Page 88 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

Kurt shrugged. “Of course I do. She’s an incredible lover.”

“She’s more than that,” Alex snapped.

Kurt’s brows shot up. “I thought you didn’t care about her.”

Alex closed his eyes. “I do. More than you know.” He sat down hard on the couch and buried his fingers in his hair as his heart twisted in his chest.

“What are you talking about?”

Alex glanced at Vati, unsure of what he could tell his little brother. Kurt knew nothing about Alex’s visions of Anna. His brother knew very little about The Brotherhood, aside from the Dirne he frequently visited at their father’s Schloss.

“Kurt, we’ve known about Anna for a long time.” Vati sat in the easy chair across from Alex. “It’s why Alex moved here.”

Kurt looked between brother and father, his brows furrowed. “I thought you moved here to get away from the memories of Mina.”

Alex closed his eyes at the dull ache from the memory of his deceased wife and daughter always caused. He shook his head and watched as Kurt sat on the couch across from him. “That’s part of the reason I moved.” He’d needed a fresh start after their death. “But didn’t you ever wonder why I moved halfway across the world, and not New York, which is much closer to home?”

Kurt shrugged. “I figured you wanted to be as far away from home as possible.”

Vati shook his head. “I learned about Anna many years ago, but someone kept her hidden from sight until last week. The information I was given led us here, to San Francisco. We had to wait until she was revealed.”

“You knew about her abuse and did nothing?” Kurt narrowed his eyes, accusation in his eyes.

“I couldn’t find her, Kurt.” Vati shook his head sadly. “I looked everywhere. She was nowhere to be found.”

Kurt’s face filled with disbelief. “How is that possible, Vati? You can find anyone.”

“Not when there are outside forces hiding them. Elders can do things like that. And I’m fairly certain Devin had help, too.”

“By who?”

“By someone with the power to hide Anna for many years.”

“Who?”

“It’s nothing you need worry about, Kurt. Please trust me.”

Kurt huffed and crossed his arms, but didn’t ask any more questions. Vati was an honorable man, and both sons trusted him implicitly.

Alex studied his brother’s face. Concern mixed with disappointment as he stared out the windows on the other side of the room. His brother never lacked female companionship when he came here. Women were a dime a dozen for him. Alex’s situation wasn’t any different. He’d drowned himself in many women when he’d first come, avoiding the pain of grief. Only in the last six months or so had he settled down with Kirsty, if for no other reason to have someone to spend time with without having to pick up a woman at a bar or club.

“Why did you encourage me to be with her?” Kurt asked in a low voice, slumping back into the couch and running his hands over his face.

Vati tilted his head. “Devin has been watching us for some time. We needed to gain access to Anna in a way that wouldn’t raise flags with him. We thought he would find you innocuous and take advantage of you being part of our family, but not part of The Brotherhood.” Vati smiled. “It worked, and Anna is much safer than she has been in a very long time.”

“So I was bait? Is that why you insisted I come on this trip?”

Alex laughed. “It’s hardly difficult to convince you to travel, Kurt.” He stopped when he saw the expression on his brother’s face. “Kurt?” Alex wasn’t sure he’d ever seen his brother look so hurt.

“You used me!” Kurt jumped to his feet and glared at Alex. “Did it ever occur to you that I might have actually fallen for her?”

Vati and Alex both stared at Kurt, mouths open in surprise.

Alex softened his tone, wondering at this outburst of emotion from his carefree brother. “To be honest... No, the thought never crossed my mind.” Kurt was happily irresponsible, flitting from woman to woman whenever he had a chance. Yes, he was a good father, but a terrible husband. Then again, Gretchen was a terrible wife. Alex would likely act the same way if he were in his brother’s situation. “You really have feelings for Anna?” Jealousy bubbled up inside. Did Anna feel the same way about Kurt?

Kurt walked over to the window and looked out, his jaw clenched. “Yes.”

Alex glanced at his father, wide-eyed. He’d rarely known Kurt to be so sentimental. Vati looked as baffled as Alex felt.

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