Chapter 31
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
A crushing weight settled in Scarlet’s chest, and she fought to keep the panic from dragging her into a full-blown breakdown. Part of her wasn’t ready to fight back, but her anger grew as swiftly as her anxiety.
She tried not to think of the past year. It seemed like such a long time to be fooled by someone so close. Maybe she’d been so desperate for friendship that she hadn’t seen the real Nora.
Scarlet felt sick thinking about all the heart-to-hearts with the woman—how many glasses of wine they’d shared while they poured out their insecurities. All of it was so useless and fake, now watching Nora’s lips twist into a smile.
Nora pushed her down to the floor on the stage in the middle of the spotlight circle and paced around her for a few moments, keeping her eyes and gun trained on Scarlet. The silence was unnerving.
The minutes crawled by like hours.
Nora stepped close to Scarlet and exhaled in irritation.
“You know, it was going to be easy. You were just a corps dancer. You could disappear. Your dad might have looked for a bit, but I could’ve made up a few dozen stories to cover it up.
Hell, I can duplicate passports and identification.
I could have hired some idiot to just travel the world with your information. ”
Scarlet swallowed back her tears, clenching her jaw.
“Everything would have been fine…” Nora tapped the gun on her leg. “But you’re stronger than you look.”
Her face twisted into a sneer. “And you started causing problems.”
Scarlet flinched. “I…” She inhaled sharply. “I don’t…”
“Shut up.” Nora pressed the gun to her temple.
“Just tell me why,” Scarlet pleaded. “You were my best friend. I?—”
Nora rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Right. I spotted you the moment I got to North Pointe. Poor little rich girl with the prestigious father so desperate for a real friend. It was easy to manipulate you.”
She leaned in close, batted her eyes, and gave Scarlet a fake smile. “Just had to pretend to give a shit about your petty first-world problems.”
Scarlet impulsively brought her fist up, punching Nora in the jaw. The sound of impact was loud in her ears, and her hand throbbed in pain.
Nora staggered back, blinking in surprise, but recovered quickly, her face falling back into the scowl.
“You fucking bitch!” She raised the gun to Scarlet’s face.
“Nora,” a stern voice sounded out.
Advancing footsteps tore her attention away from the stage. “What?” Nora spat.
Andrej stepped out from the wings, taking slow, methodical steps. “Back off,” he ordered.
Nora inhaled sharply, but did as she was told.
Andrej stepped in front of Scarlet, cocking his head at her. Scarlet glanced up at him for a moment before turning her attention forward to the spotlight keeping her vision impaired.
Nora pointed out to the empty theater with her free hand.
“Enjoy the view now,” she spat. “Because you’ll never see it again.”
“That’s enough,” Andrej commanded. “We’ve lost valuable time already. Especially since you couldn’t deliver the first time.”
Nora narrowed her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. “Oh, I’m sorry. Aggravated assault and kidnapping is your thing, Daddy.”
Andrej grinned at her. “I love it when you call me that.”
Scarlet flinched, as Nora cackled again.
Andrej held out a hand to her. Nora took it, and he brought her in to his chest, kissing her deeply.
Scarlet’s stomach churned. They’re crazy. Up until that point, she had tried to avoid accepting how disturbed Nora really was, but now she had to come to terms that Nora wasn’t her friend … and she was armed.
“Anyway.” Nora turned her attention to Scarlet.
“After things weren’t going as planned, we tried to cause some confusion to scare you.
Maybe make you drop the whole promotion.
Then, I had Yuri grab Victoria and Lily.
I planned to just go for the gold, but I spaced that Lily had some health issues.
That doesn’t fly among the elitist pricks who pay for our concubines, so here we are. ”
“What?” Scarlet choked. “Why did you hurt Lily? Why ruin her career?”
Nora shrugged. “Hey, it’s one less ballerina to worry about.”
Scarlet’s vision blurred a little as the dizziness hit her. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The words out of Nora’s mouth didn’t seem real. It was unfathomable how someone could hide themselves so well.
Scarlet’s panic surged as Andrej knelt in front of her. She cowered a little as he raised a hand to stroke her hair.
“It’s all part of the game, little girl.” He smiled at her. “I wanted you a little subservient, and those things take time. I like the thrill of manipulation. Build your trust, make you comfortable.”
He ran a finger down Scarlet’s cheek. “After you escaped my men the first time, I saw you had more strength than you let on. I thought it would be a good time to turn everything into the real game. I do get bored from time to time.”
Andrej wrapped his arms around Scarlet, lifting her to a standing position. She tried to control her fear as the man’s fingers dug into her skin. She clenched her jaw to keep it from trembling.
“I didn’t see the bodyguard coming. He really threw me a curve ball, and you couldn’t stay away from him.” Andrej shook his head and tsked. “You just keep making the wrong decisions.”
Nora looked over at them, rolling her eyes. “Are we done? You’ve had your fun.”
Scarlet swallowed nervously as she searched for a moment to gain advantage.
Keep them talking, she thought. After all, this was a stage and Nora loved to perform. Maybe Andrej did as well.
“Why me?” Scarlet asked.
“You’re broken,” Andrej said. “I like broken things.”
He looked back at Nora, motioning to her with his head.
“What’s really interesting is the fateful tie-in this Alex has to the whole story.” Andrej turned back to Scarlet. “How grossly poetic.”
Scarlet kept her eyes on Nora’s gun. If she could just get close to grab it, she could escape. Then she dismissed the idea. It was dangerous to gamble. Andrej didn’t look like the type of man who traveled without a gun.
Maybe there was another option.
“Daddy.” Nora’s voice echoed across the stage. “We need to move. Maxim is waiting.”
Andrej inhaled deeply. “Always trying to run things. Even though she knows she’s not in charge yet.”
“Maybe I should be,” Nora snapped. “If you didn’t want to play these silly games, we’d be done with it all by now and I could be focusing on what’s important—like my ballet career!”
Andrej turned to Nora and took a few aggressive steps toward her. “Maybe you need to be punished for your behavior.”
Scarlet’s heart pounded in her ears as she took a quiet step to the right. If she could just run to the wings, she could make it to the side hall that led to the main North Pointe building.
“You don’t scare me.” Nora laughed. “I have more control over your men than you do. I have something you don’t, and it’s right between my legs.”
The two continued to argue, so Scarlet made a break for it.
She didn’t get far, as Yuri came out of nowhere, obstructing her path like a brick wall.
Scarlet’s eyes went wide, as she tumbled into the muscular man.
She tried to get around him, but he grabbed her around the waist. She kicked at him, desperate to escape.
“Bring her back here,” Andrej said.
“No!” Scarlet struggled in Yuri’s grasp. “Let me go!”
She tried to bite him, but his skin was like tough leather. He threw her back to Andrej, who caught her and laughed. He held her loosely by the neck.
“She’s feisty,” he said. “I love it.”
Scarlet freed one hand, reached up, dug her nails into Andrej’s cheek and ripped into it, drawing blood. He gritted his teeth and snarled at her, tightening his grip around her neck.
“Just kill me,” Scarlet managed, still thrashing. “I don’t want to go with you. I won’t! I won’t fucking go!”
“Oh, no?” Andrej turned her around, grabbing her shoulders. He forced her to step back to the stage. He walked her to the edge where she could look out over the theater. Her breath came in short gasps as she tried to regain her strength to fight more.
Andrej brought his lips close to her ear. “Tell you what. I’ll give you a choice.”
Scarlet closed her eyes, certain she wouldn’t like what the man had to say.
“I’m a fair businessman,” he went on. “I don’t need to fill any quotas when I’m the one in charge. Clients come to me because of quality product, not because I just give them whatever I see on the street.”
“Andrej…” Nora warned from the side of the stage.
“So,” he went on. “I’ll let you choose.”
Andrej placed his hand on her neck, pulling her hair out of the way.
“Choose me, and I’ll make your life as comfortable as possible while you fulfill the needs of men.
You’ll be my favorite, my moneymaker, and you’ll benefit from that.
You will leave this place and never return, but you will dance for my guests.
No one will know your name, and you’ll forever be mine. ”
He traced her neckline, lightly breathing on her skin. “Or … you can jump off this stage, break your legs, and never dance again.”
He gripped her neck again, squeezing tight. “After all, damaged goods are damaged goods.”
Scarlet took a deep breath, trying not to imagine the outcome of either option. The crazy words ran through her head, drilling a headache into her skull. Maybe she was too sheltered to realize people like this existed—and Andrej had been so close for far too long.
“You wouldn’t dare!” Nora shrieked.
Andrej let go and backed away from Scarlet, taking calculated steps. She turned her head to watch him, wondering what he was doing. He reached into his jacket pocket to bring out his own gun. He aimed it her.
“Make your choice.” He smirked. “But please, make it fast. I have a schedule to keep.”
Scarlet glanced at Nora, whose fury was rising by the second.
“Get her back here!” She stomped her foot. “Stop the stupid games!”
Andrej quickly pointed the gun at Nora, pulling the trigger. The bullet ricocheted somewhere near Nora’s head, making her scream and jump back. Her hand, still holding her gun, began to shake.
“You’re so obsessed with money and rules,” Andrej said, keeping his eyes on Scarlet. “You’re less fun than you used to be, Nora, darling. I just might have to replace you.”
No, Scarlet willed. If Andrej wanted her to give up her life either way, it would be on her terms.
I’m the prize. The kind of prize no one should ever be.
“How dare you treat me this way!” Nora screamed. “After all I’ve done for you. You’re like a dog. You just want a shiny new toy! I’m the same age as Scarlet. What does she have that I don’t?”
“Volume control.” Andrej raised an eyebrow.
Scarlet turned to face the theater and looked down.
It was a long drop, sure, but there was a sense of relief at that brief thought of falling. Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad.
Scarlet’s thoughts traveled to Alex. Sweet, wonderful, Alex, who came into her life so fast, and made it easier to breathe. She wouldn’t give up her dream for anyone, but if this was the only way out, she would at least be grateful she had Alex.
I need him. Just for this last moment.
She imagined Alex’s solemn brown eyes and his smile—that smile that seemed to pain him when it went spread fully. Nothing else existed for Scarlet.
Falling was the only answer.