"Just how bad is it at Court?" Pavel asked one of Abe's many informants. From the highest to the lowest of society, Abe had people willing to inveigle and share any secret—for a price. Not that there was anything particularly secretive about the scandal caused by Rose's abrupt disappearance. In fact, all of Court was abuzz with gossip and conjecture about how and where the Omega daughter of revered Guardian Janine Hathaway had escaped to.
"The customers have noticed a lot of pro-dhampir feeling," the Moroi waiter answered. Working at one of Court's finest dining establishments, he got to overhear plenty of Royal Moroi conversations—even Her Majesty occasionally. Unseen on the other end of the phone, Pavel raised his eyebrow. Pro-dhampir sentiment was the polite way of saying anti-Moroi.
While such sentiments occurred from time to time, they were isolated and short-lived. However, in the days following Rose's escape from Court, public outrage about her situation was gaining momentum rather than dissipating. Amongst dhampir, and even a section of the Moroi population, people thought Rose absconding from Court was justified—and they resented Her Majesty's attempts to locate Rose.
With Royal bloodlines notoriously inbred, it was no secret that along with social prestige, Omega females brought a welcome genetic diversity to the family they married into. Royal Moroi might maintain that Rose's incarceration at Court was for her own protection, but everyone else saw it for exactly what it was. A gilded cage ahead of what would amount to a forced marriage.
Pavel knew this was surge was, in part, due to Abe's Machiavellian manipulation of information behind the scenes. A quiet word here, a Guardian commenting to his peers there. Not enough to incite outright dissidence, but enough to fan the flame of public opinion. If Her Majesty hoped this issue was going to quietly die away, she was sorely mistaken. Of course, Tatiana did not understand who she was dealing with.
"I heard there's a reward?"
"Half a million dollars," Abe's informant said, excitement in his tone. "What's it to you?"
"Everything that happens at Court interests me," Pavel said. It wasn't untrue. While Abe lived in Europe, more of his work was happening in America. Knowing the latest from the Moroi seat of government was an essential part of maintaining his power base. But this? This was personal. For the first time Pavel could remember, the boss was exerting his considerable influence with no regard for what was in it for him.
Adrian woke, sober for the first time in… well—for the first time in a while. His aunt's Guardians had kept him up to date on the developments, or rather lack thereof, with Rose so, with nothing else to do, he'd spent his time drinking. Using the bathroom to wash several days' worth of sweat and alcohol from his pores, Adrian shaved, dressed then did his hair. Not strictly necessary for an audience with his aunt, she liked him to look presentable, and it paid to keep aunty on side.
Eleven pm. Tatiana would be finished with breakfast and should be meeting with the Royal Council by now. Provided it was a weekday. Was it a weekday? Adrian checked the clock beside his bed which displayed the day and date for just this reason. Yes. A weekday. Foregoing breakfast in favor of a quick trip to the feeders, Adrian made his way to the Royal Council chamber. Usually open to the public, not that many attended the meetings, today's session was noteworthy in that it was a closed session. That meant something interesting was being discussed. Knowing from experience that if he waited in the narrow hallway behind the Queen's seat he'd be able to hear every word, Adrian seated himself on a bench directly beside the closed curtain Queen Tatiana used to enter and exit the Council chamber.
"She's making a mockery of us!" a male voice said. "If the dhampir see one of them can defy us in this way, they'll all take liberties!"
"And maybe they should!" a female voice retorted. "This practice of detaining Omega for their own protection is barbaric! There are heat suppressing medicines—surely these can be distributed to those in need? There's no need for them to be brought to Court. Dhampir are people; they deserve self-determination!"
"See if you still feel that way when you have to clean your own toilets," the voice belonging to Prince Drozdov drawled.
"Enough!" Tatiana snapped. Sometimes dealing with the Royal Council was akin to managing a group of overstimulated toddlers. "We have Guardians at St. Vladimir's specifically searching for the girl. I have issued every garrison here and abroad with her picture and they are looking out for her. Known associates are being questioned, and there is a bounty. It won't be long before we apprehend her, then she will be brought back to Court."
"And then?" the female voice from before asked with disdain.
"And then everything will return to normal," Tatiana said optimistically.
Turkish fashion was somewhat different from what Rose was used to in Montana. Not that Rose was ever much of a shopper. In fact, other than the St. Vladimir's yearly mall outings, she hadn't been shopping since Lissa's parents passed away. Rhea had taken her out whenever she'd shopped with Lissa, buying her the clothing, underwear and other personal items she'd required. For the past few years, Rose's essentials were purchased once a year, anything else ordered online by Alberta, gifts from Lissa or hand-me-downs from other Novices.
"What should I buy?" Rose asked Abe, looking around the young women's section of the Turkish department store curiously.
"Whatever you want!" he said. "For today, something professional. Maybe a skirt and jacket? As my daughter, people will expect you to look a certain way."
"I hope you don't mean the scarf," Rose said, eyeing today's offering with distaste. A mustard, green, and yellow silk, it clashed gloriously with Abe's skin tone. Pavel chortled while Dimitri smirked. The familial bickering between Rose and Abe was already well established, however, they were starting to form some sort of bond, too. Abe lifted a hand, summoning a shop attendant, outlining in Turkish what he had in mind. Apprehensive about Abe's request, Rose was mollified when she was led over to a rack of young women's business clothing. The attendant stared at Rose appraisingly before grabbing several skirt and pantsuits, motioning her through to the change room.
Trying on the first, Rose grinned when it fitted perfectly. Hugging her figure in all the right places, black with exposed gray stitching, the outfit was professional but still young and modern. The A-line skirt stopping just above the knee with an asymmetric hemline, she'd even be able to fight in it if push came to shove. Leaning against a wall outside the change room, Dimitri's eyes flashed when Rose emerged to model for him.
"Do I look ok?" she asked.
"Roza, you look more than ok," Dimitri said with a soft groan, discreetly adjusting himself. Rose dressed like that was a definite turn on!
"If I knew you'd like it that much, I'd have bought corporate clothing earlier," she teased, slipping back into the change room to try on the attendant's other suggestions.
As Rose was trying on shoes, Abe took Dimitri elsewhere in the store to find a suit. With Dimitri's height, and muscle mass, they would not find the perfect suit off the rack, but eventually, they found something Abe declared passable.
"You can tell a lot about a man by how he wears a suit. Tomorrow we will go to my tailor and have some custom-made suits for you." Correctly interpreting Dimitri's dubious expression as he regarded the suit worn by his father-in-law to be, Abe added, "they can make any style you want."
"I'm a Guardian. I don't need suits."
"Every man needs a few good suits," Abe disagreed. "It's not like I'd let you marry my daughter wearing gym clothes!"
At Abe's insistence, Rose ended up buying four outfits and two pairs of shoes. While she also needed new underwear, it wasn't something she wished to shop for with her dad and Pavel in attendance. Maybe she could shop online for that later. Their shopping mission complete, Abe took Pavel, Dimitri, and Rose to lunch at a very fancy restaurant where they were guarded by several of his private Guardians. Rose watched them carefully, noticing many of the signs, signals, and guarding patterns they had taught as part of her Novice studies. Dimitri was ill at ease, unused to being guarded not guarding. Yet to graduate and work as part of a guarding team, and unused to dining out, both were novel experiences for Rose.
"Today we'll be meeting with the CEO of my hotel chain. I'm running through the numbers for a hotel I'm buying in New York. Then we need to go to the bank to release some funds."
"Is this what you usually do?" Rose asked while tucking into her starter.
"Much of the time," Abe replied. "I told you, much of my business is legitimate these days."
"But you still need, what, four Guardians watching you when you go out?" Rose quipped.
"I'm a very rich man," Abe said, as though that explained everything.
Rose looked around curiously as she followed Abe into a fancy-looking hotel in the heart of Istanbul close to where they'd dined. From the way the staff deferred to her father, it was obvious they knew him here.
"Is this hotel one of yours?" she asked, more than a little awed.
"Yes. There's over seventy in this chain internationally. I have my Istanbul office here."
The elevator whisked them up to the thirtieth floor, where they emerged into a tastefully decorated reception area.
"Mr. Mazur," a young blonde woman said, her eyes landing on Rose and then Dimitri. Standing taller and pushing her almost non-existent breasts out, she wasn't subtle in the way she ogled Rose's man. Not that Rose could blame her. Dimitri was wearing the suit he'd bought earlier, and he looked fine!
"Tabitha, this is my daughter, Rose, and her fiancé Dimitri," Abe said, his tone suggesting he'd noticed Tabitha's shameless eye fucking and that he didn't approve. Dimitri slipped his arm around Rose, kissing her temple and assiduously avoiding looking in Tabitha's direction. "Is the meeting room set up?"
"Yes, Mr. Mazur. Everything is ready."
Abe's offices taking up an entire floor, he showed Rose and Dimitri around, mentioning some of his business interests as he did. It all looked professional and, well, normal.
"I have a different office I use for my other ventures," Abe said in an undertone, as though he'd read Rose's thoughts, referring to his more nefarious dealings.
Content to look and listen, Rose was mostly silent. Dimitri, though, was asking lots of questions and seemed fascinated by the many irons Abe had in the fire of commerce. They'd done a full lap of the upper floor when they emerged back out into reception. Tabitha was lying in wait, the top button of her crisp handkerchief linen blouse now undone and her hair artfully tousled.
"Mr. Davenport and his team are on the way up," she said, with a slight breathy inflection in her tone. "Can I get you anything, Mr. Mazur? Dimitri?"
"No thank you," Abe said, noting Rose's incensed expression with amusement.
"I don't need anything, either," Rose said pointedly. "However, I think you need a new blouse. That one seems to have come unfastened. It doesn't look very professional."
Tabitha blushed, returning to her desk and buttoning up her shirt. Rose gave her father a smug grin before following him into a meeting room. The next two hours were honestly fascinating. Abe explained every aspect of what he was going through with the hotel team, showing Rose and Dimitri how to read each of the complex documents that had been prepared outlining the costs associated with the acquisition and refurbishment, then the expected revenue stream. At one stage Rose commented that the outlay seemed disproportionally large compared to the returns, which is when Abe explained about intentional tax losses and capital gains. At first, it all seemed strange and confusing, but with Abe's help, she got the gist of it—mostly that this would make Abe even richer.
Their meeting over, and Tabitha nowhere to be seen, they headed off to the bank where Abe signed for an unfathomably large sum of money. Rose had never seen a check with so many zeros. It was honestly overwhelming.
"You have to spend money to make money," he said, winking at Rose and Dimitri.
"They've said if she doesn't return to the Academy in the next few days, they will cancel her enrolment," Janine said to Abe. He was in his home study speaking to the mother of his daughter while Rose and Dimitri were upstairs 'resting' after their busy day. He had a fair idea of what resting was a euphemism for, however, as per Rose's pointed comments he was learning to deal with it.
"That wasn't unexpected," Abe replied. There was no way Tatiana and the establishment she represented would allow an Omega to work as a Guardian. As disappointed as Rose might be to hear it, she could probably kiss her dreams of becoming a Guardian goodbye. "And I expect they'll find a reason to demote Belikov once they learn of his involvement."
"Aye," Janine agreed. Fair or not, it was the way it worked. "Are you sure about your plan?"
Abe sighed. He wasn't sure, but the alternative was a life of hiding and uncertainty, and he didn't want that for his only child.
"We'll have the advantage of surprise. So far, no one knows of my involvement. The outrage when she's taken will be extreme. They're a good-looking couple and devoted to each other; they'll have everybody's sympathy."
"But the whole point was to get her away from Court, not let her be brought back," Janine snapped, not seeing the validity behind Abe's convoluted machinations.
"They can't hide forever," Abe explained. "If they find them sometime in the future, Her Majesty will fabricate an excuse to apprehend and separate them. Perhaps even jail them! Even if she doesn't make Rose marry Adrian or some other Royal genetic cul-de-sac, she will make their lives a living hell. Better Tatiana is forced to act now, while public sentiment is on their side. It's the best chance to facilitate their exit into the human world."
"You can't see a way that they could stay? It's the only life Rosemarie has ever known, and she's dreamed of being the Princess Dragomir's Guardian since she was a small girl."
"I wish it were otherwise, Janine. I really do. I can't see Tatiana allowing it, though."
Janine frowned. She didn't want to admit it to Abe, but maybe it was for the best. Rose and Dimitri could have children together—and she knew firsthand you could be a good mother or a good Guardian, but not both. Circumstances had steered her in one direction, yet she often wondered about the road not traveled. With the benefit of hindsight, she might have made different decisions if she knew then what she did now.
"Is there anything I can do?" Janine asked.
"Not for now. They will watch you closely," Abe counseled, appreciating Janine's awkward predicament. "After she's apprehended you need to be the voice of reason. Your opinion carries a lot of weight in the Guardian community. People will listen to what you have to say."
"I can do that," Janine agreed. "When's the wedding?"
"I haven't told them, yet, but in just over a week," Abe replied. "I want them in Baia and married before anyone can stop them. By the time they are caught, it will be too late."
"Make sure you get lots of photographs. Have someone Skype me, too," Janine growled, understanding why she couldn't be present, but nonetheless upset to miss her daughter's wedding.
"I will," Abe promised, also disappointed. He was finally able to admit to himself that he missed Janine's company.
"Ms. Fedosia Kreft?"
"Speaking."
"Fedosia… May I call you Fedosia? This is Abe Mazur… Although you might know me as Zmey."
"Oh! Yes. Mr. Mazur! Sir. How can I help you?" If Fedosia sounded as though she were shitting herself, it's because she was.
"I believe you have a sister? Domnica Charnley? A doctor? She called you the other day." It wasn't a question.
"That's right. My Moroi half-sister," Fedosia supplied, wondering what trouble Domnica had introduced her into. She'd been happy to make a phone call for a couple of million lei, but not if it meant crossing Zmey. Everyone knew he was a man not to trifle with.
"I understand she asked you to make a call to Court for her? To report a missing Omega?"
"Yes. But I didn't know it had anything to do with you… I would never of agreed if I knew it was business of yours!" Fedosia was praying Mr. Mazur believed her and was feeling clement. Her life would not be worth living if he wasn't.
"That's ok. You can still make the call—there'll just need to be a few small changes."
"Changes?" Fedosia asked, her voice shaking.
"Yes changes. I will call you and let you know when to contact Court so the dhampir can be captured. I will make sure she is there."
"What if Domnica contacts me before you do?" Fedosia asked. She had already kissed her ill-gotten money goodbye and was now working just to stay on Zmey's good side.
"Tell her you will, but contact me first. If you do as I say, I'll make it worth your while."
"Sir?"
"We'll split the bounty money fifty-fifty," Abe said.
"What do you think he's up to?" Dimitri asked as Rose leaned back against him in the bath, relaxing before they joined Abe for dinner.
"He intends for us to be caught."
Dimitri tensed immediately, pausing where his hands had been caressing Rose's soapy breasts. "What makes you say that?"
"With his connections, Abe could have got more tablets without me needing to see a doctor, and he would not have told me to let the doctor know I'd be in Baia in a few weeks unless he wanted the information to get out."
"But what does he gain from that? Unless he wants you to marry a Royal?" Dimitri asked, trying to find a flaw in Rose's reasoning, yet not finding one.
"I don't think he intends to betray us. If Her Majesty is looking for me, then eventually I'll be found. I think Abe wants to control how and when I'm discovered."
"It would put him in charge of the situation," Dimitri agreed, seeing all the benefits. "Your father is not the sort who'd like to be caught off-guard."
"No, he isn't. If I had to guess, Abe will want us married sooner rather than later. Once we're legally husband and wife, it will make anything Her Majesty tries to do to me more difficult."
"And if she can't punish you directly, the Queen will do it through me," Dimitri predicted, taking Rose's thoughts and running them through to the logical conclusion. "Once they know we're married, my days as Vasilisa's lead Guardian will be short-lived. In fact, I think I'll be lucky if I can get a job at the effluent treatment station." Dimitri was surprisingly undistressed by this thought.
Rose sighed, refusing to insult her mate's intelligence by disagreeing.
"Abe obviously has a plan. Let's get dressed and go find out what it is."
