Page 41 of The Virgin's Dance
“As long as you’re there with me, I don’t care who the star is.”
He chuckled. “Enjoy it, baby. It’s your time.”
She fell asleep dreaming of applause, of flowers raining down on her, and Pilot, in the audience, proudest of all.
Chapter Nineteen
Eugenie called Serena on the burner phone she had messengered to her. “Is it done?”
“All set. Kristof is the new lead, just like I suggested to him. He’ll dance with Boh tomorrow night.”
“Good. That’s good. And the rest of it?”
“All arranged. They don’t expect anything to go wrong, so the security is lax.”
Eugenie smiled down the phone. “Are you ready for the shit to hit the fan?”
Serena smiled. “I can’t fucking wait.”
Chapter Twenty
Pilot accompanied Boh to the Metropolitan the next day as they were preparing for the performance. Having him there helped, but she knew Kristof wouldn’t like it. So, she gave him a quick tour and ran through the ballets with him.
“At the end ofThe Lesson, the teacher stabs the pupil to death,” she made a stabbing motion to thePsychomusic, “and then they carry her body out as another pupil rings the doorbell and the cycle begins again.”
Pilot nodded. “So how do you do it? Fake blood?”
“Nah. Takes too long to clean. Believe it or not, I, as the pupil, will just collapse, facing away from the audience, and as the teacher and his housekeeper move the body, they’ll drape a red handkerchief over me. It’s less gory than it sounds. The horror, really, is the inference that he’s done it before, and he’ll do it again.”
Pilot stroked her cheek. “I can’t wait to see you dance, baby.”
She grinned and kissed him.
“How very touching, but I need the stage cleared, please.” Kristof stalked on, not looking at Pilot. Boh sighed and rolled her eyes at Pilot, who grinned, shooting a death stare at the artistic director’s back.
“I’ll be watching from the front row, baby. You’ll be magnificent, I know it.”
Boh kissed him. “I love you.”
“Stage clear, now, people.” Kristof sounded testy, agitated.
Pilot gave Boh a last smile and left the stage. Kristof finally looked at Boh. “At last. Now, are we going to run this thing through or not?”
Eugenie called Serena on the burner phone she’d sent her. “Everything set?”
Serena chuckled. “Have no fear; it’ll all go exactly as we planned.” She looked over her shoulder at her erstwhile lover as he barked instructions at the dancers. “He’s right on the edge. By the time tonight is over, you and I will both have what we want.”
“Good. And listen, I’ll be watching. Once it’s done, the rest of the money will be delivered to the locker at Penn Station. I appreciate your help—and your silence.”
“You can be assured of that,” Serena told her smoothly.As long as it helps me to stay silent, bitch,she thought. Despite finding a world in common with the rich woman, Serena did not like or trust Eugenie Radcliffe-Morgan. The woman frightened her, frankly, and Serena didn’t scare easily, but there was something, some insanity in Eugenie’s eyes that terrified her.
Even Kristof at his most insane didn’t have that raw fury, that need for revenge. Did Serena care if people got hurt? No, as long as she wasn’t among them. She was in deep now. Killing Eleonor, or at least laying the ground work for Eleonor’s “accident” was nothing to her. What would happen tonight excited her. She just didn’t know if Eugenie wouldn’t sell her out to save her own skin.
Serena put her phone away and watched Boh and Vlad rehearseLa Sylphide. She admired the way Boh moved, her extensions long and graceful, her pointe work flawless. To have to follow her on stage was always fraught, trying to live up to the other dancer’s prowess.
Serena’s eyes flicked to Kristof. He didn’t look as amped up as she wanted him to be. She’d slip the rest of the drug into his system just before he went on stage—despite the slight scandal of the artistic director replacing a lead dancer, the chance to see Kristof Mendelev dance had sold out the performance – even the reserve list was packed. Serena smirked to herself.Tonight, my love, you will have the performance of your life and the whole world will see Kristof Mendelev for the monster you really are.
Serena watched him for a few minutes more then went to change, ready for her own rehearsal.
