Chapter 10

Truce?

I woke up feeling like shit. I had never felt so tired in my life. I kicked the covers away feeling exhausted. I looked up to see it was four in the morning. Damn it's early! Even though I felt exhausted I know I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep. I got up from my bed and felt the breeze come through the window. She's just like any other rich girl… Dimitri's conversation from last night was engraved in my mind. I walked out onto the balcony. Today there was no sun shining brightly. The skies were full of dark clouds. Guess there's a storm coming. I let out a sigh and walked towards the bathroom. I picked up my toothbrush and noticed I had bags under my eyes. What the hell? Am I really going to let him get to me?

I finished brushing my teeth and put my hair up in a high ponytail. I went into my closet and brought out a pair of all white sweats and sweater. I put on my tennis shoes. Why do I get the feeling it's going to be the worse day ever? I walked out of my room, it was only five in the morning, well almost five. Everyone might probably still be asleep. I walked down the steps slowly, hopefully no one notices I'm going out.

I made it to the bottom of the steps and heard some muffled arguing coming from Abe's office. I know I shouldn't be eavesdropping, but whatever it was, it was sure getting a rise out of him.

"I don't care what you have to do! I want you to find out who the hell is sending these threats!" I heard him scream out. Threats?

"No… the threats will not stop our business with Spain…" Spain? What the hell? Wasn't he supposed to be in the United States right now?

"Whatever happens, do not stop the exchange. The Spaniards are expecting ten kilos of hashish and they will receive it. If anyone gets in your way you already know what to do." Hashish? I didn't have time to process anything when I found myself barging into his office. Abe looked up at me, his eyes wide. He didn't even say good-bye when he hung up the phone.

"Hashish? You're a fucking drug dealer? I thought you were supposed to be in the States right now!" I felt myself scream out. His eyes went narrow.

"You have no right to eavesdrop, or to even barge in like that into my office." He said as he sat back down.

"That's all you have to say? You're transporting illegal drugs across the fucking continent!"

"So what? You have no business in knowing what I do… Besides, this is the reason you live the way you do." I felt like someone smacked me across my face.

"You think this is how I want to live? With my own father never acknowledging me? A father that acts as though his daughter doesn't exist!" I screamed out feeling tears well up in my eyes.

"Please… you have everything one could want. Now get out… I have business to take care of." He said definitively. I have never been talked to like that. Your father is to suppose to say caring words towards you, not tell you to get out. I ran out not wanting to be there another minute.

I should say that I was pissed at Abe for being a drug dealer, but deep in my mind I always knew that there was something wrong going on in the house. But what was worse was that my own father had talked to me as if I was nothing. Not his daughter. Not anything.

I felt myself run out of the house and towards my place. The one place I felt peaceful. I walked down the small hill, since the sun wasn't shining it looked dark, just like when I had first found it. I could hear the crickets around me, but nothing seemed to calm me down.

'You have no business in knowing what I do… Besides, this is the reason you live the way you do.' Is that what he thought? That I needed money to be happy? I sat next to the edge and watched the water fall, the splashing soothing. How different would it be if I had my mother? I felt the tears run down my cheeks.

"I need you mom…" I said softly to myself. I started to feel the raindrops coming down.

"Why did you leave me?" If you weren't gone maybe dad would actually bother with me… I remembered the picture aunt Alberta had given me of her. My body began to shake, my sobs starting to come out. If you were here maybe I would've been happier than I am right now… I felt my tears running down my cheeks. I could start to feel the droplets more.

"Roza…" I remembered the way Dimitri had treated me yesterday. His new nickname for me. But how he ended up treating me coldly in the end. I turned to look at him as I got up.

"What are you doing here?" I asked loudly. His eyes went narrow with confusion.

"What do you mean?" he said keeping his voice calm.

"Don't try to act dumb! What are you still doing here? Ever since we've met I noticed you've had a problem with me! So spill it! What the fuck did I do to you?" I screamed out, aunt Alberta was right, I wasn't going to become spoiled just so that I could show Dimitri up, it wasn't me, might as well find out what hell his problem was. He let out a chuckle.

"I don't have a problem with you…" he said looking away.

"Then what hell is up with that attitude?" I said feeling the heat in my face rise.

"You're one to talk." He said emotionless.

"That's exactly what I mean! Did I do something to you?" I asked standing up.

"You didn't… I just don't like your kind…" I could literally feel smoke come out of my ears.

"My kind? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"What it means is that simply, I don't like the fact that because you are rich, you get to step all over people, especially the people that work for you."

"Simply… Why don't you get that stick out of your ass and look around! Who the hell have you seen me step on? You don't know me!"

"I know enough… You are just like your father—" at that instant I felt a sting on my hand. I had smacked him.

"Do NOT compare me to him! I am nothing like him!" I screamed out. Dimitri just narrowed his eyes at me.

"Fine, you want to know why I act the way I do?"

"Please enlighten me!" he said mockingly.

"We don't all have a perfect life Dimitri! While you have a perfect family with your parents and whatever brothers and sisters you have, there are others who don't have that!"

"My life is not perfect." He said sternly.

"Oh please Dimitri! You're going to tell me that you don't have your parents at home right now wishing that you'd go back?"

"You don't know anything about me."

"Oh please! I heard you talking with your mom last night!"

"You were eavesdropping on me?" he said through narrowed eyes.

"My balcony door was open, I overheard you… You hate on every rich person you meet! Including me! For all I know you probably had a friend who was rich and ended up leaving your ass behind!" and that's when I saw his fists clench, what I had said to him must've been true, someone he knew was rich and for some reason it got to him.

"Oh, what? Are you going hit me now? Go ahead! Maybe that'll make you feel better too! I'm used to being smacked around!" I screamed out. Even though I had never really been smacked around, well except for Avery, I felt like everyone did it anyway. Even if it wasn't physically. His eyes were wide.

"Rose… Has he hit you before?" he asked me incredulously. The rain was pouring now. I let out a laugh.

"Please… like you care if he hits me or not." I said looking away. I felt his hands wrap around my wrists. I turned to look at him in surprise.

"Listen to me Rose…No man should ever lay a hand on a woman." He said definitively. I looked up at his eyes. His brown eyes were full of hurt and sorrow.

"You sound like you talk from experience." I said softly narrowing my eyes. I saw him hesitate. His hands still wrapped around my wrists.

"I told you my life wasn't perfect…" he said, his eyes distant. I felt my eyes widen.

"You've hit a woman before?" I asked incredulously. He let out a small humorless laugh.

"No… but what you said before wasn't true, I only have my mother… My father left a long time ago." I felt my mouth open as realization hit me.

"Your dad hit your mom…" I said in a soft voice. His eyes softly narrowed.

"What happened?" I asked.

"I got bigger than him. When he tried to hurt my mother again I went after him." I felt my mouth drop.

"You beat up your dad?" I asked incredulously. He gave me a soft smile, the rain soaking us. His hair was out, it cascaded around his face.

"Did he ever lay a hand on you?" Dimitri asked me with narrowed pleading eyes. I let out a humorless laugh of my own.

"He doesn't even hug me, much less hit me…" I said looking away, thankful for the rain to accompany my tears. He let go of my wrists then. I turned to see his eyes full of emotion, but I couldn't tell which one.

"I'm sorry…" I said softly. His eyes went wide with surprise.

"I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you…" I said. He gave me a small smile. That one smile made my heart beat faster. I had never seen him smile that way.

"I am to blame as well… I said some things I shouldn't have." He said running a hand through his hair.

"Then who is to blame?" I asked cautiously. I wanted to know who the person was that made Dimitri think badly of all rich people. I saw him tense up.

"I don't want to talk about it…" was all he said before tying his hair back.

"Fine… but I won't press for more if…" I paused for a moment. His eyes looked narrowed in curiosity.

"If?" he asked softly.

"If you let me show you that not all of us rich kids are spoiled." I said with a smile, his eyes wide. Yup he didn't see that coming. He returned the smile.

"Okay then…" he said agreeing. At that moment the rain had stopped. This is definitely one for the books.

"Come on, we'll be late…" I looked at him curiously.

"Jill will want to see her gift…" he said as he walked towards the small hill. I walked up behind him and like that morning I slipped.

"Whoa there…" he said as he wrapped an arm around my waist. He pulled me up against him as he leaned on a tree for support. His brown eyes were leveled with mine. His eyes soft as I felt the warmth of his body radiate into me through our soaked clothes. I could feel his warm breath on my lips. Looking down at his lips, they looked soft and—

"Are you okay?" he asked me softly. I looked up into his eyes and smiled.

"Yeah… I just tend to be clumsy when coming up…" I said.

"I noticed…" he said with a small smile. His eyes went down to my lips. I saw him leaning in slowly. I felt my stomach start to flutter. He's going to kiss me! I felt my eyes close but went wide when I heard our names.

"Rose! Dimitri!" Dimitri cleared his throat and pulled me up the hill and we watched Mikhail running towards us.

"Thank god Rose!" Mikhail brought me in his arms. I put my arms around him.

"Your dad left, but before boarding the plane he said you heard him…" I felt myself tense up.

"You knew." Was all I managed to say before slowly pulling away. Mikhail narrowed his eyes in pain.

"You knew he was a drug dealer and never told me!" I screamed out. I know I was being unfair. I always suspected something but never even asked.

"Rose… I promised…" Mikhail said softly with distant eyes.

"What? You promised Abe to keep me out of the loop?" I asked incredulously.

"I promised your mother…" I felt my heart drop. Here I was doing what Dimitri did with me, judging without knowing.

"She knew?" I asked softly. Mikhail gave a small nod. His eyes full of sorrow.

"I guess there are a lot things I don't know huh?" I asked feeling lost and confused. Mikhail took a step towards me but stopped.

"I—" I stopped him from completing his words when I ran up to him and wrapped my arms around him.

"I'm sorry Mikhail…" I felt him return the hug. There were many I things I still didn't know, but for now I know that there's a little girl waiting for me.

"We have to go Mikhail…" I said pulling away slowly. He looked at me with wide eyes.

"Jill is waiting for Dimitri and me…" I said with a reassuring smile. I saw small relief flood his eyes. Did he actually think I'd leave?

"You two, be safe…" he said before Dimitri and I turned to walk away. With everything that's happened this morning there was a calm and comfortable silence between us now. We made it to the house and split ways to change out of our wet clothes. I pulled out a pair of jeans and a tank top. It was still morning, and since it rained it was a bit chilly. I went into my closet and pulled out a gray and white striped cardigan. I took out my hair band and blow dried my hair. My hair hung loose down my back in small ringlets. There was a small knock on my door. I opened it and saw Dimitri standing there with a small smile.

"Ready to go?" he asked me. His brown eyes seemed to have a glint to them now. They seemed more relaxed than other times, it made him seem younger.

"Yup." I said putting on a dry pair of shoes. I walked out of my room and walked down the stairs with Dimitri. I heard mumbling coming from the guest bedroom. I looked towards Dimitri with curious eyes. He gave me a knowing smile.

"Adrian… I think he's still sleeping the alcohol off." He said with a smile, I let out a laugh. We walked out of the house and towards the garage. I noticed that Abe's car was gone. Guess he did leave after all.

"Dimitri?" I turned to look at Dimitri, his eyes curious.

"How did you know where to find me?" I asked curiously. He gave me a small smile.

"I remembered seeing you come up from down there when I was running, and thought that there must have been a reason for you to be down there." He said as he walked towards the mustang. I let out a laugh.

"Let's take the SUV." I said making him turn in surprise.

"I thought you liked the mustang." He said as I let out a laugh.

"I do… but I had heard your conversation with Mikhail on the plane… I thought it'd be fun to act spoiled for a while." I noticed his eyes narrow softly.

"Rose, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"Don't worry about it… besides, you said you'd let me show you that we're not all spoiled right?" I said with a smile that he returned.

"Right… But… I like the mustang." He said with a smile, his eyes soft and playful. Maybe I will be able to change his view on me…