The Life of Anna, Part 2: Entwined (39 page)

She shrugged. “A little, but I'm okay.”

“He raped you?”

She shrugged again. “He likes it when I struggle...when I fight him.”

He stared at her, disbelieving how calm she was. Though he supposed, according to Alex, she'd been so abused that rape was just another thing that happened on a regular basis. How fucked up was her life that she didn't think anything of being raped?

“Why didn't you call me?” he asked softly, though he knew the answer already.

“We weren't supposed to see each other,” she whispered, blinking back tears. She looked up at him. “I never felt as hopeless as I did last night. Being happy with you, then...,” she swallowed, “...going back to my old life. It’s so much worse than before we were together.”

Aaron felt like he'd been hit in the stomach. Did she regret their relationship? “Do you wish we'd never met?” he asked reluctantly. Did he want to know?

“No,” she answered hoarsely. “I thought about it, but no, I'm glad we met. I'm glad I have a friend.” She looked up as if to confirm he really meant what he said earlier.

“I will always be here for you, Anna,” he said firmly.

And he meant it. No matter how much it hurt, he would be a good friend. It was the only thing he could do for her now and he would make sure he didn’t fail her.

“Thank you, Aaron.” She looked around nervously.

The Company dancers he'd come with were watching them. They knew how miserable he'd been yesterday and he'd told a few of them why. The girls at the table that Anna had been sitting with watched them with avid curiosity. They obviously didn't know what had happened.

“I should let you get back to your lunch,” he said slowly. He didn't want her to think he was trying to get rid of her.

She nodded. “Yeah, I should. I think I could eat some now.”

His heart lightened. “I'm glad to hear it, hon.” Oh, he shouldn't use his term of endearment for her. Too painful.

But she beamed at him and he guessed it was worth it. He stood and pulled her into his arms for a brotherly-looking hug, trying not to inhale her scent and enjoy her softness too much. She hugged him back, leaning her head against his chest. Oh, the agony!

He pulled away before he lost what little control he still had over his body. He held her cheeks in his hands.

“Anna, call me anytime you need, all right? Especially if something like that happens again.”

She tried to shake her head, but he wouldn't let her.

“I mean it. That's what friends are for. To be there when you need someone.”

Her eyes welled up with tears and she nodded. “I'll have to get used to this friendship thing again,” she rasped.

He kissed her forehead, then released her. He chuckled at the wide eyes of her fellow dancers. “I think you're going to have some questions when you get back to your table.”

She turned and looked at her friends, then turned back around and blushed. “What do I tell them?”

Aaron grinned. “The truth. I'm not ashamed that I fell in love with you. We're adults. We didn't do anything wrong.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

*****

Anna returned to the table with a much lighter heart. Aaron wanted to be friends with her. She wasn't abandoned.

“How do you know Aaron?” Nicole asked as Anna sat gingerly down in her chair.

Anna glanced over at Aaron's table. “Um, we dated for a while,” she answered shyly.

Audible gasps were sounded around the table. “You're so lucky!” Isabel, a small redhead, sighed. “He's so hot!”

Giggles and nods circled the table.

“Did you kiss him?” Jackie asked in a hushed voice.

Anna nodded.

“Is he a good kisser?” another girl asked.

Anna nodded again and blushed. He was a good everything. Oh, the things he'd done to her body! She chided herself. She didn't need to be thinking about that right now.

No one asked if she'd had sex with him and she didn't volunteer the information. It struck her suddenly that her childhood had been anything but typical. Some of these girls hadn't even kissed a guy before, let alone have had sex with one. The idea of not having sex was such a strange concept to Anna. She'd been doing it for so long, she didn't think anything of it.

After they’d finished eating, the girls headed back to the studio for their two afternoon classes.

When classes were finished, Anna walked downstairs to leave. She spotted Travis in the entryway, reading.

“Hi, Travis,” she said softly, not wanting to startle him. She knew how she got when she was really into a book and someone speaking too loudly could be very disturbing.

He looked up and grinned at her. “Hey, Anna. How's it going? Have a seat.”

She looked around and then sat next to him, leaning against the wall. She liked Travis. Coming from somewhat similar backgrounds made her feel comfortable with him.

“Things are going good. I feel stronger than I did yesterday.” She smiled. “I didn't expect to progress so quickly, but I'm already comfortable back on
pointe
.”

Travis shrugged. “That's not really surprising, considering, you know, your heritage and all.”

Anna frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, the...ones like your dad, they're natural artists, dancers or singers usually. Didn't you know?”

“Travis, I didn't even know what my dad was.”

“Oh, yeah. That's so weird.” He shook his head. “Anyways, yeah. Considering who your dad really is, and I should have realized it when I looked at his picture. He looks like them. Tall, blond, thin and ethereal looking. Well, I suppose not all of them are blond. Just most of them. Like elves.” Travis chuckled. “If you know what you're looking for they're not hard to spot. Fortunately, most people don't know they exist.”

Tall and blond? “Is Alex...?”

Travis laughed. “Nah. He's totally human. He's too temperamental to be...one.” He lowered his voice as a group of dancers walked by them. One girl reached out and tousled his hair. Travis winked at her and she giggled.

“Girlfriend?” Anna asked.

“What?” he looked shocked. “Girlfriend? Ugh, no. Why would I want to limit myself to one girl?”

Anna laughed.

“Anyways. So, yeah. Don't be surprised that it comes back so naturally. It's in your blood. Literally. You'll be in the Company by the end of summer.”

Anna's eyes widened at the thought of her dearest wish coming true. “Travis, don't tease me.”

“I'm not. Believe me.” He grinned at her. “Maybe we'll get to dance together.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “I don't think I'll be doing any
pas de deux
anytime soon. I'd be content in the Corps.”

“Not gonna happen, Anna. As I understand it, your dad went straight from the ballet school to a principal. And Aaron said you're still amazing.”

Anna blushed. “Does Isaak know about me?”

“I'm pretty sure he doesn't. But he does know you are your father's daughter.” Travis looked at his watch then stood. “I gotta get back to rehearsal.” He helped Anna to her feet and hugged her. “Keep working hard and don't be surprised at your progress. I can't wait to see you dance.”

He said goodbye and left Anna in the entryway, head full of new and wonderful thoughts.

Anna walked from the elevator to her apartment, still amazed at what Travis had told her earlier in the afternoon. She almost didn’t notice the tall man standing in the doorway of the apartment next to hers. He was holding a very large box and struggling with his keys.

She hesitated a moment before speaking. “Do you need some help?” she asked nervously.

He turned his espresso-brown eyes on her and gave her a bright smile. “I'd love some help.”

Anna guessed him to be in his mid-to-late-twenties, with short dark-brown hair and broad shoulders. He wasn't overly bulky, but she could see his biceps bulging under the weight of the box he held.

“Can you grab the keys and unlock the door?”

She realized she'd been staring and felt her cheeks warm. She took the keys from his hand and unlocked his door, pushing it open so he could enter.

“Thanks,” he said with a grin. His teeth were very white next to his tan skin. He walked into the apartment and Anna waited outside. She had no intention of walking into a strange man's apartment unless she had to.

He returned a minute later and Anna handed him his keys.

“I’m Greg,” he said with a nice smile. He spoke in a gentle tone and Anna was not afraid of him.

“I'm Anna,” she said softly.

He grinned. “Well, aren't I lucky to have such a pretty neighbor?” His voice had a slight drawl to it.

Anna blushed and backed away slightly.

He looked alarmed. “I didn't mean anything by that, Anna. Just...trying to make conversation. I just moved in today.” He motioned behind him.

Anna nodded, not knowing what to say. She looked at her own apartment door wistfully.

“Well, I need to unpack. It was nice to meet you, Anna.” Greg said with a slight bow of the head. “I hope I'll see you again soon.”

Anna smiled shyly. “It was nice to meet you too.” She turned and quickly unlocked her apartment and went in, locking the door behind her.

*****

Alex's phone rang as he'd expected it to. “Hey Greg.”

“Hey, Alex. I've made initial contact.”

Alex sighed with relief. “Any problems?”

“No, though you're right. She is skittish. I said something about being lucky to have such a pretty neighbor and she backed away.” Greg chuckled. “She's cute.”

Alex knew he meant that in a respectful manner. And he couldn't help but agree. “Yes, she's beautiful.”

“I kept it brief like you suggested.”

“Good. The less you approach her, I think the less she'll feel threatened. I don't want her to be scared of you.”

“Alex, it's not like I make it a habit of going around and scaring women. But I understand.”

“Does she suspect you know me?”

“I don’t think there was an opportunity for her to get much of a read on me. Why do you want to keep it from her?”

Alex sighed. “She's afraid of me.”

Greg was quiet for a moment. “She's afraid of you? What'd you do?”

“I don't know exactly. But that's what Aaron said. And I don't want to scare her any more than I apparently already have. She'll probably be relieved when I tell her I'm leaving.”

“Do you really think that's wise? I mean, considering all you've told me about what's going on, don’t you think it would be better if you stayed here?”

“In the short term, yes, it would be better. But going back to Frankfurt is the only way I'm going to be able to figure out how to fight Devin. In the long run, staying here will only hurt her further.”

“Do you think you can trust Devin to not hurt her? I mean, I can only do so much as her neighbor.”

“But you can keep an eye on her, and get to her quickly if needed. I'll only be gone for a few months, I hope. And I'll come out and visit. But Devin needs her. I really don’t think he'll do anything to harm her.” He sighed. “I hate the idea of her hurting in any manner, but I'm going to have to risk it for now. I suppose I should be grateful that she's a strong girl.”

Aaron had called and told him what had happened to Anna the previous night. He shuddered to think about what had happened to cause those bruises.

“Are Michael and Jesse here yet?”

“They'll be here tomorrow. I want them out of sight as much as possible. But they're here if you need backup.”

“What happens if we get called out?”

Alex ran his hands through his hair. “Michael and Jesse have contacts they can bring in temporarily while we're in the field. But I hope we won't be. I considered spreading the word to not contact me unless absolutely necessary, but I think that would draw attention from Devin. I don't want him knowing what I'm doing, though he'll probably suspect something.”

They hung up a few minutes later.

On Saturday, Alex had reached the decision that he needed to go home. He'd called his father several times that week and each time Wilhelm had told him the only way to truly help Anna was to come home and learn more about what Devin was doing.

But Alex was reluctant to leave her. Even if she was afraid of him, he was still in the city and could do...well, that was the problem. He was limited in what he could do to fight Devin. He just didn't know enough. So, he had spent the weekend developing a plan so that Anna would be watched while he was gone.

His communications man, Greg Sims, had come into town and agreed to move in next door to Anna to keep an eye on her. Of all the men on his team, Alex had a feeling Anna would trust Greg more than any of them. Not that any of his eight men were untrustworthy by any stretch of the imagination. Greg was quiet and unobtrusive and Alex hoped Anna wouldn't feel threatened by him. Maybe she would even accept him as a friend.