Chapter 3:

Rose

I was trying to snatch the keys from Dimitri's grasp, but he pulled them away and above his head. I had no way of reaching them now.

I placed my hands on my hips. "Hand them over Belikov. I am team-leader and I get to decide who drives. And I say I drive."

He kept his hands right where they were. "And as team-leader, you need to start working on a plan, and let the driving to a navigator." Then he proceeded to get into the front seat.

I really didn't want to argue with Dimitri. But I was pissed, mostly because he was right. And if I drove Dimitri would be sitting next to me. Even though we were given a nice size SUV as a car, the back seat would still be cramped. It would be natural for Dimitri to sit in the front with the driver. Maybe this was for the best.

I got in the back seat with Mia, Mikhail in the front with Dimitri.

"Do you even know how to drive? I didn't learn until I was here at Court. The Academy doesn't really teach you that." Mia asked.

They don't teach Moroi because most Royals will never really need to drive themselves and anybody else would be on their own. Also I think they didn't teach kids how to drive, because it would reduce their chances of taking a car for a joy ride on the weekend. Guardians who didn't know how to drive could take lessons. But I hadn't needed too.

"You forget I was out in the real world for two years. Lissa and I both learned to drive. It made keeping ahead of Guardians a lot easier."

I saw Dimitri looking in the rear-view mirror. He was thinking of our first encounter and so was I. That was so long ago. I wonder what he thought of me when he first met me. Did he think I was brave? Did he think I was pretty? Or did he think I was foolish, probably the latter.

"Well, where off to Team-leader?" Dimitri asked. He still wore that scowl and he kept his eye-contact with me to a minimum but at least he seemed to have accepted that we would be spending a lot of time together. The air didn't seem to strangle me as much as it did in Hans's office last night.

"Aren't you the navigator?" I asked half jokingly. He just shook his head, a shadow of a smile on his lips.

"Based on the general information from the file that you provided I made arrangements for a hotel a few hours from Court. From there we will set up a base camp and do some recon during daylight hours. Get a feel for the numbers currently at the first location. Once we have intel on numbers and locations we can formulate a plan. We will need to strike quickly and kill them all. We can't let any of them contact any of the other locations to tell them that Dimitri is dhampir again."

I had been thinking about it last night and today. Dimitri wasn't just our source of information. He was our way in. But in order to keep them from moving they couldn't know.

I had three pairs of eyes on me. Mikhail and Mia directly and Dimitri through the rear-view mirror. They were all gawking. Well, Mikhail and Mia. Dimitri just gawked internally. Really had they not expected me to be prepared.

"Head to the interstate and go west." I told Dimitri. That seemed to snap him out of it and the other two as well.

It was a long quiet ride. Mia and Mikhail talked a bit, introducing themselves a bit more to each other. They hadn't crossed paths yet. When Mia explained her history with me, I could see Mikhail's eyes widen a bit, both at the early days of our relationship -after all, Mia once spread the rumor I had two boys in my bed and let them bite me- and at the mention of the Spokane incident. Although the incident was well known. Who had been involved was less known.

It was hours before we arrived at the Hotel. I checked in and felt an odd sense of accomplishment when I swiped the company card. Hans was trusting me with money. How he ever got to be head guardian with that judgment I didn't know.

I had booked a suite with two rooms. "Mia and I will take the one with the Queen and Dimitri and Mikhail can take the one with the King sized bed."

I put the folders and laptop provided by Hans on the main table in the sitting area. Then I threw my duffel bag on the bed from the doorway. "We should try and rest now. We have to revert to a human schedule. It will be safest to hunt during the daytime."

Everyone left to their own room to put their bags away. I sat down on one of the chairs as I opened the laptop. After setting up some stuff with Mikhail, who turned out to be a bit more knowledgeable about computers than I was, I walked towards my room and called Lissa. I told her I would try to call her everyday. I wasn't going to sherk that responsibility on the first day.

I retrieved my smartphone from my pocket. I saw something fall out of my pocket when I had the phone completely out. I frowned. I took these pants clean from my closet this morning and there hadn't been anything in it.

I had already hit the speed dial button, she had made me program this with her there before I left. I picked up the paper, curious about what it was, but Lissa answered the phone. I cheerfully announced my presence.

"What's up Liss? How does it feel to be best friends with an actual team-leader, I have a company credit card and everything."

It was silent on the other side of the phone for a bit. "You haven't heard, have you." And that is when my stomach dropped. Lissa explained to me what happened. And I couldn't believe it. Tatiana was dead. Murdered. I know she and I didn't exactly get along, but I never wanted her dead - well, not really, in my head, I might have choked her to death once or twice, but I would never actually do it. And oh God, Adrian. Whatever I thought about her, Adrian loved her.

I zoned out. Lissa was telling me all the gory details and speculations, but I wasn't really listening. I played with the piece of paper in my hand. trying to get my own thoughts in order. I opened it up, expecting to find a receipt or something. Even if it was too big for that, but instead I found a handwritten note in swirly cursive, signed… Tatiana.

I straightened up, shocked to see her name at the bottom of the page.

"Liss, I got to go. Talk to you soon." I hung up before she could even respond.

What could Tatiana possibly want to tell me that she couldn't scream into my face. This was one of the last things she possibly wrote. I expected more threatening and maybe some bribery to stay clear of Adrian. But as I read the note, I was a little startled by the content. Okay, a lot startled.

I didn't know what was more disturbing, Tatiana saying she didn't actually want the age law but there were people wanting much worse, or the fact Lissa had a sibling from an affair her father had. Or maybe the fact Tatiana having faith in me I could find this sibling. Any one of them was very very disturbing.

All of it was most disturbing because she was dead. Did she die because of the age law? I had assumed that, but based on this, she could have easily been killed by the people wanting to take it further. Or maybe someone found out about Lissa's sibling and wanted to stop her from taking her seat on the council?

And how was I supposed to combine this with hunting Strigoi? At least I was in the real world and not stuck at Court.

Then something occurred to me. Sydney had said something about someone stealing records. Maybe that had something to do with this secret sibling. I would have to ask her. I had packed Abe's satellite connection. I am sure I can somehow contact Sydney and ask her.

"You alright?" I looked up in the most gorgeous chocolate brown eyes. He probably heard me and Lissa on the phone. Did he hear about Tatiana's death yet? Did he still have contacts at Court that would keep him up to date? Did he even have a cellphone? One problem at a time Rose.

I was debating telling Dimitri about the note. He would do anything for Lissa, but Tatiana had asked to keep the circle of trust small. But as annoying as his devotion to Lissa was, I knew I could trust him with this. And the circle just got smaller, because dead Queens don't talk.

I handed him the note. He scanned the paper, raising his brow as he read on. I could see when he was at the part about Lissa's sibling. He looked towards me and then back at the paper. Once he was done he handed the paper back.

"You want to go find the sibling." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Yes." I answered.

"Even though you have no idea where to start and we have an assigned mission."

"Actually I have a lead and this is kind of a mission from the Queen herself."

He raised his eyebrows at that. He seemed...impressed. He shook his head and smiled. "One more crazy quest for Rose Hathaway. If anyone can find this sibling, it is you."

He was about to walk away and sit in one of the chairs on the other side of the room, no doubt reading one of his western novels when he turned back to me. "Is it true you called Tatiana a sanctimonious bitch in a more than full courtroom."

I cringed a bit. "Where did you hear that?"

"I heard about the age law last night when we were at headquarters. I also heard you were very ...vocal about it."

I stood up and threw my hands in the air. "Of course I was vocal about it. not only are they sending sixteen year olds to die, they used my testimony to justify it. Apparently if I can go Strigoi hunting, everyone can. So I gave them a piece of my mind."

I expected a sigh from Dimitri or some zen lesson on control. But I got a smile. a slight one, but one filled with… affection? warmth? I couldn't quite place it. He seemed proud. "You could move the world if you wanted to Roza."