Dimitri's POV

I got very little sleep that night. I had downed a half bottle of vodka and I am hung-over. Suddenly, my phone rings. The caller ID says it's from my jackass of a boss.

"Sir?" I say as I pick up.

"Dimitri, the crime unit was sifting through the crime scene last night and we found something that we want you to check out. We don't know if it's of any importance, so we want you to look at it. We can't tell if it's Rose's or not." I listened to his voice over the line. It sounded like it was disinterested and apathetic.

"Yes, sir. On my way," I said through my teeth. After hanging up the phone, I grabbed my duster, my keys, and my wallet. The door slammed behind me.

When I got to the evidence locker in the court's guardian headquarters, the guard led me through the labyrinth of flies and evidence.

"Here you go, Guardian Belikov," the guard said as he opened up the box which contained the evidence. "They found this under a chair right after you left the scene."

He pulls out a bag which contained something small: it was a ring. It was bronze and had a large, blood red ruby; it seemed unique, as if a family heirloom. It wasn't something you could just buy from Jered's Galleria of Jewelry. Something about this ring was familiar though. I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Can I take it out of the bag?" I ask.

"Only if you put on some rubber gloves."

After putting a pair on, I opened the bag and emptied its contents into my hand. I examined the craftsmanship and the designs engraved on the band. I racked my brain over and over trying to figure out who I had seen with this ring. It wasn't Roza's; so it must be her attacker's.

"This isn't Roza's ring," I tell the guard. "And it looks very familiar to me. Can I hold onto it?"

"You'll need to check it out."

After doing so I rushed up to tell my boss my report over the piece of jewelry. Then I rushed to find Adrian. I knocked on his door. There was no response, yet I smelt clove cigarettes. "Adrian! I know you're in there! Open up now!" I hear some shuffling and eventually he opens up wearing only a bath robe. It wasn't even tied closed. He just gives me an irritated look.

I move past him into his room. "Oh! Why come in, Dimitri!" he says, the sarcasm dripping from his voice as he closes the door. "What do you want? I'm trying to sleep." I hear a giggle in the background. I look in his room to see clothes, both his and what appears to be girl's clothing, all over the floor.

"Yeah, sure you are. Tie your robe and tell her to get out." I snarl.

"Why?"

"Because I need your help," I reply, irritated myself.

He groans but goes into his room and tells the girl to leave. She walks out, stark naked, so I turn away. "What? Are you afraid of girls or something?" she says coyly.

"No, I just have a fiancé. Now, get out." She gets on her clothes and leaves after giving Adrian another brief make out session and after telling him to call her.

"Roza was kidnapped." Adrian's face relaxes and his brows furrow. "And I need your help to find out where she is."

"Well how do you expect me to hel-"

"By singing songs. Idiot, how do you think I want you to help me? With your spirit shit." I snap.

"Jesus…calm down."

"Calm down?! You want me to calm down?!" I flip over his dining room table. The glass vase falls on the floor and shatters. Water surrounds my feet and soaks into my shoes. "My fiancé is gone! Attacked! Taken!"

"Yes, I know that! But breaking my shit and turning tables isn't going to help her!" He says as he holds up his hands and looks me straight in the eyes. "Look, if we're going to help Rose, we need to be calm. We don't want to make any rash decisions." I look into his eyes and know that he is right. I lower my eyes and stare at the floor. "We can enter into her mind. If she's asleep, we can communicate in her dream. If she's awake, we can see what she is doing but we can't talk to her. Okay?"

"Fine." We sit on the couch and he takes my hand. I close my eyes and suddenly I'm no longer in Adrian's room. I'm in a bathroom. Rosa is looking in a mirror. God she looks horrible. Her hair is soaked in blood and she has bruises all over her face. She looks back toward the bed where she was laying and she sees a blood soaked towel on the pillow.

..

"Good to see you awake…" Roza jumps around. A man was leaning in the dark corner of the room. I don't like the looks of him one bit.

"Where am I?" She asks, growling a bit.

"You…You are safe…" he grinned. "Safe, my ass." Roza thinks to herself.

"How am I safe?" She asks, throwing her hands up. He sighs.

"Rose, you have to realize what's best for you…" he says. What?

"What's best for me is being at the court and being with Dimitri! He's my fiancé! What am I supposed to do now, dumbass?" She yells. His expression changed from charming to confused.

"He proposed?" he asked.

"What do you mean 'He proposed?' Have you been watching us?" She snarls. He sighs and quietly nods.

"I had instructions to, by a man…" he says. Roza, stay away from him! I try to communicate to her, but she can't hear me. She steps closer to him., confused

"So this isn't your doing? Do you even know the man's name?" She asks. He shakes his head. Liar

"No, but I need to call him. Excuse me for a moment," he pulls out the cell.

He begins to talk in Russian. I listen to his every word. Rosa tried to listen too but can only pick up a few words. "Hello? Boss?... Yes, target acquired. She is safe... She put up quite a fight. I had to hit her with a wooden board to knock her out. She lost a lot of blood….She doesn't trust me, which I expected. When do you want me to ship her to you?...and the payment, is it still $2.5 million?...Yes, Ivan….understood…..I can do with her as I please?... thank you, sir…..with pleasure…..oh and one more thing, he proposed….alright, Ivan. Bye."

Ivan…My best friend? That whose ring that was. What is he up to? Suddenly the man in black comes back into the room and approached Roza. "What are you doing?" she asks slowly. Then he pushes her on the bed and she screams out. The last thing I see is him covering her mouth with his hand.

...

We pull out of the vision and I'm breathing so hard. "I hope you speak Russian, Mr. Russian-Man." Adrian says.

"Oh, I do. And once I find him, there will be blood."


Hello. It's been a while.

~Bridgette-Daughter of Athena