Chapter Fifteen

 

Alex’s heart beat faster. He held his breath, as he caressed Scarlet’s cheek.

I need her.

Torn between logic and unadulterated passion, Alex knew this was the moment that would change them.

Logically, he shouldn’t be doing this. But connecting with her in those few seconds felt incredible.

Fuck logic.

They kissed under the canopy of string lights, nothing existing except the two of them.

“Alex.”

The voice made him jerk his head away, ending the kiss abruptly. He stepped back, cleared his throat, and turned around.

“Edward.” He blinked.

Next to him, Scarlet adjusted her dress, trying to hide her embarrassment. A soft laugh escaped her lips, and she shook her head.

“I’m sorry to interrupt.” Edward frowned. “But I need my prima. To, you know, announce her to the world.”

Alex’s nerves bristled a bit at the words “my prima.” Edward had a way of letting Alex know he was disappointed through tone of voice.

“Sorry, Mr. North.” Scarlet hurried over to him, the layers of tulle flowing behind her.

Edward threw Alex a stern look as he held the door open for her. He gave Alex a stern glare before retreating back into the building after Scarlet.

Shit. Alex’s adrenaline rush faded quickly.

He went over in his mind what had just happened. He’d talked himself out getting close, but then he’d impulsively taken a huge step forward.

Scarlet let him know he was in her head. It triggered something in Alex’s brain. He couldn’t fight the temptation. He was defenseless under Scarlet’s spell.

Alex could explain himself to Edward later. He knew he’d crossed a line, but he hoped Edward would at least hear him out. He’d have to explain himself to Scarlet at some point, and he had no idea how that would go.

Alex took a deep breath and walked back inside.

The massive reception hall had grown quiet, as everyone’s attention was on the dance floor in the middle of the room. Edward stood with Armand and his prima. Scarlet looked beautiful illuminated in the circle of light. The surrounding area was dimmed to accent the dance floor.

“Ladies and gentleman,” Edward started. “Thank you for joining us on this most auspicious of evenings. A new season is upon us, and the coming year will be a memorable one. The very talented—and no, I’m not biased—Armand Onesti will be directing the season’s feature, Cassandra.”

Applause sounded around the vast room. Alex looked around quickly, trying to remain focused as Edward spoke about the ballet.

“I suppose I should’ve seen something like this coming,” a voice said beside him.

Mikael Rush stood next to Alex, keeping his eyes firmly on the stage.

Alex’s body went ice cold, and he stiffened up.

His first impulse was to remain silent, pretending he didn’t know who the man was, but Alex would have to fake a solid case of amnesia to get away with it.

“Sir?”

“Sorry.” Mikael shook his head. “I should ask how you are, first.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Alex saw the man step closer. He shifted his weight, uncomfortable with Mikael’s close proximity. “Fine. Working for Edward. You?”

“Good.” Mikael adjusted his suit jacket. “Unsure how I feel about your work, but Scarlet seems very taken with you.”

“I don’t…” Alex turned to him, hoping his frown registered in the dark.

Mikael held up a hand, like he didn’t care what Alex had to say. The gesture was simple, but rude. “I’m glad to see you fully recovered. A blast like that … you got lucky.”

Alex fought the urge to tell the man to fuck off, but he kept his hands clasped in front of him, and his eyes on the stage.

“Does she know?” Mikael asked.

“No, sir.”

“Good.” The man nodded. “Keep it that way, at least for now. Please just do the job.”

“Yes, sir,” Alex said through gritted teeth. “Doing my best, sir.”

Mikael lingered for a few seconds before moving back to his table.

No going back now. Alex turned his attention back to Edward.

“And what better way to present a new ballet than to also present a rising star and our new prima.” Edward stepped away from Scarlet and held his hands out to her, as if offering her up to the audience. “North Pointe is so very proud to introduce you to Miss Scarlet Rush.”

The next round of applause was much louder, and Scarlet lifted her hand gracefully above her in a circular motion, then curtsied. This time, Alex clapped as he watched her straighten from her bow, the nervous smile still on her face.

Suddenly, Scarlet’s hand lowered back to her side, and her smile faded. She blinked into the shadowed room, and lips parted in surprise.

She was upset.

Alex followed her gaze, but the spotlight shining on the dance floor blacked out his view. Scarlet took a step back, tensing her body.

Edward also noted the change in the ballerina’s composure and held out a hand to her. She shook her head a little and plastered the smile back on her face.

“Scarlet started her training with the Cecchetti method in Tel Aviv, at the age of ten,” Edward said to the audience. “Her parents supported her dancing career through college, and she began dancing at North Pointe two and a half years ago.”

Alex moved around the perimeter of the room, trying to see what had upset Scarlet. He searched the room, but saw nothing out of order. He crossed to the other side where Lance was standing.

“Have Steele and Vega run another sweep,” he said. “There’s been a lot of traffic through here. Just to be safe.”

Lance nodded and lifted his iPhone to send out the order.

Alex looked back to Scarlet who was still glancing around nervously as Edward continued to speak. Something’s up. Alex’s inner alarm rang.

He crept closer to the dance floor to wait for Edward to finish and the dance to begin. Then, he could make sure Scarlet was okay.

Alex focused on her. She turned a full circle, her eyes darting around the room. Edward took notice, and held out a hand to stop her from the strange behavior. She yanked away from him, and took a few steps toward the edge of the dance floor. She lifted her finger and pointed.

“I see you!” she shouted.

Edward lowered his voice. “Scarlet, what are you doing?”

Alex closed the gap between them, as hushed murmurs ran through the crowd.

“I saw him.” Scarlet pulled at Edward’s jacket. “He was there, in the crowd.”

 “Just calm down.” Edward looked at Armand, whose brow was crinkled in worry.

“No!” Scarlet’s voice rose. “I saw him. He’s here!”

“Who?” Edward asked.

“The hooded man!” Scarlet insisted. “The man who attacked me!”

Alex stepped up and Edward handed her off to him. “Sit her down, we’ll start the show.”

Armand turned back to the audience and gave out a nervous laugh. “Ladies and gentleman, we apologize for the brief interruption.”

Edward and Alex escorted Scarlet to the side of the expansive ballroom, as she struggled against them. He opened a door, and led her out into the empty hall.

“Stop it!” she said. “You’re not listening to me!”

“I hear you.” Alex sat her down on a bench against the wall.

He knelt down in front of her, and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Look at me. Breathe. Remember what we talked about.” His hands fell to her arms, and gave them a reassuring squeeze. 

“This isn’t a panic attack.” She closed her eyes and tried to even out her breathing. “He was there. I saw him.”

The ballroom doors opened and Edward emerged, followed by Mikael.

Edward looked at Alex and shook his head. “What happened?”

Mikael walked over to Alex, and shook his head. “My wife and I would like to know if our daughter is all right.”

Alex tensed and stood up quickly. “She’ll be okay,” he said. “Just a little spooked. An event like this might be too much for her after—”

“That’s not it!” Scarlet’s voice rose again. “I’m telling you, I saw the man who attacked me. He was standing in the back of the room in his black hoodie. He was here.”

“Shh.” Edward sat in the seat next to her and patted her back. “You’re safe here. No one’s going to hurt you.”

“Why aren’t you out looking for this man?” Mikael asked, stepping closer to his daughter.

Alex turned to the man and stared at him a moment before answering. “My team is handling it.”

“Oh,” Mikael scoffed. “Because that always goes so well.”

Alex clenched his fists and shook his head at the man. Don’t. “Sir,” he said quietly. “Please back off.”

Mikael blinked at Alex before looking down to Scarlet. “Maybe I should take her home. I had my doubts she should be thrust into the spotlight after this trauma.”

“Mr. Rush.” Edward narrowed his eyes. “Rest assured, I have Scarlet’s best interest at heart. She agreed to move forward with all this. If she felt uncomfortable at any time, I wouldn’t have pushed her.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Mikael said. “I can see this is too much for her.”

“No, I’m fine.” Scarlet held up a hand. “I’m sorry. Maybe with the light, I was just seeing things. I’m sorry. Dad, please go back in and sit down.”

Edward looked up at Alex. “Keep sweeping the building until this is over.”

Alex lifted his gaze to the hall. Handle the situation.

If Scarlet thought she saw something, then she saw something. Shadows had a way of tricking the mind. He knew the tricks well. Still, if there were a chance that the gala wasn’t secure, he wouldn’t risk it.

“Lance is on it,” Alex said. “I’ll go have a look myself, see if anything looks out of place.”

“No!” Scarlet grabbed Alex’s arm. “Please don’t leave. I’ll go back in, but I want you to sit with me.”

Mikael took a step back, his brow furrowed in concern. Alex tried to shake off the rising anxiety. Surely both of them freaking out wouldn’t sit well with Edward, and it wouldn’t look great in public.

Edward pursed his lips. “The performance is starting. Wait until it’s over. Sit with her until then.”

Alex nodded, and helped Scarlet up. He moved past Mikael to the ballroom door.

Mikael lifted a finger to Scarlet. “I want to take you home after this. Please.”

Scarlet nodded her head. “Okay.”

They reentered the ballroom and quietly took their seats.

Armand finished his introduction and the lights dimmed. Alex kept his attention on Scarlet. Her chest rose and fell as she tried to calm down. Edward gave her another reassuring pat before turning around to face the dance floor.

Cheerful music began to play, and the ballet dancers entered the room. As the dancers began to perform, Alex kept his attention on Scarlet, who obviously was keeping a lot of her fears bottled up. He felt bad jumping to conclusions. There was a man at large.

Maybe he should have taken the entire situation more serious. Maybe the danger was real, and the world of ballet was the perfect front for underworld crime syndicates to do their dirty work … maybe they didn’t like Edward running a legit business.

Maybe, maybe. Alex frowned at the dancers’ fluid movements before him. The music didn’t fit his mood.

Ten minutes into the dance, Alex knew Scarlet hadn’t relaxed. She sat rigidly with her hands clasped tightly in her lap. He wanted to reach out and touch her shoulder, but it would have been inappropriate, despite their heated kiss. The singular moment had been pushed to the back of his mind as the thought of unseen danger lurked about.

The dancers ended their parts, coming to a freeze in various poses. The music continued to play, yet no movement was going on. Scarlet sat up straighter and peered at the dance floor. It looked like the dancers were waiting for something to happen.

Another few moments went by, and still nothing. Alex noted a few dancers were glancing around in confusion—namely Scarlet’s friend, Jason, who stared at her and shrugged. More time went by and still, no one moved.

“Boss.” Lance appeared out of nowhere, knelt down, and whispered to Alex. “Back door near the lounge was open. Vega’s checking the perimeter, Steele’s tracking the hallways. Sims is keeping an eye on the dancers.”

Scarlet suddenly got up from her seat. The dance seemed to come to a complete standstill.

“Nora,” she said under her breath.

“What?” Alex rose and reached for her.

“Where’s Nora?” Scarlet asked, stepping forward out of his grasp.

Edward looked over at Armand, who blinked uncertainly.

“Where did the dancers get ready?” Scarlet asked.

“Outside the far exit. Down the hall. Lounge C,” Edward replied. “Why?”

Scarlet suddenly ran forward onto the dance floor, past the dancers as the music stopped, to the far door.

Alex cursed under his breath, and took off running through the crowd after her. “Scarlet!”

He burst through the double doors into the hall. Scarlet made a beeline toward the lounge door.

“Wait!” Alex called. If she got too far ahead of him, he’d lose the advantage of protection. Anyone could grab her. The entire night could have been a set-up.

His thoughts raced as he approached the lounge door. He rushed in and froze. The first thing he saw was the pool of blood and the body on the floor.

Alex took a deep breath as the scene registered in his brain. “Jesus,” he whispered.

Scarlet was on the ground, her hands on Nora’s face, gently trying to wake her friend. The pool of blood surrounded the woman’s head, spreading from her blonde hair down to her blue ballet costume. Alex looked around the room. It was empty. There was no sign of struggle.

“Nora,” Scarlet cried. “Please… Wake up…”

Nora’s eyes remained closed.