POV: Dimitri
9 years ago
I emptied what little was left in my stomach in a long and almost painful hurl, the sickening sound echoing off the bathroom walls. I sat back on my heels, feeling my eyes prick and my throat burn. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and pushed myself to stand up, flushing the toilet. I washed my hands and splashed some water on my face, glancing up at my reflection in the process. My hair was falling out of the tail I'd attempted to put it in, strands sticking to my wet face. The bags under my eyes were too large and dark to ignore, especially with the slowly healing bruises on my face.
"You need to turn yourself in", I mumbled to the monster in the mirror.
I had committed a terrible crime. The most unforgiving one. And not just once. I did it over and over again. It felt good to do it. Getting revenge felt good. That was proof enough that I should spend the rest of my life behind bars, caged like the animal I was. I deserved to wake up screaming, to see the havoc I'd wreaked every time I closed my eyes, to have the blood on my hands haunting me until I lost my mind. I deserved to burn in hell. Only... what would my family do? Without my support, without the food I put on their table, without me, no matter how poisonous I was? My mother, breaking her back. My sisters ruining their lives. I couldn't allow it. I couldn't live with it. Maybe that was my punishment — staying forever in agony because of the misery I'd bring onto my family.
A blaring ring sprawled through the apartment making me jump. I couldn't help wondering if the police had caught up with me, if the choice was going to be made for me. If I was taken away, it'd be easier. Either way, hiding in the bathroom forever wasn't exactly a possibility so I slowly headed towards the front door, holding my breath. The ringing came again, but there was no one announcing themselves on the other side like the police should. Perhaps they thought I'd try to run. I opened the door with my heart beating out of my chest by the time the third ring came. In front of it, I found a man.
He was around my age. He wasn't wearing a uniform, but what looked like a rather expensive suit. His chestnut hair was visibly styled to be messy and there was a smirk that looked rather arrogant plastered on his face. The moment I met his eyes I felt a chill running through my body. Emerald green. A color all too familiar. His voice sounded familiar too, the dangerous sweetness with the false reassurance: "Dimitri Belikov, pleasure to finally put a face to the name."
"What do you want?", I spat out, feeling my face twist in disgust as he stepped forward.
"Well, I would like to be invited in for starters."
I was tempted to slam the door in his face, but for some reason I let it open further and wordlessly let him in. Maybe some masochism would do me good. He slipped into the apartment and took his coat off, folding it over his arm as he glanced around. I shut the door behind him, leaning against it as I crossed my arms over my chest. He let a few moments of silence pass as he scanned the place, nearing the dining table and carefully picking a good enough spot to lean on before he looked back at me.
"I'm Adr—."
"I know who you are", I cut in, remembering one of the rare times my mother mentioned my cousins from my father's side, "So skip the pointless chit chat and tell me what you want?"
"I want to help you", he replied, tilting his head as he folded his other arm over the coat, "And in return, I want you to help me."
"I don't need your help", I retorted proudly, not wanting to show him an inch of weakness because if he was anything like his father or mine, and I was guessing he was, he'd devour my soul before I could even blink. I was desperate, but I wasn't desperate enough to make a deal with the devil. At least I really hoped I wasn't.
"I, sadly, beg to differ", he mumbled, his eyes traveling around the room before they settled on me, "Look, you seem like a proud man and I respect that, but you really have gotten yourself into some messy shit. Now, I can get you out of it, if you agree to come work for me."
"Work for you?", I humorlessly laughed, "You mean work for your father?"
"No. I mean exactly what I said", he corrected, an annoyed frown twisting his smirk, "And since you insisted on cutting the chit chat, I'd like an answer."
"The answer is no", I replied, moving away from the door as I added, "I'm sure you can walk yourself out."
"Do you want Karolina to live a long life?", he asked, his tongue awkwardly rolling over my sister's name, "And Sonya? Viktoria? Because I can assure you, if you stick with that answer, their life span will drastically shorten."
"Are you threatening my sisters?", I hissed through gritted teeth, crossing the distance between us in a few quick strides as he straightened up.
"Wouldn't dream of it. I'm simply pointing out that if you go down for multiple homicide, there'll be no one left to protect them. And, let's face it, plenty of people will be after them because of what you've done."
"And if I come work for you, there'll still be no one left to protect them."
"See, that's where you're wrong", he contradicted, remaining so calm he was actually starting to make me want to jump out of my own skin, "If you come work for me, if you pledge your life and loyalty to me, I'll make sure they're not only protected, but taken care of for the rest of their lives. I'm talking a place to live, a full fridge, money for all of their daily expenses, schooling, jobs, healthcare and around a clock protection. You stay out of jail, your family leads a comfortable life and, as a bonus, I'll help you make the person who truly is behind your friend's death pay."
"All of that just to get me to work for you?"
"It's hard work", he chuckled, but his laugh was dry.
"And if I meet my maker sooner than I should, what happens to my family?"
"A deal is a deal Belikov. I'll keep my end of the barging regardless of whether you live or not. Hell, I'll keep it even if I die."
"Why? Why me? Why go through the trouble?"
He averted his gaze, leaning back on the table as his shoulders slumped. If there was one thing I noticed about him as soon as he walked into Ivan's apartment, it was that he was confident. There didn't seem to be a speck of fear or doubt in him. Not until now. Maybe it was that subtle change in his posture or the way his eyes darkened, but it was in that small moment of what looked like weakness that I thought: Maybe he's not like his father. Maybe I don't have to be like mine either. Maybe that was why his next words didn't make me snap the way they surely would've under different circumstances.
"Because, like it or not, we're blood. I guess that ought to mean something, right?"
Present day
Adrian was in my room. I could hear his muffled voice behind the closed door. I had no idea who he was talking to, but I was on the verge of getting annoyed because he had let himself in without asking. I generally didn't mind him being there. I liked solitude, but somewhere along the way he had made me used to his presence enough to find it odd when he wasn't around for more than a few hours. However, this time I really just wanted to crash onto my bed face first after a twelve hour shift.
I opened the door only to see him shamelessly sprawled across that very bed, his feet dangling from the edge and his head propped on his palm as he stared at the screen before him, exclaiming: "My God, aren't you the most adorable being on the planet?"
"Is that my laptop?"
"And your angel niece", he shot back, turning the laptop until I could see the screen and the ongoing video call, "Say hi to your uncle Dimka, Zoya."
"Dimaaaa", Zoya squealed as Karo waved at me.
"Привет маленькие", I shot back before I quirked my eyebrow at Adrian.
"What? They called five times. I didn't want them to get worried."
"Five times? Is everything alright?", I questioned, but knew judging by Adrian's carefree expression I had no reason to panic.
"Everything's great, but we miss you", Karo supplied as Adrian stood up.
"I'll leave you to it. Stop by my room once you're done", he mumbled before he blew a kiss to my sister and niece adding, "See you around красотки."
"Bye", Karo shot back, her smile widening as I rolled my eyes at Adrian.
"Так что нового?", I prompted as Zoya yawned and blinked up at her mother.
"English, please. I'm trying to practice", Karo chuckled as I sat on the bed and picked up the laptop, dropping it into my lap.
We talked for almost a full hour, a few of my other family members interrupting to greet me before going to bed. Sometimes it was easy to forget the time difference, but when Zoya dozed off in Karo's lap I knew I couldn't keep them awake any longer no matter how much I wanted to keep talking to them until my mouth ran dry.
Just as we were about to finish up, Karo's eyes sparked up the way they always would when she'd remember something and she quickly added: "Oh and thank Adrian for the TV again."
"TV?"
"Yeah, Paul took my phone and sent his early Christmas request. He got in a lot of trouble for it, but Adrian wouldn't take the TV back even after I explained what had happened."
"Of course he wouldn't."
Adrian adored spoiling my nephew and nieces even more than my siblings. Sometimes I wondered if it was his way of making up for the bad things he'd done. Other times I thought he was trying to reassure himself he'd make a good father one day. He never said it in many words, but it was more than clear he planned to have a family of his own at some point. I was certain he'd make a great family man, not because of his excessive spending, but because he had a lot of love to give and, so far, not many people to give it to.
As soon as Karo signed out I made my way to Adrian's room. He left the door open for me and I wasted no time getting in. I was hoping to finish up with him soon so I could get some rest. Apparently, he had the same thing on his mind since, the moment I joined him on his balcony, he said: "You look exhausted so I'll keep this short. I wanted to talk to you about us?"
"Us? Are we breaking up?", I chuckled, seeing him smirk as he took a drag from his cigarette, keeping his eyes fixed somewhere on the horizon.
"I hope not. That's why we need to get back on the same page."
"We are on the same page", I argued as he jabbed the cigarette into the ashtray left on the small table behind him and turned towards me.
"No, we're not. We haven't been ever since Rose came into the picture."
I could feel myself going rigid as he mentioned Rose. Our last conversation involving her left me with hours of pondering about the whole situation and winding up more confused than I was to begin with. It was one thing when I was alone, battling my own thoughts. Being called out by Adrian was a whole new ordeal. And the tension in my body only increased as he added: "I'm not saying it's your fault or anything. It's nobody's fault really. But we'd been butting heads a lot and I can't keep ignoring it."
"Perhaps I've been a little bullheaded about some decisions concerning Rose", I started carefully, knowing I had to owe up to my fair share of those conflicts, "But—."
"But what?", he prompted when my voice trailed off.
"You've been a bit reckless lately", I finished, anxiously peering at him as he bit his lips and frowned.
"Hmm, well, I do get like that sometimes. I guess that's why I have you. We level each other out. Only, lately that hasn't been working. At least not when it comes to her. So, let's clear the air. I have been reckless and I think the reason behind it is that Rose made me want to walk the line I'd been staying clear of for a while. I think it's her personality, the fire in her... it catches on. I let myself get carried away, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it."
"The fire didn't catch on. You had it. It's just... well, she's like gasoline", I pondered out loud seeing him quirk his eyebrow.
"And you're supposed to be like water. So what happened?"
"I don't know", I admitted, watching his eyes spark up.
"Are you sure about that? Because it looks to me like you've gone from hating Rose, to—", he started, but then seemed to have changed his mind about what he was going to say, "Look, I'm not asking you to have a heart-to-heart with me over this. Actually, I'm not going to ask you about it all. Just do me a favor, sort that shit out. I want you to keep your mind sharp and your head in the game, because we both know how distractions end. I need you. Alive. Okay?"
"Adrian, I think you're—, you might be overreacting", I mumbled, trying to convince us both this wasn't as big of a deal as we were starting to make it out to be, "I'm not in love with her or anything. Just like you, I had a moment with her, a mistake. It's not important."
"I told you not to lie to me."
"I'm not", I argued as his expression switched to annoyed and he crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm not lying. Even if there was something there, it's not going anywhere. I got it under control. My mind is fine. I'm good. We're good."
"Okay", he huffed, his arms dropping, "But it'd be fine if it was."
"If it was what?"
"Happening. Your decisions and feelings are your own, I don't want to and will never try to control them. And that goes beyond Rose. I'll support you whatever you chose to do as long as it's not self destructive. This is your life, don't waste it living it any differently than you want to."
"Okay. Thanks", I mumbled, silence settling in shortly.
"Alright", he suddenly burst, ushering me back inside, "You need to go fall into a coma and I need to work. But first, I have an idea I want to run by you."
"Shoot."
POV: Rose
I swear this car keeps magically getting smaller, I wined to myself, wiggling in my seat as I attempt to straighten my legs somewhere in between Dimitri and Adrian without actually touching either of them. I'd picked up on how Dimitri went into a hundred percent grumpy mode lately everytime Adrian and I did anything remotely intimate which had me staying clear of Adrian as much as I possibly could. On the other hand, coming into any physical contact with Dimitri proved to be dangerous. More than dangerous. Kind of deadly really. To say I felt utterly humiliated after he flat out rejected me was putting it nicely. Perhaps I got a little... okay, more than a little carried away, but I knew I wasn't making things up. He wanted to kiss me as much as I wanted to kiss him and I was damn sure he wanted to do a lot more than that to me. Then why did he literally tie you up to get away from you?, my mind mocked making me huff.
"You okay there Rose?", Adrian prompted as I glanced over at him.
"Fine", I replied, letting my eyes wander between him and Dimitri, adding: "Anyone care to tell me where we're going?"
"It's a surprise", Adrian said with a small smirk, turning to Dimitri to mumble something in Russian.
"Will you stop that? I'm right here. I don't understand you, but I'm right here."
"Maybe we should teach you some Russian. It could come in handy."
"What for? You both understand what fuck you means in English just fine."
"Cheer up", Adrian exclaimed, nudging my leg with his knee, "Today's going to be awesome."
I was about to ask him where his sudden positivity came from, but then gave up, shrugging and turning to stare through the window. It wasn't until I began noticing some familiar streets and shops that my interests were finally piqued. It took me a while to realize where we were though and by that time the car already eased to a stop. My jaw almost fell into my lap and I jerked my head towards Adrian in a mix of panic and excitement, watching his lips spread into a satisfied smile while he announced: "We're here. Surprise."
"Why-y are we in front o-of Sydney's building?"
"You said you wanted to talk to your family again. So go do it."
"What—, I—? Is this... are you for real?"
"Mhm", he hummed, pushing the door open for me before he settled back into his seat, "You have twenty minutes. We'll wait for you here. Stay smart."
"You're letting me do this alone?", I questioned in disbelief.
"Yes", Adrian replied while Dimitri shockingly seemed completely at ease, not making any attempts to stop me or protest, "Don't make me regret it."
"I-I won't", I babeled, throwing myself across the car to give him a tight hug, despite my earlier attempts to make our interactions less physical, "I promise."
"Good", he mumbled into my shoulder as he hugged me back, "Say hi to your pretty friend for me."
I scrambled out of the car and rushed pass McCall who, in the meantime, got out to hold the building door open for me. I didn't pause when I hit the stairs, didn't stop until I was slamming into Sydney's door with my entire body. I was certain I was going to pass out from the combination of lack of oxygen and exhilaration, but all of it became irrelevant when the door swung back and Sydney appeared before me. When she opened up, the first glimpse of her I got was the one that made her almost unrecognizable. There was a deep frown stuck on her forehead, an almost lifeless look in her eyes and an overall cloud of exhaustion surrounding her. For a split second it seemed like she didn't realize it was me who was standing there, but when our eyes locked her expression became blank and then shock rolled over her face.
"Oh my God Syd", I gasped before I collapsed into her arms, almost knocking her on her ass.
"R-rose?", she stammered into my shoulder while I squeezed her hard enough to fear I'd injure her.
I took a deep breath, simultaneously grinning and feeling tears gather up in my eyes as the scent of her hair filled my nostrils. I couldn't believe this was happening, probably just as much as she couldn't, and so for a solid minute we just stood there hugging while I continuously repeated: "Oh my God."
Once we forced ourselves to let go, Sydney pulled me inside and slammed the door behind us before turning to face me. I could see million questions popping up in her eyes, but in the end she only pushed out: "How?"
"It's complicated would be an understatement of a century", I chuckled a bit hysterically, checking out the watch in her hallway so I could set up a mental alarm for when it was my time to leave.
"You know what, it doesn't matter", she erupted, her usual spark returning as she grinned, "You're here, that's what's important. It's over."
"Well", I drawled, feeling guilty for recklessly getting her hopes up, "Not exactly. I can't stay long."
"You—, what?"
"I agreed with my, um, friends I'd only stay for a little while", I mumbled as her eyes widened and her mouth fell open.
"You mean your kidnappers? Are they here?", she almost shouted, turning her head as if she was expecting them to pop out of nowhere, right there in her apartment, "Rose, we have to call the police. Don't worry, they can't take you away again."
She dug her phone out so fast I barely had time to grab her hands and stop her from calling the entire fucking military. She was more than confused, probably both my actions and my uncommon calmness, but she didn't move as I carefully said: "Wait, Syd. They won't take me away. I—, I'll leave on my own."
"W-what?"
"Look, what I'm about to tell you is going to be hard to wrap your mind around, but I don't have a lot of time and I can't exactly go into details on some things, but please just listen. Can you do that for me? Just stay calm and listen."
She unblinkingly stared at me for a few seconds before slowly and reluctantly nodding. And then I told her. I told her almost everything. The truth about my parents, the world I'd stumbled upon and became a part of, how I got kidnapped no less than two times, how I tried to escape from Adrian's place, how I was in a car chase and a shoot off which almost got me killed, how I ultimately became friendly with my kidnappers who turned out to be more like my bodyguards. I told her everything I thought I should. I knew Adrian couldn't possibly find out what I was talking to her about unless he wired her apartment, but even without him listening, I stuck to my promise. I stayed smart which meant no mentioning of my kidnappers' names, no Aaron and Jesse talk, not a word about Adrian's plans.
When I finally stopped to take a breath, Sydney recovered from the rollercoaster of emotions I'd put her through and summarized: "So, your father is not only not dead, but he's a criminal. Your mother is not who she's been introducing herself to be. You're willing staying with your kidnappers who you won't name. And you want me to keep all of this a secret?"
"Pretty much, yeah", I huffed, wiggling on the floor we winded up sitting on while we talked, "I told you it'd be hard to wrap your mind around."
"You weren't lying", she huffed, knotting her fingers in her lap, "But why not tell Lissa? She's worried sick about you. She's one of your best friends."
"Trust me when I tell you I'd love nothing more than to tell Lissa and see her while we're at it. But I can't. And I can't explain why."
"Rose, are you sure you know what you're doing?", she carefully prompted as I checked the time again. Five more minutes.
"I have no fucking clue what I'm doing Syd. When have I ever had a clue? But, despite some minor mishaps, the arrangement I'm in seems to be working."
"Mishaps?", she exclaimed almost enraged, "You almost died. TWO TIMES."
"Well, I never said it was ideal. It's more like... functional."
"I'm sorry, but I have to say I'm having a hard time trusting you on this", she mumbled while I reached over and placed my hand on top of hers.
"Hey, come on, you know me. I always land on my feet. I'll be fine. And when it's all over, I'll come back home and it'll be like it never even happened", I reassured her, knowing I was lying my way into the deepest circle of hell.
"R—", Sydney started before the doorbell rang so loudly through the hallway we both scrambled to our feet immediately. We exchanged panicked glances, neither of us daring to move. I peered at the watch, frowning when I realized I still had three minutes left. It couldn't be Adrian and Dimitri, even if I ignored the fact they'd never expose themselves to Sydney if they could help it. Sydney swallowed her fear down and finally pushed out: "W-who is i-it?"
"It's me, I forgot my key", a muffled voice came from the other side.
"Who is—?", I hissed as she rolled her eyes at me in an annoyed manner.
"Really Rose, you actually don't recognize his voice?", she mumbled and upon seeing my baffled expression added: "Jesus, Brayden, my fiance. The one I've been living with. Ring a bell?"
"Fuck, he can't see me here", I blurted out, immediately heading towards the window that led to the fire escape, "Don't let him in until I'm gone."
"Rose, wait, I... when can I see you again?"
"I don't know, but I'll stay in touch as much as I can, okay? Remember, don't tell anyone anything. It's for your own safety and mine."
"Okay, okay, I got it. Just don't get into more trouble", she warned as another ring came and I slid the window up.
"No promises", I laughed, winking at her, "But I'll do my best."
I hopped out the window, turing to wave at her as she finally seemed to realize there was only one way out of her apartment that didn't include the front door. Her eyes widened as she exclaimed: "You can't be serious?"
"You have any better ideas?", I asked, grinning at her horrified expression before quickly adding, "I love you."
"I love you too", I heard her reply as I slid down the shaky metal construction as fast as I could.
POV: Adrian
I leaned my head against the edge of the pool and blew out a thick cloud of smoke. Man I needed this, I thought as my lips spread into a small smile almost reflexively. I reached over my shoulder, water dripping down my arm while I grabbed my glass and took a measured sip of my drink, holding it on my tongue for a moment before swallowing. I closed my eyes and breathed in the heavy, warm air that rolled over the surface of the water. I distantly heard the gentle squeak of the glass door behind me and then Rose mumbling: "Hey."
"Little Renegade, what brings you here?", I prompted while still examining the insides of my eyelids.
"Eddie told me where to find you. I wanted to... tell you something."
"If you want to express your gratitude for the new batch of clothes I'd supplied, you're welcome."
"Oh, right, that too", she blurted, finally making me look at her.
She stood near the edge, almost just above me, but her gaze rested on the wall opposite of us. For a moment, her lost in thoughts expression reminded me a lot of Dimitri. That furrowed brow and the heavy sigh, I have expected her to start grooming her hero hair soon. I propped my arm on the tiles and encouraged her with a casual: "What's up?"
She glanced down, fixing her eyes briefly somewhere right in front of me before she asked: "Are you naked?"
"Do you really want an answer to that question?", I chuckled, seeing her blush.
"Never mind", she mumbled, rolling her eyes, "Can I join you?"
"Sure."
I went back to my earlier pose, hearing Rose drop one piece of her clothing after the other on the floor before rounding the pool and lowering herself into the water carefully. The straps of her bra glued to her skin as soon as they got soaked like the rest of her underwear. She hooked her thumbs underneath them and pulled on them, wiggling her shoulders and than pushed herself away from the edge, swimming towards me. She stopped when she was near, but kept a safe distance which made me chuckle: "Relax, my private parts don't bite and, anyway, they're safe within my trunks."
"Whatever", she huffed, but moved closer.
She grabbed my glass and took a hefty gulp, shrugging when I quirked my eyebrow at her and laughed: "Help yourself, why don't you."
"Friends share", she shot, placing the glass back before folding her arms on the tiles and propping her head on them.
"So, the thing you wanted to tell me—."
"I'm in."
"What?"
"I'm all in. Until the end. Ride or die and all that shit. This fight of yours, I got your back. I'll do whatever it takes for you to win."
"Where is this coming from Rose?"
"I know—, I know you're not doing this for money or greed. You're not even doing it for yourself. You're doing it for your family, your friends, the legacy that was left to you and the one you're going to leave behind."
"And how do you know all of that?", I questioned with amusement.
"I just do", she replied with an admirable amount of confidence, fixing my eyes to underline how serious about this she was.
"I don't think you truly know what you're bargaining for", I pointed out, turning around to match her position, "I could tell you—."
"Yeah, you could and should tell me. More. Everything. It won't change my decision though. We're doing this together, whether you like it or not."
"Are you giving me an ultimatum?"
"I am."
I simpered, nodding to myself before I said: "Okay. You're in."
Hey y'all! I'm back! I'm really sorry about missing last week's update! As I said, I was dealing with some health problems, but I'm way better now and so I'm back at it! I'd like to thank everyone who reached out to me to see how I was doing and sent me good wishes! Y'all are angels! Anyhow, I really hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and, as always, let me know your thoughts on it! Also, I thought I should repeat that I respond to all of my reviews, unless I accidently overlook some (let me know if I do!) and unless they are guest reviews, through PM's so you should check your inboxes! I don't want anyone to feel like they are being ignored cause your feedback means a lot to me and I like to let you know individually that I appreciate every review I get!
Question of the week: What's the last place you travelled to? For me it was Malmo (Sweden) and while I was there I also visited Lund (Sweden) and Copenhagen (Denmark)! I had a blast and I recommend visiting all of those place, but fair warning: pick warmer months and save up a considerable amount of money cause it's EXPENSIVE! Other than that, they are beautiful cities, people are super nice and the food is great (the variety of it is fascinating)!
Songs: Mirror - Lil Wayne, Desperado - Rihanna
Translations:
Привет маленькие = Hello Little ones.
Красотки = beauties
Так что нового? = So, what's new?