Danika stands by the windows and watches Denham start up his truck and drive down the street. “He’s gone,” she says into the phone. “But that doesn’t mean he won’t be back.”
She looks over her shoulder at me, her spiky blue hair lit by the sun streaming in. The creases around her eyes and mouth are more prominent while she’s under stress. She’s like the mother hen to all of us, the owner of the academy and the one who is willing to help any of us when we’re in trouble.
“All right. Thank you.” Danika hangs up the call. She turns around to me, Suze, and Ted, who are standing nearby, plus a couple parents who have ventured out of the studios.
“Should we send everyone home?” Suze asks.
Danika turns back to the windows. “Probably most of them will go on their own,” she says. “We’ll need to send an email out to every family who attended this session, assuring them we are handling the situation.” She glances at me. “Livia, when the officer gets here, we’ll need to talk to him.”
“I’ll let everyone know it’s safe to leave,” Suze says, hurrying back to the front desk.
Ted moves close to me. “I can stand watch here,” Ted says.
“That’s good,” Danika says.
Parents and children start streaming out of the hallway. Danika greets them, hugging the children, assuring everyone things are fine now, it was just some confused man.
A few older children remain in the rooms, their parents having run out to do errands during their class. Danika heads back to talk to the instructors, leaving me and Ted by the windows.
“I didn’t see that coming, but I should have,” I say to him.
“I see why Blitz wanted you protected,” he says.
“He wouldn’t hurt me,” I insist.
“He seems pretty desperate,” Ted says. “If he’s willing to make a scene like that and risk getting arrested, there’s a good chance he’d try to kidnap you or something.”
“But I was in his truck yesterday,” I say. “He could have taken off then, and he didn’t.”
“He’s been stewing in it,” Ted says. “He’ll just get himself more and more worked up.”
I don’t have anything to say to that and watch out front until Danika returns.
“Where is that officer?” she asks. “Good thing we didn’t actually need his help!”
“You were downgraded when the situation resolved,” Ted says. “Non-emergency stop.”
“Oh,” Danika says. “Why don’t you have Suze direct the officer to my desk when he gets here? Suze will know where to send him.” She gestures back at the front desk.
“Will do,” Ted says. He stands stalwart by the door, his hands clasped behind his back. “If you have any other entrances, you might want to secure them.”
Danika turns to Suze. “Go lock the backstage doors and make sure the loading dock bay is secure.”
Suze nods and grabs a set of keys from her drawer.
I follow Danika back through the doors to the recital hall, then turn toward her office. It’s the opposite side of the building from the studios, so everything is quiet.
Danika settles in her chair, then props her elbows on the desk and rests her head in her hands. “That was something.”
She seems weary, coming down from the adrenaline rush of the conflict.
“I’m so sorry that happened,” I say. “He’s been sitting out there for days. I should have told you.”
“Days?” Her head pops up. “What is going on, Livia?”
I look down at my lap, fiddling with the sheer fabric of my dance skirt. “His name is Denham Young. He lived with me when I was a teenager. At the time, our family was told that he was my father’s illegitimate son.”
“Okay,” Danika says. “So why is he here now?”
“He saw me on television and followed the trail to the academy after the video Blitz made. He’s been stalking me a bit.”
“You had a baby with him?”
My hands clasp together in a bruising grip. I don’t have a choice anymore. I have to tell Danika. “He came to tell me that he wasn’t my brother after all. We, well, we sort of had a … relationship back then. I got pregnant and gave the baby up for adoption.”
Danika sat back. “This is why your father acts the way he does, I take it?”
I nod. “Denham didn’t know about the baby until he came back. My father sent him away before we found out I was pregnant.”
“So he never signed anything giving up the baby?” Danika’s face goes pale.
“No. Blitz is having his lawyer help us with it.”
Danika rubs her forehead as if she’s nursing a headache. “Do you know where the child is, Livia? Is that why he’s doing this to you?”
“He’s just guessing. He doesn’t know what I know.” I can’t bring myself to tell her the rest. If she finds out about Gabriella, I just know she’ll stop our lessons.
“But do you know where she is?” Danika’s eyes are piercing.
“Yes,” I say. “I’ve followed them on Facebook.” It’s not in me to lie, but I pray she doesn’t ask if she is here at the academy.
“Then you need some protection or he’ll get it out of you,” she says. “I’m going to get a restraining order against him for the academy, not that I think it will do that much good. We’ll probably hire some security for a little while, until this blows over.” She turns to her computer.
“I’m so sorry this has happened,” I say. “I had no idea he would find me.”
She waves her hand. “We’ll deal with it.”
“Do you want me to stop coming?” I ask, fear in my voice.
“I don’t know that it will matter. He might show up anyway if he has nowhere else to look.” She starts tapping on her keyboard.
“Okay.”
“Stay here until the officer arrives, and we’ll tell him all this,” she says. “I’ll let Bennett handle finding a security team for us. We’ll get them in place by tomorrow.”
“Ted can stay here through the last classes,” I say. “He’s hired full-time anyway.”
“When does Blitz get back?”
“Tonight.”
Danika nods. “All right. You and Ted stay here until we close, then you can take him with you. We’ll get someone in place after that.”
She goes quiet, staring at her screen. I sit quietly on my chair, reliving the past half hour, wondering how in the world my life has come to this.