Hidden Monsters (Volkov Bratva #4)(78)

He had given her not a single indication as to where he was taking her, just told her to get up and get dressed. His only specification was that she wore sweats.

Now they were here.

Pulling a key from his pocket, he unlocked the door they stopped in front of, holding it open so she could go in ahead of him. Her eyes took in everything in and about that room, from the large windows on one side to a mirrored wall on the other where a barre was anchored into the wall. On the other side of the room, a sleek, black piano was set up, away from where any dancer would need to practice, but close enough that the music would echo.

“You rented this place?” Alex asked in wonder, turning back to face him, her heart swelling at the thought. Did she really need another reminder of how great he was?

“An audition is coming up, right? You need the practice, now you don’t have an excuse. For the next six weeks, this place is yours. But I only have a few hours before I have shit to do. So”—he clapped his hands, heading over to the piano—“let’s get started.”

“Like now?” she asked.

“No time like the present.”

“Luka…”

He looked up at her expectantly, waving her on when she stopped speaking. “You can’t be shy. You do this for a living.”

“But I’ve never danced in front of you.”

“First time for everything. Now, stop stalling and let’s get on with it.”

Deciding that she wasn’t going to be able to talk him out of it, Alex stripped out of her sweats, digging through her bag for her leg warmers and pointe shoes. She stretched, relishing in the familiar tightness of her muscles.

As she went through the motions, she forgot Luka was even there, taking her time as she prepared her pointe shoes, a rigorous process that started with her tearing out the lining and finishing by sewing new ribbons onto the sides of the shoes. Pulling them on, a smile bloomed and just as they always had before she’d turned her back on them. They filled her with a sense of accomplishment unlike anything else in the world.

Up and down she went, balancing herself, getting back into the rhythm of things. Carefully, she lifted her leg into the air, using the mirrored wall to balance herself. It wasn’t easy by any means—it had been ages since she’d last done this—but after a short time, she was finally flat against the mirror and she felt a flush of triumph.

Luka cleared his throat, speaking up from his side of the room. “You’ve been holding out on me.”

She smiled but ignored him, finishing her warm up.

Drifting back in her thoughts, she heard the familiar counts of her instructors from long ago, going through the motions of what she would be doing if she were back in practice at a company.

But with each misstep and stumble, she grew a bit more discouraged. She tried not to let it show, still moving as best she could, but the steps weren’t coming to her as easily as she had hoped, and now she was wondering if with the six weeks she had to prepare before the actual class started, would it be enough.

“All right, you’re freaking out and that won’t work. Get your shit together.”

Alex laughed without humor, pushing her hair back out of her face as her frustration mounted. At one point, she could have completed these spins in her sleep, but now she was struggling to even do one without falling.

“That’s not helping, Luka.”

“Calm down.”

“Luka!—”

“Seriously,” he said getting to his feet, walking over to her bag and digging around inside, pulling her phone out. His fingers flew over the screen, and before she knew, soft music was playing, but vastly different from the classical music he had been playing before.

“Should I even ask how you know my password?” she asked dryly, joining him by the piano.

Without looking up, he explained, “You changed it, actually. It was your brother’s birthday first, now it’s 1122.” His smile was slow and easy. “Didn’t know I meant that much to you.”

Swallowing, Alex was suddenly glad that he wasn’t looking at her. “What does that say about you that you remember what that date means?”

Now, he did look at her with the conviction of a man meant to be taken seriously. “It was never a question whether I cared about you, Alex. I always have. It was whether or not I wanted to risk pursuing you.”

“And now? Is it still worth the risk after…everything?”

“Now more than ever.”

She tucked a strand behind her ear as she turned away. It was probably beyond obvious what that simple statement meant to her and she didn’t need to voice it for him to know.

Clearing her throat, she changed the subject. “Why this song?”

“You play it the most,” he said setting the phone down on top of the piano, spinning around on the bench so that he could better face her, his elbows on his knees. “The objective isn’t for you to turn into a spinning top today but to start getting your groove back. As I said, there’s no one here but you and me. Act like it.”

But despite that advice—and she had been trying to follow it since they entered this room—she still didn’t feel like herself. More importantly, it felt like she was forcing every move she made, and while she wasn’t one-hundred percent positive of this, her reflection, the few glimpses she had caught, had confirmed that.