“But you did it?”

“I fought him in the only way I knew would work. The only thing he’d ever wanted from me. I went back to what I’d learned in Istanbul. It was much harder without the drugs, but I kept telling myself once I was rid of the baby, I’d find a way to leave him. All I had to do was hold on.” Her lips curved ruefully.

“But then one night the child was born. It was a girl, and somehow, I had never thought of it being a girl. Anton stormed out of the house and I delivered her myself. She was crying and I thought I might have done something wrong. I stared down at her and she stopped crying and gazed up at me with those huge eyes. She looked like me; there was nothing of Anton in her. I know babies aren’t supposed to smile, but I swear she was smiling at me and I didn’t feel alone any longer. There was something special about Lara even then, and I knew there had to have been a reason she’d been given to me to care for. It was literally love at first sight. Very bad. I hadn’t wanted to love her, because I knew what that would mean for me. I’d have to struggle just to keep her alive and protect her until I found a way to take her away.”

She added curtly, “And I did it. But then when she could barely toddle, she discovered the old piano that had belonged to the previous owners of the house. She started to play it, and it was…magical. First, the melodies of the lullabies and songs I’d sung to her since she’d been born. Then she started making up melodies of her own. I couldn’t get her away from the piano.” She took another sip of her tea. “And I knew that it was going to be much longer than I thought before I could run and hide both of us away in some dark cave somewhere. How could I hide all that beauty and genius in a cave until Anton got tired of looking for me? He considered me property; that might never happen.” Her lips twisted bitterly.

“So I changed plans and thought I’d delay for a few years longer until I could find a way to break free. But that turned out to be a disaster. Volkov appeared on the scene.” She pushed her cup away from her. “I’m not going to tell you about that particular mistake. That’s another episode in the story, and it belongs to Lara. You’ve heard enough about me to judge whether you can manipulate me.” She lifted her chin challengingly. “What do you think, Tanner?”

“I think you’re a remarkable woman,” he said quietly. “And I’d like to hire you to work for me if you could see your way clear after we get Lara settled.”

She looked at him in surprise. “Doing what?”