Hidden Monsters (Volkov Bratva #4)(107)

She went through the place, opening curtains, letting in the sunlight to bathe the rooms in a warm glow. The floors were made of blonde timber, finished in a light gray that complemented the white walls. She spent a small fortune buying furniture and decorating the eighteen-hundred square feet apartment, but it was well worth the investment, especially when she wasn’t planning to go back to New York anytime soon.

Her bedroom was on the east side of the apartment with a connected balcony that overlooked the Seine River. It was for that view alone that this place was so expensive. It followed the same color scheme as the apartment, but with shades of sky blue throughout.

She threw her hair up, changing out of her clothes into shorts and a tank top. Heading to the kitchen, Loki following closely behind, she reached for his bag of treats, laughing when he immediately sat at attention. Tossing him one, she went looking through the refrigerator for something for herself. There was nothing much left, and since she wouldn’t be eating at home tonight anyway, she figured heading to the market to pick up other supplies—along with grabbing something small to eat—would bring her out of the funk she’d been under.

A part of her knew that it was unlikely, but she liked to hope all the same.

Shopping in Paris, for Alex at least, was always a leisurely affair as she made her way around the smaller shops, picking up little things that she needed. She’d already gone by the market, picking up fresh bread and a bottle of wine to take over to dinner later—even if Cadessa had said they had everything, she wanted to be polite—but as she was heading back home, she stopped at a stationary store. She slipped through the aisles as she looked through the stands, waiting until she found the perfect postcard, one she hadn’t already picked up prior.

Right at the end, there was one with a sunset across the front, reminding her of waking up at a house in the middle of nowhere back in New York. She ran her finger along the front, smiling wistfully before going to the register and purchasing it. She headed home after.

Back there, she left her bags in the kitchen to put away later, heading back to her bedroom as she rooted through a drawer next to it for a pen.

Normally, she waited until there was something substantial to write on these, making sure the notes were all good. Even now, as she lay on her stomach and wrote out the short message in careful strokes, she savored this moment, wanting to put every bit of her emotions into it as she could.

It began, as it always did, Dear Luka, and as she finished, having run out of room toward the end, she ended it with, Love always, Alex.

She kissed the front of it, her lipstick leaving an imprint on the front, but unlike most people who bought these, she didn’t add any postage to it, instead placing it in a decorative box she kept under her bed, already filled with at least a dozen more messages she had transcribed over the last six months. He would never see them, would never read them, but they gave her hope, and at the very least, it kept his memory alive.

____

Dinner with Cadessa and her husband was as good as she’d expected, the food divine, and the conversation was good as well. She’d learned to enjoy the calmness of her everyday life now that she was far away from the Bratva.

After another long day of practice, Alex went over to a corner of the studio, gingerly removing her pointe shoes. She pulled on a pair of loose boots, wincing when the fabric rubbed against sensitive skin.

Packing everything else away in her duffel, she headed for the door, but not before she was intercepted by the few friends she had in the company. With so many different dancers, there were dozens of different personalities. When it came time for auditions for a lead spot, it brought the worst out in some.

But there were at least a few who Alex had become close with.

“Are you up for company?” Robbie asked with a sweet smile, his ruddy cheeks more flushed after their practice.

He was nice, and if not for his consistent need to hit on any new girl who joined the company, he would have definitely been the guy you brought home to meet your parents.

Except Alex wasn’t interested and doubted she ever would.

Forcing a smile though, she nodded. “Sure. I think Jordan, Raj, and Amerie are coming, too.”

It was clear that he thought it would just be the pair of them alone, but she wanted to put an end to that early.

Catching sight of Amerie across the room, she said a quick goodbye to Robbie, linking her arm with her friend.

“I hope you’re not too busy tonight to hang out for a couple of hours,” she whispered as they left the studio. “I might have mentioned to Robbie that you, Raj, and Jordan were coming over.”

“Are you still avoiding telling him that you’re not interested?”

“No, I did tell him I wasn’t interested. He just thinks I’m playing hard to get.”

____

While her friends enjoyed their impromptu get-together, Alex sat right in the middle of it but could not have felt more detached.

A new bottle of vintage wine had been opened and glasses poured, but Alex had quietly refused, drinking sparkling grape juice instead. As everyone became more inebriated, it felt different being the only sober one for a change.

Quietly excusing herself, Alex went to the kitchen and poured another glass, happily chugging it down like it was the real thing. No one else had to know that she wasn’t much of a drinker. Despite the melancholy she’d been living under for the last six months, she wasn’t even tempted to take a drink. Even though it currently surrounded her.