn't keen on going downstairs and potentially running into Vlad, so I stuck to the second floor.

There was a staircase that went up as well, but it was narrow and only had one door at the top. I had a feeling that it was the attic or something, and since I hadn't seen Adley again, I had to assume that her room must be up there.

"Okay, well, this search isn't going very well."

I turned around, planning on just going back to Vlad's room. I'd wound up on the other end of the house, and while the view on the patio was quite lovely, it was late, and I really needed to rest. I could hear voices downstairs still going over plans as I passed by the pool table; the low murmuring of the brothers talking had created a gentle din in the background.

Maybe I'll just check the other side one more time.

Starting down the opposite hall, I knew that Vlad's room lay at the far end, but there was also a little library-like spot off to the side. The seating sunken into the floor and surrounded by walls made from the bookshelves. It looked cozy, and I decided to peruse the titles for more promising prospects.

I stepped around the corner, looking down at the step so I wouldn't fall on my face. But when I looked up, I stopped in my tracks.

"Oh," I exclaimed before quickly covering my mouth to keep the noise down. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see you in here."

Adley looked over with a smile, holding the baby in her arms while she gently bounced and circled the quiet space.

"It's okay," she whispered. "Just trying to get Grace to stay asleep longer than five minutes. She likes it when I walk around. I can usually set her down once she's good and out."

I grinned at the baby, who looked asleep enough to me, but I wasn't exactly an expert.

"Oh, okay."

Looking around the small enclosure, I had absolutely zero idea what I was supposed to say or do at that point. I had a feeling Adley picked up on that because she offered another smile as she laughed without a sound.

"The bedroom gets stuffy for her or something. I'm not sure, but on nights like this, when she's having issues, I usually get her to go back down if I pace around a different room. You had no way of knowing, so don't feel bad."

Crossing my arm over myself, I rubbed the opposite bicep before gripping it and looking back at Adley.

"Thanks. I can't say I'm all that familiar with babies."

Adley nodded in the way you do to let someone know you're listening. "Eh, yeah. I've been around them for a while. I have two younger siblings and a large Irish family that has more kids than you could imagine. When they've come to visit, it's always chaos."

Glancing at said baby again, I furrowed my brow as I dropped my volume even lower.

"We're not going to wake her up, are we? Talking like this?"

It was just then that I realized there was a gentle humming noise playing in the background sourcelessly. I didn't see any speakers, and it wasn't music—just a white noise sound that created a constant backdrop.

"No, no. Grace is good around noise. I actually keep this on pretty loudly when Ivan and I are sleeping and can't talk around her." Adley jutted her hip out, and I noticed the small device that was apparently responsible for the sound. "One thing I learned about having kids when I was growing up is never to be too quiet. They can't get used to needing silence for sleep. Because silence does not exist in a busy household."

I chuckled. "That's fair. I don't have any siblings, so…yeah, no worry there. But I was pretty sheltered as a kid and can admit that it's affected me a bit."

There was a natural pause in the conversation, with nothing else to talk about, and I found myself trading the weight between my feet and staring down at the wood flooring, which was admittedly beautiful.

"Umm, you're the therapist who's been seeing Vlad, right?" I looked up at Adley and nodded, which prompted her to continue. "I don't mean anything by this, I swear, but…do you know why he came to you when he was injured?"

Surprise hit me, and I was unable to school my expression quickly enough to keep Adley from offering an apologetic smile.

"Ivan texted me the details when you two were getting settled. And really, I don't mean anything by it. I'm just…I've lived with Ivan for a while now and, by extension, his brothers. They're not social beings, to say the least. I only ask because if Vlad trusts you enough to bring you here, it…well, it says something. Especially for him."

The weight of Adley's words sunk into my belly like a rock, and I shuffled over to the small couch in the seating area without really thinking about it. Vlad and I had had sex twice now, and there was no use in denying the way that I really felt about the guy. Not now. Not after everything we'd been through since he arrived at my office.

"You know, I would have said it was just a professional trust, a connection between us that we'd created during our sessions. I would have said that before Vlad stumbled into my office bleeding. I live a pretty clean life; by that, I mean I keep things routine and simple. There are not many changes in my day-to-day life, and I like it that way. Vlad has changed that—a lot. And I don't just mean by being my patient."

Glancing up from my seat, I met Adley's stare, expecting some kind of grimace or external show of her judgment about me. But it wasn't there.

Adley stepped closer, swaying back and forth as she stood in front of me.

"I imagine you're expecting me to judge you for that. But that would be like the old saying. Throwing stones in glass houses. Kind of literally this time."

We both laughed at that one.

"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 not that obvious." 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 meeting his 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 have feelings for 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.