Page 365 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

Alex held her tightly until dinner was ready. She didn’t want to eat, but when Alex mentioned the baby, she gave in and tried to eat.

Greg and Jason arrived later that evening. Alex got them settled in and then he took Anna to bed and held her until she fell asleep.

Sunday night, after they made love, Anna lay in Alex’s arms. She traced the muscles in his forearms with her fingertips and sighed, relishing the peace in her soul after the difficult time with Devin the previous morning. But then a wave of apprehension crashed over her, sending shivers down her spine and bringing tears to her eyes. She turned over and looked intently into Alex’s eyes. “Don’t go.”

Alex gave a sad smile and brushed her hair away from her face. “I don’t want to go either. But I have to.”

She shook her head. “I have a really bad feeling about it.” Fear seized her heart and she clung to him. “Please. Don’t leave me.”

Tears welled up in Alex’s eyes. “Schatzi... I... I can’t not go.” He paused and shuddered. “A disobedient Assassin is of no use to The Brotherhood.”

“You mean they’d—‍” She didn’t want to finish the thought.

“I would definitely not be here next week if I don’t go.”

She swallowed and tried to push away the sickening feeling in her stomach. She pressed against him, needing to be as close as she could to him. “I need you, Alex,” she whispered. “I need you to come home to me.”

“I need to come home to you too, Anna.” He squeezed her tight. “I won’t abandon you.”

She clung desperately to him as she fell into a troubled sleep filled with dreams of Alex being taken from her.

Aaron sadly watched Anna struggle through class and rehearsals on Monday and Tuesday. She was distracted when she danced and anytime there was a lull or break, she stood silently and stared at the floor. More than once, he’d had to get her attention to dance. Isaak knew what was going on and thankfully didn’t scold her.

Alex hadn’t told him where he was going or what he was doing, but Aaron knew he did special jobs for The Brotherhood. He’d never been interested in knowing more. But from Anna’s reaction to his leaving, whatever he was going to do didn’t seem very safe. A simple business trip would certainly make Anna miss him terribly, but she seemed fearful he wouldn’t return.

Tuesday afternoon, after rehearsals were finished, Aaron followed Anna home in his car. He planned on staying the night at their house so she wouldn’t be alone when Alex left early the next morning. He’d made a solemn promise to Alex that he would look after her in his absence.

Alex had stressed the importance of Aaron being at the house when Anna returned home on Monday afternoon. She’d be spending the weekend with Devin, and Alex didn’t trust that Devin would behave while Alex was away. Aaron had spoken to Isaak and took the afternoon off so he could be at the house when she got home.

Throughout the evening, Anna was quiet, clinging to Alex’s hand, reluctant to leave his side for even a moment. Her eyes were filled with an unmistakable fear, and Aaron’s heart went out to her. He wished he could do more to comfort her.

Aaron felt like a bit of an outsider at dinner. The men gathered around the table were all big guys, like Alex, Seth, and Tony. He’d met Erich and Greg a few times, but didn’t know the others. They all bore the unmistakable mark of military backgrounds, and it dawned on Aaron that Anna’s fears might be justified if they were engaged in some sort of military operation. It had never occurred to him that Alex could be involved in such things, but the more he considered it, the more it made sense.

Chapter 169

Alex lay in the darkness, staring up at the shadows on the ceiling. He needed to sleep, but couldn’t. Anna had finally cried herself to sleep an hour earlier after a long lovemaking session.

He had spent an incredible amount of time making love to her, wanting to memorize every part of her to take with him. And he wanted to leave her with happy memories. He wanted her to know she was loved.

For the past week, Alex had looked at the situation from every angle, desperately searching for a way to avoid the upcoming mission, but he was trapped. There was no way to avoid his duties. He reminded himself it was only for a week, but his heart ached every time he gazed into her sorrowful eyes.

Nothing would take away his guilt for leaving so soon after their wedding. Maybe it was time to retire. But retirement wasn’t easy. Not until his father died, and he was in no hurry to say goodbye to Vati. And being an Elder would bring a whole new set of complications.

“Alex.”

Alex jumped at the whisper and looked over to the side of the bed, where Seth towered over him. He looked at his watch. Three-thirty. “Why didn’t you come earlier?” They were supposed to wake him an hour ago so they could pack up the SUVs.

“We loaded up already. We wanted to let you sleep and have more time with Anna.”

Alex relaxed and his heart warmed. “Thanks.”

“Take your time getting up. Everything’s ready. All you need to do is take care of Anna.”

Gratitude filled him as Seth left the room. He had such a great team of men.

He glanced at Anna sleeping peacefully next to him. Her face was fuller than it was when they’d gotten married. He ran his hand over her expanding belly and was overcome with emotion.

His eyes filled with tears as he thought about their future together. Anna was happy and healthy and safe. The baby was healthy. He couldn’t ask for anything else. The baby would be born at the end of the summer, near his birthday in August. He couldn’t wait to hold the tiny bundle in his arms.

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