The Dancer

1

"He's expecting you. I'll grab the address."

I nodded and followed her out to her desk in the lobby. She grabbed the girl's registration form and handed it to me.

I was confused as I looked over the address. They didn't live on base. They lived in one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in DC.

"Why did they need someone with clearance?"

"He's some kind of Romanian military. I don't remember what branch."

I huffed an answer though I wasn't entirely sure about the situation. I wondered what Carol would think of me teaching this girl. She probably knew more about that family than Miss Debbie; I planned to ask Carol for any information she might have. Chances were she wouldn't let me go in blind anyway. She might not have been my biological mother, but she was my mom. She protected me like mom did when she was alive. Carol raised me like I was her daughter which was no small task.

"Her father's name is Nicolae Cuza. He's expecting you to stop by on your way home."

I nodded and slung my bag over my shoulder. Miss Debbie's eyes stayed on me as I slipped into my moccasins. I glanced at my blush tights, noticing the black marks marring the soft pink. Well, if he wanted his daughter to learn proper ballet, he would need to understand we get a little dirty during class.

"Thanks again, Miss Debbie," I said as I held the studio door open.

She nodded once and waved her goodbye. The cool air nipped at my cheeks. I knew they would stand bright pink against my porcelain skin by the time I reached my car.

I climbed into my new white Civic and tossed my bag on the passenger seat. My phone was somewhere in my bag; despite my want to ignore all other priorities, I had to call Carol to make sure things were okay at the house.

I started my car and dialed her number. With my phone pressed to my ear, I started to back up. With the address plugged into my GPS I found that I wasn't far from the Cuza home.

"Hey, Holland. What's up," Carol answered.

"So, guess what," I prompted.

I paused at the exit of the parking lot. I didn't need a damn ticket for being on my phone especially when I barely started a job minutes before.

"You got a boyfriend," she laughed.

I scoffed. "Yeah, right. Like that'll ever happen again. No! I got a job!"

"Congrats! What is it?" She asked excitedly.

"Miss Debbie hired me to teach a girl privately."

"That's awesome, Holly! When do you start?"

"I'm on my way to meet her dad right now. They live in Potomac."

"Potomac? No shit," she breathed. "What are those, like, four million dollar mansions?"

I laughed. "Enough to pay for a private ballet teacher."

"What's this guy do?" She asked suspiciously. Carol and her damn military career made her question everyone.

"I don't know. Miss Debbie said he's some kind of Romanian military."

She paused. "Wait, Holly, do you know his name?"

"Um, yeah. Nicolae Cuza."

"Holy shit. You be careful with that guy."

I scrunched my eyebrows together. "Why? What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing's wrong with him. He's not just military though. He used to be some badass colonel in their military, but now he's into some secret government shit."