(Disclaimer I do not own any of these characters that would be Richelle Mead)
Abe POV
"You know that whoever hired you to do this was planning for you to get caught? You were the scapegoat for the royals behind this, after all Dhampir would not forgive a royal murdering the woman who changed their futures for the best." I calmly say in a cool voice to the man swinging in front of me.
After leaving the hall we brought the shooter back to the second house where we dragged him into the lounge. I had the guards swing a rope around the beams in the ceiling. I then had them tie the rope round his wrists and hang him so that his bare toes barely touched the floor. After an hour you could see the pain in his face as his shoulders and arms start to feel the force of carrying his body weight. Apart from Pavel and I there are another five guardians in the room with us either sitting comfortably on the sofas or standing against the wall. The other guardians most likely are eating, relaxing upstairs or sleeping.
"All you need to do is tell me who hired you and you live, easy as that." I say to him.
"No one hired me I did this on my own the little bitch has ruined our society, our way of life, I did this without anyone telling me what to do." He shouts back at me.
Just then Gav comes in with the information I requested and walking right up to me gives me a folder letting the swinging man see him do this also informing me loud enough for him to hear. "She's fine she didn't need a transfusion just fluids. She's sleeping at the moment but will be her usual sarcastic self in a couple of hours." With that Gav joins some of the others on the sofas.
Looking at the man I smirk. "Looks like that was a bust for you. Whoever hired you did not get their money's worth. Looks like your going to be on another persons death list now too." Looking down to the folder in my hands. "Let's see what we have here than shall we." Opening the folder. "Hum name Darius Cain, 36 years old, brought up here at court. Lucky for you most of your family are dead, ah but we do have a married sister a Mrs Silvia George who lives in New York nice to know." I stop and call in Simon.
Walking over to Simon I talk in a hush tone so that Mr Cain can't hear what I'm about to say. "Simon just nod and look at the folder like your taking something in." Opening the folder and passing it over to him Simon pretends to read over the page then passes it back to me. "Okay now look like you will follow an order and leave."
"Yes Sir I'll get right on it." Simon says loud enough and nods as he leaves the room. It will look like I've ordered Simon to do something to the mans sister.
"You leave her out of this she hasn't done anything wrong." The man yells and thrashes on the ropes binding him. The only thing he manages to accomplish is make himself look like a swinging pendulum.
"My daughter didn't do anything wrong either but fall pregnant." I reply nonchalantly
"Let me see where I was in the folder should we. Oh Mr Cain looks like your not a very nice man either. Hired gun, enjoys his time in dens in communes. I think it's time for a break." Looking over my shoulder at Gav. "How long is the flight to New York?" I ask nonchalantly.
"Oh just under a couple of hours." Gav answers back looking at us over a pack of cards he's pulled out.
I nod then turn to Mr Cain give a wide grin and start walking in the direction to the kitchen. "If he even attempts to move hurt him." I instruct the guards. "Gladly." Comes back from the squad.
Getting to the kitchen I let the door swing shut behind me. Yeva was stirring her concoction over the stove letting it cool.
"Is it almost ready?" I ask her without even turning around from her work she informs me. "Yes another couple of hours and it will be cool enough to add to the blood bag I'll give him."
"Yeva you know you don't have to be apart of this." I say.
"Oh I know but that was my great grandson and his mother that little shite was after, plus you need me he won't fear a little old lady!"
I can't help my large smile at this as Yeva might be little and old but she's no damsel in distress. Just as I was going to make a comment back we hear a loud cry from the lounge making both of us spin around in its direction followed by Pavel entering the kitchen. Both of us standing there and staring at him. "What he tried to escape." Pavel informs us in a innocent voice.
"Yeah sure he did!" I loudly mumble back. Just then again there was a loud omph from the lounge. "Sorry boss this wanker keeps trying to get away." One of the guards yells through the door.
Yeva turns around back to the stove. "I better get this done before the man ends up in a coma. Pavel can you take a blood bag out the refrigerator so it can start warming to room temperature please?"
Seven hours later all is set to get the man to talk, he has been hanging now for nine hours hurting and fearing for his sister his mind is weary and body is broken from the guards occasional beats. Being woken when they see that he is falling asleep.
"Yeva it's time." I inform her, with a nod she turns to leave the office leaving Pavel and I alone.
Watching from the office at the security footage coming through from the front room I see Yeva go into the lounge. "Help an old lady out and bring him to the couch he needs to eat." She instructs Kevin who is on guard.
"Does Mr Mazur know about this I have not been given instructions to allow this thing food or rest." Kevin says back. It's all an act and everyone knows their roles.
"Just do it before I go get Mr Mazur himself to tell you himself. I hope he enjoys to be woken up!" With that Kevin pulls Mr Cain down and drags him over to the couch and leaves the two alone.
Yeva hands him the drugged blood bag. "Eat you need your strength I'm really sorry to tell you this but your sister has been brought to court by Zemy. I'm sorry but it doesn't look good."
Taking the blood bag from her and consuming the whole lot. Really for a hired gun he is not that smart! I guess Yeva was right he trusted her just because she's a little old lady.
"What do you mean and why are you telling me this?"
"I might work for him but I don't agree with hurting an innocent women even if it's to get to you. Don't get me wrong what you did is inexcusable but two wrongs don't make a right."
The concoction that Yeva made will make our man susceptible to what he is being told bringing on hallucinations that seem real, we just need to plant the seeds. "What are they doing to my sister?" He rasps out.
Here we go plant the seed and let it grow. "Oh they have taken her to the woods where I'm afraid they plan to take you next, I'm really sorry I think you'll see some horrors there. It's known for Mr Mazur to feed his enemies to strigoi and we all know that they are around the wards." With that Yeva leaves Mr Cain on the couch and Kevin hangs him back up.
Half and hour later you can see the drugs taking effect on our hostage as he starts to talk to imagined people and sweating like a pig. That was the cue to leave. Stepping out of the office Pavel and I round up eight guard and head to the lounge to secure the prisoner. "It's time you might want to contact Hans as I think there's going to be a confession!" I instruct Pavel.
Getting Mr Cain into the woods we take him near to the wards and let him sit, he wasn't going far in the state that he was in. "So why don't you tell us everything then we can all go home including your sister. I don't want to do anything to her she is an innocent after all."
I can see Hans and a few guardians keeping out of sight hanging back letting this play out. Mr Cain who was shacking and his eyes unfocused just laughs at me. "I can't remember who it was that hired me for the job." He says slurring his word.
"Okay then have it your way." Walking up to the boundary of the wards. "Here strigoi fancy some breakfast." I say loud enough for him to hear I don't need to yell strigoi have better hearing then us. You can see movement in the tree line outside the wards but can't make anything out well enough but knowing strigoi are out there is enough.
Cain actually starts shaking and trying to crawl away. His addled brain is probably hallucinating an actual strigoi when there's none close enough to see. Pavel puts his foot on his back and flattens him to the grassy floor effectively pinning him in place. Pulling him up to a standing position ready for him to watch the show that we're about to play for him. That's when Ben who was behind a tree with Di comes on scene pulling her along by her arms.
"Now now love don't be like that maybe you'll be lucky and they'll just drain you." You hear Bens cockney accent ordering Di along.
We had Di in a hooded coat so all you could make out was she was definitely Moroi. You also had to give it to her, her acting was impressive with the quiet please don't and crying while twisting this way and that way looking like she's trying to escape. Ben continues to pull her towards the wards. "Sorry about this Silvia nothing personal love."
"It was Lazar he hired me." Cain screamed at the top of his lungs. "He thought that it would be just one guardian with her and we would easily kill her and maybe the kid before anyone reacted." His eyes were going everywhere, god knows what he was seeing now. "Then we were going to frame some Moroi. It was supposed to be easy." Really he caved that easily? The hallucinations must of really messed with his head. I was hoping for more fun.
Hans coming out with the other guardians walks up to us and looks at Mr Cain. I give him the file that I had on him, Hans reading through it. "Colourful!. Which Lazar are you referring to?" Hans demands.
"Prince Marcus he is the one who planned this." Hans nods to the guard and they pick up Mr Cain by his arms you see him wince as they do. I don't think the man will be able to use his arms fully for a couple of weeks.
"My sister let her go you got what you wanted." Cain pleads.
"My dear man I never had her. It was all in your mind what you saw and heard, a little hint never trust people bringing you food." Di takes off her hood and waves at the idiot while Ben next to her has his hands on his knees laughing. As he is being lead away by Hans I hear. "Fucking basted."
"So do you want Cain dead?" Pavel asks me as Gav and Ben join us.
"No point he is just the pawn." I reply.
"Are you going to let the council and Guardian council handle Lazar?" Pavel asks I know he's not really asking he's just wondering what the plan is to get Lazar.
"Oh yes Pavel that's what we are going to do. There will be a trail and the council will have to convict after everything that's happened. He will be sentenced to Tarasov but he will never get there. In fact Pavel he will find himself outside the protection of the wards without any help from guardians that way it will look like an attempt to escape his sentence."
Pavel rubs his chin in thought. "It will look that way but everyone will know it was of your making."
"Shame there'll be no proof!" I look at Gav and Ben. "Get to him no matter what it takes once the trail is done. You'll need to start now watching and planning how that will be achieved, that's your job from now on." They both nod and walk away from us.
Rose POV
The next day I'm sitting at the dinning room table with everyone having breakfast. They finally let me out of bed, really I was fine Lissa healed me and after sleep and food I was good to go. Being around everyone again was fantastic and a little strange. Fantastic as it felt so right to be around them again it was like no time had past. Having five years of stuff happening to us actually gave us loads to talk about. Everyone even though older were still the same at the heart of it. Strange for exactly the same reasons we had to put the stuff that happened that week to bed which was hard for me in some ways.
No one could believe that I was Abe's daughter or the kills I'd made since leaving the academy. Adrian even suggested that we talk to Hans and see if I could take my trails to get promised. This has never been done and I wouldn't want to do that if others in the same boat couldn't. I don't want it to seem like favouritism. I don't know if being promised is such a big deal for me any longer with being a private guardian to my father also having my own charity which takes up a lot of my free time.
Ivan was enjoying meeting everyone from mommy's past and his family from Russia. The Belikovs were great Vika is so much like me we hit it off straight away, Karo was like the older caring sister that everyone dreams of having you'd never get into a fight with her as she is calm and kind, she reminds me a lot of Dimitri. Sonya was more difficult to get to know, slightly snarky in her comments I didn't know if she liked me or not. Olena was the mother I wished I had well five years ago before this brought my mother and me together.
The funniest one was my mother and Ivan, a woman who was never warm to me as a child in fact a woman I could count on one hand how many times I'd seen her in my life was so clingy that anyone else had to fight her to get a look in.
The relationship with Lissa was on the mend it would take time, a lot of time to be near where we were but it was a start. After my initial hearing through the bond I have had flickers of emotions coming through but that was all. I wasn't going to try I'd rather the bond comes back in its own time if it ever fully does.
Dimitri seemed a little out of sorts this morning I wonder if it's the thought that we are back. "What's up comrade?" I quietly ask him. "Nothing milaya just musing." I know he is lying but drop it for the moment I know he'll tell me when he is ready. Just then Abe walks in and takes my mind right off Dimitri's problems.
"They have arrested Lazar seems he hired the gun man in hopes of framing a non royal. They have the evidence of the mans confession and are looking at Lazar's money trail now." He announced while walking over to me and placing a kiss on the top of my head. "Hi darling you looking better."
All my friends are staring at our exchange. I guess seeing the mob boss of legends being fatherly is quiet a shock to some.
"Ah old man I was wondering where you were and Lazar hay? Well colour me totally not shocked he is a total dick head." Everyone nods to that even Lissa. "So what will happen after that I mean if they get the evidence they need?" I ask my father.
"Oh they'll get the evidence they need I've got our people looking at his life with a fine tooth comb if there's anything there we will find it. It will go to trial and the outcome will be prison." He starts walking over to where Ivan is with my mum. He picks him up ignoring a growl from my mother and plants a wet kiss on his cheek making him giggle.
"Really? He's a royal and I'm a Dhampir." I state with a huff.
"It will have to Kiz things are changing and the royals know they have to look like they care about the law otherwise face division." Abe states back. I can't help the evil laugh as my imagination takes me somewhere dark and fun. "Maybe him and Victor will be cell buddies if you know what I mean!" I suggest wickedly
"Don't mean to ruin your really disturbing mental picture Rosie but Victor died about a year ago." Christian informs me. "Wow really? Sparky you just made my day complete! I mean couldn't of happened to a nicer person."
Walking upstairs after breakfast to get changed we had all decided to go shopping and see what court has to offer. Lissa wanted to show me around as the last time I'd been to court was over five years ago. Dad looked like he was going to boycott the idea but instead demanded I take ten guardians with us. I was about to argue that for fucks sake I am a guardian I don't need babysitting.
"Kiz you are going with three royals ten guards is a good number."
"Hay Baba you forgot Tasha she's royal too." I think my feelings were more hurt then hers by the what's up expression on her face. But then dad comes back with "Actually I forgot Christian sorry!" This had Christian and I on the floor laughing.
Dimitri followed me up to our bedroom. "What is it comrade I can see something has been on your mind?" I'm getting a little worried as Dimitri holding back reminds me of times at the academy which never ended well.
"Rose the times we had been together at the hotel." He pauses like he is thinking how to proceed.
"What about them oh your not going to be all like 'it was a mistake' are you?" I ask defensively.
"No milaya they were the best days of my life it's just we didn't use um." Oh I new where he was going with this and start to laugh hard.
"Don't scare yourself comrade after Ivan was born I went on the pill thought it best as not only can I get pregnant with both species but also it seems I get pregnant at a drop of a hat considering I'd only been with you once." I think I actually saw relief coming off him in waves.
