1. Chapter One #2
I hurry to the backstage.
“Where have you been?” Jake asks, now in his costume for the second act.
“I was changing but I’m here now. Let’s finish this.”
We dance onstage to applause. Without even thinking about it, my eyes search through the audience, looking for the man I just met. It’s hard to see with the lights but I can just make out the first few rows. It’s then that I see him.
He’s in the row behind my family. Staring at me with his intense eyes. They were so blue back in the hallway, despite the ugly fluorescent lighting. I think he’s the type of man who looks handsome no matter where he is.
As I dance the black swan, I find that I begin to move more fluidly. More… seductively. I’m being watched now by a man like him and I want to do a good job. I want him to like what he sees.
That’s not an innocent way of thinking. It’s one my father would be ashamed of.
But it’s how I feel.
So, I dance my heart out as the black swan, performing for the man who’s name I don’t even know.
When the show is over, I’m greeted by my family in my dressing room.
“You were so great,” Irina says, giving me a hug. “I hope I’m as good as you are one day.”
“You’ll get there. You practice almost harder than I do.” I turn to Ana and Sasha. “What did you two think of the show?”
Ana shrugs, on her phone while Sasha sighs. “It was good. You know ballet isn’t my thing though.”
Mom grabs the phone from Ana. “You were wonderful. If your father had been here tonight, he would have been so proud.”
“Where was Dad?”
She hesitates, which is never a good sign. “He had work.”
Work. Mafia business. He has kept his work from me and my sisters so we have never been effected by it. But we all know exactly what he does. We know people are hurt because of him. We know people have died because of him.
“But he wanted to be here.”
I force a smile onto my face. “I know. Of course.”
“Let’s head back home. Our driver is waiting for us.”
My family is rich. As in more money than anyone can dream of rich. Even though I live in New York, I’ve never taken the subway or any other public transportation. Only private drivers for us.
Irina and I link arms as we leave the theater behind us. Sasha and Ana bicker ahead of us while Mom walks with her head held high, ready to get back home.
But as we walk out the back door of the theater, I feel eyes on me. Glancing over my shoulder, I see that man watching me. The handsome one. The unnamed one.
He’s leaning against the building, just staring at me. When he notices me looking, he offers me a nod. I gulp. Why do I feel both nervous and excited knowing he’s looking at me?
“Natalya,” Mom snaps at me, making me look away.
“What?”
“Hurry up. We don’t want to be late with dinner with your father.”
I can’t help myself: I look back again and see that the man is gone. When I meet my mom’s eyes, I see her giving me a worried look. Does she know something I don’t?
I want to ask her but I’m also worried that she’ll somehow ruin what I shared with the stranger. It’s like a dirty, exciting secret. It’s one I want to keep to myself.
We arrive back at our brownstone.
I can’t wait to rest my feet for the night. I have eight shows this week and I need my body to be ready for it.
I’m already imagining being inside my home. It’s soft color scheme, the luxury furnishings, the fact that it always smells like vanilla no matter what room you’re in.
But when we step through the door, I instantly feel that something is wrong. Nothing is amiss. No broken doors or windows. No signs that I have anything to worry about.
But then my eyes turn to the living room off the foyer and I see a man seated on our couch. It’s a man who looks a lot like my father but it’s one I haven’t seen in years.
My uncle, Denis.
He sets down the glass of whiskey in his hands and stands up, like this is his home and we’re the guests, instead of it being the other way around.
“Denis,” Mom gasps. “What are you doing here? I haven’t seen you in years.”
“Yes. That’s because Lev didn’t want me to return. But I’m back now.”
“Are you here to see Lev?” She makes a show of looking around the room. “He’s working right now. I’m not sure when he’ll be back.”
Denis smiles in a way that instantly puts me on edge. “I know Lev isn’t here right now. In fact, he’ll never come home again.”
The five of us go still. It’s like a collective movement. We all understand that this is a moment we need to be worried about. Even Ana looks up from her phone, which is a feat unto itself.
“What do you mean?” I ask before my mom can. “Where is he?”
“Dead.”
That one word hits me straight in the core. Irina gasps. Sasha’s mouth drops open. Ana’s phone clatters from her hands.
And our mom… she moves into action.
She stuffs her hand into her small purse and pulls out a gun. It’s a tiny thing but it still holds a lot of power in it.
Ana and Irina stare at our mom in shock.
Sasha and I are not surprised though. We know our mom has handled a gun before.
She’s the one who’s taken us to the shooting range to make sure we’re able to defend ourselves.
She waited until we were eighteen, which means Ana and Irina have a few years yet before they’re going to join us in the tradition.
But now that our uncle has returned and has claimed our dad is dead, I’m not sure we’ll be continuing with any traditions for a while.
“You killed him?” Tatiana asks, holding the gun steady in her hands.
Denis raises his hands in surrender. “I did not. I wouldn’t be here right now if I did. I know you, Tatiana. I know you’re capable of killing me. Trust me. I did not kill him.”
“Then why do you look like you’re happy?” Sasha asks. “If you didn’t kill our dad.”
“My brother and I were never close. But I still loved him. He asked me to join him today. We began to discuss business. He wanted to make sure his girls were taken care of in case anything happened to him.”
“And you just happened to talk with him about that today,” Tatiana says. “The day he died.”
“It’s bad timing, I’ll admit.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets like he doesn’t have a care in the world. “But I can assure you. I did not cause Lev’s death.”
“Then what happened?” It’s Ana who asks. Even though she’s only fifteen, she has courage in her voice. “How did he die?”
I wrap my arm around Irina, bringing her in closer to me. She clings right back.
“We were attacked. When we left the restaurant. Some of your father’s enemies wanted him dead. I barely made it out alive. He was killed. His body was taken.”
“By who?” Mom asks. “Who took him? Who… killed him?”
“I’m not sure who. But they spoke Russian. Fellow Bratva members, I take it. I haven’t been in this city in a long time.”
“Where have you been?” I ask.
“Chicago. I don’t know the players in New York, I’m afraid to say. I’m sorry I wasn’t of more help in saving my brother. Your husband and father. Trust me, I wish I could have saved him.”
Sasha narrows her eyes. “You say that a lot. Trust me. But how can we trust you? We barely know you.”
“You’ll get to know me now. I’ll be moving in here to protect you girls.”
“Protect us how?” I whisper. My world has just come crashing down and I barely know how to deal with it. The shock from it all is the only thing keeping me on my feet.
“From men who would come knocking where they shouldn’t be knocking. A lot of men will want to get Lev’s wife and daughters. But I will prevent them from doing that.”
“And let me guess,” Mom says, still not lowering the gun, “you will make arrangements for my daughters to marry men you choose, instead of honoring the ones my husband had in mind.”
“You have husbands in mind for us?” Ana asks.
“For all four of you but nothing was set in stone. Only negotiations,” she explains. “I’m sorry, girls. I wanted to tell you at a better time.”
“So, is our dad really dead?” Irina asks.
Denis nods. “He is. But I’m here. You can trust me. I promise you. I will not hurt you.”
“By marrying us all off?” Sasha asks.
“Not right away. Your father wanted to wait until you were all in your twenties. I will respect that. Tatiana, you can lower the gun. I will not hurt any of you.”
Except, Mom doesn’t move.
“Mom,” I murmur, making her flinch. Slowly, she lowers the gun. There’s a collective release of breath the moment she does it.
“You are not staying in this house. Not until I know for sure what happened.”
Denis nods. “I understand that. But you will learn that I did not kill my brother. You are all safe with me.”
“Just go. We have a funeral to plan and we need time to mourn. So just go. You are not welcomed back in this house until I get all the information.”
Denis doesn’t put up a fight. Before he leaves the house, he stops right before me. “You are a beautiful dancer, Natalya. I wanted you to know that.”
I gasp. “You’ve seen me dance?”
“I have. Your father allowed me to come to one of your shows. I would have loved to have seen you tonight but you can understand why I wasn’t there.
” His eyes rake me over. “You have a grown into a beautiful young woman. A lot of men will want your hand in marriage. You can trust that I will keep you safe from them.”
My mind flashes back to the man I spoke to at the theater. He screamed danger and yet, I want to see him again. Will my uncle protect me from men like the stranger?
“Just go,” Tatiana snaps. “Denis. Go.”
He gives us all a nod before leaving the house.
The moment he’s gone, all five of us go into the living room and fall onto the couch. It’s long and large, capable of seating up to eight people. It’s more than big enough for my family of five.
We’re no longer a family of six.
“Dad is really gone,” Irina whispers right before tears spill down her face.
“Honey,” Mom says, wrapping her into a hug. Sasha is keeping a stoic expression while Ana is staring down at her phone.
I want to cry but I hold it back. My younger sisters need me to be strong right now so strong I’ll be.
“How did this happen?” Sasha asks, her lips barely moving. “One moment, he was here and the next, he’s gone.”
“We’ll never see him again,” Ana says, sinking low into the couch.
“I’ll get to the bottom of this,” Mom promises. “I swear I will.”
Irina turns to me, taking my hand in hers. “He didn’t even get to see you in Swan Lake. I know he was so excited for it. He was talking about it for months.”
That makes a couple tears slip out of my eyes. I pull away from Irina and stand up. “I just need a moment.”
“We should stick together,” Mom says. “I don’t trust your uncle.”
“What are you worried he’ll do?” Sasha asks.
“I’m worried he played a part in your father’s death. We can’t trust any men right now. We only have each other.”
Despite how upset I am at my father’s death, my mind still goes back to the stranger I met at the theater. What was his name? I guess I’ll never know.
For some reason, that makes me cry harder and I run from the room. My sisters don’t need to see me cry.
My father will never watch me dance ever again.
And my uncle has returned to cause chaos.