The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared (15 page)

Part of her wanted to run away. But she
wanted...something of Alex. She needed his comfort, even if he was
dead. Would the house still smell like him?

She bit her lip, put the key in the lock, and
turned it. A sigh of relief escaped her mouth as the door opened,
but the relief was replaced with anxiety as a beeping sound echoed
in the entryway.

The alarm? She searched her memories as she
walked to the glowing panel on the wall. After staring at the
numbers for a few seconds, she pushed the code she remembered and
winced. The pause between the last number punched and the double
beep that signaled the correctly entered code seemed to last an
eternity.

She flipped the light switch and stared at
the marble entryway where she last saw Alex. The table and rug were
there, but the white vase that had sat in the middle was gone.

She wandered slowly through the house,
basking in the memories of Alex for the first time in two and a
half years. An unexpected peace descended over her as she did so.
She stopped in the great room and stared at their wedding
pictures.

Anna hardly recognized herself. She looked so
happy and Alex looked so handsome. She pulled the picture of Alex
off the wall and held it to her chest as tears fell down her face.
Her heart ached for him. It felt as raw now as it had the day she
found out he was dead.

She ran up the stairs and into the master
bedroom. The bed was made and the room was clean. So many memories
of being with Alex here. What she wouldn’t give for one more chance
for him to hold her and kiss her and tell her that everything would
be okay.

She walked through the room and into Alex’s
closet where his familiar scent filled her lungs and memory. She
inhaled Alex’s essence, drawing it deep inside until it rubbed like
salt in the rawness of her heart.

Like a thrown switch, fury overcame her and
she yanked at Alex’s clothes, tearing them off the hangars until
there was a large pile on the floor in front of her.

Chest heaving, she stared at the pile for a
long moment before burrowing herself into the pile. She clutched
the picture of Alex to her chest and fell into a deep sleep.

Distant shouting dragged Anna out of her
peaceful sleep. She opened her eyes in the dark room and once again
inhaled Alex. His clothes were so soft and warm and big. She never
wanted to leave.

But her name was being shouted and footsteps
pounded nearby. Light suddenly invaded her eyes.

“She’s in here!” someone shouted.

Anna blinked several times before her eyes
focused on Aaron coming to squat down next to her. “What are you
doing, Anna?” he asked.

“How did you find me?”

Aaron held up her arm with the gold bracelet.
“GPS tracker. Peter could track you on his phone.”

“Peter’s here?” Anna looked around
frantically. Oh, he would be so angry! He would take her back to
Devin. She would get the injections again. What had she been
thinking, coming here?

She hung her head for a moment before burying
it back into the pile of fabric.

A few moments later, Anna heard more
footsteps and she looked up to see Peter in the doorway. She backed
away on her hands and feet and huddled next to the wall, still
cradling the picture of Alex to her chest. She looked up at him,
terrified of going back to the Manor.

“Anna, why didn’t you ask me to bring you
here?” Peter asked softly. “Why did you sneak out?” He came to
kneel next to her and pulled her into his arms. “Why didn’t you ask
me to bring you?” he implored.

Anna didn’t know what to say. Why was he
being nice? “I thought I was a bother. I’m sorry I snuck out.
Please don’t take me to the Manor,” she begged.

“Anna, you’re not a bother. Why would you
think that?”

“Because of what you said to Devin this
afternoon.”

Peter’s brown eyes filled with concern.
“Anna, are you talking about when Devin was telling me about your
morning sickness and such?”

She nodded.

He closed his eyes and sighed. “I was hoping
you were asleep. Anna, I...I couldn’t let Devin know that I was
disgusted by what he did to you.” He took her hand in his. “That
night, after that guy came and tore you up, I went to see Aaron and
he told me your story. It was very, very different than what Devin
had told me. And, honestly, a better explanation of your whole
attitude and demeanor. Devin had told me that you were a pain in
the ass and needed watching at all times and that he didn’t have
the time to do so. That...you were a bitchy Elder-Mistress that had
gotten too arrogant and needed to be brought down a notch. I could
do what I liked to you and just needed to accommodate his need for
you.” He looked back at her. “I’m sorry I believed him, Anna.”

“I wasn’t very nice when you came.”

Peter smiled. “No, but there was still
something sad about you. And Aaron defended you to the teeth. He
didn’t seem like the type of guy that would have been beguiled by
you. At least not that much.” He paused and glanced at Aaron. “I
heard you tell him backstage that you wouldn’t date him because you
were afraid that something would happen to him. I’ve never seen an
Elder-Mistress feel as deep emotions as I have you, Anna, and I’ve
met them all.”

He stroked her cheek. When he spoke again it
was with a soft and gentle voice. “I said those things to Devin so
he wouldn’t think that I disbelieved him about you. I hate to
imagine what he would do if he didn’t trust me anymore. You’re not
a bother, Anna. I’ve become quite fond of you.” He slid his hand
around the back of her head and leaned in to kiss her gently, his
lips enveloping hers and his thumb stroking her cheek. “Very fond,”
he repeated in a whisper.

They gazed at each other and Anna saw that he
was telling the truth. She gave him a timid smile. “I’m sorry I
snuck out.”

“I was scared to death when I woke up and
found you gone. Fortunately, Devin told me about your bracelet when
I first got here so I didn’t have to call him. I don’t want to
think about what Devin would have done if I’d had to do that.”

Anna swallowed nervously. “You’re not going
to tell him?”

“Absolutely not. I have no desire to see you
punished.” He shuddered as if he knew what all it entailed.

“Thank you,” Anna said sincerely. She was
glad she had been wrong about him.

Peter helped her to her feet and the three of
them went back out into the bedroom and sat on the bed.

“When I tracked you, I got to the gate and
couldn’t figure out how to get in here,” Peter said. “I drove
around for a half hour trying to figure out how to get in. So I
called Aaron, hoping he might know.”

“Alex gave me all the information to get in
before he left,” Aaron said. “Even a remote to open the gate. I’m
glad nothing had been changed.”

“What time is it?” Anna asked, yawning
suddenly.

“A little after three in the—” Aaron’s phone
interrupted him. “Who the hell is calling?” He pulled his phone out
of his pocket. “Oh.” He stood and walked out of the room.

Anna glanced at Peter, confused.

“My guess would be Wilhelm. I believe he gets
notified if the house codes are used.” Peter looked pointedly at
her. “He gets notifications about a lot of things around here.”

Anna thought for a minute. “So, he knows I’m
here?”

Peter shrugged. “I would guess so. I would
also guess that he likes it when he sees receipts from credit cards
and knows what his family members are purchasing. I think he would
be able to see what they are doing by the things that they
buy.”

Anna stared at Peter. “You mean by using the
cards, I can tell Wilhelm that I’m okay and what I’m doing?”

Peter shrugged again, but his expression said
yes.

“You’re not allowed to tell me?”

“No.”

So she could send coded messages to Wilhelm
through her purchases? And Devin wouldn’t know? “Maybe I should buy
more ribbons for my pointe shoes.” Since she was a “Ribbon Dancer”
for Nutcracker, he might understand the code.

Peter grinned. “I think it would be a good
idea.”

“Thank you,” she said, reaching for his
hand.

“It wasn’t my idea,” he responded, looking up
as Aaron walked back in. “Everything okay?”

Aaron nodded. “Yeah, there was a call from
the alarm company about unusual activity here at the house.”

“Anna thinks she needs to buy new ribbons for
her pointe shoes.”

Aaron grinned. “Appropriate.”

Anna yawned again and Peter stood and pulled
the covers back from the bed. “We’ll stay here tonight, if that’s
okay?”

She nodded, and was pleased when the two men
got on either side of her in bed. Snuggled between their comforting
presence, she was asleep within minutes.

“This is a really nice house, Anna. Are you
sure you don’t want to live here?” Peter asked the next
morning.

Anna shook her head. “No,” she said softly.
“Not without Alex.”

While Peter took Aaron home, Anna gathered up
some things that she wanted, including some clothes, her memory box
and a picture of her and Alex on their wedding day.

Peter had remarked that he hardly recognized
her as the same person in the picture.

“It was almost three years ago,” she’d
pointed out. But he was right. She had been a different person with
Alex and it showed in her face.

“That’s really sad, Anna,” was all that he
said, but he looked even more troubled.

Anna had asked Aaron if he wanted Alex’s car,
but he declined. “I couldn’t afford the insurance,” Aaron had
laughed. “Nah. Maybe you’ll want it for something.”

Anna frowned and told him she wouldn’t, but
he still didn’t want the car.

Peter returned a while later. “Ready?”

She looked around the entryway again and then
nodded. “I’m ready.”

They walked outside and Anna locked the
door.

“Anna, if you want to come back at any time,
just ask me, okay?” Peter said, holding out his hand towards her.
“Don’t feel like you need to sneak out.”

Anna took his outstretched hand and nodded.
“I will.”

The Company only had rehearsals through
Wednesday morning. Peter and Anna flew down to LA that afternoon
and drove the rental car down to his family’s home in Laguna
Beach.

He drove into a very nice neighborhood and
parked in front of a wide, pink house with two garages and a gated
courtyard. Behind the house, the sky was pink and gold with the
setting sun and the air was salty. She could hear the ocean in the
distance. As she stepped out of the car, she held Peter’s hand and
closed her eyes, absorbing her surroundings.

Peter stepped closer and slid his hands
around her back. “You look like you like it here,” he murmured and
pressed his lips to hers. They had been getting along very well
this week and Anna had begun to feel close to him.

“It’s so warm,” she said, wrapping her arms
around his neck. “It’s so different from home.” She went up on
tiptoe and kissed him passionately.

“I hope my parents let you stay in my room,
otherwise I’ll be visiting you in the middle of the night.”

Anna giggled and leaned her head on his
chest. “I just hope they don't hate me.”

“There’s nothing to hate about you, Anna,”
Peter protested, though he couldn’t hide the concern in his eyes.
He had told her that his father and uncle could be very stubborn
and once they got a notion in their head, it was difficult to
dislodge. “Let’s get our bags and face the music.”

He closed the car door and popped the trunk.
Once he retrieved both suitcases, he led her through the gate and
to the front door. He smiled at her and then opened the door.

The door opened into the top of a two-story
high white room with windows on the opposite wall that exhibited
the magnificent golden sunset over the ocean. Anna stopped and
stared. She’d never seen anything so beautiful as that sunset.

“Oh, Peter,” she sighed. “It’s amazing.”

Peter chuckled. “It is. Just look where
you’re going and don’t fall down the stairs. Isaak will kill me if
you get hurt.”

She glanced at him and smiled, and saw in
front of her a curved staircase leading down into a long living
room full of people.

Peter said something loudly in Russian and
the people downstairs looked up and shouted in excitement. He and
Anna made their way down the stairs and a girl ran up to Peter and
hugged him hard.

“Peter!” she exclaimed. She was beautiful,
about fourteen or fifteen, with long, almost-black hair and blue
eyes. She was tall and thin and had dimples in her cheeks. It was
clear by the way she looked at Peter that she adored him.

“Natalya,” Peter said with a grin and put his
arm around Anna’s waist. “This is Anna. Anna, this is my little
sister Natalya.”

“Hi,” Anna said shyly.

“Hi, Anna,” Natalya said with a warm smile.
“Welcome to our home.”

The other people walked up to them and Peter
greeted them all with hugs and kisses and affectionate
greetings.

“I thought I heard you,
Dorogoy
.” A
woman in her late forties with shiny black hair pulled back into a
low bun walked in from another room. She was about Anna’s height
and smiled broadly at Peter.

“Hello, Mama,” Peter said hugging her
tightly.

She beamed at him and tapped his cheek. “I
like the beard. You look like your father.”

“Everyone, this is Anna,” Peter said loudly.
“Anna, this is...everyone.” He laughed. “My mother, Jackie. My
brothers Sergei, Pavel and Yuri.” The three younger guys nodded as
Peter said their names. Anna guessed Sergei to be about her age,
Pavel was a few years younger and Yuri looked to be about sixteen.
“You’ve already met Natalya. This is my Uncle Vlad and Aunt Nina
and my father, Mikhail.”