The Prelude (29 page)

“No way. I am not ready to face off with Katerina.”

“I need you by my side tonight,” I explain.

She lifts her shoulders and releases a long sigh. “I don’t know, Alek. Kat and I aren’t exactly fashion buddies these days. After what she did to us…”

“Tried to do,” I correct, moving over to sit beside her. I take her hands in mine and kiss them in a way I know that excites her. “Which is exactly why I want you by my side. She needs to understand this is the real thing for me. I need you, Jaybird.”

“Alright.” She gives me a nervous smile. I want to take her back to my place and thrust both of our pains away. But first, I have to deal with Mother’s psychological rebuke of her plan to break us up.

* * *

We arrive at the house in Bellagio. I hate to drag Erin out here with me at this late hour. She hugged her shoulders the entire time we were in the car. The way I see it is that if she understands the imperfections of my world, then she can finish releasing the demons still holding her back from fully embracing what we’ve found.

Adriana meets us just inside the doorway. I barely have time to grab Erin’s hand before she turns and walks through the living room, heading straight to the sunroom at the back of the house. On the way, we step over trash, German beer cans, and shattered wine glasses. Mother only throws parties that leave this kind of evidence when she’s upset.

“Whoa. Did Katerina get kidnapped last night?” Erin asks, her dark eyes scanning over the chaos scattered around the place.

“No.” That’s all I say as we head toward the back of the house.  Inside the sunroom, I find Mother passed out on a wicker sofa. A shirtless guy with a familiar head of floppy dark hair sleeps draped across her body. He can’t be much older than me, and he looks disturbingly familiar.

I bend down and shake him up. I’m not gentle with my wake up call, either. The man rolls over and hits the ground. The drunken face of Mikhail, Nikolai’s lead dancer, is now looking up at the three of us. Mother’s also beginning to stir too. Adriana gasps and covers her mouth, while a raging anger courses through me. I know how vulnerable Mother can be when she gets lonely for my father. I’m fairly certain she won’t be happy when she sees Erin and me here together, either.

I bend down and lift Mikhail up by his hair. He winces and Erin says something about being easy on him.
Like hell I will.
I don’t hear her next words. I’m too busy fighting the rage rumbling through me.

“Fucking playboy! Your career is over! Did you hear what I just said?” I growl in Mikhail’s face. My arm pushes against his windpipe, and he’s turning all shades of blue and I seriously don’t give a fuck at this point.

“Alek!” Erin’s voice calls from behind me. “Stop this, please.” Her touch calms me down.

I release Mikhail who slumps to the floor. “You’re finished, you slimy bastard. As in, fired from the show.”

“I am sorry, Aleksandr,” Mikhail begins, “she insisted that I stay with her.”

“Don’t you dare hurt my guest,” Mother manages to say, her words slurred, and her body swaggering. Adriana sits by her side. She’s doing her best to try and support our mother who insists on rising to her feet. “You will not fire anyone unless I allow you to do so, which I have not.”

I turn my heated gaze in her direction, just before I release Mikhail. The look of horror in his face almost makes me feel sympathetic…almost. “You’ve got ten seconds to erase your face from out of my sight.” Picking up his shirt, I toss it toward him, smacking him in the face. He wastes no time stumbling toward the front door.

Erin steps closer to Mother. This makes the first time she has noticed that Erin’s even in the room. “You again. What are you doing here? Do you never go away?” she snaps at Erin.

“My turn, Mother. If I’m not allowed to rough up your boy toys, then you will not speak to the woman I love that way. You’ve done enough damage, yes?”

I feel as though time has stopped.

All three sets of eyes snap toward me.

Fuck me now and be done with it.
“That’s right. I love her mother.” I stare directly at Erin when I confirm this. I’ve tried to deny the way I feel far too long. Because of that, I almost lost the one woman who has stood by my side, even after I told her about my shady past with Nikolai. I’ve already been given too many chances. I won’t let this one slip away.

“Love,” Mother scoffs, her eyes rapidly blinking. “Love is only a dream, son, an illusion. A tricky little nightmare that’ll grab you and toss you into a dark pit.” She slumps over on Adriana after she finishes her statement. It’s like someone pulled a plug out of her body and she deflated.

I move toward them. Mother is knocked out now.

And Erin still hasn’t said a word. I don’t think she has fully processed what I just declared. That’s understandable. I’m still trying to figure out what drug somebody slipped in my drink this morning, too.

“Alright. Let’s get her up to bed,” I say to Adriana.

“I’ll help you,” Erin offers. She moves over to the other side of Mother and places her arm over her shoulder.

“I’ll go find extra covers for her,” Adriana says and moves out from under Mother’s arm as I take her place.

“Will she be alright?” Erin asks. Worry swims in her eyes. Even though Mother has done everything but ripped her heart out, she still manages to show concern for her well-being.

“She’s a fighter, like you,” I answer meaning every word. We stumble into the guest room located on the first floor. I go outside the room and wait, while Erin and Adriana help my semi-conscious mother remove her clothing. Erin steps out of the room first, gently closing the door behind her. “She’ll have the headache from Hades after she wakes up. That’s for sure.”

“Come here, Jaybird.” I pull Erin into my arms, inhaling her scent. She wraps her arms around my waist. I want to tell her how I feel again. I don’t. Instead, I settle for something more subtle. “Thank you for being in my life.”

She glances up at me and smiles. “You don’t have to thank me, Alek. It’s like you said. Some things are just meant to be. We shouldn’t question something like that.”

A strange
jolt of energy hits me, filling me with both warm and wild thoughts jumbled together. I intend to make sure Mother stays put in bed, and then I’m going spend the rest of the night making it up to Erin for each one she spent alone over the past week.

Mother fought her way off the streets of Texas to become the embodiment of a Russian queen. She’s the one who gave me the spirit and the willpower to be the same way. The only difference is that I found my redeemer in the woman standing here with me. But Mother still searches and waits for the one moment that’ll change her life forever.

Some battles must be fought. For me, I’m going for what’s logical, the woman I love. For my mother, I honestly don’t think she’ll ever be happy unless she stays put on her battleground.

Alek

Tomorrow night I perform at La Scala.

The past eight weeks blur in my mind. Erin’s interns delivered all six sets of costumes a few nights ago. Mother has retreated into her corner, and the woman I love waits for me to pick her up so we can have dinner. No, she still hasn’t told me that she’s ready to continue with our arrangement, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to fully convince her to give us another try. There are only two things threatening to dampen my streak of luck as I drive toward Black Butterfly’s shop: the confrontation I’m going to have with my sister about the man she chooses to date and the black Sedan that has been following me since I left the townhouse.

I make several fake turns. Milan rivals New York City in its ability to confuse the inexperienced driver. I only hope my pursuer isn’t as seasoned as he or she thinks. The Phoenix taught us that sometimes the best defense is the most obvious one. In this case, I simply need to let my mysterious friend know that I’m on to him…or her.

I make about seven or eight turns onto various streets. I wonder how long it’ll take before the person realizes I’m fucking with him. I don’t like it. I’m getting that heated feeling on the tips of my ears I sometimes get when something in my life is about to change.

I make several more false turns. As I drive down the third street, the driver takes off and screeches his tires in a quest to get around me. “Somebody has temper issues,” I yell out the window. Honestly, the situation isn’t a joking matter.

I thought when the Master left town, that I wouldn’t be bothered with the sedan situation again. My mind races with various theories. I need to stay calm if I plan to pull off tomorrow night’s performance. Otherwise, Frederico will get his wish and hire someone willing to stick to a more traditional show plan.

I pull into Black Butterfly’s parking lot. Something in the evening air seems strange. It’s making me feel crazy. On the way over here, I called Erin twice. Each time I made a new excuse for calling, she patiently humored me. But she’s smart. Her father was an CIA agent. She has his natural instincts. I don’t want her to worry. Because of me, she already has enough things to handle.

Walking into the shop, I’m still wondering why Adriana chose to have me meet her here before we all head out to dinner together. She sits on one of the benches closest to the storefront window to the right when I walk in.

“What are you doing here alone, Adriana? I told you not to be traveling around the city without Hagar, did I not?” I ask, hoping I did actually lose the car that was following me.

“Geez. Did somebody forget to take a swig of his calm-down-drink before he left the house?” she asks, smirking. I keep silent. After what happened on the way over here, I can’t find the humor in her joke right now.

“Answer my question, Adriana,” I urge harsher than I intended.

“I’m waiting on Luca to get back. He went down the street to get a cup of coffee, so I can talk to you in private,“ she answers, lifting her tiny chin up with a proud look on her face. “We’re a couple now in case you didn’t know.”

“So it’s true. Martuccio’s screwing my baby sister.” I shake my head and try my best to look disgusted.

“I already have to deal with Mother’s scolding. I thought you’d be on my side,” she pouts, crossing her arms. I am, but I still don’t know how I feel about Martuccio’s colorful history with women. “Doesn’t matter what you or Mother think, anyway. We care for each other. Even though you and Erin might be too stubborn to admit to your love for each other, it doesn’t mean the rest of us have to be miserable.”

“Ouch, Adriana. Hold on to your bullets, alright? You have my support.” I walk closer to the place where she sits, my back now turned to the entrance door. She’s trying to keep a smile from spreading across her face as she fumbles with some fabric lying on the table beside her.

“Wait a minute. You won’t actually castrate him or anything like that?”

I wink. “Don’t know if I’d go that far just yet.”

She attacks me with an embrace. For years, we never interacted this way. Because of Erin I’ve changed in many ways. My sister loves this new part of my personality. Pulling away from her arms, I glance down at her face that reminds me of a perfect cross between Mother’s delicate features and father’s exotic dark skin.

“I need to make one thing clear, though.”

Her smile fades. “What’s that?”

“If he hurts you, I’ll kill him. No, even better, I’ll break his fingers, one limb at a time,” I threaten, even though I’d never do anything to hurt Adriana.

“Excellent idea, Scarlet Phoenix,” a male’s deeply accented voice says from behind me. Every muscle in my body tenses. No one other than Sebastian has called me by that name in almost six years. I whirl around. Two men stand near the doorway. The older one easily matches my height of 6’2”. Their black clothing blends in with the darkening evening, and their faces look familiar. It’s funny how the past always chooses the perfect day to come back and fuck with you.

Folding my arms, I stare them up and down. “Hello, boys. I see you could use a new outfit or two. Why don’t you come back tomorrow when the shop is open?” I say to the taller one, speaking in our native Russian tongue.

“Still a smart ass, I see. Don’t remember me, do you?” He takes out a knife, flashing the golden blade. I do remember him and his little toy. This is the asshole who that shot my cousin. Adriana squeaks and moves behind me. Every nerve in my body fires to life. I’ll do what I have to in order to defend her.

“From your expression, I can see that you remember this,” he says, smirking. “We hear your Master is in town.”

“Well, you heard wrong. I don’t have a master,” I correct. My blood rushes through my head and chest. I’m more afraid for my sister than myself. Adriana hangs on to my arm, her little body partially hidden behind mine.

“That bastard owes us more money than the two of you are worth. For five years, we’ve been trudging through some of the nastiest slums of Europe in order to find him. We’ve followed his trail to this place. Imagine our surprise when we found out about you. And guess what, Scarlet? We know all about your sister there, her boyfriend, what time she heads to his house every night. Oh and I almost forgot. We also know where your little girlfriend stays.” A wide grin slashes across his face. My body heats and my blood boils. I’m going to do something I’ll regret. It’s in my nature to be that way. I am the son of a man with no conscience, so I can’t help but to be a tad damaged.