Once we’re back inside the theater, I immediately search for Anya, but I don’t see her.
“Maybe she’s in her dressing room?” Dominic suggests. “Many of the performers have changed into street clothes. She may be doing the same.”
Nodding, I push through the crowd. Spotting a performer, I ask her for the location of Anya’s dressing room. She takes a minute to look me up and down and then peruses Dominic. I’m ready to blow, but she responds by pointing down the hall. “Second from the end.”
I spot her name on the door, just as I hear her scream.
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 trappedinside. 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’tanswered 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?”
