Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Demi-plié right foot forward, à la quatrième devant,” Armand called out to the room of dancers. “Men, relevé, arms fifth to the front.” He seemed distracted as he repositioned Scarlet for the fourth time that hour.
The principals lined the wall, waiting for their entrance, but Armand kept starting the entire piece over after the intro.
Victoria kept a piercing glare on Scarlet, tapping her pointe shoe on the floor.
She rolled her eyes and sighed loudly like it was Scarlet’s fault every time Armand called a stop.
“Scarlet, execute one grand battement à la seconde, lowering to a pointe tendue.” Armand tapped her shoulder, reminding her to stay as erect as possible while Ivan stepped up to join her. “Arabesque penché. Remember: ethereal, not just desirable.”
Scarlet kept her expression blank as she slowly executed the moves.
“Watch your hips.” He turned his attention to another dancer.
The piano music kept Scarlet focused as she navigated the floor with Ivan.
The day was fading, and she wanted to be done.
It was only Monday, yet Scarlet’s energy waned.
It was hard to focus on the dance. She could feel Victoria’s death glare, and wanted nothing more than to escape.
People were talking, she knew. They were talking about her behavior, about Nora, about everything.
Her mind wandered, imagining an empty studio with low lighting.
Instead of Ivan, the man guiding her was Alex.
His hands stroked her bare neck and traveled down her arms before lifting her into his arms. She imagined wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her to the wall of mirrors.
Then, he would sit her up on the barre, spread her legs…
“Merde!” Ivan’s obnoxious voice startled Scarlet out of her daydream and she stumbled over her feet.
He threw up his hands and sneered at her. “What are you doing? You aren’t even paying attention!”
Armand looked over at them and signaled for the music to stop. Victoria let out an obnoxious laugh and whispered to Lily.
“I’m sorry.” Scarlet blinked. “I was trying to keep my focus, and I lost?—”
Ivan didn’t let her finish as an irritated huff of air escaped his lips. He turned and stormed away. “I’m done for the day. Why should I put in effort if everyone else gets to be distracted?”
Armand sighed and nodded in agreement. “I’m not entirely pleased with anyone’s progress. Please get a good night’s sleep so you will be ready to work tomorrow.”
Scarlet wiped the sweat from her brow and walked to her corner of the room, where her belongings were piled. She sat down and began to remove her pointe shoes.
“Stay alert, pretties,” Armand said. “Remember, safety in numbers.”
Victoria rolled her eyes for the tenth time that hour and continued to whisper to Lily. They laughed as they walked out of the studio.
“I don’t think Victoria takes this whole stranger-danger thing seriously.” Logan sat down next to Scarlet and stretched his legs. Armand raised an eyebrow their way.
“She has a penchant for idiocy,” Scarlet muttered.
“She hides a lot of pain,” Armand said. “It comes out as very enfant terrible.”
“Oh, is that her excuse?” Scarlet asked Armand. “Maybe we’re just not seeing the obvious.”
“Obvious?” Logan inquired.
“That she’s not concerned because she knows who’s behind it,” Scarlet said as she stood up.
Logan’s forehead crinkled. “That may be too obvious.”
Armand looked around the now almost empty studio. “Just do me a favor and be careful. Even under the watchful eye of others, stay sharp.”
“You mean, don’t count on the trained professional?” Scarlet chuckled.
Armand raised a finger to her. “I mean, trust your instincts. Make good choices.”
Scarlet gave him an exaggerated bow. “I’ll do my best. See you two tomorrow.” She made her way out into the lobby, and scanned the area.
Alex waited on the couch, reading a newspaper. Wearing a white dress shirt and gray herringbone vest, he reminded her of an old-timey detective waiting for a dame to pass by.
They hadn’t spoken much about what happened, but Scarlet got full-on butterflies when she saw him.
He had infiltrated her world, and her imagination was having a hard time staying in line.
Yet, she wasn’t positive her fluttering stomach was all for Alex.
The grueling rehearsals and Armand’s sour mood could have been a nerve-wracking factor.
She tried to shake off the uncertainty about becoming prima.
She welcomed the challenge, but there was a lot being thrown at her, and now it was affecting her friends.
It didn’t help that Victoria was still being as nasty as ever.
Scarlet sighed and made her way over to the bodyguard, as she was instructed to do after her rehearsal. “Ready,” she said.
Alex looked up and smiled at her. “Early day,” he commented.
“Yeah, we weren’t doing great, and Armand was getting frustrated,” Scarlet explained. “It’s better if we just try again tomorrow.”
Alex nodded to her and got to his feet. “Did you need to go anywhere before I take you home?”
“No,” she responded. “My mother’s watching over Nora until I get back to the house.”
Nora had a concussion, and the doctor had ordered both physical and mental rest for at least four days. Nora wasn’t thrilled about not being able to do anything and didn’t want to be alone, so Mrs. Rush offered to keep an eye on her.
Scarlet smiled. “She’s cooking dinner. If you’d like to join us.”
Alex opened his mouth to answer.
“Alex,” Edward called from across the lobby, beckoning for him to come over.
Alex walked over, and the two of them talked in hushed tones.
She turned her attention away from them and looked at her phone. She walked out the doors, texting her mother to let her know she would be home soon.
Breakfast for dinner?
Her mother texted back.
Scarlet smiled at the thought. Her mother knew comfort food was best, and that meant waffles. The thought of heavy carbs both thrilled and terrified her. She would enjoy them either way.
An accented voice invaded her thoughts. “Scarlet.”
Scarlet looked up into Isobelle Laurent’s eyes. She was leaning against one of the large stone pillars in front of the building, clutching a newspaper to her chest.
Scarlet’s face drained of color, unsure why the woman was lurking about. She frowned. “Isobelle?”
“I was just stopping by to speak with you, but apparently I’m not welcome in the building anymore, so says…” She motioned up to the door to where one of Alex’s men stood, wearing sunglasses.
“Wrightworth,” he said. “We have every right to stop anyone from entering the property, ma’am.”
Scarlet held up a hand to Roland and walked toward the woman. “It’s fine. I want to hear what she has to say.”
Roland threw her an irritated look then sighed. “Fine. If there’s any trouble, I’m right here.” He shifted his position to open his jacket, letting both women know he was armed.
Scarlet shook her head, turning back to Isobelle. She was as striking as ever, with her perfectly straight, long black hair and ivory skin. She was dressed head to toe in designer brand names, and an obnoxious, black wide-brimmed hat.
She pursed her lips at Scarlet and nodded. “Thank you.”
“What do you want?” Scarlet frowned.
Isobelle glanced at the building before turning back to Scarlet. She reached out, pulling her aside. “I’ve come here to warn you.”
“Warn me?” Scarlet’s eyebrows rose. “Warn me about what? That you’re planning to take me out? That your new love interest is sending people after my friends and me? Because I got that message already.”
“You’re mistaken about my involvement,” Isobelle said. “But not completely wrong.”
Scarlet looked the woman up and down. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” Isobelle stressed. “That you’re in danger, and there are people close to you who mean you harm. I have nothing against North Pointe, and I never have. Unfortunately, I’m learning too little, too late that neither company should be trusted.”
“That doesn’t exactly help me,” Scarlet said.
Isobelle took a deep breath. “You need to think about getting as far away from North Pointe as you can.”
“Isn’t that convenient.” Scarlet crossed her arms in front of her.
“Please listen to me,” Isobelle said. “At least for now. Something big is on the horizon. You and some of the other dancers at Pointe are targeted. I don’t know how to stop it.”
“Go to the police,” Scarlet said. “Hell, go to Edward, and he can go to the police.”
“You don’t understand.” Isobelle blinked rapidly. “Even coming here has put me in danger. I value my life, too. Police can’t keep me safe from the danger under our noses.”
Scarlet blinked at her. “You’re telling me that you’re risking your personal safety to warn me? Why?”
“Let’s just say, I don’t wish the fate that awaits you for anyone,” Isobelle said. “It’s too late for me, but not for you.”
The tall glass doors of the front entrance opened, and Alex walked out.
“Just think about what I said.” Isobelle nodded at Scarlet, then turned and hurried off.
Scarlet wanted to ask the woman more questions, but she disappeared around the side of the building.
Alex was at her side a moment later. “Sorry about that,” he said, not making eye contact. “Let’s go.”
Scarlet didn’t know what to say as she followed Alex back to the SUV. She remained silent as Alex situated himself and began the drive back to Scarlet’s house.
“So,” Scarlet finally spoke up. “What did Edward want?”
Alex gripped the wheel and kept his eyes forward. “Nothing. We had a disagreement earlier, and he wanted to clear the air.”
Maybe because he’s hiding something? Scarlet wondered.
“Edward’s on edge,” Alex said. “I think he wants to downplay it, but there’s a lot going on that doesn’t make sense. On top of that, the media is twisting things around, which doesn’t help the situation.”
“Anything I should be worried about?” Scarlet asked.
Alex turned his head and locked eyes with her. “Not as long as I’m around.”