“You will do it again.” Not that the woman sounded unhappy about it, but the note of concern worried Kiki. “We will try to stop you, but if you truly want to escape, you know you can. So, I propose to you that I will not prevent your escapades, as long as you tell us about them. Don’t venture out unprotected.”
“I made it back. I would be fine.” She appreciated the offer, but half the fun of sneaking out lay in the sneaking itself.
“Kiki, if you break the rules again, I will have no choice but to punish you.” So much for understanding-Heidi. The stage manager’s voice lowered to a stiff, neutral tone. “I have no wish to see you suffer, but I do not own your contract. I have less influence over it than I would like. Every time you push the boundaries and play fast and loose with the rules, you wear down the patience of those who do. This latest event—it has them talking.”
“Wait a minute—I work for the Arcana Royale and I belong here…” she tried to wrap her mind around it, but the thoughts wouldn’t take purchase. Her concentration slipped and slid around the facts until a dull ache formed behind her eyes. “How do you not own my contract?”
“Because I have been trying to buy it out for fifty years. The one who holds it does not wish to sell.” Heidi tapped the desk. “Your latest escapade could jeopardize any progress I’ve made.”
“Which can’t be much if you’ve been trying to buy it for fifty years.” Kiki clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. The sarcasm and annoyance in her voice surprised her.
The manager shrugged. “Agreed. It hasn’t been much. Just keeping you here. Under my protection…and allowing you to perform this week as the lead.”
“You’re taking that away?” Her stomach sank. She may have blown the offer off the night before, but she’d waited for decades to get a chance to tackle the lead. Always the backup dancer, never the star. She had so many ideas, and if this chance worked out—it could be her shot.
“No. I’m not taking it away.” The woman leaned forward and rubbed her forehead. The utterly human gesture softened her generally tough appearance and no-nonsense attitude. “This would be far easier if you remembered.”
“Remembered what?” Kiki latched onto that oblique frustration and leaned forward. She inched her hands towards to manila file folder.
“Why did you go out last night?” Heidi turned the question back on her.
“Because I wanted to get out. I was restless—”
“Why were you restless? The girls were dancing, partying, playing games…you love that.”
“I know, but I…I…” Kiki stopped and frowned. The restlessness hit her, agitation flowed through her, and she bounced up from the chair. The pervasive weakness was no match for the urge to go. She walked to the door, but the handle wouldn’t turn. She pulled at it twice.
“You want to go now, don’t you?” The cool splash of words halted her jerks on the door. She glanced down at her hands and then the door handle. She barely even remembered standing up.
“What’s wrong with me, Heidi?”
“Short answer? You’re cursed. You have a show in two hours. You’re still improvising it. You’re still leading it. But you have to stay in the theatre until the final curtain drops. After that, you can go to him.”
“Him?”
“The show, Kiki. You have to focus on it.” The command resonated inside her, clashing with the urge to go.
“I went because he called me.” She spit the thought out swiftly, before it slipped away.
“Yes, you did.”
“He’s calling me now.” How had he called her before he bit her? Didn’t they have to share a blood tie or something? Or at least be compelled before? “Oh crap. Is that why I can’t remember anything before being here? He compelled me?”
The stage manager didn’t answer. Instead, she rose, file in hand and walked over to the cabinet beneath her shelved collection of puzzle boxes.
“Heidi? Is that what’s wrong with me?”
“You have a show to put on. You should probably shower and find some costumes and let the others know what you’re doing.” The stage manager didn’t look back at her.
Pushing away from the door, Kiki stalked across the office. Stifling the urge to go left her twisted in knots inside. “You have to tell me.”
“He is the reason you came here, but he is not the reason you stayed.” Heidi locked the cabinet.
“That doesn’t really answer my question.”
“And yet, it is the only answer you will get tonight. You have a puzzle to solve and resources to call upon. Figure out the puzzle and you will know what you need. But be careful…I can only protect you for so long.”
Dread curled in her stomach at the warning. “I want to see him after the show.”
“Okay.”
The anticlimactic response surprised her. “That’s it? Just okay?”
“Yes. You have an hour and fifty-five minutes now. You should go.”
“Heidi!”
“One hour and fifty-four minutes.” The doors behind Kiki swung open, and Heidi returned to her desk and turned to the computer screen.
Suppressing the urge to scream, she pivoted and stomped out of the office, and found Minion. The imp bounced up from a sofa, magazines tumbling to the floor to fling herself at Kiki.
“Can I be in the show tonight? Can I? Please? Please?” The enthusiastic hug and eager bounce helped restore Kiki’s equilibrium. She gave her an affectionate squeeze and settled the imp onto her shoulder, tail curled around Kiki’s neck.
“I don’t even know what I’m doing for the show—”
“I do!” Minion tossed a look behind her at Heidi’s office door and crouched, murmuring into Kiki’s ear.
Laughter welled up, the amusement loosening the pull of Richard’s call on her body. Minion’s idea was just enough out there that it might work. In fact…
“I like that. And I’ll make you a deal,” she scratched the imp’s ears affectionately as she put distance between them and Heidi. “You can totally be in the show if you’ll do me one little favor.”
“I love favors.” Minion promised.
“Well, it might be hard…”
“I like hard favors even more. What is it?”
“Now, don’t agree so quickly.” Ahead of her she could see the dancers stirring and waved to Peppermint and Britta. “It could be tricky.”
“Tell me!” Minion demanded.
“Think you can steal a file folder from Heidi’s office for me?” She watched the ruddy little face intently.
“Oh snap. You want yours or someone else’s?” Minion clicked her fingers together and grinned.
Showered and dressed in a simple leotard, Kiki leaned close to the mirror to apply her makeup. The near constant eddies of weakness collided with persistent urge to be elsewhere. It took every ounce of her concentration to apply her mascara. When a rather violent tug contracted all of her muscles, she scowled and stormed over to the phone. Picking it up, she rang reception.
“Richard Casere’s suite, please.” She tapped her foot impatiently and carried the cordless receiver back to her makeup station. The other dancers hustled, but everyone seemed to lack the usual energy associated with a new performance. Maybe because they had no idea what the performance would be. Heidi said improvisation—so they had to watch Kiki and match her dance.
She managed to smear her makeup, thanks to the trembling in her limbs—trembling that had something to do with the sexy beast. She used a tissue to blot at the black smear carefully. The phone rang through, and a masculine voice answered it on the first ring. It wasn’t Richard’s voice however. “Put Richard on.” She didn’t bother to tack on a please.
Apparently she didn’t need to either. “Kristina?” The sound of his voice wrapping around her name sent a
