Hidden Monsters (Volkov Bratva #4)(124)

It was too bad that the one person she wanted to see more than anyone else wouldn’t.

But that had been two days ago, and since then, she had let her anger go, finally—if only a little—accepting that she couldn’t change anything.

Sitting at her vanity, she finished applying the smoky black shadow across her lids, making sure her makeup was as perfect as could be before the start of the show.

This was one of the most important days of her life, and while there was plenty of nervousness and excitement that came with it, a shred of fear and sadness remained.

But she didn’t have time to dwell on that.

It was time to perform.

But before she did, she reached for her clutch, pulling out the wrapped bundle. Carefully unwrapping the combs inside, she let her fingers drift over the metal teeth a moment before she lifted one, securing it in her hair.

At least a part of him would be there with her.

Leaving her dressing room, she headed toward the stage, searching for Madame Toulles for her final check. There was a buzz in the air as the other dancers backstage went over last-minute changes, but Alex forced herself to ignore everything around her, centering in on her own heartbeat as she made her way into position.

As the curtains parted, she took one last calming breath and readied to present herself to the audience.

____

Only after the final number, when she’d finished the last of her spins and she’d carefully landed on her feet with a sweeping bow, did Alex finally register that she was no longer lost in her own world.

The applause started immediately, the sound of it making her smile despite herself. The glare of the spotlights made it hard for her to make out anyone in the crowd, just vague shapes and clapping hands.

As the curtains were closing, she looked at the front row, squinting, trying to make out as much as she could, but there wasn’t much.

At least…she thought she might have saw a flash of blond as someone moved into the aisle.

More cheering and celebrating awaited her as she headed back toward her dressing room, ready to change into something more comfortable. She smiled graciously, allowing herself this moment of happiness.

After a brief chat with Madame Toulles about her costume and the alterations that would need to be made before her next performance, Alex was finally able to slip into her dressing room, breathing a sigh of relief…at least until she caught sight of who was waiting for her.

“Should I even ask how you were allowed back here?” she asked as her gaze skipped over her brother to the arrangements of flowers that now littered her vanity.

She knew at least one was from him and Lauren, another from her friends, and maybe one from the company, but the other two, she was clueless.

Mishca got to his feet, smoothing a hand over the front of his suit jacket. “I’m sure you know the answer to that. Besides, you wouldn’t have seen me otherwise.”

“Really?” Alex asked dryly. “And why is that?”

“You know…I specifically remember asking you to trust me one night, and you promised you would.”

“Yeah, well that was before you turned your back on someone I cared about.”

Mishca looked thoughtful. “Did I?”

Narrowing her eyes on him, Alex asked, “What are you really doing here, Mish? I know you. There’s some ulterior motive.”

“Sometimes I hurt the people I love because that’s what’s needed at the time. If—”

“When the hell did you start speaking in code, Mish? Just spit it out so I can get back to my life and you can get back to being the boss.”

“One day you’ll understand that what I did…it wasn’t just for you, but for him too. Maybe you’ll actually forgive me for the pain I caused you, but until then…congratulations. I never doubted that you would be anything less than amazing.”

Even with the way she felt toward him, she couldn’t help the small smile that spread on her face. “Thanks, Mish.”

He crossed the room, pulling her into a tight hug that she was helpless not to return. She had missed him dearly.

Kissing the top of her head, he released her after a moment, his gaze straying to the flowers. “I’ll see you in two weeks.”

Frowning as he headed for the door, Alex asked, “What happens in two weeks?”

But he merely smiled and slipped out the room.

Between Mishca and Klaus, she wasn’t sure who was rubbing off on who.

For the time being, however, she decided to put their conversation, or lack thereof, to the back of her mind as she undressed, pulling on a pair of loose sweats and a tank top. Her feet practically cried in relief as she unlaced her pointe shoes and gingerly pulled them off, carefully replacing them with shoes that were little more than socks with a hard sole.

Packing up her bag, she swung it over her shoulder, but before she exited, she headed over to the flowers, inhaling the delicate perfume that wafted from them. One in particular stole her attention, mainly because it was not a bouquet at all. It was a single flower, an orchid she believed, that had twine carefully wrapped around its stem to a stick that kept it standing tall.

The petals were white and satiny, beautiful in its simplicity, but as she peered closer, past the delicate folds to the very heart of it, her heart skipped a beat at what she thought she might have seen inside.

But…that had to have been a coincidence.