Background
Is Anderson a gallant knight? Can he recover Shana's family's stolen relics and heal the wounds of genocide?
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ENDING OF PREVIOUS POST:
She finally sat crossed legged on the floor. Romeo grabbed a pillow from the bed and laid it in front of her.
Picking up the pillow and hugging it, she said, "Thank you, buddy." She leaned her head against the bed frame. "I should be thanking him for everything he's done that he didn't need to do." She held up one finger. "He's gone out of his way to keep me safe," second finger rose, "and has helped get my painting back." Third finger up. "I have no clue how many fingers I need to raise for the help he gave Hannah, Paul, and Sarah. He's killed people to keep me safe. That's worth a couple of fingers. Also he kept his promise to me and he's never made any advances toward me."
Shana lay down in bed. "But all of that doesn't negate the fact that he can't buy me. I'm not Patricia." She cried. "That was a cheap shot. Jane said Patricia went after him because of his money and prestige. I don't care about his money or that he's a big man in New York. I couldn't care less. Why am I hurting so badly?" She dried her tears, glanced at Romeo, and petted his head. "You're a great listener.
She took a shower before going to bed.
TODAY'S POST:
Chapter 29 part 3
When Anderson heard a noise at his bedroom door, he jarred awake. He blinked and rubbed his eyes as Romeo nuzzled him. "What's wrong? Is it Shana?"
He slipped sweats over his boxer briefs and followed the German shepherd into Shana's room. Anderson sat on the bed's edge and held her weeping body. "Another nightmare?"
After Shana nodded, he guided her head into his bare chest. "I'm sorry."
He held her in silence while her breathing returned to normal.
Her hand caressed his muscular chest. "Drew?" When his eyes met hers, she continued, "I'm sorry. You must really hate me."
"Not at all, sweetheart. My feelings for you are the complete opposite of that." He held her hand to stop its movement and kissed the top of her head. "This whole thing was my fault. I'm sorry."
"But?"
"Hush. I have something for you." Anderson got up and opened the door. He paused as Jeff handed him a t-shirt. "It's not mine."
"I know, but put it on." Jeff nodded toward Shana.
Anderson slipped it over his head, before he bent to pick up a vase of wildflowers. "These are for you." As her eyes widened, he continued, "Jeff and I went for a run. When we returned, I stopped and picked wildflowers along the path. I thought they might help you forgive me for my huge blunder. Mom has a lot of vases. I took one and put them by your door, hoping you'd see them in the morning and smile."
"Thank you." Shana sniffed the flowers. "Did I hear Jeff in the hall?"
"Yes, he felt I needed to put on this." Anderson touched the shirt.
"How did he know you were in here?"
"I have no idea how Jeff knows anything, but he seems to always know what's going on." Anderson grinned. "He's usually right. I'm beginning to think he never sleeps."
Shana's cheeks tinged pink. "Papa wouldn't be happy you were in here at this time of night and really angry to know you weren't fully dressed."
"Benjamin would have a right to worry about that. I'll be more cautious. I didn't expect to be coming to your room."
"I'm sorry about earlier."
"You've already apologized, and I've already forgotten it. Besides it was my fault."
"But I thought some really bad things."
"Oh you did?" Anderson grinned. "I can't imagine that." He paused. "Care to share?"
"Most of them had to do with me being financially capable of taking care of myself."
"I don't doubt that and I didn't mean to imply differently," interrupted Anderson. "I'm sorry. I really messed up. I didn't think it through." He paused. "Is that all?"
"You can't buy my love." Shana chewed on her lower lip.
"I never expected to. Even if I didn't have the feelings for you that I do, I would offer to help. There's no way, I or my family could possibly spend all this money. What's wrong with offering to help?" Anderson raised his hand to quiet Shana as she began to speak. "We do donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to different charities." He swallowed hard. "I'm sorry. I never thought you would be insulted. Please accept my apology." After she nodded, he asked, "I planned on telling you, but we didn't really have a chance to talk. How did your father find out so fast? I notified Philip that afternoon."
"My banker is Dad's best friend."
"Ah, I see. Any other worries or feelings?"
Shana studied her hands. "I did mention I was held captive."
Anderson chuckled. "You're not a prisoner. Where would you like to go? I'll make that happen." As he grinned, he continued, "Paris, Rome, or the French Rivera?" After she yawned, he said, "Or maybe back to sleep."
"That would be nice."
Anderson moved the twin bed closer to hers. "I'll be right here." He watched Shana lay down in bed, and then Romeo crawled in beside her. "Please don't tell me that you allow him to sleep beside you."
"Is it wrong?"
"Years of obedience training just went down the tubes." Anderson turned his head at a knock on the door. "Yes."
Jeff opened the door. "It's Zack. You need to take this."
Characters so far:
Shana Kohlberg -- a 25 year old high school English literature teacher -- she's trying to get her family's painting back
Anderson Sharp -- often called Drew -- 31 years old -- works part-time on Wall Street -- a billionaire from Texas oil wells
Dmitry Bezrukov -- one of three Russian men in black suits
Jeff Burk -- takes care of Anderson's cars and important security details.
Helen -- Anderson's cook
Jane -- Anderson's housekeeper
Philip -- Anderson's butler -- close friend
Kyle -- Anderson's dog walker
Axel -- Anderson's lead German shepherd
Thor -- Anderson's second German shepherd
Romeo -- Anderson's third German shepherd
Aaron Kohlberg -- Shana's older brother
Ivan Kuznetsov -- formally Ivan Morozov, I accidently chose a real person, so I have changed it present day owner of the painting.
Patricia -- Anderson's ex-wife
Emily -- Anderson's five year old daughter
Isaiah Glassberg -- Anderson divorce/custody attorney.
Jeremy -- Jane's second-cousin twice removed, NYC undercover cop.
Hannah Jacobs -- Shana's cousin, the same age and best friend. Married within the past year and just had a baby, Sarah. Her husband, Paul. Sarah was just diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease.
Joshua Colton -- Art Museum's curator
Benjamin Kohlberg -- Shana's father
Eliana Kohlberg - - Shana's mother
Maxwell Gaines -- Lawyer hired to retrieve the painting
Erich Berger -- Manager of the Dorotheum art auction house in Austria
Mary Pritchard -- The lady Anderson hired to help Hannah while she's in Boston with Sarah.
Zachery Sharp -- Anderson's younger brother
Michael Sharp -- Anderson's father
Susan Sharp --Anderson's mother
Leon Sharp - - Anderson's grandfather
Grandma Sharp - - Anderson's grandmother
Oscar - - Team Leader of the security detail
Detective Rollins - - Austin police detective
