Dimitri POV:
It has been two weeks since I received the letter, two weeks since I met Roza, two weeks since I spoke to her, two weeks since I put her in danger. Two weeks. Two freaking weeks and we have still not gotten closer to catching the bastard that sent out that letter. My patience is wearing thin, the thought of someone hurting Roza makes me see red. I haven't spoken to her these two weeks and it kills me whenever I cancel our plans or be curt with her. When I find this guy .. I swear to god...
"Um... Sir?" I heard a timid voice speak. I looked up to see Sydney, my assistant. She looked quite scared and I realized that I had been glaring at the door all this while.
Trying to soften my expression, I asked her in a soft voice, "Yes? Is there anything you need Sydney?"
"Well, there's someone here to visit you." She said, smiling slightly with relief.
Someone came to visit me? Could it be Rose? Oh god seriously, she doesn't even know your Dimtri Belikov you jackass. This keeps happening, everywhere I go I hope I run into her. At the same time knowing that it'll not happen, but I just want to see her again. I miss her voice, her smile, her beautiful hair, and everything about her. If only I hadn't got her into danger. If only...
I realized I paced out again and was taking too long to answer, so I immediately cleared my throat and said, "Okay, send them in."
"Right away sir." She said nodding, scurrying out of my office.
I looked down at the papers I was going through before my mind had wandered to Rose when I heard a very similar voice.
"Hey, Dimka. Missed me?" I looked up in shock as I had not heard that voice in 5 years.
"Oh my god Tasha, how are you?" I said getting up to hug her. Tasha was my friend since childhood. I, Ivan, and Tasha were inseparable. We dated in high school but things didn't work out the way they wanted. But we ended on friendly terms. It made Ivan awkward and I guess we just lost contact after that. Last I heard, she had applied to Quantico. She always wanted to be a cop.
She smiled warmly, holding her hands on my cheeks like she was trying to look at me better. Something seemed to be running through her mind as she shook her head slightly and smiled a little wider. She let go of my cheeks and replied, "I'm good. I'm an FBI agent."
I felt my eyes grow wider and my smile gets bigger, "That's amazing Tash, it's been so long, we have to catch up. How's work? Is it stressful? Are you working here? What are you doing here? How are your parents?" I asked, really overjoyed with her success, firing one question after another.
She laughed heartily before replying, "I'm good. But please, one question after another. And as for why I am here, Ivan called and asked for my help. Said you were in some trouble?" She asked questioningly.
I sighed. Of course, Ivan would ask her for help. He would do anything for me. He was one of the best friends a guy could ask for.
I looked at Tasha for a minute, trying to decide whether or not to tell her. She's my really good friend and she really cares. Plus, she's an FBI agent and has a lot of contacts. Making up my mind, I said, "Yeah, some troubles. How about we talk over lunch?"
"That's a great idea. I know a good Italian restaurant nearby. Their pasta Alfredo is to die for." She said, smacking her lips. I chuckled, she was always a fan of all kinds of pasta.
"I'll meet you in an hour. I'll just go freshen up. Text me the address." I said, picking up my coat.
~an hour later~
"I can't believe such horrible things have been happening to you. Is there anything I can do to help?" Tasha asked, worried, placing her hand over mine. I smiled. She was still so sweet.
"Well, we need to identify the guy who sent the letter, so maybe if you would run it through the FBI database, see if anything pop-."
"Consider it done." She asked, cutting off my sentence. I looked at her great fully. I'm so glad we are still friends.
"Thank you so much Tash. Lunch is on me. Do you want some more wine?" I asked, already turning around to call the waiter. Neither less, she nodded. After ordering another round of drinks, she asked, "So, who's that girl they threatened? Is she your girlfriend?" I looked up, my heart aching thinking about Rose. I was about to answer her question when I saw her looking quite weirdly behind me.
"Huh, Tash? What's wrong?" I asked, turning around to see what caused her such an expression. What I saw shocked me to death. Rose, looking at me with tearful eyes, anger, and betrayal lying in them. I felt my heartbeat rise and my palms started sweating. Rose is here, at such a fancy restaurant. She's going to know to the truth. She's going to hate me. No, I have to do something.
I had just gained the courage to open my mouth when I saw who she was with. Abe Mazur. What in the freaking world was he doing with her? I swear if he hurts her I'll... I was so busy glaring at Abe that I didn't realize Rose was walking out of the restaurant.
"Wait, Rose, please wait." I shouted at the same time as Abe called out, "Rose, where are you going?" But we were too late. She was already out of sight. And as much as I wanted to see her, I also wanted to know what Abe was doing with my Roza.
She's not yours yet. And maybe she will never be. A tiny voice in my head spoke out.
I ignored that stupid voice and turned my glare to Abe, who was now looking at me quite fiercely. I don't know how long we kept glaring at each other before Tasha decided to break us up.
"What is wrong with both of you? Why do you look like your going to kill each other? And who was that girl?" She asked, confused.
I ignored her question and asked Abe in my harshest voice possible, " What were you doing with her? How do you even know her?" Abe didn't seem fazed at all. He just narrowed his eyes and asked in an even harsher voice," I thought you two were dating? What are you doing hanging out with a girl in the middle of the day? Don't you have a little shame?"
How. Dare. He.
"Excuse me? I just wanted to catch up with a friend I haven't seen in 5 years. Not that it's any of your business. How do -."
"Excuse me sir. This is a restaurant, could you please resolve your issues outside?" The waiter asked, interrupting my rant. Tasha was still looking at me confused. Although her expression turned into worry.
Too angry to speak, I grabbed my coat, wallet, and walked out of the restaurant. I vaguely heard Abe and Tasha following me. Tasha apologizing to the waiter for the inconvenience.
Abe came and pulled me by my shirt, leaning close and said in a very threatening tone, "Follow me, we'll talk at my house." Although he didn't necessarily threaten me, I knew there was an 'or else' lying in that sentence. Deciding to save my energy for the later, I agreed to his commands. After telling Tasha that I'll explain everything to her tomorrow, I got into my car and followed Abe into what seemed to be a huge mansion. I was not surprised. He was filthy rich. I followed him inside quietly as he led me to the hall and gestured me to sit on the couch. I hesitantly sat down, but Abe was still standing. He walked around the hall a couple of times and looked at me with a 'don't mess with me' face and said, "Explain."
I sighed. I figured it's best he knew everything as he apparently knows Rose. I took a deep breath and started explaining. Everything from how I know her till now.
He didn't say anything the whole time, his facial expressions didn't change. He kept quiet even after I finished talking. I waited for some time, thinking about my situation, and what I am going to do now.
"So, are you guys dating now or not?" He asked, suddenly. I flinched at the sudden noise and tried to hide it by shaking my body a little. I looked at him and said as honestly as I could, "I really don't know. And after what happened, or when I tell her the truth, maybe not."
He didn't say anything. I felt my thoughts drift to Rose again. I hope she listens to what I have to say before shutting me out completely. She has every right to hate me after what I did. And even after I explain my point of view, she doesn't want to see me again, no matter how much my heart breaks, I'll make sure her wish comes true. I felt my heart clench at the thought of not seeing her ever again. I almost forgot where I was until Abe finally decided to speak.
"You've got yourself into quite a pickle." He said, matter-of-factly. I just looked at him with a stoic expression. I was so not in the mood to listen to his sarcasm. Then I remembered something, "Wait a minute, what were you doing with Rose? How do you know her?" I asked, confused.
His expression hardened, without any change in the voice, he said, "Her mother and I were friends in the past."
"Friends in the past? That's too vague. Were you like dating or something?" I asked, curious. I could feel him get angry at my question, which made me very suspicious. Who exactly is Rose's mother? I have to find out. Before Abe could leash out his anger on me. My phone rang.
Weird. It was an unknown number. Who would be calling me at this hour? Work hours are over.
Hesitantly, I picked up the call. "Hello? Is this Andrew? I found this number in Rose's dairy." A high-pitched voice came through the phone. She sounded scared which immediately put me on edge.
"Yes, you are Lissa right? Rose's friend?" I asked, questioningly.
"Yes, I'm Lissa." Came her voice filled with relief. "I'm so glad I found your number. Please tell me Rose is with you." She asked hopefully.
I felt my stomach sink and fear take over. "Wh- what do you mean? She should have reached home hours ago." I said, praying that this was some kind of a mistake. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Abe look up curious and worried.
"No, I left a note saying that she went on a run but she hasn't returned yet. I thought she was with you. Omg, where is she?" Lissa asked, frantically. I clenched my fists tightly.
"Lissa, are you sure Rose is not with anyone you know?" I asked, trying to remain calm.
At the mention of Rose, Abe's ears stood up like a rabbit, and he jumped out of his seat mentioning me to put my phone on speaker.
I turned on the speaker when I heard Lissa's terrified voice, " I can't find her anywhere. I called all my friends and asked her. Andrew I'm scared, she always texts me if she's going to be late. Where is she?" She asked, almost in tears.
Abe immediately took out his phone and started dialing numbers. I tried to calm Lissa and myself, "Lissa, if you hear any news about her, call me immediately. I'll do everything to find her." I said in my best reassuring voice.
I immediately rushed to my car, searching the whole town is better than sitting around doing nothing. What if the blackmailer got to her? Is she in danger because of me? What if he hurts her? What do I do?
I slammed my hand on the steering wheel, and cried out in frustration. God, if something happens to her...
Where are you Rose?
A/N: It's been too long. I'm so ashamed of myself for not continuing the story consistently. I hope maybe you can forgive me, I completely understand if you don't. How was this chapter? I hope you enjoyed it. Which person's POV would you want? Should I make some changes? Your pieces of advice are amazing and I look forward to learning more things with you guys. Please don't hesitate to share your opinion, whether good or bad. All advice is welcome. If there's anything you want to say, don't be afraid to dm/review.