Every Bookshop Needs a Cat (Fleckney Fields Series, Book 2)

Falling to Pieces

The first time Vladimir slapped her had been when she'd been forced to work overtime - unpaid, of course - and she'd returned home two hours later than usual. What had shocked her the most was that he'd accused her of cheating, which in itself was absurd, claiming that he could 'smell the other man' on her. The only thing she'd smelled of, those days, was three kilos of onion that she had to slice and fry at the beginning of each shift. They'd made up after that; he'd apologised - and hit her again four days later. The story was hardly original, but it had taught Anya one thing: there was nothing romantic about a possessive man. Whenever she'd encounter the image of an alpha male, a dominant man, in a film or a tacky romance novel, which a couple of her coworkers used to read and offer to her, she'd always remember how scared she'd been then - scared of another man showing any sort of interest in her, or even looking at her, when she'd been out with Vladimir.

"Yes?" Klaus answered.

"This was the most idiotic situation just now!" She gave out an unnatural awkward laugh. "I landed on my arse, like the berk I am, and–"

"Are you alright?" he interrupted her, his tone dark.

"Yes! Yes! I'm alright, I swear!" she answered hurriedly, her voice ringing anxiously. "It was just so daft– Oh no!" she gasped.

"What is it?" he asked immediately.

"I ruined my new dress!" Anya spun on one spot trying to see the back of her skirt. "I'm so sorry! But I fell, and it's all green now, and–" She was going to show it to him! For once she felt she looked... cute! And no matter what he'd been saying, she'd never felt good about herself before - and today she did! A sob bubbled in her throat. "It's the grass! I'm so– sorry–"

She lifted her left hand to her face, just in case tears were coming and needed to be wiped off discreetly - and she saw the broken gnome on her palm. It had snapped in two, right at its waist.

"Anya, is everything alright?" Snezha asked, stepping to her, abandoning James, who, by then, had shrunk seemingly by a quarter of his height. "What's wrong?"

"Her dress is dirty," Goran answered. His eyes were roaming Anya's face.

"It was– It was a gift!" Anya made a hiccup like noise in her throat. "It was a gift– and now it's ruined–"

"Anna!" Klaus called to her from the phone. "Darling, I don't understand–"

"I'm sorry! And I broke Sneezy too!" she cried out - and sank her teeth into her bottom lip, trying to prevent an impending bawling outburst.

"Anna, what's wrong?" Klaus sounded frantic. "Who cares about the dress and the stupid toy?!"

"I'm so sorry– sorry I ruined it–"

Anya was starting to heave. She couldn't understand what came over her. And then James strode up to her - and she winced away from him.

"Is this Bjornsson on the phone with you? Anya?" he demanded.

Anya instinctively covered the mobile with her left hand, knocking the remnants of the gnome against the screen.

"Is this why you're crying?" James continued asking insistently, despite Snezha's protests in the background. "Is he scaring you?"

"No! Of course not!" Anya backed off from him.

"Hang up, Anya!" James growled - and Goran grabbed his sleeve.

"What are you doing, James?" the Serb asked. "You can't order her. It is none of your business."

"Her boyfriend is an abusive alcoholic and a murderer!" Whitlaw spat out. "I'm not standing by, letting him harass her! Look, she's shaking because she got her dress dirty! He used to do it with Caria. And now Anya!"