We didn't sleep the next day. Instead, we went out, then only time it was 'safe'.

I needed to think. I had no clue what we were doing in Las Vegas anymore. I had thought it would be best, that maybe we could talk to some of the hookers in the place, but nothing had turned out of it. We talked to at least six places, both of the boys uncomfortable, watching my back as I talked my way into influencing the managers to let me look at their files.

I needed Lissa. But even she couldn't help with half the cases. Some places didn't even hold files of 'cases'.

After exiting the seventh place, once again, unsuccessful, I leaned against the filthy wall of the strip bar, flinching my hand away when I felt a fresh piece of gum stick to my fingers.

"Well this stinks." I grumbled, looking at me fingers, rubbing them together to try and get a bit of sticky juice off of them from the gum.

Denis laughed. "Not that I'm objecting or anything," he said, grinning. "But why are we visiting every strip bar we've seen on our little tour you're giving us?"

I rolled my eyes, a small smile playing on my lips. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, well," I looked to Dimitri. "You might. But he wouldn't."

Dimitri smirked.

I looked back towards the both of them, not just Dimitri.

"This is too important. I'm sorry I can't tell you. I'm sure you guys could probably help me, but…I can't fuck it up. Not this time."

Denis grinned. "Where can I get your dictionary?"

I sighed, leaning back off the wall and placing my hands on my hips. I felt in charge, and in a way, I was. Finally, I could boss Dimitri around! It was a nice, warm feeling that he trusted that he had trained me enough.

"I guess we should go back before the sun goes down. But I'm not so sure we will get very far with these joints in the day."

Dimitri cut in with his sensible idea. "We come back another night when we are more prepared, and armed."

I nodded. "Makes sense. C'mon."

We walked back down the street after a long day of searching. Our feet would probably be caning by now if we hadn't been used to standing around all day.

We made it back to our hotel in no time at all, and I flunked down on my bed. The springs were ridge enough to squeak loudly as I collapsed a great representation on what it was doing to my back.

"What's the plan?" Denis asked, sitting on the edge of my bed. With his finger, he drew on my stomach, making me shiver. I wasn't sure if it was in pleasure, or in disgust, but I wanted him to stop. I didn't move, though.

"I don't know. I guess we keep looking, huh?"

Dimitri sighed. "There have to be at least fifty strip joints around the city. Maybe more. It'll take forever."

A sensation washed through me, and in my wasted time and frustration, I shot up, Denis flinching his finger back. I leaped off the bed. I walked over to the wall, placing my hands on either side of my do it wasn't touching. After a moment, I twisted around, leaning on the wall and banging my head softly on the wall.

"He wouldn't want it recorded. Why would he? Uh!"

After another few moments, Dimitri walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Roza?"

I groaned. "I'm wasting my time here. Why would the-" I caught myself.

A royal as huge as Eric Dragomir wouldn't want this recorded! It was meant to be secret! If it was, it'd be on display for the whole Court to see! What was I thinking!

"This stinks." I grumbled.

Denis laughed in the background. "You already said that one, Rose."

Dimitri was already on his case. "She's not in the mood, Denis, and neither am I."

He shrugged. "I'm just trying to get everyone out of their despair for the moment."

I smiled without humor at him. "Not working. Zip it."

"Fair enough."

Dimitri turned his attention back to me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded while I breathed deeply. "Yeah. Get some rest. It's been a long day."

"Roza…"

I silenced him with a look.

He sighed, shook his head, and turned towards Denis.

"You wanna go for a shower first, or will Rose?"

Dimitri didn't snore at all. He didn't snort. He may as well have been dead without his chest building up with letting go.

I was going insane. I knew that already, but this was different. It's like…being proud of something that you've created. You think it's the best thing in the world, but then in breaks into a million pieces, and you're completely devastated.

Three days I hadn't slept. Much. And I wasn't going to break that now.

I slid out of bed as quiet as I could to grab a coat from within the door. After scribbling a short note of one of the hotel pieces of paper, I laid it next to Dimitri's head like one of those boring romance movies. I took one last look at Dimitri for the night, and then opened the door carefully, slipping through, then shutting it. I dragged my fingers through my hair, pulled on the coat, then made my way down the stairs.

I needed a long walk, not that we didn't do enough walking already today.

I rounded the first corner. The night air that I had so dearly missed had turned into cigarette smoke, booze and piss. I had my stake on hand for any surprise Strigoi attacks, and a smaller, but fairly lethal and scary knife for any humans.

I rounded the third and fourth corner before stopping at a small park. We were on the outskirts on the town after all, but it was still possibly the only park in all of Las Vegas.

And it wasn't something to look upon in awe. The place was more like a hang out for drug dealers.

What was it with this part of Las Vegas?

I leaned against one of the trees, hugging my coat to myself. Dimitri would absolutely kill me if he knew I had done this. Had he waken up yet? I didn't have a mobile, and I hadn't told him exactly where I was going, since I really had no clue. What would he assume?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a movement. I turned my whole head so I would get a better view of it. It was a man dressed in black, talking to a…homeless person? It wasn't any of my concern.

But then the homeless man started walking towards me, and this time I turned my whole body, ready for his attack.

He stood in front of me, an evil, amused grin plastered on his face. "Hey there, beautiful."

I smiled back in fake kindness. "Hey there, douche bag."

I started to walk away, pushing myself off the tree. I calmed down my pulse. I had trained to kill, not just get away. I seriously didn't want to kill this man, even though he was hitting on when he was at least two and a half times my age.

"There was a man over there. Nice man, he gave me fifty dollars to give you a message."

I stopped and turned towards him.

"And?" I asked. "What's the message?"

He smiled. "He had his fee, now you have yours."

"I don't have any money on me."

He grinned. "There other ways of payment for such a lovely girl like yourself."

Creep!

"Really?" I asked in fake sweetness. "Hmm…okay. How about this. I have a knife and pointy thing on me. I can take out my knife in half a second, and pin you on the ground with it at your throat in less that five."

He squinted. "You're bluffing."

"I was actually hoping you would say that."

I pulled out my knife from my coat pocket. My stake was strapped to my leg.

"You don't know how to use it." He challenged me.

I smiled. "A knife isn't hard to use. And I'm trained to use my pointy thing. Now, tell me the message."

He gulped, taking a step back.

"The message." I demanded.

His face was emotionless. "Amelia Carter." He said.

"What-?"

But he was already gone, running in the other direction. I slid my knife back into my coat pocket and ran the name through my head. It was nothing I had ever heard before.

I looked back over to where the man in black was standing. He hadn't moved, but I could tell he was looking at me.

But when he started to run away, I followed him. I ran as fast as I could, jumping over invisible objects that I couldn't see until the last second.

"HEY!" I shouted.

The man wasn't as fast as he wanted to be. I was right on his tail, but I couldn't afford the mistake if I attacked him. He darted right, behind something. I turned the corner half a second later, but he was gone.

The name still played over in my head.

"Amelia Carter."

I opened the door as quietly as I could when I walked into the room again. When it was silent, I breathed a sigh of relief. Now all I had to do was crawl back into bed and-

The lights flicked on, and Dimitri stood in the middle of the room, his arms crossed in front of him. I jumped when I saw him, squealing a little bit. When I turned around to see Denis at the lights, I didn't jump.

"Nice walk?" Dimitri asked.

My grin was sheepish. "Lovely, thank you." I ignored the sarcasm in his voice.

He sighed. "Rose…"

"What are you gonna do? Ground me?" I asked. "I'm an adult! I can go for a walk, can't I?"

"No." he growled.

"Why?" it was the worst thing I could have said.

"You know why." He said. "Do you know how long we've been waiting here for you? What if something happened to you!"

"Then it would be my problem, not yours." I shot back.

He sighed. "I really hoped we'd been past this stage, Rose."

"We don't all get what we want." I shot again.

"Hey!" Denis cut in behind me, focused on Dimitri. "She was just going for a walk!"

Dimitri looked at Denis. "It was irresponsible and childish. What were you gonna do?"

Somehow, this had all turned back on me. "I went for a walk. I stayed in the park for a little while, and then I came back. God, it's not illegal!"

He didn't say anything.

"I'm going to sleep. I'm tired."

One name still played in the back of my mind.

Amelia Carter.

HEY!

Chapter 14! Awesome!

R&R!

Xoxoxo

Lauren