Well everyone this is the last chapter! Enjoy!
I don't remember falling asleep. Then again it might have something to do with the rag that was shoved in my face. It smelled weird, and as soon as the scent hit me my world had begun to darken. For a while my whole world seemed peaceful, even happy. That may have been because I was having a good dream. One that included me, a baby, and the love of my life.
"Roza." A familiar voice was calling for me but I could not seem to focus on it. My world was hazy, confusing, and honestly I just wanted to sleep I was so fucking tired.
My mind wondered back to the SUV ride. I had sat quietly, making sure to be a good girl. I had to do everything to make sure I was OK. Because if I was doing well so was my baby. All I wanted was for him to be alive and healthy. I was only six month along, I could not risk anything. So I had been a good girl, I had calmed myself. I had done everything to make sure my stress level stayed low.
"Dimitri why won't she wake up?" It was funny that I could understand what they were saying. I could hear the worry, the concern, but I was mentally miles away.
What was going on again? Why was I here. And why was my baby kicking so much? Did he know something I did not. I tried to think, my mind was miles away though. I was scared, but my mind could not focus on why it was.
I felt a light pressure on my stomach, not the bad kind though. Someone was rubbing circles onto it, maybe trying to calm my baby. At the thought of my little boy I tried to force my eyes open. I had to see where we were. He was moving around, almost like he knew something was wrong and was trying to warn me. God why was it so hard to wake up?
"Roza, love. Please baby open your eyes." The voice finally registered with me. Dimitri.
My eyes fluttered opened. But were shut quickly when a light blinded me. I had to try again though. Dimitri was here. And something inside of me told me something was wrong, very wrong. My body was not working with me.
After a few more attempts my eyes finally stayed opened. They focused on who was in front of me. Tears filled my eyes immediately. Dimitri's brown eyes were staring back at me. The only problem was how they looked, and they did not look good at all.
One was almost swollen shut, surrounding it was dark black and blue. My eyes studied his face and a sob broke through. It was clear someone had use him as a punching bag. He was swelled, bruised, and his once happy eyes looked sad beyond belief.
"God Roza." Before I could react Dimitri's lips were on mine in a light kiss.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Dimitri helped me sit up, I took the time to notice that we were locked in a cell.
We as in, Adrian, Dimitri, Christian and I.
Adrian was sitting in a corner, looking even worse than Dimitri. His lip was split, both his eyes swollen. His clothes was tattered, and under it I could see cuts, bruises, and so much blood. He looked broken, shattered, nothing like the man I had last seen. What had they done to him, why was he like this.
Christian was sitting in the corner across from him. The only injury I could see was the one they had knocked him out with. But just like Adrian he looked nothing like himself. It was like the both of them had given up. I looked back at Dimitri willing him to tell me everything would be alright. Willing him to tell me they were not feeling as bad they looked.
"How are you feeling love?" It was almost painful so see him caring about me so much, when he was the one hurt beyond repair.
"I'm fine, drowsy but I'm fine." My hands rose up catching his cheeks, making sure he made eye contact with me.
"Dimitri how bad is it?" His eyes refused to make contact with mine though. He closed them instead, leaning into my touch. I took the time to gather my thoughts.
Victor had caught us all. Well maybe not all of us, Mason did not seem to be in the room, but mostly all of us. I had no idea where we were, or even how many people were holding us. What I did know was that we were alive. By the looks of the boys I knew it was only because that was how he wanted us. We were here because he wanted us here.
I was having a hard time processing the reality. I could not believe that Victor had caught us. It should have been so much harder. Wasn't Abe maximizing his security on us? I knew I walked outside alone, but how had no one noticed until it was too late.
What did it matter. I was the reason Christian had gotten caught. He was the one person who saw me leave, the one person to follow me. And he happened to be one of the people Victor wanted. My hand found its way back to my baby, I laid it on top of Dimitri's and his eyes shot open.
"I'm going to get us out of this Roza. I swear I won't let anything happen to you or our baby." Determination filled his eyes, and I could tell he meant it.
He was certain that there was a way out. I did not have the heart to tell him that I believed nothing was going to get us out of this. My gut was turning again, it was almost like my body knew that this could be our possible last moments together.
"They come every 20 minutes or so." Adrian's voice startled me. He had gotten up and was now standing next to my small cot.
"I know we need to find a way to get out of this cell though." Christian stood up then and joined our small circle. They both looked a lot better. It was like some new found energy had surged into them.
"Have they been coming in here to feed you?" Christian stumbled a little, but Adrian steadied him, I winced at the close up look of the gash on his head. It seemed like no one had taken the time to clean it up.
"Yes, they come three times a day." Dimitri's hands tightened on my belly before he stood up.
"We will let them come in twice, for breakfast and lunch, on their dinner attempt we try and get out." Adrian had spoken up and he sounded so grown up. He had done some serious maturing in the last year, and I loved the man he had become.
"Ok, we just have to pay attention to how many are out in the hall." They all nodded silently to each other.
I instead sat up straight and waited for Dimitri to come to me again. I knew I would be the problem in this escape. I was six months pregnant and slow. I had barely been able to walk up and down the stairs in the guardian building. A soft sob left my lips before I could stop it.
"Roza it's going to be alright." Dimitri kneeled in front of me and gave a small smile.
"I don't know Dimitri. There is no way I can out run anything. I'm going to get you all caught." His demeanor changed and his lips became thin.
"You're coming with us Rose. The three of us can defend you and then some. We cannot, and will not stay here." Christian and Adrian stepped closer both grunting in agreement.
"Rose look we all need to get out of here. Plus, I am certain Abe has an army coming here. I bet when we try to break out Abe will have his guardians breaking down the doors." I wiped at my tears and laughed some. I could see it now, Abe never half assed anything.
"So what do we do until then?" The three of them stood up and looked down at me.
"We wait and we keep calm." It was clear that Dimitri was the leader here. He looked so strong and confident just then, and it transferred to me.
The wait was a lot harder than I ever thought it could be. It turns out it was only around lunch time, so the boys insisted on us waiting another day. They were certain that Victor was going to stick around for a bit longer, he seemed desperate to get Mason. The man knew what he wanted and was not happy that he had not been able to capture Mason as well.
I had no idea what to expect. I had not seen anything on the outside of this room. I feared that even though they were confident that we would all get out that we would not. If there were stairs I would slow them down. If there were too many men to fight off I was certain to be retained. It was not easy to stay positive but I knew I had to.
My entire being was focused on saving my baby. There was no way that Victor would harm him. He was not going to get what he wanted, I was sure of that much. I would do anything to keep my angel alive and safe. He needed me now more than ever. So even though it was the hardest thing ever, I remained calm.
Our lunch was delivered, and I was left craving more. I made sure not to complain though. The boys needed to keep up their energy if we were going to make it out. I had insisted that they eat some of my food as well as their own. I needed food, but they needed it more, they were about to put up a major fight.
Though Dimitri made sure I ate enough to keep both my baby and I well. Normally I would have eaten twice as much, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Plus they were certain we would be getting dinner tonight. Apparently Victor did not want to kill us, but keep us weak. Something he was actually doing a horrible job of.
He may have beaten the guys, but they were in full alert. Even bruised up they were making sure to plan everything out to perfection. They spent a lot of time planning the escape. Making sure to look out the small window often, keeping count of how many people walked by and when. It was amazing watching them work together.
It was especially nice to see how well Christian fit in with them. If I did not know I could have sworn he was a guardian as well. Maybe after this Abe would have a new recruit. I was more than sure that even though we were captive Christian was enjoying what they had planned to do to the bastards that took us.
"You should get some sleep love. Tomorrow is going to be a long day." Dimitri sat next to me on the cot, pulling me under his arm.
"I don't know if I can sleep." I was tired, but my mind was reeling.
"I know what you mean. But we will get out tomorrow, we just have to." His hands as always found their way to my swollen stomach.
"You think of any names yet?" Dimitri kissed my forehead and I could feel the smile on his lips.
"Actually I have, but I don't know if you will like it." I pulled away more than curious to know.
"You going to tell me? I actually have one in mind too." He raised an eyebrow at me and I could not help but stare at his eye and the cut that was there.
"I'm fine." He sat back again, making sure I went with him. "I once had a good friend named Ivan. I would love to have our son named after him, he was a great guy."
"What happened to him?" Dimitri's arms around me tightened, and he sighed loudly.
"Abe did some investigating, it seems like he was taken by a rebel group and killed." I furrowed my eyebrows together.
"The Society?"
"Yes, its what Abe narrowed it down, though we know very little about them. Every time they popped up on our radar they would just as quickly fade away." I could see why Abe and Dimitri never got too far in figuring out who Victor was, it was clear the man was part of this organization.
"Victor doesn't seem like that great of a man. I mean if anything he looks sick." Dimitri then quickly sat up again, holding my shoulders so I would look him in the eyes.
"You saw him?" Before I could answer Christian stepped in.
"Yea, he was the one who actually took us. Well, I mean with the help of his merry men." Christian ran a hand through his dark hair. "He looked familiar but I could just not pin point it."
Christian was right about that though. I had not thought about it before, but there was something about him that rang a bell. I wanted to say it was because poor little Eddie kind of looked like him, but there was something more. Victor had Eddie's eyes, but his demeanor and facial features favored my mother.
"I'm still confused why he has kept away from me. Adrian saw him when we first got her, but he has kept his distance from me. He wasn't there when we were captured." Dimitri looked lost in thought. I had no idea why this was bothering him, but I knew there was a valid reason.
"So what are we going to do?" Dimitri smiled again and laid us down on the small cot.
It was way to small for the both of us, but neither of us cared. We needed each other at the moment. He pulled me to my side, knowing which way was more comfortable for me. He shifted some and wrapped his arm around me and my belly. Before I knew it my eyes drooped and sleep took over.
My dreams oddly enough were calm and quiet. I even had a snippet here and there of the future we would have. Our little cabin, Dimitri and I married. Even some more kids running around the woods while we chased them. I had to stay positive, because if I didn't I was sure to go insane.
"Wake up Roza." Dimitri's soft voice startled me out of my sleep. I looked up and met his brown eyes, again his bruised face made me wince.
"It's ok love, there is food." I sat up and he put a plate on my lap.
We all knew that if we did not eat within 5 minutes it would all be taken away from us. It was some type of torture of sorts. So trying to wake up and not feel sick at the same time I ate faster than usual. I left a few bites on my plate making sure to save it for the boys. Today was the day and they would need all their energy.
"Eat it all Rose. You and baby Ivan will need it." Adrian had stood up and sat next to me.
"I can't do much else Adrian at least let me do this." I picked up the plate and he smiled grabbing what was left of a muffin.
Dimitri and Christian followed suit, they both wore blank faces. I knew they wanted me to eat more, but there would be plenty of time for that later. They barely got any food, and I had to make sure they did not pass out when they fought their way out of here. Plus I was hungry, but not that hungry, the situation seemed to have both me and my baby feeling rather sick.
Time seemed to go by so slowly, and my nerves got worked up when I knew that dinner was only about an hour away. I was scared of what would happen. I was frightened that we would not be able to even make it out of this small cell. What if they caught on? Or if there were too many?
I tried not to think about it, but the seconds and minutes were going by too quickly. Dimitri made sure to sit by me until the time he would have to turn into a guardian again. We did not talk much but his presence near me was more than enough.
We all sat near each other touching in some way shape or form. It was strange to think of the bond we had all created together. We use to all be so different, we use to all in a way dislike someone else in some way. But now here we were united.
The door being unlocked took us out of our stupor and the guys all stood up at once. I took my time standing making sure to stay towards the back of the room. Whatever was to come would sadly not include me. I just had to make sure to stay out of the way. The guys were now in charge of what was to come and I trusted them with every fiber in me.
The door slowly opened and in stepped in the usual two guards. They did not even bother to look at the guys, that was there first mistake. Dimitri and Adrian lunged forwards knocking them out within seconds. Silence filled the small room as we all waited for their back up.
Luck was on our side though, no one noticed the noise. At least not for the moment. Christian pulled the guards to the corner as Dimitri and Adrian looked outside to make sure the coast was clear.
With a swift head nod Adrian gave the go ahead and Christian was at my side guiding me out with Dimitri and Adrian flanking us. They shut the door quietly and took in their surroundings. Voices could be heard not too far off, but they seemed far enough away from us to be able to slip by without being caught. Dimitri took the led and ushered us down a hallway that was dark and deserted. Doors lining both sides.
"Rose I need you to stay close to Christian. In about 60 seconds two guards are going to come this way. They are going to notice the guards are now in our cell and not us." All I could do was nod. I knew how important it was for me to listen to him.
Just as predicted two guards came storming down the hall. Dimitri was on the first one attacking before I could even blink. Right away I knew what they were doing. Every move was done with planned precision. They made sure no hits made more sounds than needed. It was amazing watching them both at work. They literally looked like ninjas.
Dimitri managed to slam the first guys head straight into the wall. While Adrian put the second man into a head lock. They both fell to the floor unconscious. Dimitri was at my side in a blink of an eye, again leading us to what we hoped to be our freedom.
Our escape seemed to be going well. We had made it through most of the basement they had us in. The problem lay in trying to find an exit. It was soon found out that the only exit was up the stairs, leading into the rest of the house. There were no windows, and no other door.
We had searched everywhere for an exit but it had been pointless. The basement they had thrown us in had about a dozen rooms. All which were set up exactly like the cell we had been in. The thought that at some point they had all been filled, or could be filled, sent shivers through me.
It was clear that Victor used this house often. Everything was clean and sterile, and they knew what they were doing. They kept prisoners here, for what I was not sure. Whatever the reason it did not look like it went well for many of them. I was very aware of the blood stains on the concrete walls and floor.
"Ok we are going to have to go upstairs. It's our only choice Dimitri." Adrian walked back down the stairs, standing in front of his fearless leader. Dimitri sighed running his hand through his now again long hair.
"Fine, but you and I go first." He looked back at Christian and I, his eyes lingering longer on me. "We will go scope it out, then Roza will exit followed close by Christian."
"What if something happens?" Christians question was not very specific but we all knew what it meant.
What would we do if they got caught, or worse killed. I had been trying not to think about it, but it could happen. Adrian and Dimitri were putting themselves at risk by going out first. They had already fought 4 guys, and I was certain there were a lot more to come.
"Nothing is going to happen. We are going out there, fighting them off and walking out." Adrian's fierce glare pierced into Christian. "Do you understand?"
Adrian had done some serious growing up in the last year. He had become a great guardian, and had even saved Sydney from a few instances. He was almost as scary as Dimitri. He had taken such a loving to his job. His dedication to it was at times mind boggling. But in the end none of it had surprised me. Adrian was so much more than the eye could see.
"Adrian calm down. He knows." Dimitri stepped in front of me, giving me what I assumed was suppose to be a comforting smile.
"Just stay far enough behind Roza. Look for any doors, any exits." He brought me into a hug his smile never wavering.
How could he be so strong right now? He had no idea what lay behind that door, but yet here he was telling me everything was going to be fine. Was he certain? Or was he saying this in order to keep me and our child calm. Whatever the reason it worked. I had to put my faith in him. I had to believe we would make it out and have our happy ending.
Abe also had to be almost here. He would be doing everything he could to find us. And he would find us. We were close to him, I did not know exactly where, but we were close. I had to believe that me being taken would put Abe into full force. And from what I had learned he would do anything for me. He had proved that time and time again.
"We'll be fine Dimitri. Just stay safe." I got up on my tippy toes and he got the hint.
His lips met mine as I snaked my hands behind his neck. I tried not to let the fear overwhelm me. This would not be goodbye. We were going to make it out, alive and well. The feeling in my stomach was telling me otherwise though. I think the entire time I knew things were not going to be that easy. We had a hell of a battle coming to us.
"Lets go." Dimitri pulled away, his guardian mask on. He looked so strong, so deadly.
Christians hand found mine and he linked his fingers through mine. It was funny that he could bring me such comfort. He really was like my other brother. Someone I could turn to. Someone I could trust. Someone that even though I never thought I would, he was someone I loved and cared for. I could only hope we would make it out alive.
The basement door opened and they ran out. The moment their feet hit the first floor crashing sounds surrounded us. They had known we were coming, they had been ready. Or maybe they had people stationed at the doors to begin with.
Christian helped me up the stairs, our job was to sneak by the fight unnoticed, and find an exit. An exit that hopefully they would find as well. I tried not to worry about them, if I did I was sure to freeze up and never make it out. My swollen stomach was doing nothing to help me out though. I was slow, scared, and my hormones were on a rampage.
"Rose this way." Christian had taken the role of leader for us and was helping me get around the swinging arms and legs.
I hurried as fast as I could, my eyes darting around everywhere and on everything at once. Panic surged through me when I noticed no windows. I saw the same fear cross Christians features. Were we not on the first floor? The layout of this house was a lot more complex than we thought.
We had walked around in circles for what seemed like forever. And we had found nothing. We had not even found a staircase. This was all a set up. There was no way out. At least not one we were seeing.
"Christian the bookcase." Dimitri had just taken down his third man and was fast working on his fourth, but he must have spotted something we had not.
Christian rushed to the large bookcase. It was about the size of the entire wall. Covered in hundreds of books. Books that were now being thrown on the ground by Christian. I was confused at first but then I noticed what he was doing he was looking for a way to open it. It all seemed so Hollywood action movie.
I started flinging books down as well, but there were just so many. I could hear the fight coming closer to us and I started flinging them with a new found strength. Only thing was something stopped me. One of the men had gotten away and was not trying to haul me away.
"Christian." It came out softly and at first he did not hear me. He continued to throw the books over his shoulder.
My captor put his hand over my mouth and I tasted his horrible salty sweat. There was no way I was going down without a fight though. My elbow, with the little amount of room I had, was brought forward and I jabbed it backwards into his ribs. His hold on me loosened and I used that to get out of it. I turned around eyeing my target.
The man was young, way too young. There was no way he was older than 16. But the look on his face had me forgetting everything about that. He looked ready to kill, and I was not going to be his victim. He ran at me full force and I used a move I had only used once.
My hand went out hitting his shoulder and I grabbed his arms and swung him over. He flipped over landing on his back. I was shocked that I could pull off such a move, especially in my state. But I had no time to dwell on it. I had to get him out of commission.
I looked around trying to find something to hit him over the head with, when something was pushed into my hands. Christian stood there with a lamp base and a crooked smile. I took it from him and before the boy could move I had slammed it down over his head, knocking him out cold.
I turned around to find Christian again trying to find something, anything in the bookcase.
"That was pretty badass Rose." His voice came out in pants. He was working on overtime. He had to find something and soon.
"Thanks." I once again started helping him, I reached for a book end, but it would not come off. I pulled again and the bookcase shook. Bingo.
The bookcase moved out of the way just as Adrian and Dimitri made their way to us. No one was following so I figured they took all the men out. They had also acquired each two shiny guns. I cringed at the thought that they would probably have to use them, in order for us to get out.
They once again took the lead running out to meet any threat that would come out way. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw what I had just noticed. The house was a legit maze. There were no windows, but there were what seemed like hundreds of doors. The hallway broke into dozen of other hallways. We were beyond screwed.
Dimitri grabbed my hand and started leading me to one hallway. Time seemed be flying by, and time and time again we ended up in a dead end. Dimitri cursed under his breath.
"Dimitri." Adrian rushed over and put his hand on his shoulder. "We're going to have to split up."
"No!" Dimitri's voice was harsh.
"You know we have to." Adrian's eyes flickered over to me, they were clouded with something and I did not like it.
"He's right Dimitri. Take Rose. Adrian and I will go the other way. If we find something we will come and get you."
Dimitri did not like the thought of it. The plan had been for us to stay together. But then again we did not know this house would be a maze. A fucking funhouse, and there was nothing fun about it.
"Fine but please be safe." I saw Adrian hand Christian a gun and they disappeared into another hallway.
"Let's go Roza. Stay close." He grabbed my hand and I felt something cold and hard being forced into my grip.
Looking down my eyes widened. Dimitri had just given me his second gun. Ice cold fright was sent into my bones. If he was giving me this he knew something was going to go wrong. I just hoped he was wrong, that we could get out without any problems.
We continued walking opening door after door. We were getting no where and fast at this pace they were going to find us. At this pace we were basically giving them a free be. I tried not to think this way, but as Dimitri opened the 20th door and came back empty handed I knew it was only a matter of time before they found us.
I reached for a near by door and thrust it open only this time it was not empty. Five men rushed out, and Dimitri grabbed my hand forcing me to run. It was not easy, not easy at all. After about 30 seconds I was panting, tired, and feeling like I could not go on.
"Roza don't stop." Dimitri pulled on my arm harder and I stumbled some. But one look back had me putting everything I had into my run.
The men were fast approaching. I was slowing Dimitri down, I wanted to let him go, but I knew he would never leave me behind. In the end we were doing this together. He would not leave me just like I would not leave him.
We ran into what seemed like an empty hall. I knew better though, I could hear foot falls not too far away. They were going to find us. This was it. Two men ran around the corner and out of instinct I lifted the gun just like Dimitri did. His first shot it the man, my first two missed. But the third pierced his shoulder.
I knew this was a battle we would not win though. I felt it and saw it in Dimitri's eyes. He turned to me, fear clear in those gorgeous eyes. I looked back around the corner knowing more men were coming. There was no way out. This was it for us and he knew it. Our planned had failed.
"Roza look at me." I looked into Dimitri's eyes. The chocolate brown eyes that first caught my attention what seemed so long ago.. And suddenly I wasn't afraid.
"Roza remember me. Please don't ever forget me." His words startled me, why would he say such a thing.
"Why would you say that?" The voices were growing closer. I could hear them running full force. My heart was beating hard against my chest. His words frightened me. How could he think I would forget him? Why would he think that?
"Please Roza my love look at me. Look at me and promise me you will never forget me. Never forget the love we have." My hand instinctively went to my stomach, his hand landing on top of mine. Our eyes met, fire burning between us.
"I could never forget you. You're forever embedded in my mind Dimitri. I love you." A smile graced his lips and he leaned in just as a pack of men went around the corner. We kissed with everything we had. If this was goodbye he would be burned onto my lips forever.
"I love you Roza."
And with those last words they ripped us apart from each other. I watched in pain as Dimitri was dragged one way and I the other. His eyes never left mine. Silent tears streaking both of our faces. I tried to smile at him, let him know that I would be ok. He returned the favor. I was scared, but in the end I would have him. Whatever was to come I would be strong because of him. Maybe I would not have him physically but I knew he loved me just like I loved him. I would never forget him. How could I? How would I?
As you have already noticed this is clearly not the end. Actually this is just the beginning. I've had this idea in my mind for what seems like forever now. This is going to be quite a journey to come. This is one of, as of right now, about 4 or 5 stories I am going to do. It will be a series and little by little everything will be unraveled. Until then tell me what you think. I know a lot of you will be upset there is no happy ending... But I had to do this in order for the story to work. Did you like this chapter? Were you on your toes? And what do you think is to happen. Look out for the sequel it will be called Assassins. I will also be taking a short break from this story to focus on Secret Lives. But don't fret too much it will only be about a couple weeks! Review people!