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CHAPTER 7
DPOV
"What are we going to do?" Rose asked, almost excited, as she followed me out of the bathroom.
"Honestly, I have no idea," I said, "but something's gotta happen. Now's our chance to get help so we should do whatever we can."
I stopped in my tracks when Jesse appeared at the top of the stairs and Rose bumped into me. Slowly, Jesse made his way over to us.
"Where do you think you're going?" he asked slowly, the kitchen knife gleaming in his hand. "Tasha told you to stay put."
"And what are you doing here?" I returned. "Shouldn't you be helping her?"
"No, she'll handle the cop," he said casually. It seemed like he'd calmed down again. "Now go back into the bathroom and be quiet."
Ignoring him, I inched a little bit closer to the window in the hallway, hoping to catch a glimpse of the cop car, but Jesse blocked my way and raised the knife.
"Don't do anything stupid now," he said softly.
"I thought you didn't want to go to jail," I said, clenching my jaw. "I thought you wanted to escape as well. Then why are you letting Tasha do this?"
"She's got a plan," Jesse said. "She'll send the cop on his way and after the storm we'll leave." He glanced over at Rose and scoffed. "You can stay behind with the bitch if you like. I don't care."
I raised an eyebrow at him, skeptical. "So you're just going to take the money and leave after the weather has settled down? Just like that? After they've seen your faces? Even Tasha isn't that stupid."
"You don't need to worry about that," Jesse said, clenching his jaw. "You just have to obey."
Rose snorted. "Obey! What is this, military camp?"
"You shut up," Jesse hissed, glowering at Rose. "You've been nothing but trouble."
"Trouble is my middle name, asshole," Rose said and she flipped him off again. "And don't look so pissed at me. I know you won't hurt me. You're too scared to end up in jail."
"Okay, Rose, that's enough now," I said quietly, taking a step back to stand in front of her before Jesse snapped.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Finally! What took him so long? I thought.
Jesse gave us a threatening look. "If you say one word, I'll-"
"Good evening, officer! How can I help you?" I heard Tasha say.
"Good evening, Miss. We're answering a silent alarm. Is everything okay?" the officer asked. I could barely hear his voice over the rain. "It wasn't clear with the rain and all, but I think I saw that the camera at the gate is damaged."
"Oh, is it? Everything's fine, though," Tasha responded. "I must've accidentally activated the alarm."
"I see." There was a moment of silence and then the officer said, "Forgive me for asking, but who are you exactly? I haven't seen you around the Dragomirs' house before."
Jesse looked nervous when he heard that, his hand firmly clasped around the knife as he watched us. I knew that if we wanted to warn the cop something was going to have to happen now, but as soon as I moved or shouted, that knife would be either used against me or Rose.
"I'm Abby. Andre's girlfriend," Tasha lied. "He's in the shower right now."
"Would you mind if I waited inside so I can speak with him?" the officer asked. "It's kinda wet out here and-"
"Actually…" That's when I stopped hearing Tasha's voice and I looked at Rose, my eyes widening. Did she go outside? No, no, no…
Without thinking, I leaped forward and pushed Jesse back against the wall. I hissed when the sharp end of the knife dragged across my palm, but I ignored the pain. Rose sprinted past us, but I exclaimed, "Don't go downstairs! Tasha has the gun!"
So instead, Rose ran over to the window and pounded her hands against the glass, trying to draw the cop's attention. When that didn't work, she started shouting. I had to focus on Jesse because he was struggling against me, trying to cut me with the knife. I managed to dodge it twice and took a swing at him.
"Hey! We're in here!" Rose shouted. "Help! Oh my God, he's looking! He's looking! HELP!"
Jesse tried to shove me away, but I slammed him against the wall again and tried to wrench the knife away from his hand. Suddenly, there was a gunshot, and everything stopped for a minute. Jesse stopped struggling, his face pale.
"No!" Rose gasped. She turned to look at me, aghast. "She shot him."
No, no, no. This can't be happening…
A second gunshot followed, and then there was silence.
Jesse was coming to his senses again, but I was momentarily distracted when Ivan came flying out of Lissa's bedroom, his eyes wide in shock as he took in the scene. If he hadn't run into the hallway I would've probably seen the knife coming, but now I was too late to stop Jesse when he drove the blade into my side.
"No!" Rose screamed, and Ivan exclaimed in terror at the same time, "What the hell are you doing?"
I blinked, feeling faint for a moment, as I looked down at the blood spreading across my shirt. I frowned when I noticed there was a hole in my duster.
Rose rushed to my side. "Oh my God, Dimitri!" she cried out.
"It's okay," I said, trying to reassure her as I leaned back against the wall. "It's just a small cut. That's all. I'm okay."
"You're not okay!" Rose protested. She pressed her hand against my side and I groaned. "I'm sorry."
"You stabbed Dimka!" Ivan said, pointing an accusatory finger at his cousin. "How could you?"
"He wanted to warn the cop!" Jesse shouted, surprised at Ivan's angry reaction. "H-he attacked me! I was only defending myself!"
"Tasha shot a cop!" Rose said angrily. It wasn't bleeding that badly, but it was enough to make me feel dizzy. "She shot him. If you wanted to escape, you should have helped us stop her! Now you've only made things worse for yourself."
"Just go, Roza," I murmured. I'd slid down to the floor by now and she was kneeling beside me, her hands still pressing down on the wound. "Take Lissa and go through the back door. I'll deal with Tasha."
"The back door is locked and we don't have the keys, remember?" She shook her head vehemently. "Besides, I'm not leaving you behind."
"Ivan and I will take down the door." But she was still shaking her head. "It's okay. I'll be-"
"I should have never listened to you!" Ivan suddenly roared, springing forward and shoving Jesse. Taken by surprise, Jesse took several steps back. "I can't believe I ever looked up to you! You just stabbed my best friend. You've only ever cared about yourself!"
"Stop it, Ivan," Jesse hissed, recovering from his shock. He raised the knife that was now covered in my blood. "Don't make me hurt you, too!"
"I'm your family!" Ivan yelled.
"Yes, you are," Jesse said, gritting his teeth, "but you know I'll do anything to protect myself. No matter what. You just said it yourself."
"Ivan, don't," I called out, starting to get up, but it was already too late.
They jumped on each other at the same time. I'd never expected Ivan to start a fight, but he must've been pumped with adrenaline because he struck Jesse twice on the jaw with his fist. I had the feeling Jesse was holding back, though, for which I was grateful. Maybe he didn't want to hurt his family after all. But then Jesse regained his strength and punched Ivan in the face. Blood spurted out of his nose and he stumbled backwards, stunned.
"I'm sorry," Rose said as she got to her feet.
"Rose, no!" I exclaimed as I tried to make a grab for her hand to pull her back, but she ran off and hurdled herself into Jesse's side. "Goddammit, Rose."
As I struggled to get up, all I could think about was that I needed to protect Rose, and I needed to protect Ivan. Jesse was much stronger than the both of them. If he decided he had enough of this, they were going to get seriously hurt. I felt lightheaded from the blood loss as I stood, but that wasn't important right now. I needed to help my friends. Suddenly, a thought entered my mind. Where the hell is Tasha? What is she still doing outside?
Jesse had thrown Rose off of him, but she didn't give up. She kept coming back, trying to twist his hand so he'd drop the knife. At last, he yelped and let go of the knife. At the same time, Ivan's fist connected with the side of his head and he tripped over his own feet, falling against the banister.
"Look out!" I exclaimed.
It all happened in a flash. Jesse snatched out his hands to Ivan, trying to grab hold so he could steady himself, but Ivan must've thought he was going to attack again so he gave a push and within seconds Jesse toppled over, screaming as he flailed wildly with his arms. Realizing what he'd done, Ivan reached out with his hand, but missed Jesse's outstretched arm. There was a loud thump, and the sound of bones breaking, and then everything was quiet.
"No!" Ivan gasped, leaning over the banister. He looked stricken. "No, no. What have I… What have I done?"
He and Rose rushed down the stairs. By the time I made it downstairs, Ivan was kneeling next to his cousin, crying. Rose looked up at me, ashen.
"Fuck," I muttered, feeling sick to my stomach when I saw Jesse lying on the floor. It looked like his neck was broken and his right arm was in a really weird angle. His eyes were staring up at the ceiling, looking empty. Even though he'd just stabbed me, I hadn't wanted him to die. I hadn't wanted anyone to die.
"He's dead," Ivan said, his voice breaking.
"I'm sorry, Ivan," I told him, my voice a little raspy. It was starting to get hazy in front of my eyes so I blinked, trying to keep my focus.
Rose walked over to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Dimitri, you're bleeding out. We need to call 911."
"I'm fine," I said, waving away her worries.
"No, you're not!" she protested. "We need to ask Tasha for her cell phone. She'll want to help you. You're probably the only one in here she doesn't want to die."
"It's not that bad," I insisted.
"She's right," Ivan said quietly, still sitting beside Jesse's corpse. "You need a doctor."
Rose was about to say something, but was interrupted when Lissa came running down the stairs. She gasped when she saw Jesse's body and turned away from the horrible sight.
"Oh my God! What happened?" She put her hand over her mouth. "I heard gunshots and I couldn't – I couldn't keep waiting in there!" She looked at Rose, in tears again. When she saw the blood on Rose's hands, she gasped. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Liss," Rose said hurriedly. "That's not mine. It's Dimitri's blood." She stepped towards Lissa and grabbed her by the arm. "Listen, I need you to go back upstairs. Lock the door." Lissa started to turn, but Rose stopped her. "No, wait, don't go back to your room. Go to the attic. You can lock that door, right?"
"T-the attic?" she stammered.
"Yes, I want you as far away from Tasha as possible while we deal with her," Rose told her.
"Deal with her?" Lissa repeated frowning. "Rose, no. You should come with me."
"I agree with Lissa," I said, looking at Rose. "I don't want you to get hurt. Let us deal with Tasha."
Rose scowled at me. "I'm not going anywhere."
She looked rather determined so I decided to let it go. She was way too stubborn for me to convince her otherwise.
"Where is she anyway?" Lissa asked, already going back up the steps. "Tasha?"
"Still outside." I frowned. "I have no idea what she's still doing out there, though."
"Maybe lightning struck her," Rose snorted. "It'd serve her right. And if it's not that, I hope she gets pneumonia and dies. Or maybe the wind blew her away."
I couldn't help but smile. However grave the situation, Rose would always try to lighten the mood. And it was working – at least for me. Ivan looked less amused, which was understandable after he'd just watched his cousin die. Honestly, I shouldn't be thinking how funny Rose was because this situation was far from funny.
And then suddenly, all I could think about was Mama. She was probably worried sick by now. I should've been home a long time ago. If I survived tonight, she might kill me when she found out what had happened.
"Please go back upstairs now, Liss," Rose said again.
"What about my brother? He's still in the basement."
"He'll be safer there than if we try to break him free," I said, gritting my teeth. Who knew getting knifed would hurt like a bitch?
She nodded, though it was reluctant. She really feared for her brother, I realized, which was understandable. I'd be worried sick if I was in her situation and one of my sisters was locked up somewhere I couldn't get to. With one last glance at her best friend, Lissa disappeared back upstairs.
Rose sighed and looked at me. "What do you really think she's doing? Do you think she ran?"
I shook my head. "No, she wouldn't. The money is still here."
"Then what?" Rose said.
"I don't know."
Whatever it was, it couldn't be anything good.
TASHA POV
When the doorbell rang, I put on a smile and opened the front door just a little bit. "Good evening, officer! How can I help you?"
The rain was beating down on the cop and he squinted up at me from under his cap. He had trouble staying on his feet because of the wind beating against him. I thought it was pretty funny.
"Good evening, Miss. We're answering a silent alarm. Is everything okay?" he asked. He tried to peer over my shoulder. "It wasn't clear with the rain and all, but I think I saw that the camera at the gate is damaged."
I looked over to the gate that I'd opened for him, feigning surprise. He'd parked his patrol car in front of it. "Oh, is it? Everything's fine, though. I must've accidentally activated the alarm."
"I see."
He regarded me silently, probably wondering if I was telling the truth. I smiled again, hoping my friendly face would ease his mind. He should trust me. After all, I opened the gate for him and let him through. Was there any culprit who'd do something like that?
"Forgive me for asking," he said at last, "but who are you exactly? I haven't seen you around the Dragomirs' house before."
I bit the inside of my cheek and my hand twitched, wanting to reach for the gun I was hiding behind my back. "I'm Abby. Andre's girlfriend." I didn't know how much longer I could keep the fake smile onto my face. "He's in the shower right now."
"Would you mind if I waited inside so I can speak with him?" the officer asked. Finally, my smile disappeared. This was not going to work. I'd have to put him down. "It's kinda wet out here and-"
"Actually…" I stepped outside and gently closed the door. I was soaked in a matter of seconds, but I couldn't care about that right now.
The cop narrowed his eyes at me, but then he stepped back all of a sudden and looked up, his eyes widening. There was a lot of confusion on his face as he stared, but then it was replaced by a look of determination and he reached for his gun, but he was too slow. I already had my finger on the trigger of my gun before he even touched his and shot him. He cried out in pain and took several steps back, holding his shoulder.
I sighed, feeling annoyed with myself that I hadn't killed him with the first shot. To be fair, it was dark outside and the rain was making it hard to keep my eyes open. If he'd been farther away, I would have probably missed him because the wind would have most likely carried the bullet elsewhere. So I guess this wasn't a bad shot after all.
The cop tried to put distance between us, but he didn't get very far. So instead, he reached for his radio. I aimed my gun, but I got almost blown off my feet – literally. Quickly, I could feel my annoyance turn into anger. Stupid weather.
The cop saw my struggle and decided to run for it. With a loud growl, I aimed my gun again and shot him in the back. He fell to the ground instantly and didn't get up again. Slowly, I made my way over to him. He wasn't dead yet, but it looked like he wasn't going to live very long. He glanced up at me, his eyes wide in fear, and he tried to reach for his radio again.
I kicked his hand away and tutted. "You should have walked away when you had the chance."
He tried to speak, but blood spluttered from his mouth instead. There was a red spot growing on the front of his uniform, but it was quickly washed away by the rain. I blinked away the drops from my eyelashes and stared down at him with interest. I had no idea that watching someone die could make me feel so…powerful. Like I was God.
At last, he stopped moving and his eyes glazed over. I kind of wished it had taken him longer to die, but I should probably head back to the house anyway. I had to deal with the traitors. After all, someone had drawn the cop's attention to the window. It didn't take a genius to figure out who, but I wondered how she'd done it.
I bet Dimitri had something to do with it as well, and I regretted that I'd have to punish him for it. He was the only one I ever cared for and, if I could, I'd still leave this place with him by my side. I just needed to convince him that I was the better choice. I'd probably have to kill that bitch so whatever spell she'd cast on him would be broken and then he'd run away with me.
Even I had to admit she was a pretty little thing, but she was a whore and she didn't deserve him. His gaze had lingered on her too often today so the only thing left to do was to get rid of her. One way or another. I knew that when she was out of the picture, he'd realize that I was the only right person for him. I always have been. I was the only person who ever gave two shits about him. He should know that by now. If he didn't, he was a moron just like every boy in town. Dimitri will make the right choice, I reassured myself. He's too smart to let himself get fooled by pretty little rich girls. But if he chooses wrong…
I wasn't really sure yet what I'd do if he chose wrong. The only thing I was sure about was that if I couldn't have him, no one could.
Uh oh! Seems like everything is going wrong for Rose and Dimitri! How did you like Tasha's POV? Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts! Have a wonderful day/evening! :)
