The Life of Anna, Part 5: Emerged (11 page)

Hugo looked at him for a long moment and then
nodded. “Please tell me if there is anything I can do.”

Tom smiled at Anna and then looked at Hugo.
“You’re doing it. Please continue to call her Katrina. If her name
gets out, I don’t know how long I’ll be able to protect her.” He
crouched down and looked Anna in the eye. “You can tell him what
you’re comfortable with about your personal experiences, but keep
names out of it, all right?”

Anna nodded. “He knows a little about
Alex.”

Tom looked surprised and pleased, then took
her hand. “You took your wedding ring off,” he commented softly,
and looked approvingly at Hugo. “You’re obviously doing many things
right, Hugo.” He kissed Anna on the cheek and stood. “Take her
home, get her cleaned up and put her to bed. Are you healing
again?” he asked Anna.

“I don’t know. I haven’t been injured in a
while.”

“That’s good.” He chuckled. “A good problem
to have. Don’t worry about this, Anna. Devin won’t find out you’re
here.”

“Thank you, Tom,” she said quietly and stood.
Hugo finished zipping her dress and put his arm gently around her.
She looked down. “My shoes are in the other room.”

“I’ll get them,” Aaron said, walking quickly
out of the room and returning a few minutes later.

Hugo cleared his throat. “Do I, uh, need to
be concerned about...defending myself?”

Amusement filled Tom’s eyes. “Are you
planning on raping her or dragging her back to people who want to
hurt her?”

“Absolutely not!”

“Then you have nothing to worry about. She’s
not the Hulk where she’ll turn into a monster if she gets angry.
She’s just finally learned to defend herself against people who
want to hurt her.”

“Are there a lot of people who want to hurt
her?” Hugo asked.

Tom frowned. “Unfortunately, yes. But there
are many who want to help her too.” He smiled encouragingly. “Take
her home. She’ll be all right.”

Anna put her shoes on and glanced at Tom.
“Thank you, Tom.”

Tom nodded. “Anytime, Anna. It’s the least I
can do.”

Hugo and Aaron flanked Anna as they walked
down the hallway and in the elevator down to the lobby. The doorman
hailed a cab and they went back to Anna and Aaron’s apartment. Hugo
kept his arm around her the whole time.

“What can I do to help, Katrina?” Hugo asked
as they walked inside.

She looked at him, searching his eyes. “Do
you still want to be with me?”

He cradled her cheek. “I’m not going
anywhere, Kittycat,” he said softly.

“You could get killed,” she squeaked, grief
hitting her like a ton of bricks.

Hugo caught her before she could fall to the
floor and led her to the couch. He held her in his lap with his
long arms wrapped around her body.

Aaron gave Anna a sad look and then came to
kneel next to her on the floor. “Anna...Kat,” he said softly,
glancing at Hugo. “Kat, nothing’s gonna happen to Hugo. We’re not
in San Francisco anymore, remember? You’re safe. He’s safe.”

“But Jack—”

“...got lucky and now he’s gone. Hon, it’s
okay to be happy for once. Don’t let your fears ruin it.”

She blinked back tears as she gazed at Aaron.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, trying to apologize. She knew he was
wishing that he was the one making her happy.

He brushed her hair out of her face. “I’m
just the doomed best friend, destined to forever be shoved aside
for your boyfriends.” He chuckled. “Maybe I should just become gay,
or rather, lean further in that direction.”

Anna gasped. “Aaron!”

“What? I’ve gone out with guys before. And no
other girls ever interested me.” He shrugged and then laughed.
“Then I can see you naked and Hugo won’t get pissed.”

Hugo narrowed his eyes, partially mocking. “I
haven’t even seen her naked.”

Anna blushed as Aaron laughed. “You really
should change that.”

Hugo shook his head. “I don’t want to know
why you would say that.” He laughed. “I was going to try tonight,
you know.”

Anna buried her head in Hugo’s chest,
blushing furiously. “I’m sorry, Hugo.”

“Nothing to apologize for, Kittycat.” He
kissed her head. “Do you want to go take a shower and clean up? We
can watch a movie or something afterwards.”

Anna nodded. She felt gross and knew she was
sticky from blood and other things. She stood and went to her
room.

“She’s worth it, you know,” Aaron said after
Anna disappeared around the corner.

Hugo nodded. “I know. I just had no
idea...she was always reluctant to talk about her past. I guess I
understand why now.” He grimaced. “That was really her
guardian?”

Aaron nodded. “He started sexually abusing
her after her parents were killed.”

“God,” Hugo mumbled, shaking his head. “And
he came after her for that?”

Aaron shook his head. “It’s much bigger than
just his abuse, Hugo. There’s...someone out there who wants to
control her and he wants her back. That’s why she’s here. To keep
her from him.”

“Why?”

Aaron hesitated. “Because she’s very special.
It’s the easiest way to explain it.”

“Anyone can see that she’s special just by
looking at her.”

Aaron smiled. Hugo was a good guy. He’d
watched him as Anna told Tom what happened, looking for any sign of
disgust, but all he saw was sadness for Anna. Aaron couldn’t help
but approve of the guy as being worthy of Anna. “She is.” He
cleared his throat. “The thing is, with what happened tonight…she
really will be okay.”

“I think that’s one of the most disturbing
things I’ve heard in a long time. I can’t imagine what she’s gone
through to make tonight look like nothing to be concerned
about.”

Aaron shook his head. “You don’t want to
imagine it, Hugo. Trust me.”

“You know?”

“I know almost everything about her. I’ve
known her since she was eleven. I danced Giselle with her when she
was that age. I was there when she found out Alex was dead. I was
there...” He stopped. “I’ve seen her go through hell so many times
I don't even want to count them.”

“Why didn’t you help her?” It was an
accusation and rightly so, for someone who didn’t know Devin.

He leaned back on the couch. “Because the
person who is behind all this is very powerful, and getting killed
would have hurt her worse than trying and failing to get her out of
a situation that she couldn’t get out of. I would have been dead
and she would still be where she was. As it is, I am alive and I’ve
been able to help get her out of that situation by playing an
extremely high-stakes game of cat and mouse. I hope you can
understand that someday, Hugo.”

Hugo stared at him for a long moment and then
nodded. “I know you, Aaron. I know you’re a good guy and I will
trust what you say, even though I don’t understand it.”

Aaron smiled grimly. “Thank you, Hugo.” His
phone rang and was surprised to see it was Wilhelm. “Hi,
Wilhelm.”

“Hello, Aaron. Tom told me what happened. Is
Anna all right?”

“As all right as can be expected. Did you try
to call her?”

“
Ja
, it went to voicemail and I
thought she might be still ignoring my calls.”

“Why would she do that?”

“I believe she is angry with me. I have tried
to call her a few times and she has not answered.”

“Why would she be angry with you? She loves
you.”

“I did not call her when I heard about Jenna,
and I hurt her feelings.”

“You didn’t call?”

“Things have been...very crazy here. I forgot
to call. I feel terrible, but, as I said, I have not been able to
get in touch with her.”

“That’s really unlike you, Wilhelm,” he
accused.

Wilhelm sighed. “Please do not start, Aaron.
You will understand in a few months, but I cannot go into it right
now.”

Aaron heard the rebuke in his voice. “I’m
sorry, Wilhelm. I was out of line.”

“Is Anna there?”

“She’s in the shower.”

“Please have her call me when she gets out. I
want to hear her tell me she is all right. Tell her it is a command
if necessary.”

“Isn’t it late there?”

“
Nein,
it is very early. I do not
care. I want to hear from her.”

Aaron winced at Wilhelm’s irritated tone. “I
will have her call you, Wilhelm, as soon as I see her.”

“
Danke
.”

They said goodbye and ended the call. Aaron
stared at the floor. What on earth would make Wilhelm forget to
call Anna?

“Who was that?” Hugo asked.

“Her....” It wasn’t his place to explain she
was a slave. “Her father-in-law. Alex’s father.”

“Wilhelm...sounds German.”

Aaron smiled. “He is. He’s the Duke of
Hesse.”

Hugo’s jaw dropped and then shook his head.
“No, the German state outlawed titles years ago.”

“Except for a few families.”

Hugo looked like he was going to protest and
then stopped. “That’s true.” He leaned back in his seat. “God, I’ve
learned more about Katrina tonight than I have in the entire month
I’ve known her. Which son was Alex?”

“The oldest.”

“Did he have brothers?”

“One brother, two sisters.”

Hugo looked at the ceiling with sad eyes.
“I’m not going to get to stay with her for long, am I?” He turned
his eyes to Aaron. “Unless the brother is married already?” he
asked hopefully.

“He was. He divorced a few years ago.”

“Divorced? I didn’t think that was allowed in
those families.”

“Gretchen was a bitch, to say the least.”

“An unmarried brother,” Hugo said softly and
shook his head. “She’ll be expected to marry him. Unless the father
has decided against it because she’s American?”

Aaron felt terrible as he shook his head.
“No, Wilhelm is quite fond of Anna. He’s the one who came up with
her new name.”

“Does she know what’s expected of her?”

“She’s guessed.”

Hugo sighed and rubbed his face. “What do I
do with that?” he asked softly.

Anna stepped out of the shower feeling much
better. She was glad to find out that most of the blood was not
hers, though she had quite a few bruises. Part of her wished she
knew what had happened. How had she managed to kill her guardian?
How could she possibly be that strong? Maybe it was better if she
didn’t know and didn’t remember.

She put on a comfortable pair of sweats and a
cotton camisole and went back out to the living room. She could
hear the deep voices of Hugo and Aaron as she approached but they
stopped talking once she entered the room.

Hugo saw her and stood. “How are you
feeling?” he asked softly.

She shrugged. “Okay.” She stood in the
hallway, not knowing what to do. Did he still want her? He hadn’t
left, but....

“Anna, Wilhelm called,” Aaron said. “He wants
you to call him.”

Anna grimaced. “I don’t want to talk to him.
Besides, it’s the middle of the night there.”

Aaron gave her a look. “He wants you to call
him.”

“I don’t want to talk to him,” she
retorted.

Aaron sighed and shook his head. “It’s not a
request.”

Wilhelm had commanded her? “Fine,” she
snapped and reached for her phone. She pressed his picture on the
screen and waited for him to answer. She hoped maybe he’d gone to
bed and wouldn’t....

“Hello, Anna.”

“Hello, Wilhelm,” she said coldly. “Aaron
said you wanted me to call you.”

There was a pause. “I wanted to make sure you
are all right,” he said softly.

“I’m fine.”

“You do not sound fine. You sound angry.”

Anna turned and walked to her room and sat on
her bed with her head in her hands. “I’m fine. Aaron and Hugo are
taking care of me.”

“Hugo?”

“My boyfriend. The one I called you about
several weeks ago.”

“Ah. I remember. You have gotten serious with
him, then?”

“I guess so. Is that okay? Do I need your
permission to date someone?” She was snapping, but really didn’t
care at the moment.

He was quiet for a few minutes. “Anna, I am
sorry I did not call you when Jenna died. It was unthinking of
me.”

“Are you going to come see me dance
tomorrow?”

“I cannot do that. Showing up in New York,
especially now, would arouse Devin’s suspicions.”

Anna clenched her jaw and blinked back angry
tears. She wanted to yell at him, to tell him how much he was
hurting her by not being here for her. Any other time he would have
been here in a heartbeat. Now that she was safe in New York, he
seemed to think she didn’t need him anymore. Well, maybe she didn’t
need him anymore. “Is there anything else you need, Wilhelm?” she
asked coldly.

“
Nein, Liebling,
” he said, not
responding to her coldness
.
“I just wanted to make sure
you were okay and that you know that I love you.”

“I’m okay.”

“I love you, Anna.”

She didn’t respond and he was quiet.

“I will let you get on with your evening,
Anna,” he said after a long pause. His voice was strained.

“Good night,” she said, and ended the
call.

Anna threw her phone down on her bed and sat
down hard on the floor, drawing her knees to her chest. She felt
abandoned by Wilhelm. He had his own family and he was probably
realizing that he needed to attend to them first. She was just a
side distraction. A plaything.

She stared at the floor in front of her until
there was a soft knock on her door. She looked up to see Hugo
standing in her doorway, looking concerned. “Is everything
okay?”

Anna shrugged. “As okay as it ever is.”

He walked over and sat behind her, hugging
her to him. She sighed and relaxed into his embrace. “I’m glad
you’re here. Thank you.”

He kissed her cheek. “As long as you need me,
I will be here for you,” he whispered and kissed her cheek. They
sat together in silence for several minutes. “Do you want me to
leave so you can go to sleep?”