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The man inclined his head slightly. His face was expressionless, but I detected a sliver of satisfaction that suggested he was pleased by my statement. Dark and brooding, his eyebrows were slashes across his tanned brow, his jaw strong and defined. He had a chiseled face that any artist would love to capture on canvas. He was magnetic, and looking away was an effort.
“Is that right?” The man’s wicked-looking mouth curved in a smirk that was both chilling and seductive.
“Get out of here. This is private business,” Hugh snapped, stepping forward to get in the stranger’s face.
There was a moment of stillness followed by explosive movement. The man in black grabbed Hugh with a brutal aggression that locked up my lungs in fright. He hauled him forward and then threw him back with effortless strength. Hugh hit the wall of the dressing room hard and dropped. Hugh was out cold on the floor. It all happened so quickly. I was still processing it when the man strode toward me, straightening the elegant cuff of his black suit.
Trevor, the stage manager, appeared behind the stranger in the doorway, angling himself so no one could see Hugh’s slumped body. He looked as harried as usual.“Elena, I’m so sorry, love. You want me to call an ambulance?”
Terror filled me at the thought. Not the ambulance, per se, but the bill that would follow.“No. No need. I’ll get down there myself. It’s already feeling better, so there’s no reason to overreact,” I said, pretending a cheeriness I didn’t feel.
Seemingly relieved at my reply, Trevor quickly ducked away. I was left alone with Hugh’s unconscious form and the stranger in black who had just thrown him across the room like he weighed nothing.
“You have no intention of going to the hospital, do you?” the stranger observed, approaching me silently.
Up close, he was even more intimidating. There was a strange, watchful stillness about him that set my nerves on edge. His dark gaze was both burning hot and icy cold.
I shook my head.
He tilted his head to the side, reminding me of a great jungle cat considering its next meal. “No insurance?”
“Not even a little.” I exhaled with resignation.
What did it matter if this stranger knew I didn’t have insurance? I was a pitiful case, and tonight, my big break had broken me instead. I was washed up. Finished. A lone tear escaped and slid down my cheek.
“I can’t believe you knocked him out. I’ve wanted to do that for months,” I whispered to the stranger, looking over at Hugh’s slumped form.
“I’m happy to do it for you any time, angel,” the man said.
I raised an eyebrow at him and then sighed.“It’s the outfit, isn’t it?” I glanced down at my white tutu and sequined bodice. My costume made me look like an angel, but I’d still fallen.
“You danced like one,” he corrected me gently.
Another tear slid free, and I turned my face away from the man’s intense gaze. It was as if he could see through my layers of makeup and desperation to the real me beneath in all my sad, pitiful, and broken truth.
“Well, I hope you enjoyed it. It might be the last time anyone will ever see it,” I muttered, staring at the yellowing wall of the dressing room and willing my tears away.
I startled as a warm hand touched my cheek. His skin was warm and hummed with energy. He traced his finger under my eye and down my cheek, transferring my tear onto his thumb.
“If the idea upsets you so much, then don’t let that happen,” he said quietly.
“Right, and how do I not let that happen?” I demanded, feeling wretched and frustrated.
“Fight. You fight,” he said flatly and then shocked me by bringing his wet finger to his mouth and sucking the tip. The man just ate my tear. I didn’t know what to make of that. I simply stared at him. His charismatic face stretched into a grin and he nodded as if making up his mind about something. “Don’t worry, angel. I’ll help you.”
