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“Nonsense.I saw the Bear watching over you, Alina.His heart was lost the second he saw you.Now, you have the heart of a Tiger and a Bear.If you want him, get him, daughter,” Mama said.
So, Alina steeled herself and got ready.She went into the city, to the club where she was to perform that night.
“You are such a taskmaster,” Rosie grunted after they went through the whole number.
“But it is worth it, yes?This level of dance is like nothing New York has seen,” Alina said, smiling though she was trying to catch her breath, too.
The routine was phenomenal.Yasmin had choreographed most of it, and the result was fantastic.The stage was immaculate, prominent in this section of the club.Small tables for the audience filled the floor and a large, semi-circular bar graced the back.Alina could picture it now, the lights dimmed, the crowd’s eyes glued to the three women.
It was a thoroughly modern routine.Even the costumes were sleek and simple, with clean lines and little pomp.Alina had worn some pretty incredible ensembles throughout the course of her career, but this was unlike anything else.
Each dancer would wear the same thing.The costumes were two pieces, tops and bottoms composed of three layers that would be removed throughout the dance.All black and glitter, the opaque fabric would give way to a sheer layer, which would also be stripped away until all that remained would be strategically placed jeweled appliques covering the most intimate parts of their anatomy, i.e.their sexes and breasts.
Risqué?Perhaps.But it was art, and it was tasteful.Alina felt empowered and beautiful.Her talent and skill as a dancer would not be wasted here.She wondered if Eddie would mind, but decided she would cross that bridge when she came to it.
“Um, I’m going to go outside a moment,” Marcella said, and the female looked at her phone, biting her lip.
“Are you okay?”Alina asked.
“Actually, would you mind coming with me?I have to meet my boyfriend, he says he has a present for me, but I am nervous,” she confessed.
“Sure, I can walk with you.How nice to have a boyfriend bringing you surprise gifts!”Alina replied happily.
Maybe someday she would have that.She pictured Eddie showing up with flowers or some such thing after a show, and her heart ran away with her.Maybe she was foolish for wanting such things, but then again, maybe not.It was only natural, she supposed.
“Well, he is a new boyfriend.But you are right, it is nice to get gifts.Still, I don’t want to wait outside alone, you know,” Marcella replied, and shrugged.
Alina nodded, sipping from her bottle of water.She had her phone in her hand and was scrolling through her messages when she heard Marcella gasp and shake her shoulder.
“There he is,” the woman hissed, and Alina smiled, but she didn’t look up yet.“Hi, baby!”Marcella said to the man.
“Hello,koshechka.So nice to see you again,” a familiar voice said, and Alina froze.She looked up, frightened to find she was face to face with that bastard Evgeny Ivanovich.
“Ev?What is going on?”Marcella said, her stricken face going from that hated male to Alina.
“Ah, Marcella, you played your part well.Now, I must say goodbye,” he replied, smile in place as he revealed the gun in his hand.
“Don’t!”Alina screamed a second before he squeezed the trigger.
Marcella crumpled to the ground, but before Alina could get to her, the Tiger reached out fast as lightning, striking her on the back of her head with the butt of the gun he’d just fired.She had one clear thought before the darkness took her, and that was of Eduardo.
She only hoped he could forgive her for leaving him so soon.
* * *
“Wake now,koshechka,” Evgeny Petrov said, stroking the hair back from Alina’s face.
She moaned, bile rising in her throat.Her dreams had been full of Eddie, of the one night they’d spent together.Alina tried to roll onto her side, away from that hateful touch, but the Tiger fisted her hair, pulling her face towards his.
“I have dreamed of this,koshechka.Tell me, have you dreamed of me?”
It took a moment, but once her vision focused, revulsion filled her.Evgeny Ivanovich hovered way too close to her, and her inner Tigress hissed and snarled at the man.
“Evgeny,” she murmured, hating the breathy sound of her voice, but Alina would do what she had to do to get him to loosen his hold on her hair.
Once he did, she sat up, backing away from the creep.His eyes were glazed with a madness she had never seen and prayed she never would again.
“Ever since they stole you from me, my love, I have plotted to get you back.”
