In a Broken Dream (The Broken Series Book 4) (21 page)

I
laughed. “This dress is gorgeous. Do you think your other bridesmaids will like
it?”

She
pulled her cell phone out of her purse. “Let’s find out.” She snapped a couple
of pictures and texted them to her bridesmaids, who lived out of state. “I have
a feeling they’ll be asking more questions about the hickies than they will the
dress.”

I
rolled my eyes. “I’m going to change while we wait for their replies.”

Her
cell phone pinged before I could climb out of the dress. “Told you,” she said.
“They want to know what’s up with all the hickies.”

I
tugged my clothes back on and joined her in the hallway. “What’d they say about
the dress?”

“They
loved the dress.” She snatched the royal blue gown out of my hand as we walked
toward the front of the store. “I’m going to get these dresses ordered and paid
for. Then we’re going shopping… at Babies ‘R’ Us.”

My
eyes shot to her stomach.

“Not
for me! For Rafael!” she cried indignantly.

I
was too dumbfounded to speak.

“I’m
getting that man a pacifier. Next time he tries to latch onto your neck, you
shove it in his mouth. There will be no hickies on my wedding day. Do you
understand me?” she lectured sternly.

“He
doesn’t normally do this,” I protested. “The only reason he did it was because
Maxim was in town.”

“Maxim,”
Cenia mumbled. She appeared to be flipping through some internal Rolodex.

“The
guy from the Russian mafia,” I whispered.

Cenia’s
head whipped around. She scrutinized the other patrons in the store before
grabbing my arm. “Here? That guy was
here
?”

I
couldn’t have stopped the eye roll if I’d tried. “Well, not
here
here.
He was at my house.”

“You
let him inside your house?” she screeched. “So what was Rafael doing? Marking
his territory?”

I
nodded. “Pretty much.”

Her
eyes narrowed. “Why?”

I
sighed. “Because Maxim kissed me.”

Cenia
shook her head. “Forget Babies ‘R’ Us. We’re going out for drinks, and you’re
going to spill every last little detail.”

I
laughed. “That sure beats shopping for pacifiers.”

She
handed the dress to the sales clerk, and turned to face me. “You know, one of
these days, you’re going to write all this crap down, publish a book, and
produce a best-selling novel.”

I
nodded. It was, sadly, just the sort of book I’d want to read.

* * * * *

I
strode into Shae’s office. “I was hoping you would tell me, but you haven’t… so
I’m just going to ask.”

Shae
set her pen down. “Ask what?”

I
lowered into the chair across from her desk. “What’s wrong with Chance?”

She
eyed me warily. “Why do you ask?”

“He’s
not whistling anymore. His muscles are all bunched up, and his face is taut,
sort of like this mountain lion I ran into in Montana,” I replied.

Her
eyebrows shot up. “You ran into a mountain lion?”

“Don’t
change the subject,” I growled.

She
huffed out a breath. “He hasn’t been the same since Konstantin arrived. He’s
camping out in the hallway again. He makes disgruntled sounds through the door whenever
Konstantin comes over. He said I’m undermining his ability to do his job by
hanging out with thugs.”

“I
don’t think that’s the only thing you’re undermining,” I muttered under my
breath.

She
folded her arms across her chest. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I
studied my friend. “Chance likes you. If you’re renewing your relationship with
Konstantin, then that undermines Chance’s ability to have a relationship with you.
Are you and Konstantin…”

Shae
shook her head. “No. I’m… It’s just… I’m not ready.”

“
Totally
understand,” I assured her. “So, what are you and Konstantin doing when he
comes over?”

“Talking
mostly and playing Scrabble. We haven’t been spending a lot of time at the
house. We go out to dinner and take long walks along the river,” she replied.

“Is
he good at Scrabble?” I asked. Konstantin didn’t strike me as a Scrabble kinda
guy.

Shae
scowled. “He keeps complaining that my Scrabble set doesn’t have all the
letters in the Russian alphabet. He cut little squares out of a note card and
wrote down all the missing letters. He keeps insisting on playing those letters
even though it locks up the board. I can’t play words off that! I can’t form
English words off letters and symbols that aren’t even in our alphabet!”

My
eyes widened. Shae seemed genuinely disgruntled. I started laughing. “That’s…
unfortunate,” I finally replied.

Shae
narrowed her eyes at me. Then she began laughing.

“Is
Konstantin still planning to leave on Sunday?” I asked when the laughter
subsided.

“Yes.
He’s heading back to Ukraine on Sunday. I don’t know if he’s going to move
here. He’s still exploring his options both in and outside the mafia,” she
confessed.

I
leaned forward in my seat. “Just promise me you’ll try to mend things with
Chance when Konstantin leaves. I’m not telling you to end things with
Konstantin, but I do think you should consider a relationship with Chance. He
likes you, he’s super cute, and he’s a really nice guy.”

“I’ll
think about it,” Shae said with a sigh. “How’s your research coming along?”

I
perked up. “Good. There are definitely some environmental issues at play here. India
is building sixty-seven hydroelectric dams in Kashmir's glacier fed rivers in
direct violation of the Indus Water Treaty. India needs this electricity, but
the resulting water shortage will compromise Pakistan's agricultural industry,
reduce water for human consumption, and threaten the stability of Pakistan. The
conflict over Kashmir is driven in large part by India and Pakistan’s efforts to
control these water resources. I suspect the end goal is the same for the Kashmiri
insurgents and Al-Qaeda. Both are wreaking havoc in this region.”

Shae
made a couple of notations on her notepad. When she glanced up, she looked a
million miles from surprised. She leaned back in her chair. “The Taliban and Al-Qaeda
roam freely in the Northwest Frontier Province. There are over two million refugees
living in that area. Most of these refugees lack clean water, food, and
shelter. Violent crime is rampant. Women and children are being physically and
sexually abused. Women are being forced into prostitution and some are being
forced to sell their children. The border between Afghanistan and Pakistan is
porous. That area is a breeding ground for terrorist recruits, especially for the
Taliban.”

I
shook my head sadly. “Two million refugees? Why aren’t we seeing this in the
news?”

“The
media could care less about the refugee crisis in Pakistan. They’re too busy
riling everybody up over our missteps in Afghanistan,” Shae replied.

I
took a deep breath and blew it out. “The media and our policy makers need to
step back and look at the big picture. This entire region is on the verge of
collapse.”

“Tunnel
vision is never a good thing,” Shae agreed.

I
studied my friend. “The war in Afghanistan will complicate things for us. Our
team is going to face some serious trust issues in Pakistan. Between our
economic ties and all the foreign aid we pour into India and all these recent
drone attacks, Sammi and Cory won’t be viewed as impartial. They’re going to
have a hard time gaining their students’ trust.”

Shae
nodded. “I think they’ll have a much easier time in India.”

I
glanced at the time on my cell phone and leapt from the chair. “The team
meeting’s in five minutes. I need to finish writing my report!” I glanced at
Shae as I hustled toward the door. “Please consider what I said about Chance.”

“I
will,” she replied. She chuckled at my hasty retreat. “I’ll see you at the team
meeting,” she sang out as I bolted down the hall.

* * * * *

“What,
no bodyguard tonight?” Kadyn ribbed when I traipsed through the door.

I
grinned. “Nope. Rafael dropped me off outside the studio. He agreed you were
perfectly capable of keeping me safe for the next sixty minutes.”

Kadyn
smiled. “Finally, something we can agree on.” He pulled me in for a hug. “How
was Montana?”

“Therapeutic,”
I replied. “Everyone asked about you.”

“I
can’t believe you beat us here!” Cenia exclaimed, bursting into the room. Roger
followed in her wake.

The
four of us exchanged hugs. “Rafael asked me to invite all three of you to join
us at Cosi when the dance lesson is over. We’re going to make s’mores,” I announced.
“They have these table top burners that allow you to roast marshmallows right
inside the restaurant.”

Cenia
glanced at Roger. “What do you think?”

He
shrugged. “Sure. You know me. I’m always up for chocolate.”

“Sounds
fun,” Kadyn agreed.

I
smiled gratefully. Kadyn’s feelings toward Rafael had come a long way since
Ukraine.

A
petite blond woman stepped out of the back office. “Is this everyone?” she inquired
as she strode haughtily across the dance floor. She was wearing a black strappy
leotard, black leggings, and a long black and gray wrap skirt that billowed
behind her like a giant puff of smoke.

The
four of us gaped at her. “Yes,” Cenia responded, filling the awkward silence. “I’m
Cenia. This is my fiancé, Roger, and our friends Kadyn and Kri.”

“My
name is Katia,” she announced. Her tone suggested she might be in love with her
name. She slipped her delicate hand in ours before eying our feet with disdain.
“Dance shoes. You, all of you, must be fitted for dance shoes. Come, Come! Anton
will be here any minute.”

“There
are special shoes?” I repeated a bit dazedly.

“Yes,
of course,” Katia replied. She turned on her heel and strode toward the office.
We trailed a few feet behind so we wouldn’t get caught in her skirt. She waved
toward a mountain of boxes that were piled behind the desk in her office. “These
shoes will give you the flexibility and the support that you need. Our women’s shoes
are available in black, white, silver, or nude. Our men’s shoes are available
in black or brown.”

“I
need a size ten in black,” Roger replied.

Katia
arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at Kadyn.

Kadyn
met her inquisitive gaze with the stoic look he had perfected at some point in
his childhood. “Black. Size eleven,” he replied.

She
pulled two boxes from the center of a stack and handed them to Kadyn and Roger.
Her movements were so fluid the stack didn’t even wobble when the other shoes
slid into place.

I
looked at Cenia. I was debating between silver and nude.

“I
think you should go with the nude,” Cenia suggested.

“Size
eight in nude,” I confirmed for Katia.

“Size
seven in white,” Cenia added hastily.

Katia
handed us the shoes. “I want you to bring these to every practice so we can
break them in before the wedding.”

Cenia
and I sank onto the floor so we could strap the delicate but sturdy sandals
onto our feet. Kadyn and Roger laced up their shoes and helped us back onto our
feet.

“Did
you bring the music?” Katia asked after we paid for the shoes.

Cenia
pulled a CD out of her purse. “Yes. Roger and I will be dancing to ‘When You Say
Nothing at All’ by Alison Krauss. Our entire wedding party will be dancing to ‘What
a Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong.”

Katia
accepted the CD with a regal nod. “A waltz should work beautifully for both
songs. Ah. Here’s Anton.” She gave Anton an air kiss beside each cheek when he
joined us.

Cenia
and I exchanged glances. Neither of us understood the motivations behind air
kissing. I’d always speculated that people kissed the air because they couldn’t
bring themselves to touch one another. Anton was causing me to question this
theory, because he was now caressing Katia’s arm.

We
introduced ourselves to Anton while Katia slid the CD into the stereo. Anton
had a slender build. He was impeccably dressed and a bit too elegant for my
blood. He seemed perfect for Katia, though. She stood a little taller than
Anton with her high heels on. She was very pretty, and she had the kind of
posture you’d expect from a professional dancer. Still, there was something
about her that rubbed me the wrong way. I suspected it was the air of
self-appointed nobility.

“Let’s
begin,” Katia said with a little clap. “Ladies, please approach your partners.”

I
tried not to giggle as I stepped up to Kadyn.

He
grinned.

“Gentlemen,
place your right hand on your partner’s shoulder blade. Ladies, rest your arm
on his so that your hand is resting just below his shoulder. Now, gentlemen,
hold her right hand in your left, extending both of your arms out in an elegant
line. Arms should be even with your shoulders,” Anton directed. He demonstrated
the position with Katia.