I nodded though every nerve I had was zinging. Everyone had been surprised when Yuri entered the theater and stated rehearsals were canceled for the day. With the New York performance looming, it was expected we’d continue to work longer hours than normal. But when Yuri had clapped his hands and shouted to “get the hell out of his theater,” every single dancer had fled the stage. I was the lone dissident, knowing everything that was happening could be placed directly at my feet.
“Alek is right,” Yuri said from the back seat. “Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer.”
“But this man, Mr. Petrov, isn’t really our enemy… I mean, I know he is involved in the bratva, but… he doesn’t have reason to hurt either of you… right?”
“Right,” Alek was quick to answer. “He knows we have information that will clear his son’s name though his son was never charged with the actual murder of our father. It was ruled a hit-and-run accident, and, since the driver of the car committed suicide, there was no reason to look any further.”
Knowing the truth made what happened seem ridiculous, like some sort of small town volunteer deputies versus the formidable force of the police in Russia. But knowing how the bratva’s influence permeated all aspects of government, I couldn’t really say I was surprised.
“We’re here,” Alek said, jerking my attention to the matter at hand.
Planes flying overhead and a tower that loomed several stories high told me we were indeed at an airport, but it wasn’t O’Hare. I looked out the windshield as Alek pulled to a stop outside a hangar.
“I’ll meet him and, if everything is as it should be, I’ll bring him to the car,” Alek said.
“And if everything isn’t as it should be?” I asked, the tension I already was experiencing ratcheting up several notches.
“Then Yuri will take you to safety,” Alek said and, when I opened my mouth, I felt a hand descending on my shoulder.
“It’s the only way this is going down,” Yuri said.
I could argue, I could fight, I could demand… or I could trust these men knew what they were doing.
“I understand,” I said but still turned my hand over in order to squeeze Alek’s as he lifted it from my leg. “Please… be careful.”
“I plan on it,” he assured me, leaning down to brush his lips over mine before turning to nod at his brother.
They opened their doors at the same time. Alek moving toward the hangar, Yuri moving to slide into the driver’s seat.
“I… I want to thank you, Yuri,” I said. “I never meant to cause any trouble.”
He turned his head, his eyebrow lifting in the same exact way his brother’s did. It made me smile though I was sure that was inappropriate considering the position we were in.
“Okay, I mean that while I had no intention of keeping away from Alek once we both discovered we truly cared for each other, I never meant to put him, you, or the other dancers in danger.”
The silence stretched out for several minutes, until he nodded. “I know, and it’s not your fault. It’s not even Alek’s. It’s mine. He might be the oldest, but he gave me the final word on whether or not to accept you. I wasn’t ignorant of your past, and yet I wasn’t about to let the chance of working with you slip through my fingers because of it. You’ve done nothing to dishonor yourself or the Volkov Ballet. If anyone should apologize, it’s me. You’re a good woman, Clara, and while my brother doesn’t deserve you, I’m glad you both ignored my wishes to stay away from each other.”
Inappropriate or not, I couldn’t keep the smile from my lips. Nor could I stop myself from scooting over until I was close enough to lift up and plant a kiss on his cheek. To say he was surprised was an understatement, but I really didn’t care. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said and then looked toward the hangar where the huge double doors were slowly opening. “That doesn’t mean you can disobey me today. If I say get down, you hit the fucking floor and don’t dare move until I give you the all clear. Understand?”
“Yes, sir,” I said, turning my gaze toward the sky where the plane that carried a man who could either change my future for the better, or send me to hell with a single order, was descending.It was an eternity and a single moment. My life played out before my eyes, and my death made its own appearance. I was terrified and yet I felt hope like none before as I waited. Neither of us spoke… there was really nothing left to be said. Either Alek would convince Grigori to help me, or I’d learn I was responsible for another’s pain.