I made it to the sixth floor and beelined for the office at the back, slipping inside it and closing the door behind me, leaning against it with a deep sigh.

"I need to talk to you," I bit out.

"I didn't realize that we were friends," Meredith said sarcastically as she typed, her eyes not leaving the notes she was typing.

"I fucked up."

"How? You already left Adrian," she said looking up at me for a moment.

"I kissed him."

"Adrian?"

I groaned and covered my face with my hands. "No. Dimitri."

Meredith's fingers stopped fluttering over the keys and she looked at me, eyes widening.

"Oh my God. You fucked up," she said in surprise. I moaned to myself and flung myself into the chair across from her, sprawling haphazardly.

"God, how could I be so stupid!?"

Meredith made a noise, and I looked up and narrowed my eyes. "Don't answer that. It was a rhetorical question."

Meredith held her hands up with a smirk and spun in her chair, grabbing the baseball off her desk and tossing it between her hands.

"Was it with tongue? Or just like a regular kiss?"

I groaned loudly and she laughed. "Okay, what exactly happened?"

I sighed and explained how the night went, and how I ended up staying at his place again. When I got to the part of the actual kiss, Meredith had a shit eating grin on her face.

"He made a move on you, dude. Embrace it."

"He didn't make a move on me. He probably just let me kiss him because I'm broken."

Meredith lobbed the baseball at me and I leaned out of the way as it whizzed past my shoulder. I thumbed against the square of foam taped to the wall and bounced over the floor.

"The fuck, Mer?!"

"Get a grip! He's hot as fuck, he's been by your side through this whole situation, and he helped you get out. He brings you coffee and you are the only person I see him smile at that isn't one of the partners. He kissed you, you kissed him back, done deal. Either bump or don't, but accept that you kissed your boss."

I groaned again. "Fuck. I kissed my boss. I slept in his bed. He almost had his hand up my shirt."

Meredith spat her coffee over her computer screen and coughed, grabbing a tissue out of the box on her desk.

"He what?!"

I shook my head and stood up, smoothing my skirt down.

"I'm so fired," I mumbled as I pulled her door open.

I made it to my office and sat down, sighing as I looked at Avery. I guess she would be taking over my job once HR was finished with me. At least then I wouldn't have to watch her flirt with Dimitri. I pulled my clip out of my hair and ran my fingers along my scalp, rubbing to relieve the tension.

"You look like shit," Avery commented from her desk.

"Yeah, I'm hearing a lot of this," I said making a talking motion with my hand, "And I want to hear this," I finished off by holding my hand closed. I didn't bother looking up from the purchase agreement I was reviewing as I fired back at her.

If I could do Dimitri's real estate full time, I would be happier than a pig in shit.

I started entering the information into our software and pulled the title searches, putting the file together as Dimitri strolled into the office, coffee tray in his hand. He set one on Avery's desk before turning to me, holding mine out to me.

I looked up and then at the coffee, a small smile gracing my lips. I traded the coffee for the file and took a sip, leaning back in my chair as Dimitri went into his office. I sighed and tapped my fingers on the keyboard, looking at the message that popped up in the corner of my screen.

'Did you get canned yet?'

'No. He brought me a coffee.'

'That's a plus. Maybe he'll stick his tongue down your throat again.'

I huffed and closed out of the internal messaging system and shook my head, turning back to my work. I still had things to do for the real estate deal.

"Rose? Can you come in here please?"

I licked my lips and stood up, smoothing my clothes as I went. I stood in the doorway and looked at him as I waited.

"Come in, please. Shut the door," Dimitri said as he slipped notes back into the file. I did as he asked and stood in front of his desk, my hands clasped loosely in front of me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I furrowed my brows. "I'm fine?"

Dimitri raised a brow at me. "You were gone very early," he commented.

I cleared my throat and twisted my fingers. "Was I?"

Dimitri rolled his eyes and stood up, coming around the desk. I let go of my hands and rolled my shoulders back, looking up at him as he came to a stop in front of me. His smile was soft and tender and he brushed my hair behind my ear.

"Why do you look so guilty?" he chuckled, "Did you spit in the coffee pot before you left?"

I scoffed and shook my head. "No, of course not."

"Then what?"

I shifted on my feet and shrugged. "You're my boss?"

"And?"

"And I kissed you?"

"Okay?"

"And I'm sorry?"

Dimitri gripped my jaw gently between his thumb and finger. "Don't ever apologize for doing something you want," he said gently. I let a slow trembling breath out and laughed lightly, looking down.

"But you're still my boss," I repeated.

Dimitri raised a brow at me and slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest slowly as if he didn't want to spook me.

"I don't see the problem here," he said seriously. I shook my head and glared at him.

"I do. I'm your secretary."

"Clerk. I hate the word secretary. Besides, I have more than one clerk. And I don't see why you're freaking out."

I could think of several reasons to freak out, but when he kissed me, they all became silent. It wasn't like it was last night, this kiss was slower. Dimitri's hands held my waist as we kissed, his tongue slipping into my mouth and rubbing against mine. I tilted my head to deepen the kiss and slid my hands up his arms, linking my fingers behind his neck.

I shivered when Dimitri's hand slid up my back, twisting his hand into my hair at the base of my neck. I pulled back enough to breathe, my eyes fluttering open slowly.

"Why were you freaking out again?" Dimitri asked, his lip brushing mine.

I licked my head and gave a jerky shake of my head. Dimitri chuckled under his breath and planted a kiss on my cheek before running his thumb just under my bottom lip. I smirked and saw the smudging of my lipstick on his finger and I ran my thumb around my lips to clean them up.

"If you don't get the mortgage instructions by the end of the week, let me know," Dimitri said as he leaned back against his desk, holding the file out to me. I grinned and took it from him.

"Okay," I whispered. Dimitri nodded and smiled at me as I turned to leave, clutching the file to my chest as I went. I set the file down on my desk and sighed, picking up the phone as it rang.

"Wiacek Blackmore," I said as I answered.

"Wow, professional much?"

"Oh, hi Mer," I drawled as I typed a response to an email.

"So you didn't answer my message, does that mean he railed you in his office."

"No, and I'm hanging up now," I exclaimed as my face flamed. I heard her laugh before I hung up the phone, pressing my hands to my face to cover up the blush. It was a while later that Dimitri came back out, setting a white file on my desk.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"This is for your meeting with Rufus Tarus."

"Why am I meeting with Rufus?" I asked.

"Because he has offered to take your case. I can't act for you, but I made a call to the only other person I know that will take this as seriously as I would."

I smiled at him and took the file from him, tucking it in my purse.

"You didn't need to pull strings for me," I said.

"I didn't, I just asked a favour for a friend," he replied. I could hear the hidden meaning in his words and I nodded, biting the corner of my lip.

"You're going to be late for your meeting," I mutter with a smile. Dimitri rolled his at me and stood up straight, flicking my nose playfully as he left. I shook my head and found Avery staring at me with narrowed eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"Why are you such a fangirl for him?"

I raised my brows. "A fangirl? I think you forget that you show your boobs off for him," I retorted.

"Yeah, but I don't get flustered coming out of his office. Maybe if you spent less time daydreaming over him, you'd get more work done," Avery said in a tone that implied she was in charge of me.

I raised my brows at her again when the door opened to our office. I turned and found Ivan standing there.

"You just missed him."

"I'm here for you actually. I need you to come with me," Ivan said with a sad look. I felt the good feeling bleed away from me.

"You have proof it was him," I said quietly.

"Not just that. C'mon, we need you to come down. I already called Rufus to come as well."

I picked up my coat and my purse, my brows furrowed. "How did you know I was retaining him?"

"Dimitri told me this morning," Ivan said as he helped me into my coat.


I couldn't admit how happy I was to see Baba sitting in the chair beside me. Knowing that he was here helped keep me calm despite wanting to sit here a sob.

Not only was Adrian seen on the security system coming into the building and kicking in my door, but he was still in the building when I got there. He was there until Dimitri showed up, and it made me sick to know that he saw me go to Dimitri.

"If he was wearing an ankle monitor, how did he slip by the police detail assigned to him?" Baba demanded, making me flinch at his outburst. Baba looked at me and gave me a sympathetic look, reaching over and gripping my hand tightly.

"We aren't exactly sure," the Sergeant said after a beat.

"How? How are we supposed to rely on the police department to protect my child, when you can't even keep a criminal under house arrest?!" Baba exclaimed, standing up and leaning over the table.

"Baba," I warned quietly. He had a hot temper, a temper that once upon a time I possessed as well, but now wasn't the time.

Baba turned his head and looked at me before sitting down, resting his arm on the back of my chair and resting his hand on my shoulder.

"At this time, he is being returned to lock up because he violated the terms of his bail. This event is being documented," the Sergeant said when the door opened. I looked up and found Rufus in the doorway.

"My apologies, I was in court," Rufus said as he sat down beside me, "What exactly is being done to rectify this situation?"

The Sergeant recapped the conversation we had with Rufus, explaining that Adrian was going to be returning to prison until the next trial date. My phone kept buzzing on the desk in front of me and I gave everyone an apologetic look when I picked it up.

"Sorry, it's Dimitri," I said before opening the message.

"If your boss can't respect that you are dealing with something, then maybe you need to reconsider your employer," Baba said tersely. I narrowed my eyes at Baba and typed my response.

"He wanted to know if I was okay and if I needed him to come down here. In case you have forgotten, my employer is also my friend and gives a shit about me," I bit out."

Baba raised a brow at me and I saw Rufus try to suppress a grin.

"I can assure you Mr. Mazur, Mr. Belikov is anything but insensitive to the situation. In fact, he was at Rose's apartment last night once he found out and has been letting Rose stay with him out of concern for her safety."

"And why isn't he representing her if that were the case?"

I rolled my eyes and Rufus laughed at my reaction. "Mr. Belikov practices mostly in corporate, real estate and personal injury. This file was too far out of his comfort and asked that I take this on as a favour. Rose has always been a lovely woman to work with, and quite frankly, I am tired of watching strong women falling victim to scum like Adrian Ivashkov. Now, if you are done interrogating the wrong people, let's continue this meeting so that Ms. Hathaway can go and try to relax after the stressful day she has had. Agreed?" Rufus fired back at my father with raised brows.

Baba watched him carefully before leaning back in his seat, tenting his fingers as he looked at him.

"I agree," Baba said before turning back to the Sergeant.

We spent another hour with the Sergeant before we left. I felt exhausted by the time we left, and all I wanted to do was to go back to work and curl up on Dimitri's couch until he went home. But I was surprised to find that Dimitri was waiting for us when we left, leaning against his car with his hands in his duster pockets.

When he saw us he sat up straight, nodding at Rufus as we approached. I stepped out from under Baba's arm and walked into the waiting arm of Dimitri.

"Adrian is being sent back to Tarasov until a verdict is found. He can't hurt her for the time being," Rufus said to Dimitri.

"That's not true. He must have someone on the outside," Dimitri said as he wrapped his arm tight around me, resting his chin on top of my head. I closed my eyes tightly and buried my head in his duster, not wanting to hear any more of this. I was exhausted and I just needed to unwind for a bit.

Dimitri squeezed me gently and I felt him move to rest his cheek instead.

"I thought that as well," Rufus said quietly.

"And the police haven't thought of that?" Baba asked.

"They probably have," Dimitri admitted sadly, "Ivan said such last night when Rose was putting her things in my car."

"And my daughter's boss just felt that he needed to keep her safe?" Baba demanded.

I turned at looked at Baba with a glare while Dimitri rubbed my shoulder gently.

"Get that idea out of your head, Baba!" I snapped, "Not everyone is a monster!"

"I find it alarming that he has decided to open his home to his assistant and is here waiting for you, all while he would have seen the signs for months and did nothing about it. Makes me wonder what ulterior motives he may have!"

I turned out of Dimitri's arms and moved to lunge at Baba, but Dimitri held me back gently, gripping the back of my coat.

"That accusation is so far off, it's disgusting," Dimitri snapped. "In case you have forgotten, you saw all the signs too and did nothing about it. I've been here and had to watch Rose get hurt over and over until I knew that Rose had finally seen what was happening. I have been here making sure that she's safe and taken care of, while making sure that mentally she is okay. Don't you dare lecture me on my intentions!"

I leaned back into him, gripping his hand tightly. I didn't like hearing his voice raised, mostly because hearing raised voices still bothered me. Dimitri noticed my cringe and held my hand tightly, running his thumb against the back of my hand.

Baba's eagle eye caught it and he narrowed his eyes at Dimitri, but I returned the glare with my own.

"Don't," I growled.

Baba raised his brows at me and I shook my head, slipping my fingers between Dimitri's and moving to walk back towards his car.

"You don't get to act like the concerned parent when you didn't hear from me for almost a year and didn't think anything of it. Someone did do something, you don't get to judge," I growled as I let go and climbed into the passenger seat.


I laid on the couch with my head in Dimitri's lap, eyes glued to the snow falling outside the window.

Dimitri ran his fingers through my hair and was silent, but I could tell that he was worried about me. I cried silently the whole ride back to the office. Dimitiri still had files he needed to finish up but I didn't want to go back to his place alone. So I slipped into his office when Avery had stepped out of the room.

"What do you need, Roza?"

I sniffed and wiped the tear that crawled down my cheek. "I just need this to be over."

Dimitri's fingers ran behind my ear and tucked my hair away from my face. "It will be soon," Dimitri whispered.

"You don't know that. He was charged with attempted murder and they still let him out. He broke into my apartment and he still got away with it. How has the system failed so many times?"

Dimitri breathed slowly and continued to run his fingers through my hair, rubbing his fingers against my scull.

"There are so many holes in the system these days. But I promise, I won't let him hurt you again," Dimitri said softly. I nodded and wiped my face, sighing as I tucked my hand under my cheek.

Dimitri's phone had been ringing almost constantly since we got back, but he told Avery that he didn't want to be disturbed unless it was urgent or if it was Ivan or Rufus. I closed my eyes and tried to calm the raging thoughts in my head, but I kept coming back to the video of Adrian kicking my door in.

I managed to doze off but was startled awake when Avery opened the office door, talking without being invited in. I jumped and started to panic but Dimitri's hand gripped my shoulder gently, easing me to lay back down. I twitched a little as my brain caught up with me and I was able to determine the difference between dream and reality.

"It's okay, you're okay," Dimitri reassured me as he rubbed my arm.

I nodded and laid back down in his lap, curling my arm under my head.

"What is so urgent that you couldn't knock?"

Avery looked at the two of us and cleared her throat. "Mr. Zeklos is here."

Dimitri sighed and closed the file he had been reviewing and used his long reach to set it on the desk.

"Okay. But next time, knock," Dimitri said firmly. Avery pursed her lips together and eyed me before Ivan slipped into the room.

"Hey, kid. How are you holding up?"

"Not great," I said glumly, "I just want this nightmare to be over."

"I know," Ivan said sadly and then eyed Avery. "Can I help you with something?"

Avery shook her head and closed the door behind her. Ivan moved towards the desk and set the takeout bag he had on it and then sat on the edge.

"Your dad is terrifying."

I snorted and laughed dryly. "He can be. It's crazy to think I used to have his temper," I said and sat up, crossing my nylon-covered legs and moved my skirt so that I was covered.

"I can't wait to see it," he chuckled and started to pull take-out containers out of the bag and handing them to us.

I opened the lid and smiled to find my favourite Chinese food in the container.

"How did you know?"

"I simply picked it up, Dimitri ordered it," Ivan mumbled as he stuffed food in his mouth. I smiled and pulled the chopsticks apart and dug into my food, using it to think about something else.

"You know, your other clerk is kind of a bitch," Ivan mumbled with a mouthful, "She would stop talking to her friend long enough to tell you that I'm here."

I snorted. "Of course not. She spends way too much time at work with her social life. If I have to listen to her talk about her previous night's hook up one more time, I'm going to barf."

Dimitri raised his brows at me. "How often does she do that?"

I blanched and cleared my throat. "I'm no snitch."

"I could always pull up the browser history remote," Dimitri chuckled.

"Wait, you can see what we do on our computers?"

Dimitri nodded. "Yes. All of us can. Why, do you do inappropriate things on your computer?"

I shook my head. "No, of course not. I'm just surprised. If anyone had done that six months ago, they would have known something was wrong," I said with a shrug. "This was the only place I felt safe enough to look for help."

Dimitri chewed in silence. "I never did it to you because I never felt the need to check on what you were doing on company time," he said after a moment.

I nodded. "You respect your staff, it's fine," I said softly.

Dimitri dug his chopstick around his food with a small nod and gave me a weak smile. I frowned and looked at Ivan, finding an equally sad look.


I felt numb as I sat in the courtroom. I thought that will all the physical proof that we had, Adrian wouldn't get away with what he had done to me for years, but I guess money spoke volumes. The only charge he couldn't make go away was the breaking and entering charge. Everything he did to me was swept under the rug by his skeezy lawyer.

And I knew that his family was friends with the judge. Rufus did everything he could to get a new judge on our case, but we couldn't.

If it was a jury trial, it would have gone differently.

"How did he get away with this?"

"I don't know. I'm so sorry," Rufus said. I nodded and looked at him, giving him a tight smile.

"I know. You did the best you could. But he's dirty," I whispered. Rufus squeezed my shoulder and I watched Adrian walk out of the courtroom, a smug look on his face as he did. I shivered and turned away from him so I didn't have to see him anymore.

"What do I do now? A restraining order isn't going to do shit. I can't spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder, terrified that he's going to find me again. He knows where I work, and it didn't take him long to figure out where I lived."

Rufus grimaced and gestured for me to follow him out, my parents and Dimitri a few steps behind. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair when I caught sight of a familiar blonde holding a baby, her brows pinched together in worry. I sagged a little and watched her hand her baby over to Christian before she walked quickly toward me.

I broke away from the group and met her halfway, meeting her in a bone-breaking hug. I sighed and rested my chin on her shoulder.

"I wish you had just called me, I would have done anything," Lissa sighed in my ear as she squeezed me tightly.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"It's okay, really. I just wish I could have helped," Lissa said sadly, pulling back to look at me. I nodded and she shook her head and pulled me back into another hug.

"I can't believe he got away with all of it."

"Yeah, you and me both," I said glumly. "I'm terrified. What am I going to do?"

"You could always come and stay with me and Christian," Lissa offered but I shook my head.

"My qualifications would be useless in another state," I said sadly. Lissa's brows furrowed and she looked over my shoulder as my parents approached.

I turned to them and tried to put on a brave face, but it fell flat.

"Let me come and stay with you," Lissa pleaded, "I promise Jamie isn't loud and I really think that you could use some bonding time."

I smiled at her. "I'd love that, but I'm actually staying with Dimitri for the time being," I explained. Dimitri came and stood behind me, resting his hands on my shoulders.

"I don't mind," he said kindly, "Actually, I wouldn't mind having the little one around."

"Really?" Lissa asked with a slight beam in her eyes. "He loves people, especially anyone with long hair!"

"Yeah, I love kids. If you want Lissa to stay for a bit, I have no issues with that," Dimitri said, kissing my temple. I smiled up at him before looking at Lissa with an excited look.

"Okay then. I guess we can have some of that girl bonding time," I said with the first bit of excitement I had felt in weeks.


I was a little anxious as I waited to be called into the meeting. The partners of the firm requested that I meet with them at their next partners' meeting. I played so many scenarios over in my head trying to figure out why they wanted me there.

When I was called in I took a deep breath and sat down in a chair that was provided for me at the boardroom table. I looked at the partners around the table, reassured to see both Dimitri and Alberta with neutral expressions on their faces. But every single person in this room had a poker face, so I couldn't exactly take it with stride.

"Thank you for meeting with us," Mr. Blackmore said from one side of the table.

"Of course," I replied.

"We are all aware of the outcomes of your trial. And we wanted to ensure the safety of our staff," Mr. Blackmore began but I cut in.

"Am I going to be losing my job?" I asked quietly.

Mr. Blackmore gave me a meek smile. "No. You are included in the safety that we provide for our staff. We can assure you that we will do what we can to protect you at work, but we have another proposition."

I nodded alone as I listened to them.

"You are aware that our firm buys commercial rental properties, and the occasional residential property," Rufus continued with a small smile.

I nodded. "Yes. Mr. Belikov usually has me assist on those transactions," I replied, still unsure of the point of this meeting.

The partners all seemed to share a knowing look.

"We are purchasing this residential property," Alberta said as she slid a folder toward me on the table. I pulled it towards me and looked over the listing. It was a few houses down from where Dimitri lived. It was a smaller house, but it was beautiful.

"It's a beautiful house, you'll be able to get a tenant for sure," I said and pushed the file back toward Alberta.

"We, as a firm, want to know if you would like to be the tenant?"

I stared blankly at the partners.

"What?"

"We know that you are scared of Adrian finding you again. As our tenant, we can be assured that you wouldn't destroy the property, but we can also do what we can to protect you outside of the office. This way, we can keep your address private within our servers and files, and you know that we wouldn't disclose that information to anyone. Plus, Mr. Belikov is only a few houses down if something were to happen," Mr. Blackmore said kindly said as he tented his fingers together, "If you would like to take on the leasehold, we can have an agreement drawn up. The property will be furnished by us, and we can come up with a rent agreement that suits you."

I looked at all of them and I caught Dimitri with a small smile on his face.

"This is too much," I said quietly.

"We know now that all the extra hours you put in may have been so that you didn't have to go home, but we want you to know that we value and appreciate every extra mile you have gone for this firm. We want to return the favour. Let us protect you," Dimitri said tapping his fingers on the table gently.

I looked at all of them again and found that the poker faces were gone. In their places were encouraging smiles.

"Thank you," I said after a moment, "This means a lot to me. I've been terrified to start looking for a new place to live."

"The home will also be installed with a security system," Alberta added in, "It is a standard policy in all of our properties, but we will have two people on staff as well as yourself who will be notified if the alarm goes off. All we ask is that you arm the system as soon as you go into the house."

I nodded and looked at the file in front of me. "Do you have a draft contract done up?"

Dimitri chuckled. "We will have one drafted by the end of the day. Meredith will be doing up the contract."

I nodded. "Okay, thank you."

"Now that that is settled, let's discuss a figure for rent," Rufus said with a smirk, pulling a pen out of his pocket and pulling the notepad towards him.


Once I finally got settled into the house, I felt like I could breathe again. When the partners said they were going to install a security system, they didn't skimp out. There were cameras when you walked to the door. I had no idea where the camera was until I hung up a hanging plant and Dimitri told me I blocked the camera.

"What? How do you know?"

"Didn't Rufus tell you where the camera feed was? The app?"

I shook my head and handed Dimitri my phone. He smirked the whole time as he installed the app on my phone and then handed it back to me.

"I only have temporary access to the feed. Alberta has access too just in case," Dimitri said.

"Are there other cameras?"

"They are on the doors leading out of the house. You can't see in, out of respect and privacy, but just outside in case anyone comes to the house."

I smirked and boldly sat in his lap, crossing my legs demurely. Dimitri handed my phone back to me and glanced at the door before resting his hand on my knee.

"Do you want to have dinner with me tonight? I'll cook?" I asked with a small smile.

"Is that code for you'll try to cook and burn it, so you'll end up ordering takeout?" Dimitri asked through his laughter.

I rolled my eyes at him as he kissed my cheek. "Yes."

"I'd love to. I won't turn down spending my night with you," he said kindly. I hummed in appreciation and leaned into him, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. Dimitri leaned into me and squeezed my knee when we pulled apart.

"Seven?"

"Sounds perfect to me," he said squeezing my knee. I stood up and squealed when he swatted my ass gently. I glared at him playfully and smirked before heading towards the door.

"Stop staring at my ass," I said as I gripped the handle.

"Can't help it. I've been doing it for almost two years now," he said as he read an email he was sent. I rolled my eyes again.

I chuckled to myself as I walked out and went back to my desk, going over the files I had left for the day. Avery had a friend stop by and the two of them hadn't stopped talking in almost an hour, much to my annoyance. I was starting to feel like I was getting her overflow when she was hired to take my overflow.

"So that's the one who's sleeping her way through the bosses?" her friend whispered, but it wasn't even a real whisper.

Avery snorted a laugh. "Yeah. Got them to buy her a house too," Avery snickered. "If only I could stoop so low."

I was about to snap at Avery when another person cut in.

"Ms. Bradshaw; while you may think that the gossip is worth your time, it is workplace harassment. What Ms. Hathaway does outside of work is frankly none of your business. And before you try to turn this around on Ms. Hathaway and Mr. Belikov, their relationship is registered with HR and the situation of her housing is out of concern for her safety. Now, I believe your lunch was two hours ago. If you are not here for an appointment, I will be asking you to leave," Alberta cut in, her hands on her hips as she stared Avery down.

It took everything in me not to laugh at the smack down Avery got, but I caught Dimitri out of the corner of my eye and a snort made its way through.

"Avery, in my office please," Dimitri said sternly, holding the door open. Avery gathered her things and went into his office while Alberta followed. After a few minutes, Rebecca from HR followed them as well. I shrugged it off and figured she was getting a warning, which was severely overdue. I kept working and organised the files for signing when Ivan walked in and plopped himself into one of the waiting chairs.

"Here to annoy me some more?" I snickered.

"Nah, I'm here for work."

I paled and he sat up quickly, waving his hands. "No, no. Not for you. Just to make sure there are no disgruntled employees." I knitted my brows together in confusion but shrugged it off, sending off some emails to other clerks in the building about various files.

Did they can her yet? -M.

I opened the messaging system and typed back. Who?

AVERY! - M

No? Why would they?

Because she's the one who told Adrian where you lived! She's scum! – M

I cocked my head to the side and then looked at Ivan.

"Something you need to tell me, Detective?" I asked Ivan as I folded my hands on the keyboard, staring him down. Ivan fidgeted and looked guilty.

"No?"

"Really? Then how does everyone else in the building know that Avery is why Adrian broke into my apartment?"

Ivan groaned. "How the fuck do they know. It was supposed to be hush hush until after she was escorted off the premises."

I rolled my eyes. "You put a bunch of women in an office building, ever bit of juicy information is going to be known."

"I should have known that. Dimitri's sisters are like that. They feed on the smallest bit of gossip," Ivan snickered.

I chuckled and wanted to ask more but the door to Dimitri's office opened and I pointedly looked at my screen so I didn't look like I knew what had happened in his office. Avery stalked to her desk and started collecting her personal effects and handed her key card to Rebecca. Avery glared at me as she left, but I kept my eyes on the screen until she left.

The elevator doors closed and I turned to look at Dimitri with raised brows.

"Just an fyi, everyone in the building knows what happened. I found out over the messaging system."

Alberta rolled her eyes. "Oh for God's sake… It had to be Bennett. I'll go deal with it."

Alberta left and I raised my brow at Dimitri. "Did you know before today that she tipped Adrian off?"

Dimitri shook his head and ran his hand over his face. "No clue. I was surprised but agreed with the other partners that it was grounds for dismissal. She put another staff member at risk, plus, we found some things on her computer that were cause for alarm, and dismissal as well," Dimitri explained.

"You'll be my only clerk for the time being."

"That's fine, I can handle the pressure," I said. Dimitri frowned and nodded, running his hand through his hair.

"I know you can," he said sadly, picking up the files that he needed to review.


I was preoccupied when I got home. I walked in and set my keys on the hook inside the door. I stopped after a moment and turned back, realizing that the alarm didn't sound when I came in. I know for sure that I set it before I left because I set the alarm off by mistake.

I walked back to it and flipped the panel cover down, scrolling through the activity log to see that the alarm had been deactivated around five o'clock. It was six-forty now.

I took a slow breath and stepped slowly into the hall, pulling my phone out of my pocket as I walked. I poked my head around the corner and started to dial on my phone when I saw that my living room was a mess. I turned to walk back out the front door when the door to the bathroom creaked. I turned in time to see Adrian fly out of the bathroom and wrap his fist into my sweater.

"Happy to see me?" he asked, the smell of booze wafting off his breath.

"You aren't supposed to be here," I said.

"What? Didn't want me to know about the nice night you had planned?" he asked as he dragged me away from the wall, shoving me to the floor. I landed funny on my arm and gasped at the sickening pop my elbow made.

"Didn't want me to know about the plans you had with the man you've been sleeping with since you started working with him?" he accused as he stepped over the broken glass on the floor. I pushed myself up and I screamed when his hand wrapped into my hair as he yanked me up.

"I'm not sleeping with him," I gritted through my teeth, gripping on the hand that held my hair.

"Right," he chuckled and tossed me to the side. I rolled over the glass and stumbled to my feet, trying to reach the back door but he was too quick. Instead of reaching the door with my hand, he shoved me into it, my head bashing against the door with a thud. I sunk down and whimpered as I tried to get up, but my head throbbed. I gasped when Adrian gripped my hair and yanked my head up, cold metal going to my neck.

"You stupid, stupid girl. If I can't have you, he sure as hell can't," Adrian whispered in my ear.

I whimpered again but screamed when my head fell downwards and cracked against the hardwood floor, the weight over me was gone. I blinked the tears out of my eyes and turned my head, finding Adrian grappling with someone.

I slowly pushed myself up and winced, zoning in on the hulking figure that was delivering blow after blow on Adrian.

"Dimitri?"

That slight moment of hesitation caused Dimitri to look away, giving Adrian the perfect opportunity to swipe upward with the knife in his hand. Dimitri grunted and clutched at his stomach, red seeping from between his fingers.

The horror of what happened settled into my brain as Adrian plunged the knife into Dimitri's stomach again. Dimitri slide over to the side for a moment and it was all that Adrian needed to gain the upper hand. But I wasn't going to let him. I pushed myself up despite the pain and ran at him, throwing myself at Adrian to knock him off Dimitri.

We hit the floor with so much force that I bounced off him, skidding across the floor. I rolled to get up again but found that Dimitri was already on him, his arm wrapped around Adrian's neck. The look on Dimitri's face was terrifying. It was cold and calculated while pressing his other arm against the back of Adrian's head until his eyes rolled back into his head and there was a slight crack.

Dimitri let go of Adrian and he slumped to the floor.

I took a shuddered breath and looked at Dimitri. The blood continued to seep through his shirt as he stood on his knees, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"Dimitri?" I whispered, crawling forward despite the glass on the floor.

Dimitri grimaced and pressed his hand over his stomach before falling backwards. I gasped and stumbled towards him, pressing my hand over his.

I patted his pockets and found his phone, pulling it out to call for help. Dimitri's hand slipped against mine and I dropped his phone when blood started to spill between my fingers.

"He can't hurt you anymore," Dimitri grunted. I sighed and nodded, not really processing the words that he said. I heard someone speak on Dimitri's phone and I spoke loudly, telling them that I needed police and an ambulance.

Dimitri tried to get up but I shushed him, pressing him back down so I could keep pressure on his stomach.


I scrolled through my phone as I waited for Dimitri to wake up. I was given a pair of scrubs to change into while I was being examined. My clothes were drenched with Dimitri's blood and I started to get wigged out when that settled in my head.

Dimitri had to undergo surgery to fix the damage he sustained. When the doctor came out and told me that they ran into some issues due to scar tissue, I didn't know where he would have gotten it from, but nodded and asked if I could sit with him until he woke up.

And now I was still waiting, hoping that everything was going to be okay.

I jumped when he groaned and I set my phone down, moving to the edge of my seat.

"Dimitri?"

He made a grunt and his eyes opened, his face twisting as he moved. I stood up and pressed the call button to let the nurses know he was awake.

"Dimitri?" I whispered, brushing his cheek softly. He blinked a few times and turned to look at me, a goofy grin crossing his lips.

"Are you my nurse?" he slurred, laughing as he spoke. I rolled my eyes and shook my head, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

"No," I chuckled and stroked his cheek, "You're still on the morphine."

"I know. I remember the feeling," Dimitri grumbled as his hand brushed over his side where he was stabbed.

"How do you feel?"

"Fantastic," he grumbled before reaching for my hand that cupped his cheek. He pulled my hand down and he pressed a kiss to my palm.

"How are you feeling?"

I scoffed. "I'm not the one who got stabbed!"

"No, but you were attacked in your home, again," Dimitri said seriously despite being higher than a kite.

"Except you saved me this time," I whispered. Dimitri nodded and kissed my palm again.

"How did you do that to him? You seemed so sure of what you were doing."

Dimitri sighed and closed his eyes, pressing a long kiss to my hand.

"Remember when I said that I wasn't always a lawyer?"

I nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, slipping my fingers into his other hand. Dimitri was about to speak but the nurse walked in to examine him. He gave me a look that said later and I got up and stepped out of the room so that the nurses could look him over.

When I went into the hall Ivan was sitting there, drumming his fingers on his thigh.

"He's awake," I said and Ivan flinched, looking at me.

"Good, that's good," Ivan said and he wiped his hand over his face.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you?" he asked.

"For now," I said with a nod of my head and I sat in the vacant seat next to Ivan. "What going to happen?"

"With Dimitri?"

I noded my head.

"He'll be interviewed and evidence will be collected. He most likely won't get charged but it will be a lengthy process. But he'll be okay," Ivan said.

"Will he though? Adrian's dead," I whispered. I hated that I felt relieved when I was informed that Adrian was in fact dead. I hated that I felt a small margin of joy. I didn't need to look over my shoulder anymore, and I didn't need to be terrified. I could go on living my life now, not worried about the justice system failing me again.

"It isn't exactly self defence, but he did stab Dimitri, so it can be swung that way. Plus, with the damage Adrian did to your place and to you, Dimitri will look exactly like he is. A man who saved a woman from their abuser."

I nodded and pulled my feet up onto the chair. "It doesn't feel real yet."

"I'm not surprised."

I swallowed and looked at him, brows knitting together. "Dimitri said that you and him used to work together?"

Ivan nodded slowly.

"What did you do? Dimitri didn't hesitate."

Ivan leaned back in his chair with a quiet sigh. "We used to work for the American government."

"As?"

"The closest thing I can describe it to without outright telling you is black opp stuff."

"Why can't you tell me?"

Ivan smirked. "Cause then I'd have to kill you," he said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. But, if Dimitri is willing to tell you, let him tell you. It's his past to tell," Ivan said as he stood up, gesturing to one of the officers that was waiting to take Dimitri's statement.


I fretted around while Dimitri recovered, arranging his pillows, bringing him food and drinks, and making sure he took his medications. I was taken back when I answered the door for him one day and found a government agent standing on the other side.

"Hello?"

"Is Dimitri Belikov here?"

"He is," I said slowly and stepped aside when he gestured to come in. I followed the agent down the hall and Dimitri tried to stand up, but the man held a hand up and gestured for him to stay put.

Dimitri looked at me and then at the man. "Roza? Would you mind going to the store for me?"

I furrowed my brows but nodded asking what he needed and picked up my purse.

"I have my phone if you need me," I called out, but I didn't get a response. I took my time at the store, knowing that I was asked to leave because the two of them needed to talk. When I couldn't drag it out anymore, I grabbed takeout for dinner and headed back to Dimitri's house.

When I got back the extra car was still there, but Dimitri wasn't on the couch anymore.

"Dimitri?" I called out as I set the food on the counter.

"He's in the bathroom," the man said at the mouth of the hallway. I nodded and started taking food out of the bag and then grabbed plates, eyeing the man as I did.

"Who are you?" I asked, looking at him squarely.

"Hans Croft," he said plainly.

"And what exactly do you do that it requires me to leave the house so you can talk? I've about had enough of secrets."

He smirked at me and came to sit at the island. "You really are Mazur's kid."

"You know my father?"

He nodded. "I do. We were friends before you were born."

I nodded and started putting my food on my plate. I wasn't overly impressed with the game of charades that was happening, but when I heard a loud thump in the bathroom and Dimitri groaned, I bolted around the counter.

Hans got up too as I knocked on the door softly. "Dimitri? Are you okay?"

He groaned. "I'm fine."

"Can I come in?"

He didn't say no so I cracked the door open and slipped in, finding him on the floor beside the shower. I sighed softly and I leaned down to help him up. He wrapped his arms around my neck and I buckled down to lift him up. He grunted as his stitches moved and he let go of me to rest his hand on the sink.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"I tripped on the rug," he said and kissed my temple, "I'm okay."

I nodded and handed him the hand towel for him to dry his hands that were still wet from washing them.

"Why is he here?" I asked.

Dimitri stilled for a second and set the towel on the counter. "He used to be my boss."

"For what?"

Dimitri met my eyes and I could tell that he was conflicted. "I can't tell you."

I snorted a dry laugh and I shook my head. "Fine," I said and helped him out of the bathroom and back to the couch.

"I'll be at your hearing," Hans said as he helped me get Dimitri back on the couch.

"Great," I said as Dimitri sat down, and I looked Hans head on. Hans looked at me and I could tell he knew that I wasn't impressed with him or Dimitri right now. Hans said his goodbyes and left not long after and I went and got Dimitri food and his antibiotics, handing both of them to him. I grabbed my plate and sat in the armchair across from him instead of beside him like I had for the last few days.

"Roza."

"Eat and take your pill, Dimitri," I said plainly as I ate, not wanting to say anything else.

"I want to tell you, but I can't," he said but I looked at him with raised brows.

"Really? What could be worse than black opp stuff?"

Dimitri froze for a second. "Who told you that?"

"Ivan. He said it was your past to share. I get that you might have done things in the past you can't talk about, but I'm not prepared to be in a relationship where I'm constantly wondering if the person I'm laying next to could be dangerous."

Dimitri tensed and then sagged, setting his plate on the table with a grimace. "Roza, come here."

I took a slow breath and set my plate down on the table too and went over to the couch, standing in front of him. He reached for me and carefully pulled me down to sit on his lap. I did so in a way that I wasn't leaning against him, more so that I didn't hurt him.

"The first thing that you need to know, is that I will never hurt you the way Adrian did. He was a coward. Secondly, I am in love with you."

"What I did before I became a lawyer was covert. I was an eye for the American government. Ivan and I helped determine what gang organizations were going to become a problem. But there were other things that I did. Those are the things I can't tell you, because telling you would put you in danger. And I will not put you in danger," Dimitri explained softly, brushing his knuckles against my cheek.

"That doesn't state my concern," I whispered.

Dimitri leaned up and kissed my forehead. "I promise you that I am not dangerous. Not in the way that you think."

I pursed my lips and he smirked, kissing me softly.

"I'm not about to suffer a bout of PTSD and hurt you in your sleep or something. I am in control and I have monthly evaluations to make sure of that," he said, "I won't hurt you."

"Why was Hans here?"

"Because while I worked for the government, my file was heavily redacted. It will send up red flag during the investigation about Adrian."

"What kind of red flags?"

"The same ones that you thought of," Dimitri said honestly, "But that is why Hans was here. He will be present at the hearing, as will the doctor who does my evaluations. It's just protocol."

"And the other part?"

"What other part?" he asked.

"The part where you're in love with me?" I asked with a small smile. Dimitri cracked a grin and twisted his hand into the back of my hair and carefully pulled me towards him, catching my mouth with his.

"That part is honest true with nothing else there."

I smiled and kissed him. "Good, I was hoping that part was true, cause I've been dying trying to not blurt it out the last few days."

Dimitri rubbed his nose against mine tenderly. "I like hearing that," he said quietly.

"So, I don't need to worry about you?"

Dimitri shook his head. "No. The only reason you saw me like that was because all I could see was him hurting you. All I could think about was needing to protect you. Am I sorry for killing him in the process? No. Because he can't hurt you anymore."

I smiled hearing those words cross his lips and I rested my head on his shoulder.

"I'm free," I whispered.

Dimitri wrapped his arm around me and kissed my temple. "You really are, my love."


Six Months Later

I leaned over Meridith's shoulder as I watched her type her token into the registration system and check the last instrument number before hitting enter.

"Well, the house is officially, casa Hathaway!" Meredith said with a smirk.

"Yas!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands up in the air. I heard a chuckle and turned to see both Dimitri and Alberta standing in the doorway.

"I think this is the first time our firm has had an employee as a first time home buyer."

"I believe Rose is the first," Alberta chuckled.

I did a little happy dance as I waited for Meredith to print off a copy of the deed and fanned herself with it.

"So, you going to throw a ragger like we used to go to in college?"

I snorted and shrugged. "Maybe, we're supposed to be mature adults now," I giggled.

"You two went to college together?"

I nodded. "Yeah, for a little while. We went to some crazy parties back then," I said, "Actually, I think the party at our graduation was the last party I went to after dating Adrian…I haven't been to a party in six years."

"Sounds like perfect grounds to have a party," Alberta chuckled.

"Well if I have one, you have to come," I said pointing at her.

"Why just Alberta?" Meredith laughed.

"Because Dimitri will be there by default," I snickered and waited paitently for her to give me the lockbox code for my keys. She wrote it down for me and handed it over.

"Have fun!"

I smiled over my shoulder as I headed out of her office, stretching up on my toes to kiss Dimitri's cheek and the to hug Alberta. Alberta chuckled and hugged me back, rubbing my shoulder encouragingly.

"Head on out and start moving in, kiddo," Alberta said with a smile. I nodded and went back down to my office to get my purse, Dimitri following close behind. We had both taken the day off to get the last of my things ready for moving in. I purchased a house across the street from the one I rented. It was a steal and I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

I even low balled the seller, but they had seen me around and they sadly ended up hearing all of the drama that had happened. They felt that the house would be a perfect fresh start for me and took the lower bid.

"Ready to have an annoying ass neighbour?" I asked Dimitri with a cheeky grin.

"Oh I've hear my new neighbour is going to be a complete nuisance. At least she's cute," Dimitri said with a shrug.

I smacked his shoulder with a scoff. "Who are you calling your new neighbour cute!"

Dimitri chuckled and turned to me, wrapping his arm around my waist. "Sorry, extremely beautiful and annoying new neighbour."

I nodded. "Mmmhmm. Much better. You can also guarantee that she will be in your pool every day this summer," I said.

Dimitri smirked and pressed a heavy kiss on my lips. "Bathing suit not required," he chuckled.

I wagged my brows at him and grinned. "Damn right," I snickered. Dimitri winked at me and we stepped apart when the doors opened. I stepped off and Dimitri followed me, nodding at people as they passed.

"Pinch me," I said quietly when we got into his car.

Dimitri laughed. "What? Why?"

"Cause this all feels like a dream."

Dimitri rested his hand on my knee as we drove. "It's not. This is real."

I smiled and rested my head on the headrest and watched the road curve as we drove.

After Dimitri recovered from surgery, we went to the formal investigation. This time, the judge couldn't be bought or bribed. Dimitri was cleared of any charge that was laid against him and I got the opportunity to move forward.

It wasn't until after all of that that I found out that Adrian had my name on some of his bank accounts still. I thought he had taken my name of the accounts ages ago, but because my name was on it, it was technically mine.

I didn't want to touch the money, but I waited until I bought the house to use it.

I healed a lot after Adrian died. I was able to heal without fear, and I got to see what a true caring relationship looked like. Dimitri was a breath of fresh air in comparison. I didn't feel like I needed to walk on eggshells. Dimitri never made comments on what I ate, except for the occasional 'you should eat a vegetable too' every once in a while. He would buy me pizza once a week as a treat, and always told me how much he loved me. It wasn't the same as it was with Adrian. With Adrian it was empty, but with Dimitri, I could feel the sincerity.

"How are Lissa and Christian?"

"Good, Jamie is getting so big. They invited us to visit soon," I said with a smile.

"We'll have to pick a date," Dimitri said with a smile.

I smiled back at him and picked at the tear in my jeans. "Can I ask you something kind of random?"

"Do I ever stop you?"

I chuckled and shook my head. "No. But you and I have been together for almost a year and a bit. I spent most of that time living with you. But you never asked me to move in. Was there a reason behind that or were you just not ready for that?"

Dimitri shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, Roza, I love having you under the same roof. I can geuinly see myself spending the rest of my life with you. But you were a prisoner in your own home for five years. I think a little freedom in your own home is needed. Plus, I like where we are right now, the date nights, staying over at each other's houses, the excitement that still lingers there. I don't want to rush anything," he said with a small smile.

"Can I just say that you are absolutely perfect and I love you for that," I said leaning my arm on the arm rest between us. "It's like you read my mind."

"If you feel like you want to make that next time in say, six months from now, we'll make that step. But I want to give you the freedom you were deprived of."

I smiled and squeezed his hand and rested my head on his arm.

"It's a little terrifying how well you know me," I snorted, "Actually to be honest, I used to think you were just outright terrifying."

Dimitri choked on his laugh. "What? Why?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe because I thought beautiful strangers were only there to bring me harm?"

Dimitri smirked. "Did you just quote lyrics at me?"

I snickered. "Not exactly. But I remember thinking that you were terrifying but had a perfect smile. And now that I know exactly what you're capable of, I don't think you're terrifying anymore."

"I'm glad I'm not terrifying anymore," Dimitri said with a chuckle. I smirked and lifted my head when we pulled into the drive way of my new home.

I gripped his hand and looked at our intertwined hands with a small smile.

The man that I thought was terrifying turned out to be the light in the darkness for me.


Did up this bad boy in the matter of a week. A grand total of 18k words and 44 pages.

I hope you all like this angst train as much as I do!:)