Chapter Eleven - IVAN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
IVAN
AFTER LEAVING EMMA’S apartment yesterday, I made a few phone calls.
One call was to the funeral home where Emma’s grandmother was taken after leaving the hospice home.
I found out that Emma’s grandmother had made funeral arrangements, but the payment for them would come out of her estate as per the will.
I told the funeral home to send all bills to me, and they would be taken care of.
I also called the hospice home and told them to send me any outstanding bills. I could take this off Emma’s plate. She might be mad at me later for it, but I can live with that.
I didn’t make it back to Emma’s place last night to check on her.
I wanted to, but business kept me occupied late into the night.
I tried calling her, and ended up leaving several messages because she didn’t answer the phone.
Hopefully, that meant she was sleeping like she said she would.
I called Yuri to get an update, and he told me that she hadn’t left the apartment since being dropped off.
I spent the night at my home in Beacon Hill so I would be less than ten miles away from Emma.
Stopping at the bakery on my way to her apartment, I decide to pick up some coffee and pastries for us this morning.
I’m not sure what Emma prefers yet, so I get a little of everything based on the recommendation of the lady behind the counter.
Whatever Emma doesn’t eat, I’m sure she’ll share with Yuri and the other bodyguard, or save it for herself for later.
When I arrive at her building, I let myself in and make my way to the second floor. Yuri is standing outside Emma’s door, having just taken over for the overnight bodyguard.
“Not a peep from her since yesterday,” Yuri informs me.
“Anyone come by last night?” I ask him.
“I’ve been here an hour and nobody has come by. Sergei was here last night, and the only people he saw were Emma’s neighbors down the hall,” he said, pointing to the opposite end of the hallway from where I know Patrick O’Brien lives.
“What about next door?” I ask him, gesturing towards Patrick’s door.
“Left at 8:00 p.m. and hasn’t returned since.”
“Good.” I turn towards Emma’s door and gently knock. She doesn’t answer, so I knock again.
“Emma, it’s Ivan. Open the door, lyubimaya,” I call out. Nothing. I pull out my phone to text her that I am outside, waiting with coffee. When I don’t receive a response, I try knocking on the door one last time.
“Emma, I’m coming in.” I pull out my custom key and slip it into the lock on her door. I’m sure she’ll have questions about how I got a key to her place. I wonder what she’ll say when I tell her that yesterday afternoon I bought the building and now have a master key to every single door.
Entering her apartment, the first thing I notice is how quiet it is. There’s light coming in through the windows so I can see, but none of the overhead lights are on. I flip the light switch and set the coffees and pastries down on the kitchen table.
“Lyubimaya, where are you?” I call out. My senses are on high alert.
If neither Sergei and Yuri have seen anyone leave this apartment, then she should be here.
I reach for the gun I always keep on me and start clearing her apartment.
I clear every corner of the place in less than three minutes, except for her bedroom.
“Emma, are you in there?” I ask, gently tapping on the door.
I keep my hand with my gun, ready, and use my other hand to push her bedroom door open.
That’s when I see Emma curled up in a ball on her bed, crying.
Quickly clearing her bedroom and putting my gun away, I rush to her bed and pull her into my arms.
“Lyubimaya, I’m here,” I tell her as I pull her into my lap and rest my chin on the top of her head. I rock her back and forth slowly in my arms as her tears soak my shirt.
Emma nuzzles into my chest and continues to cry. I don’t know what else to do but hold her. My chest tightens at seeing her hurt like this.
“She’s gone!” Emma cries out. “What am I supposed to do now?”
“I don’t know, my darling,” I tell her. “We’ll figure it out.”
“What am I going to do without Gran? She’s the only family I had left.” A fresh round of tears falls down Emma’s cheeks.
“I’ll take care of you,” I tell her as I hold her closer.
I don’t consider myself to be an emotional man. I don’t cry, and I rarely let any other emotion reveal itself. It’s just not done with men in my line of work. Being emotional is seen as a weakness, and I cannot demonstrate weakness of any kind as the leader of the bratva.
But ever since I saw Emma the night she was attacked, I’ve started thinking things could be different.
I want to tear my own heart into as many pieces as it takes to repair hers.
I didn’t know her grandmother, but I do know what it means to lose someone close to you.
It fucking hurts in ways you didn’t know were possible until it happens.
“When was the last time you ate?” I ask her when her crying slows down to soft sobs.
“I don’t remember. I think I ate something for dinner the day before yesterday,” Emma replies.
“I brought some coffee and pastries. We are going to sit at the table and have breakfast, and that’s all we have to do right now,” I tell her.
“Okay,” Emma says as she wriggles her way off my lap. My dick gets excited at her movements, and I quickly bury that thought. This is definitely not the time or the place.
I lead Emma to the kitchen table and pull out her chair. She looks so… defeated. I remember feeling the same way when I was a young boy and my babushka died. She came over from Russia with us, and we were very close.
Emma absentmindedly nibbles on a pastry and takes a few sips of coffee. It’s like she’s just going through the motions, and would rather be doing anything else than eating. She’s barely eaten half a pastry when she announces that she’s done and wants to go back to bed.
“Okay,” I tell her. “We can go back to bed after you take a bath. My mama used to tell me that when you’re upset, you either need to go outside or get in the water. It’s kind of chilly outside this morning, so we can run you a hot bath instead.”
“I’m not getting naked and bathing with you Ivan,” she says. I smile at seeing a spark of her usual self.
“Not today, you aren’t, lyubimaya.” I smile at her and wink.
“Today you are taking a bath on your own.” I get up from the table and go to her bathroom to get the bath started.
I find some honeysuckle bubble bath in the cabinet under the sink, and pour some under the hot running water.
When the tub is full, I take Emma’s hand and lead her to the bathroom.
“I’ll wait out here,” I tell her as I close the door behind me. I don’t walk away from the door until I hear the soft splash of her sinking into the tub.
I make my way back to her bedroom to look around.
In her closet, I find a set of clean sheets, so I strip the old ones off her bed and replace them with the clean ones.
I can do this small thing for her while she processes her grief.
I peek into her closet again and locate some sleep shorts, but can’t find a top to go with them.
On instinct, I remove the undershirt I’m wearing and place it with the sleep shorts.
“I found you something to change into,” I say through the bathroom door. “I’ll leave it outside the door for when you’re ready for them.” I set the pajamas down and go back to the kitchen table to wait.
About twenty minutes later, I hear the bathroom door open and see Emma walking down the short hallway towards the kitchen.
I try, and nearly fail, to suppress a groan when I see her walking towards me.
The undershirt I gave her falls to her knees, covering the sleep shorts I pray to God she’s wearing underneath.
Just the thought of her wearing nothing beneath my undershirt makes my cock stand at attention, and I have to slyly adjust myself before I can speak.
“How are you feeling now?” I ask her. She still looks sad and tired, but I think the bubble bath helped with some of her anxiety and stress.
“Clean,” she says with a small smile on her lips. “Can I finish my food?”
“Of course you can, lyubimaya,” I tell her. She can have anything she wants if it means she’ll eat something.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be today?” Emma asks me as she finishes eating.
“Yes—here,” I tell her.
“You don’t have to stay here,” Emma replies.
“That’s where you’re wrong, Emma. I’m staying.”
”Fine. I’m going back to bed.” Emma gets up from the table and walks back down the hallway to her bedroom. “Those are new. Did you change my sheets?”
“I did,” I answer.
“Thank you.” She turns into my arms to hug me, and then starts crying again.
“Come, lyubimaya. Lay down and rest.” Emma lets me guide her to the bed and tuck her in.
I take off my shoes and crawl onto the bed, laying down on my back on top of the covers beside her.
She doesn’t try to stop me, which has my chest tightening.
Emma turns her body towards mine, resting her head on my shoulder while placing her arm across my torso.
I’ve got one arm wrapped around her and the other tucked behind my head.
It doesn’t take long for Emma’s breathing to even out, indicating she’s asleep.
I hold her close to me, tracing lazy patterns up and down her back to help keep her relaxed. I’ve never held a woman like this before, but with Emma, it feels natural. As long as she is in my arms and close to me, I can keep her safe from whoever and whatever is after her.
I look down at Emma’s sleeping form and place a gentle kiss on the top of her head. Feeling myself relax, I think to myself that there is nowhere else I’d rather be than right here in this moment, before I doze off to sleep.