Janine

"And you thought it was a good idea to keep this from me?" I yelled at Dimitri as he stood there, tall, but flinched back when I stood a step closer. "She could have died, alone! She's out there, when someone is specifically targeting dhampir women, that's bad enough. Now, you're saying that the ones targeting the women are specifically targeting her as well?" I turned my back. "And you just let her stay there, what kind of man are you?"

"Don't you dare insinuate that I don't care about her." He hissed back, taking a step forward. I turned around to look at him. There was a fire in his eyes, usually he keeps his emotions hidden from everyone, Rose was the only person that could read him. "I'm not going to control her, force her to do something she doesn't want to – what kind of man would that make me?" I let out a breath and turned my back, picking up my gym bag and throwing my towel and water bottle in it.

"She's a child-"

"She's anything but a child." I shook my head and walked away. "I know you're worried about her, but she can take care of herself. She's proven that much."

That's the thing – Rose had proven that she could take care of herself right at the same time she proved that she didn't need any of us. She was able to have a baby by herself, raise that baby by herself with minimal help from strangers. She was able to get a job, go school, buy her own house – all without me, without Abe, without anyone.

I tried to call Rose multiple times but the only response I would get was her voicemail or a text. I walked back to the house Abe and I were sharing while we were in Vlad's. I needed to calm down and to think, this was not the time for me to be seeing red when there was a real issue floating around. I unlocked the door and walked in, dumping my bag by the door and leaning back against it.

"What's wrong?" My stomach twisted as I looked at Abe. I knew we both agreed it would be best that he wasn't in her life because of his business but it was hard for him. Every week I would send him phones of Rose growing up, sometimes would even risk the two meeting when Rose was newborn, but that's all he got. At least I got to see her a couple times growing up, Abe just got pictures. Then, when he finally came into her life, she went missing for years and then later left to do an internship. I knew it was hard on him, not really knowing his daughter.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was hold and crossed my arms over my chest, not looking at him. Abe walked towards me opening his arms and wrapping them around my shoulders. I uncrossed mine and wrapped them around his middle, just standing there trying to think of a good way to tell him - is there a good way to tell someone that their daughter was in danger of being murdered?

"What is it?" Abe cupped my face in his hands and raised it so my eyes were looking into his. I swallowed and twined my fingers with his.

"There's someone killing dhampir women in the human world." Abe stood there not moving, his hands still cupping my face but his eyes blank. He dropped his hands after a few seconds and let out a breath, turning his back on me. I rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Is Rose okay?" He turned around grabbing my hands. "Is she okay?" I looked up at him. His eyes were pleading.

"For now, yes." Abe let out a breath and dropped my hands. "But Rose is being specifically targeted." I knew I shouldn't have said it. Abe turned towards me faster than any Moroi should be able to move.

"What?" He yelled. I flinched away. Abe let out a breath and ran his hands through his hair. "Belikov knew?" I nodded.

"Since September."

"We're half way through December!"

"Rose asked him not to say anything."

"He rolls over like a dog?" I looked at him. Abe let out a breath and paced the floors. "Is she answering her phone?"

"Not to me but that's why Dimitri gets stressed whenever Rose takes a long time to answer the phone – he's been tracking her remotely." I looked at my watch. "She'll be in work now, we can go over to Dimitri once she finishes, at least we know she'll answer the phone to him."

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

For the next few hours, we both tried to call Rose, tried to look into what was going on but there was nothing, there wasn't even one news clipping of these murders, it was like they didn't exist, that they didn't even happen. Either Rose was confused, which I highly doubted, she wasn't stupid, then there was a coverup of some kind happening or the police weren't involved at all.

"Let's talk to Belikov about the safety of my daughter, shall we." I looked at the time and nodded. When we walked to Dimitri's house he wasn't there, he door was wide open and he was next door banging on Lissa's door. He handed Aly over as soon as Christian opened the door, his phone resting between his shoulder and ear.

"What's going on?" Abe demanded. I looked up at him and then Dimitri, shaking my head.

Rose was being followed.

Then there was a crash.

Then there was nothing.

"Right, we'll get the helicopter, that should get us there and then we can land in some open field or something." Abe declared, getting out of the car and was already on the phone getting the plane ready. I walked with Dimitri back to the door Christian was still standing out from. Dimitri cupped his daughters face and kissed her forehead.

"I have to go get Mommy - you have to be good for your Aunty Lissa and Uncle Christian." Aly nodded. Christian looked up at Dimitri.

"Is she alright?" It wasn't Dimitri that replied, it was Aly. She shook her head.

"Mommy's hurt bad." Dimitri paled and looked at Aly.

"She'll be fine. Be good." Aly nodded.

"What am I going to tell Lissa-"

"I really don't have time for this Christian." Dimitri snapped and got back in the car. "Come on - we'll be faster driving to the pad." I nodded in agreement, grabbed Abe by the arm and slammed the car door closed.

The flight was a tense four hours, none of us speaking just staring out the window. Dimitri was able to give exact coordinates from where Rose was last so it was easy enough to find where we had to be. Dimitri kept rubbing his hands on his jeans, his duster draping at his feet. Abe was tapping his finger on his knee as he stared blanking at the space in front of him. He had called Tim - the man who helped Rose after she lost her memory, asking him to meet us there. He was closer, so he would make it there before us.

"She'll be fine-"

"Aly's never wrong." I stared at Dimitri.

"You really do love her, don't you?" Dimitri looked at me.

"More than anything. Aly and Rose are my life."

"What's going on there?" Abe looked out the window and was pointing at various flashing lights. The helicopter was brought slowly to the ground close to where an air ambulance was sitting.

"That's Rose's car." Dimitri was out before the helicopter made a complete landing, making sure to stay low until he got further from the blades. I followed after him, Abe helping me down. We ran after Dimitri, pushing past a swarm of people. He was being pushed back by a man in uniform. Dimitri looked manic and I understood why as soon as I looked at the direction he was point in. There was a car, dented, crumpled, completely destroyed.

"Let me in!" Dimitri was yelling. I was looking around, trying to see a familiar face.

"Tim!" I called out for him. He turned around and stared at us. Dimitri calmed down a bit and shrugged the officer off him and he came to stand by me. Tim came over.

"She's not there. They're looking in the area to see if she was ejected but I doubt it."

"Let us in - we can help!" I pleaded. Tim shook his head.

"Do you know how long it took me to convince them to just allow me to get close to the car? This isn't my-"

"Please. She was on the phone, she was being followed - Aly said she's hurt." Tim let out a breath.

"I can't. Look, I'll get the lead to talk to you."

Dimitri explained everything, omitting the part about the women being killed being half vampires, but everything else. He spoke about how there was a guy in Rose's place of work, sound somewhat threatening especially when she was leaving work.

"Hey!" Someone called. The man talking to use turned. "We found something."

"Stay here!" It was Abe that disobeyed. He ran towards the man, Dimitri and I following him. We stopped abruptly.

"Oh my god."