A/N: Ok, I made you wait long enough. Here we go...back to the present.

Dimitri

Chapter 13

Present Day…

I jumped out of the SUV before it fully came to a stop. Mikhail and Eddie climbed out after me as we looked around and surveyed the small area of the town.

There wasn't too much in the town, reminding me of when Rose and I had been on the run before and stopped in a small town similar to this. I taught Rose all that she needed to know when she needed to be on the run, so I was confident that she would be laying low, hiding, until she knew she was safe and able to come out.

"Fan out," I said, both Mikhail and Eddie turning to start assessing the surrounding area.

I made sure to stand out in the open, turning every few minutes to see if I could catch a glimpse of Rose. My eyes scanned every inch of the area, including the highway leading into the town. We were attracting quite the attention dressed in the manor we were in, our serious demeanors, as we checked every hiding place possible. No doubt the folks of the town would assume the other guardians were feds here on official business as we looked around the area.

The feeling low in my gut got worse as the seconds ticked by and Rose hadn't shown herself. It made no sense. Ian had advised us that she had made the call only ten minutes ago. We had just been about to survey the next checkpoint of the woods, when the call had come in.

I cursed; because there had been another miss call before the one, I had received from St. Anna's Academy. I had been overseeing one of the search parties that had thought they had a clue to Rose's whereabouts, and was deep in the woods when the first call had come in.

A call from Rose. I was sure of it.

After Ian had alerted me to the news, I had the guardians trace the number. The same number that had called Ian, claiming to be Rose and that she was here.

Ian had claimed she didn't seem under duress when she had made the call, more relieved when he had picked up. He had questioned where she had been and how she got there, all things she held back on to tell us until we securely picked her up and brought her to safety. It was smart. It was what I had drilled into her in case anyone was listening in on the phone calls.

Mikhail and Eddie came back to my side.

"We scoured every inch of the area, she isn't here," Mikhail said.

The excitement I had on the drive over, deflated from my chest. I looked around one more time, before noticing a truck not too far ahead, sitting there still running.

My legs started moving one in front of the other, when the driver side door opened, my steps actually stumbled. Mikhail and Eddie stopped right next to me, both looking back and forth between myself and the person standing in front of me. Both were poised and ready for an attack if I gave the word.

The boy standing in front of me looked just as shocked as to be standing directly across from me. Before I could stop myself, my hands fisted in his clothes and slammed him against the truck.

"Where is she?"

His eyes went wide. "I…I don't know." He half whimpered out. "She said she saw something. Told me to stay here. I saw you and thought she was with you," he added quickly.

"Um, who is this?" asked Eddie.

I released my hold on him, as he smoothed out his bunched-up clothes. "The name's Josh. Nice to meet you," he said casually looking at Eddie and Mikhail with a smile as he extended his hand.

Eddie shook his head hesitantly, while Mikhail offered a curt nod.

I looked back around. "Where did she go?" I barked.

I followed Josh's line of sight, over across the highway into the woods. "She went in a couple of minutes ago. I saw her come out. I was getting the truck, and then when I turned back, she was just…gone."

"Stay here," I growled; motioning for Mikhail to follow me while Eddie was to stay behind and guard him.

"Geez, is he always that intimidating?" Josh asked Eddie as I started towards the woods.

Mikhail and I spread out, our eyes scanning the woods. I went in about a fourth of a mile, each of us meeting back in the middle, before we already knew that if Rose was here, she wasn't here any longer.

As we made our way back out towards the edge of the road, a flash of sliver caught my eye next to a stone. I bent down to pick it up, brushing off the dirt and leaves. My heart clenched.

"What is it?" Mikhail asked.

I swallowed. "It was Rose's," I said flatly. "It was the charm that Jackie had given to her when we had visited the college campus to give us the glamour to appear like older Moroi."

"She left you a clue," Mikhail said hopeful.

My jaw clenched. "Someone beat us here first. She's been taken."

I strode back over to the gas station, where Eddie and Josh were standing, my strides purposeful and set with a determination. Whoever had taken Rose, had probably a ten-or twenty-minute head start. I needed all the information that I could get in order to find out where she had been taken.

Upon my approach, Josh took another step back. "What are you even doing here?" I asked.

"Whoa, Dimitri, calm down," Eddie said, stepping in between us.

"Saving our, girl," he replied more smugly than he should have now that Eddie was in between us.

Eddie's eyes went wide, turning his head around. "Our girl? Do you want to die?"

Mikhail stepped forward, right at my side. "Who are you?" he asked Josh.

Josh turned to him. "The name is Joshua Dawes. But my friends call me Josh. The bigfoot here and I met a few years ago, when he and Rose needed sanctuary with the Keepers."

Mikhail and Eddie knew about the Keepers from our time on the run when we had retold the story after Rose had returned to court and had been cleared of all charges.

Eddie looked back at me. "I don't remember you guys coming to Colorado."

"That's because we didn't," my reply came out clipped.

Josh flashed a grin. The fact that Rose was missing and he wasn't taking this at all seriously, was making my fist itch to want to punch him right in the face. He was testing every ounce of self-control I possessed in this moment.

"Why are you in Colorado?" I asked, that came out as more of a demand.

Josh's eyes narrowed. "Not that it is any of your business, but I am here helping another Keeper colony. They had a Strigoi problem last year."

"How did you stumble across Rose?" Eddie asked more intrigued by the situation.

"I was on patrol in the woods, when I came across her." He looked at me. "Injured. Which your welcome by the way. I nursed her back to health."

I took another step forward, my growl more pronounced, both Eddie and Mikhail's hands on my shoulders to stop me from progressing.

"Do it again, and I won't stop him from pummeling you," Mikhail warned, his patience also weaning.

"Did Rose say what happened?" I asked, trying to cool off some of my anger.

"All she said was she got into it with a Strigoi. She had a bum ankle and dislocated shoulder when we found her."

"We?" Mikhail asked, arching a brow.

"Yes. I was walking with another Keeper member, when we came in contact," he confirmed.

"Did you notice if anyone was following you?" Eddie asked, earning an approving nod from me.

Josh looked up as if he was thinking about it. "No. Everything seemed fine. Rose went on and on about making sure to stay low. She went in to make a phone call, and then as she was coming over to climb back in the truck to wait, she said she heard something."

I pinched the center of my nose. "So, you let her go alone?"

Josh's eyes narrowed. "I didn't let her do anything. She threatened me to stay put."

"That's not true."

All four of our heads turned to the left of us, where a little girl with blonde locks and her thumb in her mouth looked at us expectantly.

"Cassie!" Josh squealed. "What are you doing here?"

He strode over to the little girl, dropping to one knee.

"I fa-woh you," she said, her answer so obvious.

She couldn't be more than five years old, her big blue eyes looking at all three of us one-by-one. Her eyes lastly landed on me, and I was surprised that she didn't seem to show that she was afraid. Usually with my height, most gave me a wide berth. I hadn't exactly been nice to Josh since I had laid eyes on him, but that didn't seem to bother her.

I liked her even more.

"Are you Diriti?"

I moved closer, mimicking Josh's stance, whose shoulders tensed when I had gotten closer to her and dropped to one knee. "Di-mitri," I corrected her gently. "Yes, I am."

Her eyes lit up. "Josh, it's Rose's solider from her story," she clapped happily.

That hadn't been the answer I had been expecting, but my chest warmed knowing that during her time among the Keepers, Rose must've mentioned me.

"And who are you?" I asked gently.

"My name is Cassie," she supplied. "Rose and I are best buds."

I wondered how long Rose had been with this colony, seeing the little girl already seemed attached to her. Not that I was surprised. I had been hooked the moment I laid eyes on her while studying her and her moves when I had been tasked to bring them both back to St. Valdimir's.

Cassie's face fell. "Rose had to leave. I was sad. So, I fa-wohed you and hid in the twuck," she answered.

I shot a glare at Josh. Not only had he failed to even be aware of his surroundings, but he hadn't even noticed a girl so young had been following them the entire way. What if something bad had happened to her? He wouldn't have known.

"Cassie, does your mom know you left?" Josh asked, his face paling a bit.

She looked down at her feet. "No."

"I am so going to be in big trouble," he groaned.

Her blue eyes looked back up at me. She was cute and incredibly brave for her age.

"What made you do something so reckless like that?" Josh asked, his voice a little rougher then necessary. No doubt worried about her safety. That I could see.

Her bottom lip trembled a bit, her eyes starting to water. Great!

"Rose said she was coming to meet Di-m-itri," she said, attempting to say my name as I had showed her. "I wanted to meet him."

Josh huffed; crossing his arms over his chest. "Nothing special," he muttered under his breath.

"It's nice to meet you," I said, pulling her attention back to me.

Cassie's tremble to her lip stopped, forming a smile. "You're cute," she giggled.

"Seriously?" Josh groaned.

"Uh, thanks," I said, feeling heat rise to my cheeks.

I wasn't oblivious to see the smirks on both Eddie and Mikhail's faces. They were enjoying this way too much. I needed to bring us back to the topic at hand. The longer we stayed here, the more distance Rose and her captors were putting between us.

"Cassie, what did you mean earlier when you said that you were being followed?"

She turned serious, my mouth quirking into another grin. "There was a bad man in a big black car," she said, pointing back in the direction across the road. The same spot where I found the charm Rose had left behind.

"Did the car look like the ones we came in?" I asked, pointing over to where our SUVs were parked.

She nodded. "He was scary," she added.

"What did he look like?"

She sucked in her bottom lip, her eyes growing pensive. "He…he had ugly red eyes."

Strigoi.

I felt my heart stop in my chest. I swallowed down the panic, needing to focus on the task at hand. If Rose had been taken by Strigoi, I needed to find her and fast. I had to hope that whomever took her hadn't already done the unthinkable.

"Was he alone?" I asked.

She brought her hands to her lips as she thought, and then answered. "I think so."

"It's ok," I replied. She had already given us more information that Josh had.

"Dimitri?"

Cassie was a quick study, almost getting my name right this last time.

"Mummy told me that practicing numbers and letters are important. Here," she said, holding out her hand.

All of us had been shocked into silence. There on the small palm of her hand were six digits. A combination of letters and numbers. I wanted to pick up the girl and squeeze her tight.

"Cassie, is this the numbers on the back of the plate of the vehicle?"

Her eyes lit up, her face brightening. "Yes. The mean looking man was carrying Rose. Her eyes were closed."

I glanced over at Mikhail who already had his phone out and dialing with the information.

"Did I do good?" she asked.

I beamed at her. "You may have just saved her life," I replied.

"Can I come with you to go and save her?" she asked.

"No!" Josh yelled. "We are both already in enough trouble as it is."

Her mouth turned into a frown. I could see she wanted to possibly argue with Josh, but decided against it. She looked back up at me.

"Will you save her?"

"Yes," I answered fiercely.

She grinned. "I knew you would say that. Rose said the heroes always save the day."

I smiled at her, bending down to give her a quick hug. She held onto me so tightly, it made my affection for the tiny little thing grow even more.

"Thank you," I said.

She pulled back and kissed me on the cheek, before she ran over to Josh's side.

I stood; snapping back into guardian mode. "We need to get moving. Regroup and find out where they are taking Rose," I said.

"Hold on a second," Josh interjected. "I am coming with you."

I squinted at him. "No. You're not. You're going back home."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "You aren't the boss of me," he snapped back.

"This matter no longer concerns you," I gritted through my teeth, trying to keep my voice level and calm seeing that Cassie was here and watching.

"If it wasn't for me, Rose would still be lost in the woods and in terrible shape. No thanks to you," he clapped back.

"What did you say to me?"

I had to give Josh credit, this time he didn't flinch back like he had. Most likely because he knew with Cassie nearby that I wouldn't do anything that would upset her. He was right.

"I care about Rose. She went missing under my watch. I am going to be a part of the rescue mission, whether you like it or not," he replied as if he was actually going to stomp his foot.

I looked over at Eddie's whose face was about to bust out in laughter at the entire situation.

"And what do you plan to do with her?" I asked, my head tilting in the direction of Cassie. "Just leave her here and hope she finds her way home?" I asked.

His bravado faltered a bit. "I thought we could take her home first."

"Look, I know you want to help," I said, trying to let go of my frustration. "But every moment matters, and I don't have the time to wait around until you can be ready. This is official guardian business. One you aren't sanctioned for."

He rolled his eyes, his lips making a sound that came out like a—pfft. "You can't pull your guardian business crap with me. You can try and leave me behind, but I will just find a way to follow you."

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest, as if he too realized that our friend Josh here wasn't going to go anyway, anytime soon.

I shot him a pointed look. "Listen, even if we wanted your assistance, this is classified work that we are doing here. I'm sorry, but you can't assist us in the matter." I signaled one of the other guardians who was standing around as they came over. "Can you please make sure here that Josh and Cassie get back to their colony safely," I added, making sure Josh understood there would be no more discussion on the matter.

Mikhail, Eddie, and I stepped away, regrouping with the information for what we had.

"Heard back from our sources, the license plate number, registered to none other than Svoboda Enterprises."

My head snapped up. "What did you say?"

"You know the name?" Mikhail questioned.

I nodded. "It was listed in documents we found in one of the missing security details belongings. Ryan Tarus," I apprised.

"That can't be a coincidence," remarked Eddie.

"No," I agreed.

"What do we do next?"

"I head back to the nightclub. The answers have to be there. This is all connected. If I am going to find Rose, the information will be at the club."

Rose

I groaned.

My hand came up to my head. My face scrunched up, the pain in my head causing a ringing sensation. My head half felt like there was too much pressure that needed to be released and it couldn't, and what I assumed what it would feel like if I could get hungover.

Glad I didn't. Because if I did, the inability to stop the spots from moving from left to right was making me nauseous.

My eyes opened and shut gingerly, trying to adjust them from going from dark to light with little notice.

What the hell happened?

The last thing I remembered, I was in a town, made a call to Dimitri…

Dimitri!

I groaned again, everything smacking into me at once. I had gone into the woods, but I had been taken. Dimitri had only been a few car lengths away from me, before I ended up here.

Which is where?

I placed my hand down next to me, met with a cold cement. I was on my back, and as I turned to my side to push up to a sitting position. I was in a room, no larger than what I say was a jail cell. There was nothing in the room outside myself, my hands suddenly coming up to my arms to rub the cold away.

I felt for my waist, but my stake was gone. The backup stake I had in my boot too.

"They took my shoelaces!" I exclaimed. "Has to be a compliment in there somewhere," I muttered, pushing myself to stand.

I looked around the room for any vantage point but found none. There were no tiles in the ceiling, no ventilation opening, nothing. I wasn't getting out of here until whomever had put me in here decided to come back.

As I turned to search and assess, my hands came to my neck at the pang of pain I felt there. I was relieved when I felt no larger holes in that I had been someone's snack, but could feel the slight grove to where I had remembered being jabbed with something by a needle.

My mouth was dry, an odd taste at the back of my tongue told me I had been drugged with something. If I had to guess, something potent to make sure my dhampir abilities didn't keep it from wearing off, before they could transport me where they needed to transport me.

I walked around all four walls again and again, hoping that some weapon or exit would magically appear. Being a Moroi with earth power would be really nice about now.

My only hope at this point was that Dimitri had to figure out that I had been there. That we had just missed each other. Maybe that backward town had some cameras and Dimitri was already working on who had taken me and was already enroute.

I had figured that Sonya or Adrian wouldn't even be able to find me in a spirit dream, based on the fact that they had drugged me. I wouldn't even be conscious to connect and let them know that I was alright. I wouldn't even be able to give them any clues as to my whereabouts.

One thing I hated more than anything, was being caged in like an animal, and that was exactly what was going on here. It made me uneasy that I had no weapon for whoever came in that door. I still had my fists and my training, so there was that.

The sound of the door opening behind me, had me turning around, until I backed up against the wall.

A Strigoi entered the room. Not any Strigoi, but one of the new terminator Strigoi's. Even if I was able to get an upper hand in fighting, without a stake, fire, or a knife to chop its head right off, I wasn't sure I would make it that far.

I still had no idea where the heck I even was.

I flattened myself against the wall, trying to put as much distance between myself and the undead creature, even though he easily stepped into the space closing the distance between us.

"Relax," the Strigoi taunted, "you aren't on the menu…yet."

"Sorry, but you really aren't my type," I quipped.

He took another step forward. "The boss wants to see you. Now, be a good little guardian and come with me willingly, or I can make you," he said, his lip curling upwards to show me his fangs.

I did my best to hide my shiver at the thought. Mostly because I knew that if that bloodsucker got his fangs in me, whether he meant to or not, I could end up dead on this floor or possibly turned Strigoi instead of having a chat with whomever the boss was.

"Well, since you asked so nicely," I retorted, pushing myself off the wall.

He stepped aside, allowing me to pass, only for two more Strigoi to be standing outside ready to escort me to wherever this boss was. If I was planning on trying to escape, that idea was useless now. There was no way I could take on three of these terminator bloodsuckers without even a weapon.

As I was led down the hall, I made sure to take in every detail about the place I could. I was definitely underground in some kind of basement from what I could see. As we progressed down the hall, I had passed at least seven to eight doors that were identical to mine.

I didn't want to think about if there was anyone else stuck behind those doors like I had been. Where they humans, Dhampir, or Moroi that had been kidnapped, drugged and waiting until either their blood was drained from their body, or they were turned into these guys.

"Wow…you guys know how to provide five-star accommodations," I goaded.

Dimitri always said that my mouth would get me in trouble, but I was hoping it would cause enough annoyance, that I might be able to get answers.

Unfortunately for me, my escorts weren't taking the bait.

As we reached the end of the hall, the two Strigoi in front of me led me to a spiral staircase that we started to ascend up. Once we reached the top, they called for the elevator that opened, the Strigoi behind me, pushing me forcefully into the space.

"Watch the merchandise!" I exclaimed, righting myself again.

I briefly glanced at each of the three faces of Strigoi around me, none of the faces I recognized. If they were Dhampir or Mori prior, I didn't know them. I didn't recall any of their faces in any of the information Dimitri and I had collected from our undercover work either.

My eyes glanced at the buttons on the front panel of the elevator. I had confirmed that we had clearly started from the basement level, thanks to the "B" as it moved upwards, going higher and higher, until we reached the top level on the row, marked, "P."

Penthouse.

As the doors opened, it was a much welcoming site then my previous digs, as I whistled looking around the larger space. It looked like I had just stepped out of some rich and famous magazine spread for some sort of fancy condo in the heart of New York.

"Nice place, you bloodsuckers got here," I commented. "Drug business must be good to you all."

That got me a little bit of a reaction, one of the two Strigoi in front of me turning their head so they could snarl. I just shot him one of my amazing Rose Hathaway big smiles, before turning my attention back out around me.

The place may be expensive and huge, but it was cold. Nothing like the room or compound that I remember Strigoi Dimitri had lived in during his time. Everything was cold steel and metal, with grey and dark colors. I was actually quite surprised at the amount of windows in the place, the curtains pulled back, but then again, the new breed of Strigoi weren't as sensitive to sunlight as the regular undead.

The Strigoi behind me pushed at my back. I turned my head over my shoulder, sneering at him.

"Hey, Fraken-dead, touch me an again, and you really will wish you were dead," I threatened.

We walked to the back of the massive open floor concept like condo, before we entered in what was an office. Bookshelves lined the entire walls of the place, a sleek fully glass desk to match the modern décor sat at the end of the room.

"Sit," the Strigoi behind me ordered.

"A please would be nice," I sneered, walking to take a seat.

The two other Strigoi that had helped escorted me had left the room, the only one remaining had been the one who had been barking orders at me the whole time. He stood at the back of the room; his hands clasped in front of him. I wondered if he truly had been a guardian, because it was typically the same stance we would do when we were lined up against the wall while on duty.

What was really unnerving about the whole thing, was the fact that these Strigoi here didn't act like the Strigoi we were used too. Most Strigoi had no discipline. Their lust for blood drove them along with their power. To see this many Strigoi in the same place, calmly accepting orders, was just plan odd.

When Dimitri had spoken about his time as a Strigoi even he could recall times that as he was moving up the chain, his patience for following orders from others went against their nature. Most times he would put up with it for as long as it was absolutely needed, and most other times, once he found a kink in the armor they would strike. Not all were always successful, but others like him—had been.

I had been about to make another smart-ass comment—I mean I was Rose Hathaway after all—when the door to the back of the office opened, and a man in expensive clothes walked through. He wore the same type of clothes that reminded me of my Zmey father, Abe.

"Rose Hathaway, I'm so glad that we are finally getting to meet," he said, his voice pleasant and cheery.

Did I mention he was also a Strigoi? Like a terminator Strigoi.

He had pale skin, but something told me that prior to being Strigoi he had been attractive. He had platinum blonde hair, and the outer red of his irises still had a tinge of blue, which had probably been his former eye color before he had turned. He looked no more than a day over thirty, with high cheekbones and a pointed chin.

Why does he remind me of someone?

"I'm at a loss for words. You seem to know me, yet I know nothing about you," I replied.

He grinned; coming to stand behind the perfectly white modern chair that sat behind his desk. His forearms and elbows rested against it.

"Oh…I know all about you, Rose Hathaway."

I ground my teeth. I knew he was baiting me. Giving me little tidbits about knowing about me and of me, and purposely saying nothing actually useful in return. Or about himself for that matter.

"Well, that makes one of us," I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest.

He looked around the room, a smile dawning on his lips. "Do you love what I have done with the place? I think it looks leaps and bounds better than what it was once before."

"Considering I have never been here before…I wouldn't know. Oh, and I don't care," I said lamely.

"How dare you speak to master that way," the Strigoi behind me snarled.

"Ah-ah, dear, Reed. Rose is a guest. We can forgive her outburst," mystery master said.

I winked at the Strigoi. "Yeah. Getting drugged and kidnapped can make you kind of cranky in that way."

Mystery master sighed. "Forgive me, Rose. I hated the way for how we had to come to meet, but I figured you wouldn't want to come willingly."

I arched a brow, shooting him a mischievous smile. "Oh, I am very accommodating when it comes to places where Stirgoi might be hiding like the cowards they are. Nothing feels better than a stake right to the heart."

Mystery master laughed, pointing at me as if he was amused by my comment. Something told me that he wasn't a newly turned Strigoi. He was too polished, too disciplined to not just fly off the handle, no matter how much I was trying to push and see how far he might go.

"I see what my men say about that mouth of yours," he commented.

I shrugged. "What can I say, it's part of my charm."

"Hmm…" he drummed his fingers on the back of the chair as he looked off into space.

"Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but if you could just tell me why it is you brought me here, I can just kill you and then be on my merry way."

He laughed. "I can see why Dimitri fell for you."

All traces of sarcasm dropped from my face. Mystery master's eyes gleamed at seeing how saying Dimitri's name caused something to shift in me. My shoulders tensed, my posture straightening just as it did when I was ready to go into battle.

"What about Dimitri? How do you know him?"

"In time, in time," he shushed, bringing up his hands in a manner as if he was trying to quiet an entire classroom of rowdy children.

I stood from the chair. "No! You tell me now! What do you want with Dimitri?" I took a step forward. "I will kill you. I will make it slow and painful if you even attempt to touch a hair on his head."

I saw his eyes flicker behind me with a curt nod, but I didn't care. Saying Dimitri's name, set off a protectiveness in me that anytime someone even dared look at him wrong, would send me over the edge.

I could feel the Strigoi at my back, turning just in time to use my arm to block at whatever it was that was in his hand. We fought, each of us dodging and throwing punches at each other. Rage was fueling my battle cry, my fists going on auto pilot each time I swung.

The two other Strigoi burst into the room, making it now three on one, but I didn't care. Until they grabbed hold of me, the Strigoi, that the mystery master called Reed, came at me with a sickening gleam in his eye. He brought his hand up, another syringe in his hand.

I narrowed my eyes and growled, just before he jammed it in my neck, releasing the amber looking liquid into my veins. The two other Strigoi released me, leaving the room, as everything around me suddenly started to sway, my feet becoming heavy and unbalanced.

I looked back to the mystery master, his head shaking back and forth. "Very disappointing, Rose. Let's try this again, after you have had some time to cool off."

I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. The last thing I remember, was falling to the floor, my eyes blinking open and closed, before everything went dark.

A/N: I know….don't kill me…lol