“What the hell?” Devin snapped. “Why’d you stop?”
“I stepped on something.” Aaron peered at the bottom of his foot as if he were searching for something.
“You’ll live. Get moving.”
“Hey, these feet are how I make a living. Just give me a sec.” He ran his hand over his foot, stalling for as long as he could and then put his shoe back on. Even a few seconds could make a difference.
“How far away is it?” Devin asked.
Aaron straightened and pointed. They could see his building from here.
“Then let’s go.” Devin said, striding off ahead of him.
*****
Anna was terrified. She could feel Devin’s presence now. After being away from it so long, the return of darkness and fear was heavy on her heart. She resisted the urge to run, and hugged her pillow to her chest, shaking so badly her teeth chattered.
Then, suddenly, she felt a warm glow flowing over her. It surrounded her like sunlight on a warm spring day, seeping in through the pores in her skin, relaxing and soothing her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
The apartment door opened and Anna stared at the door. Male voices were in the hall and one of them was...Devin! He was here! He was going to take her!
The warmth intensified, making her relax against her will. Her eyes were wide as Devin’s voice got closer.
“What’s this?” she heard him ask, and the door opened. She saw his angry face as he looked around. “Closet,” he mumbled and closed the door again.
Anna’s heart stopped. He hadn’t seen her? He hadn’t seen her!
*****
Aaron’s heart pounded as he opened the door to his apartment. Devin stepped inside and looked around. He went into the living room. The pink roses were still on the table where Anna had put them. When Devin asked about them, Aaron shrugged and said, “Cameron. My boyfriend.”
Devin stared at him for a long moment. “You’re gay?” He looked him up and down like he was evaluating him.
“Gotta problem with it?” he asked, more defensively than he felt.
Devin smiled, almost warmly, and shook his head. “Not at all. I appreciate men who appreciate other men.” He swept his eyes over Aaron again and then turned to search the rest of the apartment.
Aaron blinked in shock. Was Devin gay too? Or was it just the whole ‘Brother Love’ part of the Brotherhood? He shuddered at the thought of Devin fucking him and followed Devin and Tom out of the living room.
Devin searched Aaron’s room and then the guest room. Anna’s room was last. He opened the door, took a sweeping glance, and muttered “Closet” to himself.
Aaron’s mouth dropped open in shock at Devin’s words, but he quickly recovered. There was no reason to be shocked at anything in his apartment. But when Devin opened the door, Aaron could see Anna’s brightly lit bedroom. Why did Devin see a closet?
Devin closed his eyes and then opened them, looking at Aaron. “When did she leave?”
“I-I don't know. She wouldn’t tell me.”
Devin nodded and frowned. “She’s gone now. Fuck. She must have been at the airport when we were.”
Tom’s face was impassive and nodded. “Can we go now? I’m dying to see Kelsey and the kids.”
Devin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you hopeless romantic.” He turned his cold eyes on Aaron. “I should kill you for what you did.” The words were spoken in an almost offhand manner that made them even more terrifying, and then Devin strode away and he and Tom left the apartment.
Aaron leaned against the wall and slid down to the ground. His legs had turned to jelly and wouldn’t hold him anymore. What the hell had just happened?
He heard a phone ring in Anna’s room and then heard her voice. A moment later, she ran out of the room and into his arms.
“Aaron!” she exclaimed and lunged into his lap. He held her tightly. She was shaking like he was. “What happened?”
“I have no idea. He thought your room was a closet...I don't know but I’m so glad.”
They sat for a long while like that and Aaron told her what had happened at the studio. “I think I still may strangle Jasmine. Fucking bitch.”
Anna didn’t argue.
After a while, he pushed her away. “I should get back to the studio and let everyone know you’re okay.” He stood and helped her to her feet. “Hugo wanted to stop by tonight and practice a little here. Would you be up for that?”
Anna’s face softened and she nodded. “Yeah. That’d be nice.”
“Call me if you need anything. Even if it’s in the middle of rehearsal. Vincent will understand.”
She nodded and smiled. “Thanks, Aaron.”
“I didn’t do anything, but I’m glad you’re okay.”
Aaron walked back to the studio as quickly as he could. He knew Hugo would be extremely worried and meant to give him an assuring smile when he walked into the room, but when he saw Jasmine, his temper exploded and he stomped over to her.
“You fucking bitch!” he shouted over the music, which promptly stopped. “You almost got her taken by him!” He pulled back to hit her but someone pulled him away before he could swing his arm. Yeah, a guy hitting her probably wouldn’t be a good idea, a small rational part of his mind told him. He struggled against whoever was holding him but searched out Stef, who was standing next to her. “You remember about her guardian? That’s nothing compared to what that man did to her. A walk in the park.”
Stef’s eyes widened and then narrowed on Jasmine. The resounding crack as her hand hit Jasmine’s cheek was one of the most satisfying sounds he’d ever heard. Aaron knew he could count on Stef to get indignant for him.
Jasmine struck back and a catfight ensued, which Aaron watched gleefully. Stef outweighed Jasmine by twenty pounds and she got in some good throws before Vincent, seemingly reluctant, stepped in. “Enough!” he shouted.
Everyone stopped. Vincent didn’t yell often, if ever.
The two women looked at him, as did everyone else in the room.
“Jasmine, did you hear Hugo tell that man that he hadn’t seen Katrina?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Did you know it was a picture of Katrina?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Don’t you think there might have been a reason why Hugo lied about seeing her?” Vincent’s stare became very harsh. “Katrina came here to be protected. From him. That man....” Vincent shook his head and dragged his hand through his hair. “Your jealousy of her has gone far enough. It’s bad enough you’ve stolen the attention of her fiancé from her.”
Jasmine’s olive complexion paled into an ugly ash color. “You knew?”
“Yes.” He looked around the room. “Anything you hear or see today will absolutely not be repeated at anytime, anywhere. If I find out anyone has spoken about these things, they will be fired immediately and not given a good reference for their next job.”
“What the hell, Vincent?” Jasmine whined. “What’s so special about her?”
Vincent breathed in deeply. “Do you know what torture is, Jasmine? I mean real torture. The type that takes you to the brink of death and you pray that death will finally take you?”
Jasmine wisely didn’t say anything, but shook her head.
“That is what that man has done to Katrina. Many, many times. If you had taken even a sliver of what she’s gone through, you wouldn’t be here today.” He glared at Jasmine. “I think you need to go home for the day or I will fire you.”
Jasmine picked up her bag and quickly ran out of the room.
Vincent rubbed his face. “Let’s continue this after lunch, shall we?” He turned and walked out of the room.
Aaron was bombarded with questions, but he didn’t answer most of them. But he was pleased to see that everyone was on Anna’s side instead of Jasmine’s. He would be surprised if Jasmine was still here at the end of the week.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Anna fidgeted as she waited for
Hugo to arrive. She’d been nervous all day, unable to stay still for long. After Devin was gone, the glow diminished, then disappeared and the nervousness returned, though she wasn’t terrified anymore. Tom had even texted her, telling her that Devin had decided to go home early and she could return to rehearsals tomorrow.
She was thankful for that. Being stuck in the apartment for so long was driving her crazy. She was afraid her vibrator would give out and then where would she find release?
Hugo arrived ten minutes later and she told him she’d be back tomorrow. “We don't have to practice if you don’t want to,” she said.
“What else did you have in mind?” he asked with a boyish, yet seductive, grin.
Anna blushed. “Oh, I meant...I just thought....”
He stepped forward and in a flash his lips were pressed to hers in a hungry kiss. She stood in shock for a second and then wrapped her arms around his neck. His tongue delved into her mouth, stroking hers, making her moan softly.
He held her tightly, chest pressed against chest. Her mind swirled with sensation and thought. It warred against itself about whether or not she should be kissing Hugo like this. Oh, but it felt so good. Desire had been building for months. The affair with Mr. J. would be over soon. Then she would only have Kurt. Why shouldn’t she have Hugo too? They both knew it couldn’t last, but maybe it was possible to just enjoy one another while they could. Find comfort in one another’s arms.
But then what? For Hugo? He could be out trying to find someone he could really be with, instead of holding onto something that could never be.
She pulled away slightly, and looked up at him and shook her head. “Hugo, we can’t.”
“Can’t what?” he said, nuzzling her neck. “I want you, Katrina. So badly.”
“I want you too, Hugo, but....” She pulled away. “I can’t do this to you. You should be out finding someone special. Someone you can settle down with. Not wasting time with me.”
“Time with you is never wasted, Kittycat,” he said softly.
She gave him a pleading look. “I won’t be able to keep myself from falling for you again if we...make love. And then I’ll have to leave. You know that. I won’t be here forever.”
“Katrina, I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself. Going into this, I would know that it was only short term. But it would be a wonderful short term.”
“But what if you met the love of your life in the middle of it and didn’t pursue her because of me?” She took his hand. “You are a wonderful man, Hugo. One of the best I’ve ever known, and I’ve known many men.” She smiled. “But my life is already laid out for me, and I don’t want to start this if I have to leave you soon.”
“Do you know when you’re leaving?”
Anna shook her head. “Things will be...settled after my next birthday. Kurt will likely take me home then.”
He stepped away and sat heavily on the couch. “We could just be fuck buddies.”
“I couldn’t do that with you, Hugo. I care about you too much. I’d end up falling in love with you and my heart would break even more when I had to leave.”
He sighed and rubbed the top of his head. “Yeah. I know. You’d take a piece of my heart with you back to Germany.”
“I’m sorry, Hugo.” She sat down next to him and took his hand. “But I love dancing with you.”
He smiled warmly. “I love dancing with you too. Nothing will change that.”
“Good.”
Hugo left a little while later. Since she would be at the studio in the morning, they didn’t really need to practice tonight. She curled up in bed with one of Mr. J.’s books and tried to get her mind off everything.
When Anna went to the studio the next day, the other dancers were very kind to her. Aaron had told her what they had found out about her, and their kindness melted away the awkwardness she felt walking into the room.
*****
On Thursday, they were to practice in the theater and Stef ran up to her as she walked into the wings. “Omigod, did you hear?”
“Hear what?”
“Do you know why we’re in here this afternoon?”
Anna shrugged. “Staging purposes?”
Stef shook her head excitedly. “He’s here. He wanted to watch us.”
“He? He who?”
Stef rolled her eyes. “You are so dense sometimes. Euroman!”
Anna’s heart dropped to her stomach. Mr. J. was here? “Where?” she asked, trying to act calm.
“First Ring. I already looked. It’s pitch black out there. Can’t see anything. But isn’t it exciting?”
Anna shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “I guess.”
Stef rolled her eyes again. “Well, the rest of us are excited. We’re going back to the club on Saturday. Wanna come?”
Anna shook her head. “I’m staying home that night. Personal reasons.”
“Is it because of Hugo?”
“What? No. It’s...Saturday would have been Alex’s birthday. I just don’t feel right going out.”
Stef looked like she wanted to say something but changed her mind. “Okay. Then next week?”
“Maybe.”
The female dancers were preening themselves before walking out on stage. If Anna hadn’t been so nervous, she might have laughed. But this would be the first time Mr. J. would see her dance and it filled her stomach with nerves; nerves that were more aggressive than butterflies. Frogs maybe.
She chided herself for being nervous. Why did she care what he thought? He was a lover, that’s all. It was purely a physical relationship. Maybe he was having one last fling before he got married too. She vehemently denied that she had any feelings for the man she’d never seen.
Anna successfully forgot about the stranger watching rehearsal...for a few minutes...every so often. With amusement, Vincent declared it one of their best rehearsals.
*****
Saturday evening finally came and she was relieved to be able to stop hearing about Mr. J., but had to admit it was pretty lonely in the apartment by herself. Aaron had gone out and she was alone, as she’d wanted to be. She went to her room, pulled out her memories box and took out Alex’s ring.
“Oh, Alex. I thought I had given you up, but you still hold onto my heart, even after all these years. I don’t think I’ll ever really get over you. Especially when I have to go back to your home and live there. Sleep in your room. Eat at your family’s table. Sit in the library we sat in together. You will haunt me forever.”
She had been over him, until that last dream when he pleaded with her. It made her doubt all her resolve and now she was an emotional mess again.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Devin put his phone down on his desk and stared out the window in shock. He’d just finished a phone call from a distraught Connor Diaz, the Elder from Philadelphia. His son had been shot earlier in the day. In the head. It looked like an assassination, but who would call out a hit on an Elder-Son?
There was no reason to call hits on Sons. They wielded no power, had no authority. They simply were next in line. But Chris was harmless. Yes, he was a jerk sometimes, but no more than Tyler or any of the other Sons.
Why the hell would someone kill Chris?
This had not been Devin’s best week. The Summer Gathering had not gone as well as it should have. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but he was definitely losing his power. Anna had been gone five months now and he was feeling it. The president, idiot that he was, was not listening as well as he should be.
He would kill whoever had helped Anna escape with his bare hands. They’d apparently managed to smuggle her out of the country as well, though he’d spoken to the French Elders and there was no sign of her in Paris either. Where the hell had she gone?
She had been in New York. Fucking Aaron. He’s who should have been killed, not Chris. Devin’s fingers itched to call an assassin, but Brotherhood assassins weren’t to be used for ‘common’ people. And killing someone who belonged to Wil
helm probably wouldn’t be the smartest thing to do right now.
The Philadelphia kill made no sense. No sense at all.
*****
Monday evening, Anna received a phone call from Tom.
“Anna, I need you to stay in your apartment starting on Wednesday,” Tom said.
“What? No...I can’t.” Anna had been looking forward to going out and seeing Mr. J., even though she hadn’t heard from Simon yet.
“Anna, Devin is going to be here on Wednesday. You need to stay in the place where I can protect you.”
“Why is he coming here?” Anna was confused and then scared. Why would Devin be coming to New York again? He’d just been here last month. Had he found her?
“There is a funeral on Friday in Philadelphia. He’s stopping here on the way. Chris Diaz, Connor’s son, was killed on Monday.”
“Connor...? The Philadelphia Elder?”
“Yes.”
“He was killed? What happened?” Anna had no fond feelings for Chris. He was a cruel man, like his father.
“He was killed by a Brotherhood Assassin.”
“Omigosh!” Who would want Chris dead? “Is it...like Alex’s funeral?”
“Yes. Wilhelm said he and Kurt will try and stop by and see you.”
Anna’s jaw clenched, anger mixing with her fear of Devin finding her. She didn’t want to see Kurt and Wilhelm, but knew she couldn’t avoid them. She sighed. “Will you call Vincent about rehearsals?”
“Of course.”
*****
Tuesday morning, when she got to the studio, she gave Hugo an apologetic look. “Did Vincent tell you?” she asked.
Hugo frowned. “Yeah.” He sighed. “I suppose it’s better than you being found, but it sure does make it difficult.”
“I’m so sorry, Hugo. Could we...maybe practice in my apartment?”
The Life of Anna, Part 5: Emerged Page 20
