Chapter Twenty-Four Anya
The sounds of the party diminish as I get closer to my dressing room.
My mind replays the scene of Skylar leaving with Vladimir hot on her trail.
Why was he following her? Also, who was that person I saw at the edge of the crowd?
He looked so familiar. He reminded me of my brother, Alexi.
But it couldn’t have been him. Could it?
I’m not paying attention, so I don’t realize there are people in my dressing room until I’m already inside. Oleg sits with one hip on my vanity, Pavlov leans against the wall, while Artem closes the door behind me before leaning against it to block my escape.
“What are you doing in here?” I ask.
“Waiting for you, of course,” Artem says from behind me.
“What do you want?”
“We want you,” Oleg says as he pushes off to stand in front of me. He runs a finger down my arm, which sends a chill down my spine. “You see, we know your father plans to give you to one of us. We’ve decided to get a taste first.”
“We want to sample the goods before we agree,” Pavel chuckles.
Oleg leans closer until his face is near my neck.
I jerk away and put some distance between him and me.
However, the room is too small to break completely away.
They still have me trapped inside. Rather than try to reason with them, I scream.
Pavel slaps his hand over my mouth, but I achieved my goal.
Someone pounds on the door as they rattle the doorknob.
When they can’t get in, a heavy body slams against the flimsy door.
Artem falls forward when a dark figure crashes into the room. He’s not alone.
Vladimir rushes forward to wrap his arm around Oleg’s throat while Dominic pushes Artem out the door before he grabs Pavel. He slams the men against the far wall while Vladimir focuses on me. “Are you alright?”
A crowd starts to form outside, and I hear my father’s voice before he pushes his way into my dressing room with Igor right behind him. “What’s going on?” He searches my face, frowning when he sees me shaking.
“These assholes just tried to assault your daughter,” Vladimir snaps. “They had her trapped in her dressing room. We heard her scream.”
“It was just a misunderstanding,” Artem says. “We just wanted to talk to her. She got the wrong idea.”
“They said they wanted a taste of me,” I say, glaring at my father. “They said, since you plan on giving me away to one of them, that they deserved a sample.”
“That’s not true!” Oleg screams.
“She’s lying!” Pavel protests.
“Igor, get them out of here,” my father says as he moves toward me to pull me into his arms. “Shh, child, you’re safe now. I won’t let them near you.”
“Does that mean you won’t force me to marry one of them?” I ask, my face buried against his shoulder as I breathe in his familiar scent. I can’t seem to stop shaking.
“You’re shaking. You should change into something warmer,” my father suggests.
I am chilly in my costume, but that’s not why I’m cold.
I don’t overlook the fact that he hasn’t answered my question.
However, rather than push him here in front of an audience, I’ll wait and discuss when we’re back home.
“I’ll change,” I tell him. He releases me, and I follow him to the door.
Locking eyes with Vladimir, I whisper a thank you.
He nods as I shut the door behind them. After I change, I open the door to find my father and Igor waiting for me.
Vladimir and Dominic are gone. The rest of the crowd has also left.
“Ready?” Father asks.
I nod as Igor takes my bag for me.
“Where are they?” I ask.
“I sent them home. They won’t bother you again. I’ll make sure of it.”
Igor places my bag on the floor in the backseat before he joins Rurik in the front seat.
My father pulls a blanket from a compartment and places it around my shoulders. “When we get home, I’ll have Nadia make you something hot to drink. Are you hungry?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think I can eat. Maybe I’ll have something later. You didn’t answer my question. Are you going to force me to marry one of them?”
He heaved a sigh, and I was terrified that he was going to let me down. “No, I won’t force you to marry one of them. I didn’t know they were monsters.”
“Thank you,” I say.
He pulls me close to his side and kisses the top of my head. “No thanks needed. I’ll find someone worthy of you.”
I stiffen at his words, but he doesn’t notice.
We continue the ride in silence as I contemplate how to get through to him.
I don’t want to marry someone of his choosing.
I chew on my bottom lip as I consider how to approach him.
However, by the time we reach home, I haven’t figured out what to say.
Dejectedly, I enter the front door to find Nadia waiting with a tray.
“Igor called and said you could use something hot to drink and something light to eat. I put together a tray. I’ll follow you up.”
“Thank you, Nadia. Our girl was spectacular tonight,” my father beams at me. I manage a small smile, but I can’t be excited about his praise. His insistence in marrying me off is creating a wedge between us.
When we reach my room, Nadia places the tray on my desk before turning to me. “How are you feeling after the performance? Was it everything you hoped?”
I smile at her as I sit on the bed to remove my shoes. “It was amazing. I loved every minute of it.”
“I can’t wait to see you. Your father has arranged for half the staff to attend the next performance, while the other half will attend the following one. I bought a new dress for it.”
Rising, I hug her and thank her. “I will think of you while I’m on the stage,” I promise her. “Did Skylar call?” I ask, wondering what happened to my friend after she disappeared from the party.
“No, I thought she would be with you.”
“I thought so, too. She must have had something to do. I’m sure I’ll hear from her tomorrow.”
Nadia leaves me so I can change. I pick up the cup of hot chocolate and take a sip before carrying it into the bathroom and placing it on the counter.
All I want to do is take a nice hot bath.
Movement in the mirror has me crying out in alarm.
I expect to see Artem, Pavlov, or Oleg, but the person moving from behind my door is someone I never expected to see. Someone who could be a ghost.
“Alexi?” I whisper as he crosses the room and pulls me in for a hug.
The tears fall as I weep at how good it is to hug him again. I never thought I’d see him again. But here he is in my bathroom.
“How?” I ask, pulling back to stare into his eyes. He’s changed his appearance. He’s gaunter than he was, and he looks more rugged with his beard and longer hair.
“It’s a long story. I had to see you. I’ve missed you so much,” Alexi says, crushing me to him again.
“Does father know…?”
“No, not yet. I wanted to see you first.”
“You were at the theater. I thought I saw you.”
“I saw your performance. You were amazing. I’m so proud of you.”
“Where have you been?”
“It’s a long story. I promise to tell you everything, but I don’t have much time. I need to get back to the hotel…” he stops talking when his phone rings. He pulls it from his pocket and curses. “It’s Vladimir. I have to take this.”
“Vladimir?” I ask as he accepts the call. He nods.
“I’m heading back,” he says. “I had a stop to make. Anya? What about her? They did what?” His eyes lock with mine, and I see the anger burning inside him.
If it’s the same Vladimir, and I’m fairly certain it is, he’s likely telling my brother about the attack in my dressing room.
“I’m with Anya now. I’ll bring her with me. ”
When he ends the call, he grabs me gently by the arms. “Vladimir told me about the attack. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Vladimir arrived in time to stop them. I take it we’re talking about the same Vladimir? Vladimir Zoloth?” Alexi nods. “How do you know him?”
“He’s the one who rescued me from Ukraine and smuggled me into the United States. If it weren’t for him, I’d be dead. He brought me here on a ship. We sailed for two weeks, which gave me the time I needed to heal.”
“How did he do it? Rescue you, I mean?”
Alexi shrugs. “I don’t know. I don’t remember what happened before I woke up on the boat, under a doctor’s care. Vladimir told me he received communication from Ukrainian soldiers who found me beaten and left for dead. They told him Russian soldiers were the ones who beat me and left me behind.”
“I don’t understand. Who would do this to you?”
“Vladimir thinks it might have been Oleg, Pavel, and Artem working together. They knew that if I died, Father would have to replace me as his heir.”
I nod. “That is his plan, along with having me marry the newly appointed heir so the bloodline can continue. But now that you’re back, I won’t have to get married.”
A flicker of pain crosses over Alexi’s features, but he says nothing. Instead, he pulls me in for a hug. “Vladimir wants us to go to the hotel. He’s worried about your safety after what happened tonight. Will you come with me?”
I nod. “Of course. Now that you’re back, I can’t imagine letting you out of my sight.”