The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared (4 page)

“I don’t need your love,” Anna growled and
turned to walk away, but Kurt grabbed her around her waist and
pulled her close.

“You do, Anna,” he said softly in her ear.
“You do need to be loved. You melted in my arms this morning. When
was the last time you were held like that?”

Anna pushed at his chest. “It doesn’t
matter.”

“
Ja.
It does. It matters because you
are a woman that is meant to be loved and cherished. And as much as
you try to deny it, you cannot. You are scared. I understand that.
But avoiding people and feelings will not make things any better.
You will just be miserable again.”

“I’m always miserable.”

Kurt cupped her chin and kissed her, long and
passionately. She was breathless when he pulled away. “Does that
make you miserable?”

Anna gasped for air. No, it made her feel
alive. But that scared her to death. “Please let me go, Kurt. Go
home. Leave me alone.”

“
Nein.”
He kissed her again. And
again. And again, until she relented and relaxed in his arms.

She rested her head on his chest and closed
her eyes. She couldn’t fight him anymore. She didn’t really want
to.

Her phone rang, interrupting the serenity of
the moment. It was Devin’s ring. She pulled away from Kurt and dug
in her purse for her phone. “Hello Devin,” she said nervously.

“Where are you?”

Anna looked around. “I’m at a
park...somewhere downtown.”

Devin didn’t reply.

“Devin?”

“It’s Friday, Anna. It’s four o’clock and
you’re supposed to be here.” He kept his tone even, but she could
feel the anger radiating through the phone.

Anna gasped and clasped her hand over her
mouth as tears filled her eyes. “Oh, God! Devin, I’m so sorry. I’ll
leave right now.” She started walking away, but Wilhelm grabbed her
hand and took the phone from her.

“Hello, Devin. It’s Wilhelm....” Anna watched
helplessly as he walked away with her phone.

“He’s going to punish me,” she said weakly,
hanging her head and wincing. She’d been trying so hard to be good,
and Kurt and Wilhelm came into town and ruined it all.

“Vati will not let that happen, Anna.”

Anna watched Wilhelm as he talked to Devin.
His face remained impassive and he seemed to speak with confidence
and firmness. At last, he nodded and ended the call.

“Your presence is not needed at the
Schloss
tonight, Anna,” Wilhelm declared as he walked back
to where Anna and Kurt were standing and gave her back her phone.
“What would you like to do tonight?”

Anna stood staring at Wilhelm. His ability to
stand up to Devin amazed her.

“We had talked about going to the symphony,
Vati.”

Wilhelm nodded. “That is true. How does that
sound, Anna?”

Anna nodded. She had gone a few times with
Alex and had enjoyed it, although it wasn’t as enjoyable as a
ballet; there wasn’t much to look at. But she did enjoy the music.
“I don’t have anything formal to wear. I don’t have much at all,
actually.”

“Finally!” Kurt exclaimed with a grin. Anna
looked at him, confused. “I can buy you something!” He took her
hand and the three of them walked back to the hotel to get the car
Wilhelm had rented.

Anna stood in the shower, immersed in
rose-scented body wash, and sighed. She felt...happy. Genuinely
happy for the first time in forever. Maybe life didn’t suck as bad
as she thought it did.

She liked being with Kurt. He was much calmer
than he had been before. He didn’t look at other women and seemed
completely devoted to making sure she was happy. Not that she
wanted him to revolve his life around her, but she did like the
attention. But what did that mean?

Devin surely wouldn’t approve of her getting
involved with Kurt. But then again, maybe it wasn’t Devin’s call.
After all, she belonged to Wilhelm just as much as she belonged to
Devin.

Things just...felt right with Kurt. They’d
always gotten along well. Maybe Alex hadn’t been her soul mate.
After all, she’d met Kurt first...as long as you didn’t count all
the dreams she’d had about Alex....

No
. Alex was dead. And a monster
like Jack. Kurt was here. And alive. And the son of her Master. A
glimmer of hope for a relationship began to take hold.

After dinner, Wilhelm, Kurt and Anna were
driven to the Opera House. Anna was having a fabulous evening with
the two of them. Wilhelm doted on her like a father would, and
beamed at her and Kurt together.

They walked into the Opera House and found
the lobby crowded with patrons eager for the world premiere of a
new symphony. Once again, she was drawn to the statue of her
parents. Wilhelm spotted a couple he apparently knew and Kurt
walked over to the statue with her.

He slipped his arm around her waist and
nuzzled her ear. “I am glad you are dancing again, Anna,” he said
in a soft voice.

Anna sighed. “I’m not sure if I’m glad or
not. It’s frustrating when my body won’t do what it’s supposed
to.”

“You will get there,” he said encouragingly.
His thumb rubbed against her ribs and she inhaled sharply,
surprised to find herself getting aroused. She smiled, remembering
him pushing her up against the wall the first time he took her out
and Alex getting angry at him.

“Anna? Anna Perkins?”

The unexpected voice from her past sent
shivers through her body. She turned reluctantly and smiled
politely at Zach. He stood with his arm around a blond pregnant
woman. The same woman that he’d been with the first night they’d
met.

“Hello, Zach,” she said nervously.

He looked her up and down and grinned. “You
look good, Anna,” he said in an innocent tone, though his eyes
betrayed his darker thoughts.

“Kunze,” Kurt said in a low voice.

“Excuse me?” Zach said, turning a bright
smile to Kurt.

“Her last name is no longer Perkins. It is
Kunze.” Kurt’s hand tightened on her waist as if to keep her by his
side.

“Ah, yes. I’d heard you’d gotten married,
but...I thought you were widowed?” Zach’s confusion as he looked at
Kurt was evident.

“She was married to my brother, Mr...?”

“Senator, actually. Senator Zach Vail.” Zach
extended his hand and Kurt shook it. “Brother, eh?” Zach grinned.
“Nothing like keeping it in the family.”

Anna thought she heard a low growl come from
Kurt, but he said nothing.

Zach turned back to Anna. “Devin said you
were doing better in the last few weeks. I’m glad to hear it.” He
looked at the woman. “Patty, do you remember Anna? She’s a friend
of Devin’s. Anna, this is my wife, Patty.” He patted her protruding
stomach and smiled. “And our little girl.”

The woman smiled brightly at her. “Of course.
Anna. From the...CFO event, right? How are you?”

“Fine, thank you,” Anna responded
quietly.

“You are a friend of Devin’s?” Kurt
asked.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without him,”
Zach answered with that politician’s smile of his. “You know
him?”

“I do,” Kurt said stiffly. “And that is how
you met Anna?”

Zach smiled. “It is. About...three years ago,
I believe. We lived in the same apartment building as well.”

Kurt’s jaw clenched. “I see. Well, if you
will excuse us....” Kurt steered Anna away from the couple and back
towards Wilhelm. “He hurt you,
ja
?” he asked quietly.

Anna nodded. “He’s very cruel.”

“Anyone can see that if they look at him,” he
growled. “I remember Alex mentioning his name. I cannot believe he
is in political office.”

“Devin said he was grooming him for several
years.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “No wonder your country
is the mess that it is. If that is the type of man Devin thinks
should be running the country....”

They returned to Wilhelm and the three of
them made their way into the theater. Anna couldn’t hide her smile
as they passed by the doors Kurt had pulled her through the last
time. She glanced up at Kurt, who watched her with sparkling eyes.
He leaned down and kissed her and then caught up with Wilhelm.
Wilhelm glanced back and gave an approving nod to his son.

Yes
, Anna thought to herself,
Kurt has definitely changed
.

Their seats were in a box slightly to the
right of center stage. Anna suppressed a whimper when she saw Zach
and his wife sitting in the box next to their own. Kurt kissed her
cheek and took the seat closer to Zach, shielding her from Zach’s
view.

Kurt put his arm protectively around Anna’s
shoulders and kissed her temple. She sighed contentedly and leaned
against him, ready to enjoy a pleasant evening. Kurt wouldn’t let
anything happen to her.

“Anna, do you want to come back to the hotel
with us...with me?” Kurt asked softly as they waited outside for
their limo.

Anna looked up into his eyes and smiled.
“Yes,” she whispered.

A grin spread across Kurt’s face.
“
Gut
.”

“You two go on up to the room,” Wilhelm said
as they walked into the hotel lobby. “I think I will have a drink
at the bar.”

“Wilhelm...,” Anna began, but he shook his
head.

“
Nein, Liebling,
you go with Kurt,”
he said gently.

She nodded slowly and then allowed Kurt to
lead her to the elevators. Her heart pounded nervously as they rode
upstairs and walked into the suite.

“Did you want something to drink,
Engel?”
Kurt asked softly, closing the door behind
them.

Anna shook her head. Why was she nervous?
She’d slept with hundreds of men. Why was he different?

Because he is different. He’s not “other
men.” He’s Kurt.

Kurt took her hand and led her through the
hotel suite to an adjacent bedroom. He closed the door softly
behind him and gave her a tender look.

“Anna, I do not want you to feel obligated to
do anything.”

“I...don’t feel obligated, Kurt. I want to.”
She took a deep breath. “I want to be with you.”

Kurt grinned and stepped forward to take her
into his arms and kiss her soundly.

He stood at the window again, hair pulled
back into a low ponytail. The breeze that snuck through the open
window caught a few strands of loose hair caught in his neatly
trimmed golden beard. He wore his blue denim shirt untucked from
his jeans. The shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows, showing
the muscles in his forearms tightening and loosening as he grasped
the windowsill with his big hands.

He sighed and ran his right hand through
his hair. A ring on his finger caught the sunlight as he did so and
the golden reflection made her blink. He mumbled to himself and
turned away from the window. He froze when he saw her.

“Schatzi?” His eyes glistened with tears
as he stepped toward her. “Anna....” He stopped a few feet away
from her, clenching and unclenching his fists as if uncertain of
what to do.

She stared at him, knowing he wasn’t
real, but wishing with all her heart that he was. “Why did you
leave me?” she whispered as tears spilled down her cheeks. “Why did
you abandon me to him?”

“I’m so sorry, mein Schatzi. I didn’t
mean to. I had no idea...it was a trap.” His eyes grew earnest and
he spoke quickly, as if he only had a limited time to speak. “Anna,
I’m real. I’m still here. I will return to you. Please, tell my
father I’m here.”

“No!” she yelled suddenly, pushing away
the ache in her heart. “No! You’re dead! You abandoned me!” She
shook her head and searched desperately for a way out.

“Anna....” His voice echoed in her
ears.

She felt a brush against her shoulder and
the vision faded.

“No!” she screamed and sat up in bed. Her
chest heaved as she gasped for breath.
Where am I?

“Anna.
Engel
.” Warm arms wrapped
around her and held her as she began to sob.

She shook her head. “I don't want to dream
about him!” she cried, pounding her fists on her legs.

The arms tightened around her. “Shh, it is
okay, Anna.” He rocked her and held her head. “It is okay, Anna.
Everything will be all right.”

“What happened? Is she all right?”

Anna heard footsteps and then the mattress
moved next to her. She felt a hand on hers.

“She was talking in her sleep and then she
yelled and woke up. It...sounded like she was dreaming about
Alex.”

Anna’s sobs quieted and the room became
quiet.

“Alex? Anna did you dream about Alex?”

She nodded. “I don’t want to dream about
him,” she sobbed. “I don’t want to remember him.”

“What was your dream about?”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to
remember.”

“Please tell me,
Liebling.
I want to
know.”

Anna began to tell him about the room and the
man she saw. She didn’t want to say his name. “He said it was...a
trap. That he was real and that he would return to me.” She started
to cry again. “Why do I have such horrible dreams?” Alex would
never return to her. Why did her mind play such tricks on her?

“Have you dreamed of him before?”

She nodded. “I always sleep with the TV on so
the dreams stay away.”

“Did he say anything else,
Liebling
?”

Anna swallowed. “He said to tell you that he
was there.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why I keep dreaming
about him. I hate him.”

There was a long silence and then she was
gently pulled back down to the bed. “Go back to sleep,
Engel.
I will turn the TV on.”

She heard the sounds of late night TV and
drifted off to dreamless sleep.