Page 185 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 2

But he had a wife at home and a child on the way. He was grown up and starting a family. Regardless of her being away from Devin, she was still an Elder-Mistress. Her body was to be used as the Elders and their Sons pleased. She was trained to fulfill their every desire. My purpose in life...

Coming to New York was supposed to be a new beginning. A new life of freedom. Away from slavery and her sexual duties to the Elders and their Sons. Away from Devin.

Why did she feel so empty?

What was she? Was she a Mistress or a free woman? As an Elder-Mistress, what she and Tommy had done shouldn’t have bothered her. As a free woman, what just happened broke her heart. Katrina was the free woman. Anna was the slave. Was she Anna? Or was she Katrina?

Who did she want to be?

Did it matter what she wanted?

The harsh reality was that she was Anna. Katrina was just an illusion to keep Devin from finding her.

Part of her wanted to embrace Katrina. To find out what it was like to be “free.” But could she? Could she dare try to be something she’d never been before? And what did that mean, anyway?

What did it mean to be free?

Her head hurt. She was too tired to think right now. She went into her bathroom to take a shower and then lay down on the couch to drown out her screaming emotions with the TV.

Devin stared out the window of his downtown office. Where the hell was Anna? How was she managing to avoid being found by him? Someone, somewhere, had to know where she was. Someone had to be helping her. There was no way she could have escaped on her own.

Who was helping her? Surely Wilhelm had something to do with this, but his activities had showed nothing suspicious.

Damn Ian for his betrayal!

If Anna was hiding, he had to get her to reveal herself. But how? What might convince her to come out of hiding?

Chapter 100

From his prison room atop the tower, Alex watched Vlad, Peter, and a large group of men climb into several SUVs. When all the passengers and luggage were packed, the vehicles drove down the road and out the gate that surrounded the Russian castle. If his count was correct, there were only a small number of guards left in the house. Hopefully, those were the guards Devin had sent here. Or at least, guards Vlad didn’t particularly care for. Alex had absolutely no intention of leaving any witnesses to their escape.

At midnight, dressed in the darkest clothing they had, Alex unlocked the door to the tower stairs, and he, Seth, Tony, Greg, and Erich descended the ancient wooden staircase, their footsteps barely making a sound. They each carried a few possessions in a pillowcase, including the Elder Tome in Alex’s. Despite being out of practice, they moved with the usual stealth, ready to launch an attack on anyone who crossed their path.

The door to the house they’d walked through hundreds of times awaited them at the bottom of the stairs. Despite months of being unguarded, was it now protected in Vlad’s absence? As he pressed his ear against the crack, he caught the sound of subtle movement. He pressed himself against the wall by the door, motioning to his men that there was someone outside.

Alex turned the handle and let the door swing open. The guard grunted and poked his head through the doorway. Alex grabbed the man’s head and twisted violently, breaking his neck with a bone-chilling crack.

After dragging the guard into the tower, they searched his body and discovered a handgun, along with several loaded magazines. There was also a wallet and a throwing knife, which he tossed to Erich, who grinned.

Alex stuck the gun in the back of his waistband, and the men tiptoed along the side of the hallway, keeping to the shadows as much as possible. They didn’t encounter any more guards until they reached the staircase in the corner of the house that went down to the kitchen.

Tony wasted no time as he charged towards the guard, overpowering him and snapping his neck. Tony and Greg disposed of the body, hiding it in a nearby closet, returning with the guard’s wallet and weapons.

They cautiously descended the stone staircase that led to the kitchen, uncertain if they would encounter another guard. The kitchen was dark except for where the moonlight streamed in through the high windows. Alex listened for a long time and finally heard a soft movement of another guard. He nodded to Tony, who dispatched this guard the same way as the others.

As Tony and Greg took care of the dead man, Alex, Seth, and Erich searched the kitchen. The only thing Alex knew for sure was that the storage room containing their gear and the escape tunnel was nearby. They also gathered as much food as they could, dropping bread and fruit into the extra pillowcases. He chuckled to himself as he fondly recalled the times he and Kurt would embark on similar escapades during their childhood.

A low whistle from Erich signaled he had found the door at the back of the pantry. Alex produced the heavy iron key and unlocked the door. The first creak made everyone hold their breath, and Alex signaled for Greg and Tony to keep watch. It took a while to open, as the door as it was was loud and didn’t move easily. Once it was opened, they slipped inside and slowly closed the door behind them. Tony flipped on a light switch and Alex snapped his eyes shut at the pain of the sudden bright light. Once their eyes had adjusted, though, they stared in awe. All their gear was in here, plus some he didn’t recognize. The passage of four years had left it covered in a thick layer of dust, untouched and forgotten.

The realization that they’d spent so much time in Russia made Alex flinch. On one hand, he’d been acutely aware of the passing days, but now, as they were beginning their journey home, he felt the weight of that time pressing down on him. How much had the world changed during their captivity? What about his family—had they changed? And Anna... oh, Anna!

He pushed the dark thoughts away. There would be ample time for contemplation during the long trip home. Right now, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

They rummaged through the bags on the floor, dividing the extra gear and personal belongings of their fallen brothers. Checking their weapons could wait until they found a more secure spot. Escaping the castle and distancing themselves from danger was their immediate priority.

After slipping into their black “sneaking” clothes and coats—Alex smiled at the memory of Anna calling them that—he found a nearly hidden door on the opposite side of the room. Another key on Vlad’s keyring unlocked it. It swung open and the scent of wet earth and another unpleasant odor wafted in, but he trusted it led off the property, as Vlad had said.

Once their flashlights were on, Greg turned out the overhead light and they filed into the tunnel, shutting the door behind them.

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