Page 57

“I’m only a phone call away. Call me if anything comes up,” Charles murmurs before giving me a quick kiss as the town car glides to a stop in front of ABTC. “Anthony stays with you at all times, okay?”

He motions to the tall bodyguard getting out from the front and opening my door. I don’t like the idea of having a hulking man follow me everywhere, but I know it’s wise and to refuse him would be the peak of stupidity.

I roll my eyes even as nervousness tremors inside me. This is the last full cast rehearsal of Swan Lake before our final encore performance at the Met Opera next week. It’s also the first time I’ll see Sir Ian after the press conference.

Swallowing the ball stuck in my throat, I strain a smile. “See my nose piercing?” I point to the skull stud I put on this morning. “I’m a fucking badass—they won’t be able to hurt me anymore.” I flip him a middle finger.

Charles throws his head back in laughter and unbuttons his suit jacket—today, it’s a delicious navy three-piece that I want to rip off him later tonight. “You used to drive me nuts—the elegant ballerina with a bratty attitude and potty mouth, but God, I love it now. So fucking much.” He slides over and grabs my nape, pulling me down before he leans in and kisses the daylights out of me.

My head woozy, my skin flushed, I pull back and grin. “You were just blind before, but now I’m glad your vision has been restored.”

He smiles at me—the same charming smile I used to hate because it was fake, but now I can tell it’s genuine. But then I notice his hand gripping the door handle tightly, his knuckles white with tension.

Gently, I unclench his hand before rubbing the coiled muscles, my mood sobering. “I doubt he’ll be stupid enough to make a move right after the press conference. I know I won’t. That’s when everyone’s guard is up. Don’t worry about me. Plus, I have Anthony with me.”

Charles nods and I give him a wink, faking confidence I don’t quite feel as I walk into ABTC. When I step into the lobby, Lisa greets me with a hug before she nervously eyes the brooding man behind me.

I grimace. “Sorry, this is Anthony. He’ll be my shadow for now.”

“Of course,” she replies before pulling me into a quiet corner, away from the other dancers rushing to the locker room or to run last-minute errands before the rehearsal.

Lisa’s lips wobble and she pulls me in for another hug—this one so tight I almost couldn’t breathe. I pat her back, trying to get her to ease up.

“S-Sorry! I’m just so overwhelmed. I saw your press conference, and I had no idea that happened to you! I couldn’t go to Hotel Renegade that night and thought it was odd how sick you were afterward when you looked fine before. And then Alexis quit and you and Camden broke up, and I just didn’t think those events were connected. I’m so sorry for not being there for you, Tay.” Tears shine in her eyes as she grips my arms.

My chest pangs, a dull ache resurfacing. That night will forever be a part of my past, but at least now I don’t have to hide anymore. I don’t need to pretend everything is fine because what happened to me wasn’t fine. And somehow, that makes it easier for me to breathe.

“It’s okay, Lisa. I didn’t let you in. Don’t blame yourself. You did nothing wrong. I’m going to move on…finally.”

She lets out a shuddering exhale as Dev appears by our side, his eyes shining with concern too. Wordlessly, he gives my shoulder a soft squeeze. “You’re one tough cookie, and we’re all here for you, Tay,” he murmurs.

My lips curve up into a bittersweet smile as I pat his hand in acknowledgment. I nod toward the rehearsal room. “Come on, let’s get going. Don’t want to be late.”

Anthony is stationed at the corner of the rehearsal studio, his eyes sharp and roving over all of us as the day drags on. I sense the other dancers’ uneasiness—a tall stranger with an earpiece and a holster will definitely put you on edge. Guilt seeps into me as I force out a grin during a water break.

This is all fucked up, and it’s because of me.

No, it’s because of the asshole who put you in this position.

“You’re brave,” a soft voice says and I turn around, finding Maddy standing next to me, her brown hair piled on top of her head as she eyes the other dancers.

“It’s borne of necessity,” I reply. Motioning to Ainsley, who’s chatting with the other trainees, I ask, “Are you guys okay now?”

Maddy stills, her eyes downcast. “I hope so. She doesn’t agree with some things I did. She’s disappointed.”

Something in her tone gives me pause, and I turn toward her and look her in the eye. “Maddy, did something happen to you? I know I asked you the same question in France and you said everything was fine, but my gut tells me something is going on. You know you can talk to me, right? I know I’m not the world’s most approachable person, but,” I clear the lump in my throat, “you guys are like my little sisters. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Her eyes shine with wetness, and she wipes a stray tear away from her cheek. “It’s too late for that, Tay. And no one will believe me, anyway.” Her gaze flickers to me and she gives me a heartbreaking smile. “Maybe someday, I’ll be as brave as you, but I don’t think that day is today.” She rises on her tiptoes and pulls me in for a light hug. “Thanks, Tay. You’re the best mentor a girl could have.”

Maddy walks away, her shoulders slumped, and the unease I felt when I saw the photo on my phone flares back up.

“Back to your positions. Starting at Act III.” Sir Ian claps his hands. “Taylor, I need you to work on how you come down from the turns. I think you’re overcompensating.”

I startle, snapping my attention back to the familiar gaze of Sir Ian, my pulse quickening as I look at him for the thousandth time today, trying to identify new clues, or perhaps even new memory fragments—anything to tell me if this man in front of me is the monster from my nightmares.

Fly Harriet.

I shudder, and he cocks his head at me, his foot tapping on the ground. He points to his watch. “We don’t have all day, Taylor.”

“Yes, sir.” Quickly, I scramble to my spot and get into position as the music streams in from the speakers.

Sir Ian frowns as he stares at me, his gaze giving nothing away. His finger is twirling the ruby pen he always uses. I’m thrown back to the first day when I met him, when I had a full-blown panic attack and flashback in his presence, when every atom in my body wants to flee from this seemingly harmless man.

The furrow between his brows deepens and I force myself to look away, because I’m supposed to act normal and be the bait. I’m tempting the monster to seek me out this time so I can gut him and chop off his head. Shaking out my tense shoulders, I throw myself into the dance, once again immersing my mind and body into the role of Odile, the black swan.

The rest of practice goes by uneventfully, all of us hitting our positions adequately and by the end of the rehearsal, there’s a newfound excitement in the group as we look forward to finishing the encore performance and getting a break before preparing for the next show.

Chugging down a few sips of cold water from my bottle, I nod at Anthony just as his phone rings. I mouth to him I’m going to the restroom along with the rest of the girls and he eyes the group—safety in numbers—and nods before answering the call.

Lisa prattles on about her weekend plans as she hooks her arm with mine. As we make a turn after leaving the rehearsal studio, suddenly someone taps me on my shoulder.

Turning around, I see Ainsley chewing on her lip. A slither of dread coils around my chest as I take in her worried expression. I motion to Lisa and the others to continue without me.

“What’s going on, Ainsley? Something is up, so don’t bother bullshitting me anymore. Maddy is telling me cryptic things and you guys are behaving strangely.”

Ainsley sighs and looks around the crowded hallway. She pulls me to the side and whispers, “Maddy will kill me if she finds out I told you anything. But I can’t stand by and do nothing anymore. It isn’t right. I’m not being a good friend if I know something awful is happening and I’m not saying anything.”

Alarm rears through me and I lean in. “What the hell is going on?”

She bites her lip and looks behind me again before leaning in and whispering, “What you said at the press conference, I think the same happened to her.”

My heart stops as her words echo in my ears. “What?” Of all the scenarios, this one didn’t occur to me.

“The new clothes, the handbags, the money?” Ainsley shakes her head, her face flushed. “I think it’s hush money. I saw her one day with an older guy—the businessman type. Her clothes were a mess, and she was crying. Then next week, all these gifts started appearing.”

A growl slips from my mouth. Cracking my neck, I hear the joints snap. “That fucking bastard. Where’s Maddy?”

“I saw her heading toward the VIP lounge.” I take a step toward that direction and Ainsley grabs my arm, her voice in a panic. “Please! Don’t tell her I told you. She’d kill me, but I just can’t stand seeing this happen to her and doing nothing about it. I can’t leave her with the scumbag!”

Memories flood my mind. Alexis and the horror in her eyes when she found me naked in the hotel. The terse silence in the car when she dropped me off at my apartment when I was bleeding between my legs and every part of my body hurt. When she told me she was quitting ballet.

The crippling betrayal I felt. The shame. The devastating loss.

Looking at Ainsley, I murmur, “You’re doing the right thing. You’re a great friend, Ainsley. Don’t abandon her. She needs you.”

Don’t do what Alexis did to me.

Ainsley nods, her lips curving in a wobbly smile, and I quickly make my way to the second floor, my mind swirling with unwanted memories of how I felt all those years ago.

The loneliness, the guilt, the anger, the self-loathing. No one fought for me back then, not even the cops or the therapist, and I couldn’t open myself up to trust anyone else.

I can’t let this happen to Maddy. Maybe it’s foolish to take on her problems when I’m still dealing with mine.

But I can’t stand here and do nothing.

Taking a deep breath, I open the door to the VIP lounge and step inside, finding the space dark, the drapes drawn close.

“Maddy?”

I hear sniffling emanating from the back room.

Concern grips my heart in a vice and I make my way over there, to the girl who is feeling so alone right now, who probably thinks her world has ended and there’s no hope for her in the future.

“Maddy? Why are you crying?”

I find her crouching on the floor, sobs racking her body. I shake her and she flinches, her eyes widening in terror as they settle on me. “Tay? W-Why are you here? You need to go now. Please. You can’t let him see you talking to me. Go!” She gets up and pushes me toward the door.

What?

I push back. Something is horribly wrong. “No, I’m not leaving here until you tell me what’s going—”

Click.

My heart stalls as the hairs on my neck stick up. Maddy’s eyes widen with fear as she stares at something behind me.

“Why did you have to butt in where you’re not wanted, Ms. Peyton-Anderson?”