Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 43829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43829 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 219(@200wpm)___ 175(@250wpm)___ 146(@300wpm)
Lucy answers with a silent nod, offering me a little shrug.
“Good. Take a breather, ladies. You need to look like graceful, beautiful girls, not like sweaty lumberjacks.”
“Yes, Mr. Petrov,” we say in unison, as we head for our water bottles.
“What’s the matter with you today?” I ask before taking a long drink from my bottle. “You never make mistakes like that.”
A shadow passes over Lucy’s dark eyes, and I wait for her to say she got her period or had a second glass of wine at dinner. After a moment, she shrugs. “I’ll be fine.”
“You can tell me anything…” I murmur. I’m not used to her being distracted. She’s as tough as a seasoned warrior.
My attempt at mothering her is met with an eye roll. “Carrie, I’ll be fine. I didn’t sleep much last night.”
My frown deepens. Tightness wraps around my heart. “You haven’t called me Carrie since before we came to live here—”
“I said I’ll be fine,” she snaps with a sigh. “Worry about your dancing, I’ll worry about mine. And ignore what Alik said.”
I shrug. “I always try to ignore that fuck face. You know that.” I study her face, concern squeezing my insides.
“Don’t ignore him. He knows what he’s talking about when it comes to dance. But ignore his insults.” She glances at the side stage where we will wait for the curtains to open. “Come on, our audience awaits.”
There’s no time to press the issue. So I follow her as nervous anticipation prickles over my skin.
This is where I feel alive. It’s my world. When I’m out in front of an audience, nothing else matters.
It’s like flying.
I never realized that before. That’s why I want to be a pilot. I love that feeling of gliding, silent but powerful through the sky.
“Here we go,” Lucy says as we hold hands and take the stage as the curtain opens.
Lucy and I move through the routine in harmony. She is in her usual form. All the errors from earlier gone, her technical precision complements my raw emotion the way it always does.
Our dance is not a rivalry, it’s about conveying the story between us. Her impeccable technique, precise and measured, anchors me to the dance. But I can’t help losing myself in the music, letting my body respond with flourishes and embellishments of my own.
The swelling applause is all the validation either of us needs. When I finally focus on the audience, I find Gennero staring right at me. His eyes bore into my very soul, making my next breath disappear. It seems to take an eternity before Alik joins us on the stage, bowing and accepting his own applause.
In a daze, I descend the steps and head for my grandfather, barely aware that Lucy has not followed me through the crowd.
“Did we make you proud?” I ask, staring up at his blue eyes, the creases around them seeming deeper than even yesterday, like he’s worried about something. I tilt my body to thrust out my breasts a little, using all I’ve got.
He grunts. “You were—”
“Mr. Sabato.” Alik is there before he finishes, wedging himself between me and Papa, who he embraces like they’re old friends. “This year’s party is magnificent, and your granddaughters…” He glances at me for just the briefest moment, a slight frown tugging his barely-there lips downward. “Simply beautiful. Graceful, intelligent. You are pleased with what I’ve done with them?”
“Very pleased.” Gennero extricates himself from the hug, as tension locks his jaw, accentuating the tendons in his neck snapping his tongue along his perfect white teeth. “I have other business to attend to.”
“You’re not staying?” I ask. My heart is desperate to be with him, here in front of everyone.
“I’ll be back. Other people want to congratulate you on the performance.” Gennero glances at the humming crowd, a low growl rumbling from his throat. “You and your sister should go take a shower and a sauna, then to bed. I will make sure the guests get settled in their rooms as usual or off on their way home. Now, go.”
Disappointment seeps out of me at his impersonal dismissal.
“No buts.” He brushes his fingers down my arm, making me shiver, then draws them away as though I’ve hurt him. “Do as you are told. You will need your rest.”
“This is exactly what I always tell her,” Alik says with a note of triumph. “She needs to learn to listen and obey.”
If he thinks Papa is going to side with him, he’s mistaken.
Gennero’s fist is wrapped around Alik’s throat before he takes another self-satisfied breath, his eyes bulging, trying to back away as Papa’s strong hand holds him in place. “Listen, you little shit. She does as I say, not as you say. I keep you here because you’re good at your job, but if I think for one second—”