"Where's the case, Dimitri?"
I shook my head slightly, trying to come up with an answer but I came up blank. Rose looked at Carver and he raised a brow, looking at her.
"Go ahead," he said, picking up a vacant wine glass off the table.
"Remember when we met on the boardwalk? And the night when we slept on the roof of my apartment. That was the night you told me you were in love with me," she said as she crossed her ankles, tilting her head to the side the slightest bit. I remembered the night perfectly. We were both sunburnt from being outside all day, and there was supposed to be a meteor shower that night. She was laying next to me on the mound of blankets and I looked at her, and all I could think was how much I loved her - how much I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.
"He remembers," Carver said and Rose looked at him before looking back at me.
"I want to hear him say it."
"I remember," I said quietly, trying to figure out where this was going.
There was a slight twitch to her lips. "It never happened."
My brows furrowed together and my eyes slid to Carver who had seated himself on the couch, almost perfectly situating himself between us.
"We met for the first yesterday," Rose continued with an almost unconcerned breeze, "You've never been to the boardwalk. No one's been to the boardwalk. I used you, Dimitri. And the quicker we find the case, the quicker I let you forget it."
Hearing those words come from her mouth was like an ice pick to the chest because I didn't know what was the truth; that she had pushed me to have these memories, or if Carver convinced her that those were her memories. Rose pursed her lips looked away, uncrossing her ankles and moving to look out the wall of windows. Carver's eyes were on me as I processed what she said when my phone rang. I looked at him before reaching my hand into my pocket and pulling it out.
"My card says you have to take the drug. Give me Carve," Christian said flatly.
"It's for you," I said tossing my phone at Carver. He caught the phone with ease and looked at the screen before switching it to speakerphone.
"Hello?"
"You want the case? You let them live. I'll tell you exactly where it is," Christian said. I watched Rose's head turn towards us and then back to the window, arms crossed as she looked out at the city below. Carver turned the speaker off and lifted the phone to his ear, speaking in a low voice.
We were back where I originally hid the case. Being cramped in a car with Rose, Carver and Victor made me feel uncomfortable, but I was more distressed about Rose. Any time I was around Rose I could feel a pull towards her, whether it was to brush my fingers over her arm, or her hair, but now I didn't know what to think or feel.
I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye a few times, but she just watched out the window the whole drive. When we got to the high-rise construction yard we all got out of the car. I couldn't exactly remember being her, but I could feel a flicker of recognition by standing here. It was the perfect place to hide the case. The building had been under construction for months and it was stalled multiple times due to structural integrity.
It's just a shame that the drug was falling back into their hands, after all the effort I went through to hide it away. I let my eyes linger on Rose again as she looked up at the building.
"Don't feel too bad. That push of Rose's has worked on better man," Carver said from behind me. I sighed and looked at him, not giving him an outward response that his statement bothered. I didn't want to believe that everything I had with Rose was fake. I didn't want to believe that I didn't fall in love with her, or find out that we were having a baby. It made my stomach turn to think that something that was so real to me, could possibly not be.
I turned back in time for Victor's fist to connect with my face, the force knocking me back. I knew how to project my abilities into my hands before joining Division, but Victor taught me how to really harness it. And it hurt like a bitch. I slammed into the back of the car and didn't have time to recover before Victor came at me again, striking me multiple times in the head before everything went black.
RPOV
I watched Victor dump Dimitri's body into the trunk of the car before heading towards the entrance of the building. There was something about Dimitri that made me curious, but that may have just been because I was invested in my job. I was a good agent, Carver had told me I was one of his most valued.
We made it to the service elevator and pulled down the safety guard before ascending to the top floor. The lift was shaky and loud, making me grab onto the railing when I jolted roughly. I never liked elevators. Maybe I could get Carver to push that fear out of me. When we made it to the top I let a slow breath from my lips as Victor lifted the safety guard and I slipped off of it quickly, the heels of my boots clicking loudly on the floor.
Carver followed and smoothed his tie as he walked, Victor hot on his heels. It was striking to see the two working together. Victor was pale and fair with platinum hair and bright blue eyes, while Carver had eyes the colour of black coffee, and his skin just as dark. The black suit almost blended in with his skin. She was a master of death, and it was only right that people feared him. HE was powerful, and anyone would be stupid to underestimate him.
I followed them to a row of lockers and stood across from Carver, taking a glance around. The space was huge, and the structure looked unstable. I'd be glad to get this night over with.
"4100," Carver said gesturing to the lockers. Victor nodded and glanced at them, finding the one he wanted most. Victor lifted his hand up and I watched the metal locker warp under his gaze before the door swung open. There was a black suitcase set inside the locker and it flew out into Carvers waiting hand. Carver rested it in one hand and opened it with the other, checking the contents before closing it.
"Kill him," Carver said, taking the case by the handle and dropping his arm, "If that alright with you?" he continued, directing the question at me. I nodded my head, not sure why exactly he would want my opinion on the matter. Victor nodded at the both of us and Carver turned to head back to the elevator when the ceiling lights flashed on. I blinked as I adjusted to the light, noticing that we were no longer alone.
There had to have been dozens of people filling the room, some on the scaffolding, some on the partial second level, but the message was clear. We were easily outnumbered.
"The case, Agent Carver," a man called out. I took notice of the sunglasses on his face despite it being late at night and I clicked who he was. He was a member of the Strigoi. He was a bleeder.
"The contents of this case belong to the United States government," Carver called out, holding the case tighter in the grip. The man laughed and it sent a chill down my spine.
"Government? What Government? I don't see any Government here, aside from us," the man said with a slight bit of amusement leaking into his voice. "Be reasonable; there is no reason for anyone to die."
I snorted to myself quietly, taking notice of the number of guns his people were carrying. I spotted only two bleeders, but a lot of guns. I could see Carver and Victor taking it all in out of the corner of my eye, calculating and planning. The blonde woman standing next to the man had a smug look on her face as she watched us, and I wanted nothing more than to wipe it off her face.
I glanced at Carver again just as Victor rolled his shoulders back. His hands came up in a flash and the equipment lying around flew out around us, flying towards the Strigoi members. Carver lunged for me and pulled me along with him, our heads ducked down as we slipped behind the row of lockers. I went to one side as Carver went to another, flattening my back against it. I could hear the sounds of gun fire, grunting, ricocheting and glass shattering.
"Victor! Make me a way out of here!" Caver screamed, bringing his gun up and cocking it. I could hear the fight continue and I shifted down the row, tipping my head out to look. I jerked back when a bullet ricochet off the locker and took a deep breath before bolting towards the concrete pillar a few feet away.
I got there without getting shot but realized I put myself in an even worse position. I was exposed on two sides now. I turned my head and spotted a staircase, but someone was coming down it, heading right for me.
I didn't even need to look him in the eye to push him now. Put the gun down.
I watched the push take hold, and he came to a stop at the bottle of the stairs, crouching down and setting the gun on the floor. The minute he stood back up he went back down again, a bullet lodged in his head. I glanced at Carver before going for the gun and then the stairs, running up them to get to a better advantage point.
I knew there were a handful of men behind me so I put the gun down and raised my hands in a surrendering gesture, slowly turning to them. It only took a second for me to take hold of their minds, they were under my control now. It was like a blink and they were no longer members of the Strigoi, but my own soldiers.
There was a clamour of feet on the stairs and I turned, my soldiers turning too. If these men were going to try and kill me, they could die for me now. Three more Strigoi came to the top of the stairs, confusion crossing their faces before they were shot.
A flicker caught my attention and I looked down towards the tower of scaffolding. Victor moved swiftly towards the structure and I followed his line of sight. Dimitri. I had to give it to him, he was determined. But it was pointless really, Victor was much stronger. I couldn't watch for much longer, my attention was pulled back to the people in front of me.
It was like our minds were one fluid machine, the thought would appear in my head and flow into theirs. One soldier went down, one would move to block me. Perfect motions, perfect timing. It was as if they were one with me. Taking a chance, I glanced to where I had seen Victor going off to.
I could see the two fighting from here, but it looked like Dimitri was winning. He had Victor on his back and was holding onto a large piece of wood that was sharp at the end. The high pitch ringing met my ears when I watched the two men flinch and cover their ears. I moved my eyes around and found the blond woman from earlier standing a few feet away, her eyes so red I could see the vividness from here. Victor moved his hand from his ear in a sweeping motion and a broken piece of scaffolding flew out towards her, lodging itself in her throat.
The ringing stopped only for a moment when the man who had spoken to Carver stepped into view, his gaze falling on the woman immediately. He let a scream too, so intense and loud that I could feel the vibrates. I flinched but knew that the waves couldn't hurt me from here, but it would definitely hurt Victor and Dimitri. It would most likely kill them.
Dimitri managed to seal his hands over his ears but Victor didn't, I could see the blood running from his ears from here. Dimitri stood up as the structure above him shook, and he ran out just as it collapsed down onto the three of them, trapping Victor and the Strigoi leader inside. Once the structure was done, the screaming had stopped.
I turned my attention back to me just as another shot went off, killing another Strigoi as he crept behind me. I looked around and was satisfied by the sounds around me. Nothing. There was absolute silence.
"Woah! I'm impressed," Carver said coming up the stairs, "The engineers are always conservative with their projections, but this is something else."
I turned towards him, my soldiers turning too.
"Hey! We're on the same side. Remember? Now why don't you march the men who tried to kill us off this roof and we'll call it a day."
I shrugged and turned again, moving towards the unfinished floor. The floor dropped out, the structure for the elevator shaft not yet complete. I projected the thought of walking off the room and watched the men walk off the edge.
"Rose!" I heard someone yell, looking over to find Dimitri running up the stairs and towards me. "Don't do this! It's a push! What Carver told you was a lie."
My brows knitted together the slightest bit and turned towards him. Dimitri's mouth was bloody and his eye was starting to bruise.
Carver sighed in annoyance. "I'm sure they make a card for this," he snarked as he lunged at Dimitri, a fist landing on him hard in the face. I watched the two grapple for a few moments, Carver getting Dimitri down on all fours before kicking him hard in the stomach, all while still holding the case firmly in his hand. I felt an odd pang in my gut and looked away, not being able to watch Carver beat on Dimitri.
"Where were we?" Carver asked, gripping onto the collar of Dimitri's shirt, yanking him back up to his feet. "Where were we!"
Dimitri jerked out of Carver's hand but I already could see his pupils contracting, a push already set in. Dimitri's whole body relaxed as he moved away from him, turning towards the edge of the floor. I had a moment of panic when I realized what Carver had made him do, but at the same time, I was confused about the feeling. Too many feelings and emotions were flitting through me.
Carver followed behind Dimitri when he faltered at the edge as if he was fighting the push. Carver put his hand up to shove him off when Dimitri turned, knocking his fist firmly against Carver's face. Carver hadn't expected it and stumbled back, dropping the case. It bounded across the floor and burst open. We all moved for the case at the same time. Dimitri got to it first and picked up the syringe, pulling it out of the canister and holding it to the crook of his elbow.
"You don't want to do that," Carver said.
"Oh yeah? Watch me," Dimitri retorted back, fisting his arm to create pressure to make a vein rise. Looking at the drug in the syringe made me grimace. The pain was excruciating, it felt like someone had set my veins on fire when it had been injected into me. The conflicting emotions were fighting, and I didn't want him to do it because I knew that it would most likely kill him, either during the process or after.
"You'd be doing me a favour if you did. What's in that needle will kill you. We went through hundreds of potentials to find her," Carver said, pointing at me. He had told me that I was the only one to survive the process. That was why he kept me so close. "She is our survivor."
Dimitri's eye twitched the slightest bit and his eyes moved to me with intensity. I felt frozen under it and looked down.
"Look at me."
Dimitri's voice made me react, and I looked up.
"You know me," he said pleadingly, "And I know you."
I swallowed roughly flicking my eyes to Carver.
"Look at me," Dimitri said again, his voice a bit softer, "Look at me."
I looked back at him with a small sigh, finding so much longing in his eyes. My head felt so full, like it was filled with sawdust and had been blown up. For a second I thought a flicker of something ran through my mind, a smell. Pine and soap, it was smell smelling a forest. And with the smell was a flash of a smile, joyful and nervous at the same time. I felt everything spin around me.
"Let him do it," Carver said lowly, sounding bored. I stepped back, standing down in a sense. There was too much happening and I didn't know what to think or feel. I didn't look at Dimitri but I knew that he took the drug, hearing him groan as he hit the floor. The was a muffled sound when the syringe slipped from his fingers and clattered against the floor. I peaked at him after a few moments of hearing him groan and gasp in pain, but he grew silent.
I bit my lip and felt my shoulders drop. He was dead.
"What a waste," Carver said waving his hand in Dimitri's direction. Carver sighed and gestured for me to follow him, a clear indication that we were done here. I followed after him, stepping over the bodies that litter the floor, but looked back over my shoulder.
If I had only met this man last week, then why did the thought of him dead make my chest so tight?
CASSIE
I climbed the stairs and grimaced at all of the people dead on the floor, but found the one I was looking for. He was laying not far from the case, the pipe from the room leaking down on him ever so slightly. I pulled the umbrella up from my bag and opened it, holding it over my head as I stood over him. I nudged him hard against the shoulder with my boot.
His eyes fluttered open groggily and looked up at me.
"I told you to bring an umbrella."
Dimitri smirked slightly, "I thought you said it was going to rain?"
I laughed and shrugged. "I get things wrong sometimes."
Dimitri nodded his head with a groan and took the hand I extended out to help him up. He grunted and moaned as he got up, and I noticed just how much of a beating he had taken during the night.
"Maybe it'll wash the crap out of your hair," Dimitri quipped with a chuckle and I rolled my eyes. "So where is the real case?"
I jerked my thumb over my shoulder and led him out of the building. Once we got outside and dropped the umbrella and ran over to the duster a few feet away, climbing up on the edge of it and reached in. I pulled out the case and jumped off the edge. I set it down on the skid beside it and snapped the lock open, pulling out the syringe. The real drug, hidden safely away only a few feet away.
Dimitri took it from my hand and looked at it with a scoff.
"How long do you think our families have been planning this?" Dimitri asked before tossing the case back into the dumpster.
"Since before we were born," I said, "I don't know what the next step is, but another envelope showed up at Lissa's. Six plane tickets back to the US inside. All the note said was get home with the initials A.M."
Dimitri nodded and rolled his shoulders with a pinched face. I started walking towards the car I borrowed with Dimitri behind me.
"Hey! What did I inject myself with?"
I turned and smirked at him as I walked backwards. "Nine Dragon Soy Sauce."
"That's gross," he said with a nod of acknowledgment. I snickered.
"So? What about Rose?"
"You're the watcher; you tell me."
I smiled at him even though I could hear the sadness in his voice.
"I think we'll see here again," I said opening the driver seat door. Dimitri looked at me and then the door with a disapproving look. I rolled my eyes, he was such a stickler sometimes.
"I may not have a valid license, but I didn't just have my ass kicked. I'm driving."
Hello hello!
I know A LOT has happened in this chapter and some things may seem confusing, but the next chapter will straighten things out!
Let me know what you think!
