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’mcoming 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 thebratva.
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 mybabushkadied. 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.
