“But you came to New York earlier than expected.”
“You were sick. I had to. It was difficult getting in under Devin’s radar.”
“But you bought this place,” she said, looking around.
Alex shook his head. “Simon actually purchased it. I paid for it, but Simon did the purchase.” He sighed. “And I was stuck in here for a few months.” A smile crossed his face. “I remember the first time I saw you here....”
*****
I was waiting to hear that you were better, pacing the floor and driving Seth crazy. I was trying to figure out how to occupy myself the next few months, besides studying everything I could so I’d be able to protect you when the time came.
“You’re going to wear out the floor before Anna even gets to see it,” Seth said, rolling his eyes.
“Once I know she’s better, I’ll be able to calm down.”
Seth snickered. He knew better than that. I wouldn’t calm down until you were in my arms again.
I glared at him and Seth threw up his hands and went outside to the terrace.
My temper was short those days, though I didn’t lose control like I used to. I was just irritable. The guys were sympathetic, but even they had their limits.
I stared at the wall and then jumped. I sensed...something....
“Alex!” Seth called urgently from the terrace. “Come here. I think I see Anna.” Seth had the binoculars up to his eyes and was looking down at the street.
“What?” Was I feeling your presence?
“I swear that’s Anna. Every man she passes by does a double-take.”
My heart swelled as I took the binoculars and focused in on where Seth was pointing. You were walking across the street from my building and I could see you walking towards my corner. Your brown hair hung down your back in a long braid and glimmered in the morning sunlight. I remembered the silky feel of those sable strands in my fingers. You wore a pink tank top and denim shorts. Your legs were just as sexy as they had been when we’d been together. The muscles in your legs flexed as you walked away from me. Your shorts weren’t overly short, but most of your thighs were visible, and your ass....
I groaned as my cock twitched. I remembered the feel of your soft skin against mine, the way your nipples puckered at my seductive smile when you entered the room. The taste of you.... “Schatzi,” I whispered.
My heart skipped when you stopped and turned around, looking almost as if you had heard me. I willed you to look up, but you just shook your head and continued walking slowly down the street.
“Go!” I said suddenly and without thinking about it. I looked at Seth. “Go, follow her. See where she’s going.”
“I—” Seth grunted. “All right. Why?”
“Because I want to know what she’s been doing. The things she likes to do. She’s been sick, she goes for a walk. Where does she go?” I glared at my friend. “You still know how to be stealthy, don’t you?”
Seth frowned and headed quickly to the stairs that led back into the condo. “I’ll call you when I’m downstairs,” he called. “Keep an eye on her until I catch up.”
“With pleasure,” I murmured, turning back to the beautiful love of my life. I grinned at myself, watching a girl in secret like a horny teenage boy with his first crush.
Seth would forgive me. He cared about you, too. At least he would get to follow you. I couldn't risk going out yet. My height was too noticeable. Even though Seth was tall, he was still good at blending into crowds.
You walked across the street and disappeared into the park. My phone rang moments later. “Where is she?” Seth asked.
“Still on the same street, I think.”
Seth was quiet, though I could hear him breathing. “Okay. I see her. What do you want me to do?”
“Just follow her at a distance. I just....” I sighed and swallowed over the lump in my throat. “I just want to know her again.”
Seth was quiet for a moment. “I know, Alex. I’m sorry I got irritated. I will let you know everything she does. Do you want pictures?”
I grinned. “Yeah.”
*****
Anna burst out laughing. “You can’t be serious. You were really thinking that?”
Alex grinned, glad she seemed less upset than she had a few minutes ago. “Even from twelve stories up, you are an incredibly sexy woman.”
Her cheeks turned slightly pink. “Simon said that you’d seen me that day. I....” She chewed her lip for a moment. “I thought I heard your voice.”
Alex’s heart leapt in his chest. “You did?”
She smiled shyly and nodded. “If I had only listened to myself...we could have been saved so much grief.”
“Anna, what happened is in the past. We can’t change it. We can only change the future.” He reached across and took her hand. “I know you were upset because I was in Frankfurt and didn’t come to you right away. But you don’t have to share me with my family. I had several months with them, and they don’t resent me being here with you. You and I can just be together, without me having to be concerned about hurting my mother’s feelings.”
She chewed her lip for a few minutes and then nodded. “I suppose I can look at it that way.” She moved to sit on his lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I don’t have to share you,” she murmured against his neck.
Goose bumps spread from the touch of her lips. “I don’t want to share you. At least not for a while.”
“I don’t want to be shared. I only want you.”
Alex wished he could keep her to himself, but knew the likelihood was slim. Monogamy was not easy to maintain as an Elder, and impossible as an Elder-Mistress. But he would keep her to himself as long as possible.
Heavy footsteps sounded and Seth poked his head around the corner. “Ah, you’re here.”
Alex cocked his brow. “We are.”
“You weren’t downstairs.” Seth shrugged. “Just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
“I was telling Anna about what we’ve been through.”
Anna giggled. “He was just telling me about when he had you follow me.”
Seth grinned. “A very pleasant assignment....”
Chapter Forty-Seven
“I was glad I hadn't shaved my beard,” Seth began. “My tailing skills were rusty, and the last thing I needed was for you to know we were here. Not yet anyway. Not until that rat-bastard Devin was weak enough to be pushed off a cliff. At least that’s what I hope is going to happen.”
Seth chuckled. “No, to be honest, I remember thinking I wanted to slice that man apart piece by piece, starting with that fucking cock of his. Slice it into deli meat. Maybe a meat grinder...yeah, that might make up for the hell he’s put everyone through....“
I remember smiling at the image of Devin howling in pain as I shoved his cock through a meat grinder, and then realized I was getting too close to you. The park wasn’t very crowded and I needed to be sure to keep my distance.
You meandered down the walkway slowly, as if you weren’t in a hurry to get anywhere. I couldn’t help but notice your shapely legs and tiny waist. Your figure had filled out slightly and you looked more like my idea of a real woman than ever before. It was wrong to think about it, but I wished you would turn sideways so I could get a look at your luscious breasts under that tank top. Alex is a damn lucky man.
You stopped and inhaled deeply, looking up at the trees and smiling. You gave a little skip and took off through the park, walking slowly and looking around, skipping every once in a while.
I chuckled, then. Despite all the shit you've been through, you could still skip through a park like an eight-year-old.
I’d expected you to just wander around the park, but you eventually turned and walked out of the park. You stopped at the corner next to the Plaza and stared up at it with a sad look on your face, twisting a ring on your finger as you looked up, and then hung your head and continued on. The change in your demeanor was heartbreaking. I realiz
ed it was your engagement ring you were playing with. Kurt really fucked with your head, didn't he? I could sympathize with Kurt’s feelings, but still....
You walked down Fifth Avenue and I wondered if you were going shopping. I grinned at the businessmen who smiled at you and looked you up and down. You ignored most of them, but when you did see one, you gave them a shy smile and walked away quickly.
Still shy after all these years. It's an endearing quality. Most women with your looks would be sauntering down Fifth Avenue, swaying their hips and making eye contact with every custom-made suit they passed. But not our Anna.
After a few blocks, you seemed to have recuperated from whatever had bothered you in front of the Plaza, but you still didn’t saunter. You headed into Rockefeller center where I almost lost you in the crowd. I expected to be here a while, but you just went into a restaurant and emerged a few minutes later with pink cheeks and a Styrofoam cup. I was wondering what caused the pink cheeks when I realized you were heading right towards me.
Shit! I turned around quickly to admire the building behind me. I felt you stop behind me, hesitating, and I prayed you wouldn’t talk to me.
“Stupid,” I heard you say to yourself, just loud enough for me to hear. “He’s dead. They’re all dead.” You walked away and I let out the breath I'd been holding.
I knew you were thinking about Alex. Maybe you even thought you recognized me, but your logical mind kept you from going there. I waited a few minutes and then jogged to catch up.
You kept walking and walking. You looked in windows as you moved, but never stopped or went into a shop.
“Where on earth is she going?” I muttered under my breath. You hadn’t been what I consider a normal woman when I’d known you before, and I was pleased to see you hadn't changed. When you finally headed towards the entrance of a particular building, I laughed out loud. I should have known!
I reached for my phone. I had to call Alex.
“Is she okay?” Alex answered, obviously worried, since his accent was so thick you could cut it with a knife. He’d insisted on speaking English ever since we got here, you know, so you would be able to understand him when the time came. Speaking Russian for several years hasn’t helped him speak English intelligibly. Not that he ever could, mind you.
I laughed. “She’s fine. I’m pleased to let you know she has finally reached her destination.”
“It’s been an hour. She’s been walking the whole time? Where did she go?” The barrage of questions made me smile.
“The library. The big one on Fifth.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. “The library?” He sounded astounded.
“Yup.” I followed her up the stairs casually, ignoring the flirtatious smiles of the college girls coming down the steps. Another time maybe....
You stopped at the information desk briefly and then headed to the stairs.
“Seth?” Alex broke my concentration.
“Sorry. I’ll follow a while longer and let you know what she’s doing.” I ended the call and put the phone in my pocket.
I finally found you on the third floor, sitting between bookshelves, absorbed in a book. I positioned myself in between some shelves where I could see you but you couldn’t see me. An older gentleman went directly to the row you were sitting in and spoke to you.
Your eyes sparkled as you laughed at something he said, and you chatted for a few minutes. The man leaned against the bookshelf as you talked like old friends. I was contemplating moving closer so I could hear what you were saying, half wondering if you were having some sort of secret rendezvous with him.
Suddenly you gave him a big smile and hopped to your feet and followed him to a back room, eyes sparkling as he talked to you. I couldn't help feeling suspicious. What was he going to do with you in there? And how did he have access to a locked door?
I spotted a librarian putting books away and approached casually. “Excuse me,” I said with the kind of charming smile that worked with women. This time was no exception. Several minutes later, I knew the man’s name was Max and that he was the head librarian. The woman didn’t know you, but knew that the closed exhibits could be accessed through that doorway.
Well, at least the guy wasn’t a sleezeball who wanted to hurt you. At least it didn't seem like it. The woman had spoken of Max as if she held him in the utmost respect. Of course, many “respectable” men take advantage of younger women. Just look at the Elders. Sorry Alex, but it's true.
I tried to decide what to do. Part of me thought I should find a way through that door to make sure you were okay, but my gut told me that Max was a good guy and there was nothing to worry about.
The question became, then, where would you emerge? The building is huge and who knew if you would even come back up to this floor. The only sure thing was that you had to leave through the main door, so I headed downstairs to stake out the door.
About an hour and a half later, I saw Max come through a side door and walk towards the information desk. Maybe I could learn something from him. I meandered towards the information desk and gave him a friendly smile.
“Hello,” Max said with an equally friendly smile. “How may I help you?”
How best to approach this? “I noticed you speaking with a woman upstairs a while ago....” I hesitated. “You seem to know her quite well.”
“Yes,” Max said cautiously. “You might say that.”
“What can you tell me about her?”
Max’s brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed. He was protective of you. Good. “Why do you ask?”
I grinned. “She’s a beautiful woman.” I gave a little shrug. “I’d like to know more about her.”
The older man studied me for a while. “She’s engaged.”
“I see.” I paused. “Whoever he is must be a very lucky man.”
Max frowned. “I don’t know if he realizes how lucky he is.”
“Why do you say that?”
He sighed. “It’s not my place to spread rumors, but he doesn’t seem to appreciate her the way she should be appreciated. Let’s just put it that way.”
“She’s a special girl?”
Max nodded with a fond smile. “Not too many young women spend their days off in the library. But she comes every week, either on Sundays or Mondays. Well, up until a few weeks ago. I thought maybe she’d gone off and gotten married, but she came back.” He smiled. “She’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen, and a spectacular dancer.”
“Dancer?” Of course, I knew this already.
“She’s a ballerina with the City Ballet. Made quite a stir in the Arts world during the Spring Season. But the company’s on tour now. Not sure why she’s not with them, unless it was her illness that kept her here.”
We’d only arrived in the city yesterday and hadn’t had time to learn much about what you had been up to, so I was quick to ask more questions.
“What kinds of books does she look at?”
Max smiled. “All sorts, though she stays away from the popular modern fiction. She always looks at the ballet books. Sometimes she’ll go to the classics. Sometimes she’ll stay in non-fiction. I saw her in the German language section a little bit ago.”
“German language?” That was promising.
“Apparently her fiancé is German.”
“Ah.” Back to Kurt. “And she doesn’t seem happy to be engaged?”
“No, not really. When she told me she was engaged I pointed her in the direction of the wedding books and she just shrugged and asked about something else. That’s not normal.”
“Well, Germans don’t get very romantic about their weddings.”
“That’s a shame. She’d make a beautiful bride.”
I nodded thoughtfully. You were radiant the day you married Alex.
Max eyed me carefully. “She’s got a very pretty rock on her finger. He must be pretty wealthy. Although she doesn’t seem the type to marry for money. Maybe someone could steal her heart away from
him.” He gave me a pointed look.
“Maybe.” I shook my head. “Please don’t tell her I was asking about her.”
“Why not?”
“Because....” I hesitated. “It’s my employer who is interested in her and he’s...shy.”
“Employer, eh? You seem pretty interested yourself.”
Max was a smart man. “Who could resist someone like her?” I smiled. “Thank you for your time.” I turned to leave.
“Is your employer a good man?” Max asked.
I turned around with a serious face. “The best man I’ve ever met.”
The older man smiled. “If there’s anything I can do...I’d love to see her happy.”
“Thanks, Max.”
*****
“So that’s why Max was okay with the roses in the library,” Anna said thoughtfully. She gave Seth an affectionate smile. “I should have said something to you.”
Seth shook his head. “It was better if you didn’t know, Anna.”
Anna sighed. “I guess so.”
Seth laughed suddenly. “Did you tell her about the first time we saw her at the club?”
Alex’s face turned red and he shook his head.
Anna giggled. “Tell me?” she pleaded, intrigued by the embarrassed look on her husband’s face.
Alex sighed. “All right.”
Chapter Forty-Eight
I had been in my condo for a week. I’d been cooped up on my family estate for the prior four months. Before that, I’d been imprisoned for four years. I needed to get out. Get out and be around people. Being in the city, watching the hustle and bustle made me restless, not to mention having to wait a few more weeks for the start of my mission to destroy Devin.
I’d been officially “called out” but this was a mission I was looking forward to fulfilling. As a Brotherhood assassin, I couldn’t just go out and start shooting people. I’d be killed. Me and my team. But, if given an assignment by Vlad, Tom and my father to take out some Elders and Sons, then I was simply acting as a proper Assassin. It didn’t matter that I had helped in the planning of the assignment. It didn’t matter that I was itching to see these men through the scope of my rifle. All that mattered was that I’d been given an assignment and I would gladly fulfill it.
The Life of Anna, Part 5: Emerged Page 37
