Chapter 69 Chapter 69
Chapter 69 Chapter 69
Ayanna
My stomach lurches. I turn to Marco. “Why are we here?”
He shrugs. “Beats me. Salvatore requested you be delivered here. So that’s where I’m bringing you.”
As if the situation couldn’t feel more degrading, I’m passed off from the hands of Marco into the hands of Yuri.
In the weeks since I’ve last seen him, he hasn’t changed. He’s as willowy and foreboding as ever, regarding me with dark, unkind eyes and a tight mouth. L
His skeletal fingers enclose around my wrist, and he informs Marco he’ll be letting Salvatore know I’ve arrived.
Some of the men Marco’s with—all of whom are dressed in all black with gelled hair and tough guy mean scowls—stay behind. The others leave with him. The former I’m assuming being Salvatore’s men.
They shadow me and Yuri every step we take.
I struggle against his hold as he steers me into the back entrance of the theater. His fingernails pinch into my skin in punishment.
“Hold still, Ayanna. You’ve no idea the amount of trouble you’ve caused.”
“You sold me,” I spit out, unable to disguise my anger.
He jerks me along so that I stumble. “That’s beside the point. You’ve been a pain in my ass for a while.”
I’m so lost as to what’s going on.
Yuri’s never been a walk in the park, but there’s something off about his behavior. He scolds me loudly with obvious glances around as though he’s checking to make sure we’re within earshot of Salvatore’s men.
He won’t let go of me and seems eager to show off how easily he can bully and push me around.
I’m more than used to his harsh words. His criticisms ranged from deep-dive critiques of my dance technique to cruel comments about my body shape and weight.
He shoves me into the dressing room that’s commonly used by the understudy, and then eases the door shut, promising the men I’ll be out in a few minutes.
“I’ll get her changed and she’ll be ready to go!” he calls.
The second we’re alone, I can’t hold back any longer. I slap him across the face. It’s a bold move that’s unlike me, but I’ve been bullied and pushed around enough for one day. Any further punishment I’ll suffer is worth it.
The sound bounces off the walls of the cramped room. His cheek reddens from the hit. He takes a step into me and forces me back one.
“Don’t ever put your hands on me!” I say. “I’m not going to let you touch—”
“Listen here, you stupid girl,” he snarls through clenched teeth. His eyes flash with the same kind of warning they used to during practice whenever one of the dancers messed up. “Lower your voice. Don’t you see what I’m doing? That I’m trying to help you out?”
“Wha… what?”
“Salvatore’s men are watching. They’re here waiting on his arrival.”
“Salvatore’s coming to the theater—?”
“That’s right. To collect you. But first, he wants you to dance for him. Like old times.”
My brain feels crowded with confusing, contradictory thoughts. I blink several times. “He couldn’t have wanted me just for that.”
“It’s not just for that. You know why he’s demanded your return. Do you have it?”
“Have… what?”
“The code,” Yuri says, then he moves even closer. I’m trapped between him and the vanity table behind me. “Your mother said you have it.”
“You’ve been in touch with my mother?”
“We’re going to pull off the impossible, you stupid girl. You do as I say, we’ll get out of here in one piece. We’ll be able to find your mother and gain the upper hand. Got it?”
No. This couldn’t be more confusing.
“My mother’s never mentioned she’s told you about it.”
“That’s because I’m undercover. Who else do you think was responsible for protecting you for so many years? I could’ve sold you off many different times. There was no shortage of fans interested in spending a night with you. Do you think any other handler would’ve protected you like have?”
My brows knit in confusion. “I guess not…”
“Get dressed. Now. Quickly. We don’t have much time.”
“I haven’t even warmed up—”
“There’s no time. Hurry.”
I sigh and do as Yuri says.
The lone costume dangling from the rack in the corner happens to be in my size. A coincidence that’s no coincidence at all but clearly meant for me. I slip into the leotard and sparkling tulle skirt and then rush to do what I can with my hair.
It’s the fastest, least polished preparation I’ve ever had before a performance on the stage.
Yuri barely waits for the last bobby-pin in my hair. He’s back to being a loud bully, clutching me by the arm and dragging me from the dressing room.
The men let him know Salvatore’s arrived and is seated in the audience. He expects the performance to start in five minutes.
“But what am I even performing?” I pant, scurrying to keep up on our walk backstage.
“Your solo from Lupi Nella Notte. I have the music on deck. It’ll impress him. You should want to stay alive.”
Yuri gives me another hard nudge toward the stairs to the stage. My legs feel stiff and uncooperative as I stagger my way up the steps.
The bright stage lights flash on and almost blind me. An arm comes up to shield my eyes.
Nerves flutter inside my belly in warning I’m beyond unprepared. I’m in no condition to perform, let alone a complex routine like my solo from Lupi Nella Notte.
My mind’s fuzzy. My heart aches. Massimo feels like a ghost alongside me, making me wish he were really here.
His protection and the safety I found in him.
“There she is!” Salvatore yells from his seat in the fifth row.
The huge theater is empty except for him and a handful of his men. He breaks out into applause with a delighted grin stretched onto his face. Though it’s been a while since I’ve last seen him, he’s as ostentatious as ever in a black and embroidered dinner jacket.
His loose curls shine even at a distance from all the product he’s used.
I drop my arm to my side and give him no reaction. I won’t let him know he gets to me. I won’t make whatever this is more enjoyable for him.
“Well?” he demands loudly in the empty theater.
“What do you have to say for yourself, Ayanna? Do you realize the amount of trouble we’ve gone through to get you here? You’ve been a very, very bad ballerina. Your family’s been very, very bad too. Explain.”
My lips part to speak, then I stop and glance to my left off stage. Yuri’s watching with the kind of baffled expression that tells me he’s unsure how I should play this. The nerves already running rampant inside me intensify.
“I… I don’t know,” I answer uncertainly.
Salvatore quirks a groomed brow. “You don’t know?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“You mean you’ve been ducking me for weeks—your whole family’s been—and I’m supposed to believe you don’t know? Sweetheart, you better fucking know,” he says, pulling out a handgun as though it’s a toy to tinker with. He cocks back the hammer and aims it at me on stage. “Let me tell you how this is going to work. You’ve got some vital information. You’re going to entertain me with your little dance like you used to, then you’re going to provide me with what your family’s taken from Disc Co. Then… then I’ll decide if I want to be nice or if I want to be nasty. Believe me when I say, you want me to be very nice to you. Capeesh?”
A numbness settles over me. I nod, feeling any hope drain from my body.
Salvatore grins wider. “Good, sweetheart. Now, go on. Dance.”