Dimitri and I sit outside on the patio similar to this afternoon.
We're drinking hot chocolate and he's giving me the details on the case.
"Why are you telling me all of this?" I asked when he'd finished talking.
"Because you're apart of this and I know I can trust you."
I didn't admit it out loud but that phrase its self won Dimitri some definite trust points.
"So what are we going to do next?" I asked sipping the hot chocolate.
"Tomorrow I'm going to work as usual and I'm going to see if anyone bailed Mikhail out and then when Jesse leaves early I'll check in with Kirova to see what's going on," he told me.
"You sound so sure that Jesse is going to leave early," I commented, stirring my now cold hot chocolate.
"I told you earlier that he's left work to check the Dragomir house for evidence."
"Yeah…?"
"How is that possible when Eric and your father came home early last week. Remember?" he asked doing that cool eyebrow thing I envied.
"I almost forgot. So the whole undercover thing is completely blown."
"Basically. Abe and Eric were probably notified of what happened the second they came back home. We've been keeping an eye on them from a distance but we have no way of knowing what's going on in the inside any more. Our only connection to Abe and Eric, ironically, is Jesse."
"Irony sucks," I muttered clinking my spoon against my cup.
He smiled a bit.
"Definitely."
The next morning Dimitri got up early and was about to leave for work as usual. Neither of us really slept except when we nodded off watching TV so I was awake and sitting at the kitchen counter.
Dimitri came out from his bedroom fiddling with his button down shirt.
The muscles on his exposed forearms flexed each time he tried buttoning.
I shook away the distraction the sight of his arms gave and hopped off the stool standing in front of him.
"You're thinking. Actually you're over thinking," I told him pushing his hands down.
He smiled down at me.
"How can you tell?"
"You're having trouble doing the simplest of tasks," I answered buttoning his shirt for him.
The tips of my fingers brushed against the dark undershirt he was wearing, along his chest.
Think of something else, think of something else, I told my self trying to ignore the rushes of warmth I felt each time I touch him.
I buttoned the last of his buttons leaving the top two exposed the way I liked it on him and straightened the collar of his black shirt.
"You look good," I complimented.
He smiled.
"I just hope I come home looking this way. I talked to Kirova on the phone just now and she said that Mikhail is definitely out of jail and that there is a hit out on all four of us."
I stopped fiddling with his collar my mouth open.
"Dimitri, maybe you shouldn't go. What if they come and do something? What if they find Lissa?"
"They won't," he said sounding determined. "No one will be able to find where you or Lissa are. Our personal address are never given for safety reasons so no one can find you and Christian will keep Lissa safe. I'm going in today to find out what else is going on but I'll come home soon and we can start your training. Okay?"
I nodded. That made me feel a little better.
Especially the part about Dimitri coming home soon.
He surprised me by kissing me on the forehead, his lips resting there for a second, before he grabbed his laptop/business bag and his jacket headed for the door.
"I made you a lunch Belikov," I told him, nodding my head to where a huge bag fool of food sat. The bag was the size of a suitcase.
He raised a brow trying to hide his smile.
"I had a little time on my hands," I told him blushing.
He chuckled, grabbed the bag, kissed me on the cheek and left, locking the door behind him.
I sighed, unsure of what to do with my self.
I sat on the couch and channel surfed but I couldn't focus on anything on TV. I was too preoccupied worrying about Dimitri and thinking about the two gentle, warm kisses I felt lingering on my forehead and cheek.
They were sweet kisses that left me with a sense of security.
Dimitri…DPOVToday was a good day to stay home.
It was one of those vacation days where you do nothing except eat, sleep and read a good western.
Maybe even cuddle up with a certain someone…I didn't even think about finishing that thought.
I walked through floor of the building where my office was. It was busy, people running and shouting from one end to another. No one seemed to notice the storm was still brewing outside.
When it hit, it was going to hit hard.
I made it to my office, beside Christian's and sat my stuff down, setting the suitcase of food that Rose put together for me on top.
"Knock, knock," someone greeted at the door.
I turned, expecting to Kirova.
It was Natasha, also an agent but a lower level intern who pulled files and did the grunt work for anyone who ordered it.
"Hey," I greeted.
As Christian would say each time he noticed, she sauntered into the office caring a hand load of files in his hand. She flicked a strand of her thick hair back and smiled wide at me almost eye level with the help of her heels and the long legs to match.
"Long time no see. The Mazur/Dragomir case is really keeping you boys busy?" she asked.
I tried to fight my smile at how smooth and…promiscuous her voice sounded. Christian always asks if it was a natural or if she just learned how to annunciate like a star on Broadway.
I his my smile and said, "Yeah we've been really busy. How's the interning going?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically as if to emphasize her annoyance.
"Same old, same old. I'm so sick of getting coffee and taking phone calls and being out there in the field isn't as fun as it used to be."
"It sounds like you want to quit," I said searching my desk for any notes from Kirova.
"It just isn't worth what there paying me," she complained fiddling with the files in her hand.
I was the one who had recommended the job to Natasha when her, Christian and I were in our early twenties. I was already in the FBI program and recommended both of them to join it with me to keep them out of trouble. Christian agreed thinking it was a good idea but Natasha only agreed because she thought it'd mean making a lot of money.
"Just give it some time. You're not going to quit are you?"
"For now, let's just say I found a way around my money woes," she replied sounding coy.
"Like a back up plan?" I asked still fumbling around in my desk.
"You can say that."
"Never settling. Always planning Tasha," I smiled opening drawers. "You never change."
"Neither have you. Where's your side kick, my sorry ex-boyfriend?"
I laughed, remembering the one weird week Christian and Tasha dated and then went through the awkward no strings attached, friends with benefits stage.
It was awkward for me being the third wheel.
"He's out of town on assignment," I lied.
"Not surprising. I heard he and Jesse got into a little scuffle."
"It wasn't pretty," I commented still rummaging.
"Are you looking for something?"
"Yeah a note from-"
"Kirova," she finished for me. At the top of her folders was a small post it. She handed it to me and waited while I read it.
It said to meet downstairs where the holding cells were.
"I didn't know you were working with Kirova," she said curious.
"She just has a few ties to the Mazur/Dragomir case. Nothing big."
"Interesting," she muttered fiddling with the neck of her red blouse. "Okay. I'll let you get to your meeting and I'll see you later."
"Sounds good. Oh and is Jesse here?"
"No he said he was going to check on something. He was real mysterious about it."
I bet he was.
"Thanks Tasha."
"You're welcome Dimka." She gave her signature over the shoulder smile and left.
I met Kirova down stairs.
She stood in the doorway of an open cell, arms crossed and plaid heels tapping against the floor.
I looked over her shoulder inside the cell where Ambrose sat grinning from ear to ear sitting on the floor leaning against the floor.
"He's decided to talk," Kirova said simply.
"Why now?"
Ambrose laughed from inside the cell. "The deal sounded good. Especially if it meant screwing over Abe, Eric and Mikhail the way they screwed me," he said bitterly. "That's not what I have to say though."
"Then what is it?" I asked leaning to one side of the wall.
"Eager. I noticed that about you," he said simply.
"Get to the point or we walk and you are sent to the public jail where I'm sure you have a few enemies," Kirova threatened.
Ambrose's smile only widened.
"You're never going to get away with this," he warned. "Even if those three bastards end up in this very cell, they have contacts, plans for the very people who betrayed them and arrested them."
"You think we don't already know that?" Kirova asked.
"Just making sure. I'm reconsidering your deal," he said looking at Kirova.
"You offered him a deal?" I whispered.
"Any means necessary to bring down Abe and Eric's gang and to get the traitors out of my building," she hissed in response.
"Even after everything he's done?"
"Yes," she replied sounding firm.
"Excuse me? Are you two finished? I said I was backing out of your offer so this argument between you two is pointless."
"Why are you backing out?"
"I'm loyal unlike so people in this cell."
"Are you loyal or are you afraid of what would happened to you if Abe and Eric found out you turned on them and took our side," Kirova pushed.
"I'm not afraid of anything lady," he grinned, a note of irritation in his voice. I remembered how quick he could lose his temper. Kirova knew form reading that he was short tempered and was trying to push him.
"I don't think so. I think you're afraid. You're afraid they'd come after you and show you who was boss, show you that you're not even a real man."
That was definitely crossing a line.
"Want me to prove it to you?" he offered.
"I've had better offers from far more appealing men. I especially don't want anything from a coward."
In a quick flash, Ambrose's smile was gone and he was up, going straight for Kirova. I moved, pushing her out of the way taking the hit.
This was definitely going to leave a mark later.
It took three tazers, six officers including my self, and a sedative to bring him down.
I pushed the mirror away when Kirova offered one when we were back in my office later. I didn't need to see how I looked from taking Ambrose's hit. I felt it.
"Well that went well, " she said putting her mirror away.
I pulled my coat on wincing at the pain in my arms.
"It could have gone better," I muttered. I grabbed the uneaten lunch Rose made and my business bad. "What next?"
"Next we see how our enemies act. We wait for Abe or Mikhail or Jesse to make the next move since Ambrose was no help. He'll be kept in isolation so he can't make any contact with any other inmates and only my trusted cops are watching him. Go home and get cleaned up but be on call. Oh and keep Christian in the loop. I don't want him complaining that he's not involved and blah blah blah. I'm going to follow up on a rumor of another mole."
She left swiftly.
I pulled my phone out and sent Christian a text of what was going on. He thanked me for keeping him up on what was going on and sent a picture of him frowning while Lissa smiled at him wearing a grass skirt and two coconuts.
I saved the picture and headed home to Rose.