Page 7 of Dark Embers

I stop for a few seconds as the front door squeaks while I try to quietly sneak into the apartment I share with my sister. I had to do an extra dance because one of the dancers in one of the numbers fell ill. Sometimes it’s a curse to know every number being danced at the hotel but I do need the money for a new car I have an eye on.

“At last!” Tara’s voice makes me jump as she switches on the light, the glare blinding me for a few seconds.

“Jesus, Tara.” I grip my chest as my heart is thumping so hard against my rib cage. “Why are you up so late?”

I kick off my shoes and toss my keys onto the table beside the door.

“We need to talk.”

Uh-oh!My nerves go into instant Tara has found out something she wasn’t supposed to know and my mind tumbles over all the things I could’ve done wrong in the past few days or weeks.

I sink onto the couch resigning myself to the fact I’m about to get lectured on something I can’t even remember. “Okay. Shoot.” Rolling my eyes and shaking my head. “What did I do this time? Forget to pay another parking ticket?”

“Youforgotto pay six parking tickets inmycar!” Tara reminds me. “But no, not that I know of.”

“Phew!” My fingers slash across my brow to flick off imaginary sweat. “That’s a relief.” I look at her curiously. “Then what did I do?”

“Nothing,” Tara assures me and fidgets with her hands. Now I’m really getting suspicious as Tara is not a fidgeter.

“Okay…” I gesture with my hands sitting forward. “Now you’re just making me uncomfortably nervous.”

“I need to disappear,” Tara blurts out.

The words knock the air from my lungs.

“What?” I look at her dumbfounded. “What are you talking about?” My confusion starts to make me doubt what I heard. “Did you say you needed to disappear?”

“Yes.” Tara nods, picking up a folded piece of paper from the table. “This is why.” She hands it to me.

“Is this something illegal?” I’m reluctant to take it. “Now, I know I’m the rebel of the family…” My eyes drop to the paper in her hand. “But you know I don’t do illegal—I’ve taken and passed the bar.”

“Pity you don’t put that degree to good use,” Tara points out. “We could be staying in a swanky penthouse on the strip.”

“I’m waiting for you to become a professor, get a good job at a university, and then you can get us that penthouse.” My brow furrows and I finally take the piece of paper then nervously open it. My eyes boggle at the contents. “What the fuck?” I give my head a shake wondering if my eyes are playing tricks on me. “Is this yours or mine?”

“Unless you’ve had sex within the past two months, which I’m pretty sure you haven’t,” Tara points out. “It’s mine.”

“Are you sure?” I gape at her with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and awe. “Maybe they muddled the results up. It’s happened.” My eyes narrow. “Is this a joke? Are you playing some sort of sick joke on me?” I can’t believe what I’ve just read. “My goody two shoes sister is pregnant?”

Tara shakes her head, and I see her eyes mist over. My heart squeezes seeing the fear and uncertainty suddenly clouding her eyes and her voice wobbles. “It’s no joke.”

“I mean… who?” I ask, confused. “I didn’t know you were even…” Then I remember something Radomir, Leigh’s husband, told me about Tara having an affair a year ago and my eyes widen. “No fucking way.” Now my eyes must be filled with fearfor my sister. “This is why you need to disappear. Not because you’re pregnant but because of who the father of your baby is.”

Tara looks at me in surprise knowing she’s never mentioned seeing anyone to me and asks suspiciously, “Who do you think the father is?”

“Well I’m hoping it’s not Gavriil Mirochin!” I breathe.

“I…” Her eyes widen as she stares at me in disbelief. “How did you know?”

“I heard a rumor that you and he were having an affair.” I shrug. “I didn’t believe it because I knew you’d never do anything that stupid and were still a virgin.”

“Fucking rumors.” Tara shocks me again as the swear words are spat from her lips. Tara never swears. “And I lost my virginity when I was eighteen—to Gavriil!”

Holy fuck!“Who are you and what have you done with my older sister?” I look at her wide eyed. “And more importantly… what are you going to do?”

“I told you,” Tara repeats. “I need to disappear.”

“And go where?” I ask. “You’re pregnant, Tara, and I may not be an expert, but I know what Leigh has just gone through. She reckons she’d have really struggled if she’d been on her own.”

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