Page 148 of Dancing for the Minotaur

Terra winced at the flat sadness in his voice.

“And?” she asked softly.

“The Goddess asked whether your refusal meant I would allow your children to remain in danger.”

Terra stared at him. The Goddess apparently didn’t beat around the bush.

“What did you say?” she asked.

Taurex lifted his chin.

“That of course I would not.” He leaned back slightly in his chair and folded his large hands on the table. “She told me where to find them and warned me that the males holding them were armed. I changed course immediately and returned to Earth.”

Terra glanced toward the living room where Lisa’s laughter floated faintly above SpongeBob’s voice. The sound made her eyes sting again.

“Where were they?” she asked.

Taurex’s expression hardened.

“Here.”

Terra frowned.

“Here? What do you mean?”

“I mean here—in this building.” He gestured with one hand, indicating the Montana Building.

Terra couldn’t believe it.

“What? Orlov was right here? But where?”

His expression grew grim.

“One floor below my penthouse.”

The words were so unbelievable that for a moment Terra thought she must have misunderstood him.

“You’re saying Viktor Orlov lived one floor below you?”

He nodded.

“Yes.”

“Oh my God!” She shook her head.

“He had a surveillance operation inside his domicile.” Taurex’s voice deepened, and a low growl crept beneath the words. “He had cameras watching your mother’s house—both the front and back yards. He was monitoring the children and your movements.”

Terra felt suddenly cold despite the hot tea mug in her hands. She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised—she’d known that Orlov had been stalking her back when she worked at The Doll House. But somehow, she’d never thought that he had actual cameras trained on her house 24/7.

“That’s how he knew everything,” she whispered. “How he knew when I was outside with the kids…how he knew what I really looked like without my wig and makeup.”

Taurex nodded grimly.

“He was also watching my penthouse.”

Terra’s head snapped up. “

What?”