A/N: Alright, sorry to take us back to the past, but I hope you enjoy!

Dimitri

Chapter 14

One Month Earlier (Week 3, Day 4)…

The last week had been a lot of the same when it came to the nightclub.

The owner, Zachary, and my direct boss, Marcus were spending far more time away from the nightclub, only showing up every few days to go straight to their office with little interaction with me or anyone else at the club.

Rose and I had turned the place upside down each time we were there, but these guys were careful. Down to how they potentially chose their victims. They left no traces. Ever trail we started to pick up, would suddenly end up cold.

I continued to monitor the names from those that had gone missing from the club—or supposedly just quit—but nothing new came up in any police reports. It was as if they just vanished and no one even cared.

I spent most of my time in the last few days—in conjunction with Hans—and my guardian resources to see if we could find anything regarding the company Svoboda, but the only thing we were coming up with, was a well-organized shell company being funneled into other shell companies.

I just completed my last round around the nightclub, when the back door opened and Zachary and Marcus walked into the building. Their eyes scanned the nightclub, before stopping on me. Zachary leaned in to whisper something into Marcus's ear, before Marcus nodded, and started coming in my direction while Zachary made his way to the office.

"Dimitri!" Marcus called as he approached me near the bar.

Marcus signaled to Jack behind the bar for a drink, as he rested his elbows on the bar, his eyes glancing back out at the dance floor. It was still early in the night, just after eleven-thirty in the evening, but the crowd was already pouring in.

Jack strode over, dropping a glass of whiskey in front of him. Marcus gave a curt nod, before Jack walked away leaving the two of us some privacy. As much privacy as you could get in a thumping nightclub.

Marcus picked up his glass, taking a swig, before glancing at me, leaning in to speak his next words over the music. "Listen, the boss and I have been impressed with your performance lately. Why don't you come upstairs so we can talk about it."

It was a demand more than a request. He downed the rest of the glass, before he weaved through the crowd and made his way towards the stairs.

I turned; Rose's brows furrowed together seeing that she had observed the entire conversation. Her tray was still in the air as she maneuvered in the thick crowd. My eyes glanced up in the direction of the office, her nod of understanding.

"Good luck," Jack said, coming to grab the empty glass Marcus had left behind.

As I reached the office, and knocked on the door, I stepped in once I heard the command to come in. Zachary was perched on the couch by the side of his desk, a smile and a drink in his hand. Marcus stood just off to the side, an encouraging and approving look directed at me.

"Come in, Dimitri," Zachary greeted, tipping his glass to me his other arm swung over the back of the deep red couch in his office.

I stepped all the way in, shutting the door behind me, standing before them with my hands clasped in front of me.

"Marcus shared with me that he informed you that we have been impressed with your performance these last few weeks," Zachary added.

"Thank you, sir."

"The way you have been able to handle things here in our absence, has been exemplary."

In my experience, anytime someone went out of their way to pay compliments, it meant there was usually something dangerous or big to follow.

"I appreciate the confidence, sir."

Zachary smiled, as he looked over at Marcus, standing from the couch, swirling the alcohol in the glass in his hand. "When you had come highly recommended, I wasn't so sure you would be able to do the job. Marcus said that he had never gotten so many glowing recommendations. I'm not above being proven wrong," he grinned.

Hans had ensured that my cover story would be deep, so it wasn't surprising that they would check my qualifications and reach out to references as it related to my abilities.

"Marcus seems to believe that you would make the perfect candidate. A solider, if you will."

Zachary's comments were coming out cryptic, but since Rose and I were able to put software onto their computers, and Rose was able to secure the names of nightclub staff members that had gone missing, this was the next promising clue that I might be let in on.

Exactly what I had been waiting for since the assignment began.

I kept my expression blank at the continued praise for my performance. In this line of work, it was a very fine balance at seeming too eager to want to climb ahead, or two disinterested that I wouldn't be the right candidate for the job.

"I am committed to do what is asked of me," I replied deadpanned.

"Yes… another one of the many things we were advised about you," continued Zachary. He set aside his now empty glass on the edge of his desk. "Let me ask you a question. How dedicated are you when it comes to activities that might border an ethical boundary?"

I wasn't stupid, and neither was he. His cryptic question was whether I would be interested in partaking in the illegal operations of the business. In this scenario, this is exactly what I have been waiting and hoping for. This might just be the in Rose and I needed, in uncovering the specifics of how the operation worked.

"As I said, I'm committed to do whatever you need."

That seem to satisfy both of their inquiries, earning me approving nods from each of them.

"Marcus, why don't you fill Dimitri in here on what is needed, while I take care of other matters," Zachary directed, just as he came to place a hand on my shoulder, before stepping out of the office.

Marcus turned to me. "There's a shipment coming in today. An important shipment, that we need to make sure doesn't have any hiccups."

"What kind of shipment?" I asked.

There was a twitch to the corner of his eye, making me wonder if he would answer my question. I wasn't surprised when his reply had been elusive.

"Precious and rare cargo. It's instrumental to our club's success and the partnership and business we have with surrounding companies," he answered.

"And you have had problems before with theft?"

Marcus's tilt of his head let me know that was exactly what had been happening. "We need someone that knows security. That plans for the unexpected and is prepared. You've proven yourself over the last few weeks that you can do that. Can I count on you?"

"Yes," I said immediately.

"Good." Marcus moved closer. "We leave in about twenty minutes." He leaned in until he was right at my ear. "Don't disappoint, Dimitri. We don't tend to give second chances here."

Rose

"Earth to Rose!"

I blinked; Jack's hands waving in my face as he attempted to get my attention.

"Sorry," I said, shaking away the daze, turning back to him.

Ever since Dimitri had gone upstairs with Marcus and Zachary, I had been distracted keeping an eye out for any signs that something might be amiss. Dimitri had seemed to be surprised that he had been called up to meet with them, making me wonder if something else was going on.

"You all, right?" he asked. "You seem to be a bit out of it today," he commented, studying me intently.

I plastered a smile on my face, shoving down my growing unease. "Yeah, just a bit tired," I lied.

He nodded in understanding. "Yeah. It's been busy the last couple of nights. You've handled it like a pro though."

I grinned. "Tell that to the boss man. I could use a raise."

On cue, my glance pulled back to the staircase, seeing Zachary coming down from his offices. Marcus and Dimitri hadn't been behind him.

As he reached the bottom step, he started making his way over to where Jack and I were, instantly making me drop my eyes so I wasn't obvious that I was watching his movements or attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Jack, a word," he demanded.

Jack stopped what he was doing in front of me, moving closer to the end of the bar where he was standing. I kept my hands busy with my tray, though my primary focus was attempting to listen what it was they were talking about.

I didn't dare lift my gaze at them, even though I could feel their eyes on me as they spoke in hushed whispers. After a few minutes, Zachary walked away, and Jack resumed his spot in front of me.

I looked up with a teasing smile. "Now, who is the teacher's pet," I remarked, hoping it might earn me some information.

"I wish."

He picked up his rag, wiping out the clean glasses off to his side as he started to pack some of them away.

"Well, I know I would kill for the opportunity for the boss man to think of me as more useful then just a cocktail waitress," I stated straightening some of the piles of napkins in front of me.

His brow arched at me. "Really?"

I nodded eagerly. "Yeah. I'm always down for the extra work."

I could tell he knew I was studying him. I figured he did more around the club then just bartend based on what I witnessed in my short time here.

Out of the corner of my eye, I felt Dimitri's eyes on me, catching that he and Marcus were exiting the office and coming down the stairs. It only took one passing look between us, but I could sense something big was about to go down. Something that Dimitri was going to be a part of.

My eyes glanced in the direction of our meeting spot whenever we had to share something in passing, but the slight shake of his head had me worrying even more. It was then that I realized why. As they descended the steps, they turned in the direction that would take them out of the club.

"You like him, don't you?"

My gaze snapped back to Jack. "Like, who?"

He laughed. "The White Russian. Just like Martini, Merlot, and all the ladies do. I hear them talking about him nonstop." He rolled his eyes as if he hated the fact of competition. Like there would be, standing next to Dimitri. "I guess I just didn't figure you would jump on that train either."

"I don't recall saying I did."

He leaned in, his elbows sliding against the bar. "Then, why can't you seem to take your eyes off him?"

I grinned. "Why can't you?"

He laughed. "Touche."

I refrained from looking over again, even though out of my peripheral vision I could see the nightclub door open, Marcus and Dimitri stepping out before the door shut. I was going to have to find another way to know what the heck was going on.

I picked up my tray to step away, when Jack's hand came down on mine. "Did you mean it?"

I stopped; turning back to him. "Mean what?"

"That if I needed help, that you would help?"

"Yes," I said sincerely. "What do you need?"

He looked around the club, lowered his voice, and then whispered, "Follow me."

Jack walked around the bar, motioning for me to follow in his wake. We started to walk behind the bar, a closed door with the words "Authorized Personal" written on the front in big bold white letters.

I hadn't been in this room before, figuring it was the extra storage for alcohol Jack needed during his shift while he bartended.

As he opened the door, it was a small room with a desk and shelves full of extra supplies and alcohol from recent shipments.

As I looked around the room, I wondered what he could possibly need in here as far as extra help from me. Inventory wasn't a skill set I could say I possess.

Then I heard the click.

I spun; Jack at the door, with a gun pointed straight at me.

My look had to be nothing short of stunned surprise. Jack! I held my hands up, even though he didn't even show an ounce of hesitation that he was pointing a gun at me.

"What are you doing?"

He pressed his lips together. "What needs to be done."

I tried to convey how betrayed and hurt I was. Even though I had only known Jack for a few weeks, I never thought he would be capable of something like this.

"So, you're going to kill me. Is that what this is?"

His hand wavered slightly, the front of the barrel lowering just an inch. Maybe he didn't fully have it in him after all.

"I don't want too, Rose. So, please don't make me."

I took a step forward; the gun returning to a steady point right at me. I could disarm him easily, but Jack was smart to keep me just at that the right distance to prevent my attempt too.

"Is that what Marcus wanted earlier? For you to kill me?"

He didn't answer, but he didn't need too. His eyes had said it all. "He told me you knew too much. I told him that you didn't. That you were just a cocktail waitress. You had me fooled."

"Apparently, I wasn't the only one," I pointed out.

"I can't let you get in the way, Rose. I've worked too hard for too long for that to get messed up because of some pretty face."

I scoffed. "You should know by now, I'm not just a pretty face."

He let out a breath. "I know."

There. There was something that flashed in his eye that told me he did know. "What did you do?"

He at least had the conscious to look away from me as he disclosed it. "The girl outside the club the night we went for drinks…"

My jaw clenched. "You kidnapped her? For the Strigoi!"

I didn't bother acting as if he didn't know what was going on. He knew. He was somehow a part of it. I just needed to find out how much he was a part of the whole thing.

"I was the scout. I just looked for the right type of candidates that made easy pickings."

I glared at him. "There's no difference in my book," I bit out.

His eyes dropped to his feet. "They said they don't feel any pain. They get a euphoria. It's for the greater cause."

I shook my head in disgust. "And that is supposed to make it ok. To have someone's life taken from them. To decide who gets to live and die like you are window shopping."

As I looked at him, I couldn't believe I was even looking at the same person. The same guy that helped me carry my tray when my feet hurt. Threw some elbows when some of the crowd got a little rowdy. Told me and the other girls awful corny jokes just to make us smile after a hard day.

The only thing that kept swirling around in my head was…why?

"I don't expect you to understand…"

"Your damn right I don't. I could never understand or condone killing an innocent."

He gazed up at me with mock surprise. "Isn't that what you do? Everyday."

"What?"

"Strigoi. You make it your life mission to kill them every day. They are people too. You kill them because they are different then you. Because you think you are better than them."

My eyes went wide. "You have no idea what you are even talking about. Strigoi are the evil undead. They have no feelings, or love, or emotions. They only care about killing and obtaining power." My voice turned dangerously low and lethal. "I have lost countless loved ones at the hands of Strigoi. Don't talk to me about what is fair or right."

He shook his head at me. Me! As if somehow, I was the misguided one that had been brainwashed my entire life to believe something that was a lie. Part of me—a very small part—felt bad at whatever lie Jack was being sold to believe what he was doing was right. What they must've told him to get him to believe this would be what he wanted.

Then it all clicked.

My eyes snapped up to his, my mouth dropping open. "They promised they would turn you if you did this…didn't they?"

He looked away from me, and I had my answer. What he didn't know was that they were lying to him. They would never change him. They would end up just using him as food. If I was wrong, and they did end up changing him, he would only be a means to an end. A solider to die in their battle, or a test subject as it related to their new mixology.

"It's what I always wanted," he said, his determination dropping just a bit.

I had to make him see reason before he continued with this any further. I took another step forward, Jack's hand shaking a bit, but he maintained the gun pointed at me, keeping me from getting any closer. I could survive a lot of things, but a bullet hole, I don't think I could survive again. I didn't have the ghosts to take a hit for me this time.

"They're lying to you," I said, my tone taking a pleading one. "You're expendable to them. You will never have what you want when it comes to them."

He shook his head left and right as if I had just burned him. "Your wrong." His free hand pointed at his chest. "I'm the reason they have and know as much as they do know. All I have to do is stop you, and it will prove I am ready. Ready for immortality."

"And then what?"

His expression faltered. "And then I will have power. I will be able to do things I never could before."

I shook my head sadly. "No, you won't. You will only lust for blood. You will kill more and more innocents' day in and day out." I paused, waiting for him to look at me for the next part. "You will make me have to kill you for stopping what you will become."

He made a sound that came out like a tsk. As if that would be impossible once he achieved his goal of immortality. Maybe what he thought about me was that he didn't think I was capable. That couldn't be it, if he was shoving me into a storage closet at gun point.

"I don't want to have to kill you, Rose. I will if you try and stop me," he cautioned.

I took a step forward. "I don't think you could kill someone that you would consider a friend."

I saw the flash of hesitation in his eyes. Jack, the Jack that was deep down in there before he was brainwashed was still in there. If I could just reason with him, I might be able to stop this.

He shook his head, as if I had tried to use compulsion on him, his eyes turning hard and determined. His hand flexed again, keeping it pointed directly at me.

"That's the problem, Rose. We never really were friends. You're just a means to an end."

I wanted to say those words didn't sting a little, but I wasn't a liar like Jack. I took another step forward.

"Stop!" he demanded.

Another step.

"Rose, stop!" he cried.

Another step.

I heard the sound of the bullet first.

I froze.

I looked down at my chest and body, my breaths coming out in pants. I waited for the pain. I waited for the blood to come dripping out of my body where the bullet would have gone in, but nothing came out.

My head turned; my eye sight following where the bullet had passed the side of my head and straight behind me. A bullet hole appeared in the shelf behind me.

"I mean it, Rose. Another step, and this time I won't fire a warning shot."

I turned and looked back at him, my anger and patience for this entire situation gone now. If he was going to do this, he wasn't going to leave me much choice.

I had to hope that maybe someone outside would have heard the shot, but the fact that Jack didn't even flinch, told me that was probably not the case. The music outside thumped so loud, that I could probably scream bloody murder and no one would hear me.

Which is exactly why he was putting me in here. They wanted to keep me here for whatever they were going to do with Dimitri.

"Don't do this," I begged.

He gave me one last sad smile. "I'm sorry, Rose."

I lunged forward. I still believed that he wouldn't do it. He wouldn't actually kill me, but before I could grab him, he backed out of the door, shutting it behind him.

I grabbed hold of the handle, turning every which way to open the door, but the bastard had locked me in. I pounded on the door for help, but as I suspected, if they didn't hear the gun shot and come running, they weren't going to hear me pounding on the door.

If I had to guess, there would probably be someone that would be outside guarding the door anyway to make sure I didn't escape. One thing at a time. First, I had to get out of here. Dimitri was most likely walking into a trap. I wasn't any good to him if I was stuck in here.

I turned back from the door to look at my surroundings. There was no way I could make it through the vent in the upper corner of the room. I might be thin and tiny, but I couldn't fit through a vent the size of a cat.

My eyes took in the rest of the supplies and information around me. The wall to the right was lined with extra bottles of alcohol. In front of me, the shelves were lined with napkins, paper towels, and extra glassware for the bar.

To the left of me, it was my best chance of trying to find something, anything to get out of here. Cleaning containers lined the shelves. Anyone of those chemicals could be used to create some sort of explosive device, device I quickly dismissed as an idea. As much as I needed to get out of here, potentially blowing myself up or those that were still inhabiting the club was too much of a risk. That and I didn't have anything to even light it if I could.

My hands ran over the chemicals to see what I had from an inventory. My lips spread into a grin, when I picked up a blueish gray bottle.

Ammonia.

School didn't fail me after all. One thing I knew about ammonia, the Nitric acid in the solvent could eat away the metal as long as the metal wasn't gold or platinum. Luck was on my side.

I grabbed both bottles full of ammonia from the shelf, striding over to the door. I had to hope this worked, because if it didn't, using this much of a chemical in this small of a space would likely cause me to pass out or possibly kill me.

I strode back over to the wall, grabbing one of the rolls of paper towels off the shelf, ripping a few sheets from the roll, to use as a makeshift mask in blocking out the smell.

I grabbed the first of the two bottles of ammonia, throwing the lid to the side, as I poured the entire contents of the bottle into the keyhole of the lock.

I threw the bottle to the side, stepping back, a violent cough ripping from my throat at the sme1l. Placing the towel back to my mouth, I opened the second bottle and dumped the contents into the keyhole.

The acid was already doing the job in eating the metal away. I tried to turn the doorhandle again with it being a bit weaker now, but not enough to open just yet.

I moved away from the door, the aroma starting to make my head heavy and dizzy. After a couple of minutes, I attempted the door again, the handle jiggling even more, the inside of the locking mechanism burnt. It wasn't enough to open it, but enough that maybe with the right force, if I kicked it just right, I could break the lock.

I backed up; charging at the door, bringing my foot up, kicking it with all the force I could manage. The handle dented, but didn't open. I backed up, repeating the process a few more times, panting, until finally after the fifth one, the lock shattered, the door splinted, and gave way.

I pulled open the door; one of the security details, Harry—the one I remembered Dimitri and I encountered on our first day—looked stunned to see me standing there.

"Surprise!" I said, just as he lunged at me.

I blocked his arm, spinning to sidekick him right in the stomach. I followed up with few punches to the face, with a final kick to the gut before he slumped to the ground.

As I turned the corner, Jack stood there equally surprised, his eyes looking past me to the security detail I had just knocked out on the floor.

"Get out of my way, Jack," I warned.

He shook his head, but I could see him already turning back to the bar, no doubt to reach back for the gun. I was fast enough this time to grab hold of his arm, spinning him back so I could punch him in the face.

His body slammed back into the hallway just at the end of the bar. I grabbed hold of his shirt, it bunched in my hands. "Where is Dimitri headed?"

He shook his head at me, refusing to answer the question. I punched him in the head again.

"I am not going to ask you again. If you haven't learned by now, I don't take kindly to anyone getting in my way."

When he didn't respond, I wound my fist back again to hit him, but he brought both hands up to his face.

"Stop! Stop!" he cowered.

I stopped, just before my fist would connect with his nose. "Where?" I seethed.

"A—a warehouse. About twenty minutes from here," he stammered.

"I want the address. Now!"

He scribbled down the address, his big eyes attempting to plead with me not to do this. Not to go and ruin his chances at getting everything he thought he wanted. One day, hopefully he would realize that what I was doing was saving him.

I cracked him in the head, knocking him out cold as he slumped to the ground. I grunted; dragging his body over to where Henry's unconscious body laid, and made my way to find Dimitri.

As I entered out of the back parking lot of the nightclub, my relief was short lived when it came to seeing our SUV sitting in the parking lot. I groaned, since Dimitri was the one who had the set of keys.

I ran over to the car, knowing it would be locked, growling in frustration even when it was locked. I looked around for anything I could use to break the window, my eyes landing on a rock the size of my fist in the grassy terrain behind the building.

I backed up, winding my arm back and threw the rock at the window with as much force as I could muster. The window shattered, my eyes glancing around to assess if anyone had heard the commotion.

I didn't know how long I had with Jack and Harry being unconscious, but I didn't want to wait around to find out. My arm reached in carefully not to cut my skin against the jagged edges of the broken glass to unlock the door.

I hopped into the car, trying to remember the steps that Dimitri had showed me when it came to hotwiring a car. Last time we had to do this was when we were on the run trying to escape from the mall after being tracked down by guardians.

"Focus, Rose. Focus!"

"Hey, Comrade!" I said walking into our apartment, the door shutting behind me.

As usual, Dimitri was propped up on our armchair with a copy of a western novel in his hand.

He arched a brow. "I know that tone."

I grinned as I plopped myself right down on his lap. He caught me with ease, without even taking his eyes from his book. "That's because I have a brilliant idea."

I heard his sigh, his one arm still clasped behind his head. "The answer is no," he said.

I scoffed. "You haven't even heard what it is yet."

"Knowing you, something that will get us in trouble."

I shrugged. "Well, not that much trouble as long as no one finds out," I replied, giving him an innocent look.

"Answer is still no," he said, turning the page of his book.

I grabbed the book from his hand, Dimitri not bothering to stop me, knowing that he could, and turned so that I was now straddling his lap. That got his full attention.

"Please…"

He groaned. "Roza, don't do that."

My lips spread into a smile. "Why?"

He gave me that pointed look that said I knew exactly why I was giving that look. "You know why."

I leaned in, seeing his eyes already turn from our playful banter to a budding lust. "I promise to make it worth your while. Plus, it will only add to my guardian abilities."

His brow shot up. "Is that so?" he asked, pushing some of my hair away from my shoulder.

"Uh-huh," I answered, my voice turning husky.

He leaned in, his arms wrapping around my waist as he placed a kiss on my now bare skin of my shoulder. "And what did you have in mind that could help you add to your guardian abilities?"

I groaned, more distracted by his lips the longer he trailed kisses from my shoulder to my collarbone. "How to hotwire a car."

His kisses stopped—against my protest—as he leaned back to look in my eyes. "You want to learn how to hotwire a car?"

I nodded. "I realized after we were on the run and you were able to do it, it's a skill I should probably know. You know, be prepared for the unprepared. Like you always tell me."

He studied me for a minute. "You know, I think you have more Abe in you then you think."

I laughed. "Zmey? I think that's a compliment."

Dimitri smiled; shaking his head, as he placed a kiss on my forehead. "Is is. Come on," he said, helping me to stand as he stood himself. "Let's go break into a car."

Dimitri and I sat in the car, Dimitri in the passenger seat as he walked me through step-by-step on what needed to be done. He had me remove the plastic cover from the car first, find the ignition switch plug, locate the wires that would be needed to spark the ignition—taking me two tries to get—cut a trip in the wires, before I twisted them together and turned on the car.

I felt a sense of euphoria when the engine roared to life. "I did it!"

The look of pride Dimitri shot me was better than anything else.

"I never doubted."

I leaned in and gave him a kiss. "Thank you."

He nodded. "I hope you never have to use it, but if you do, I am glad you know how."

I shook the memory away, going through the steps in my head. Unlike my lesson with Dimitri, I didn't have a knife, but I did have my stake that was pointy enough to do the same thing. Working through each step, I managed to successfully cut the two wires and mold them together.

The back of the club door slamming open, snapped my attention upwards, Jack with a phone to his ear, as Harry, rubbed at his head. Both looked and pointed in my direction.

"Come on…come on!"

A sigh of relief passed through me when the engine light turned on, before I heard the purr, my foot pressing down on the gas pedal to increase the horse power. Jack and Harry were almost at the vehicle. I thrusted the shifter into drive and peeled out of the parking lot just before they were able to reach me.

Luckily, this model came with a built in GPS, inputting the address Jack had given me to the supposed warehouse that was going to be where this shipment was going down. Where they had planned to possibly kidnap—or worse—get rid of Dimitri.

I pulled my phone from my pocket, dialing Dimitri twice. I had to let him know he was walking into a trap, cursing when it went to voicemail. My frustration grew knowing we didn't have the capability for texting in hopes of not adding any further risk if we were made. I threw the phone on the seat next to me, my foot pressing all the way down on the pedal.

Ten more miles.

As I pulled the SUV into the last turn before my GPS had so nicely put that I had "arrived at my destination," I stopped to look around. This far back I didn't see much activity, but from a distance I could see more vehicles up ahead.

I parked the car, making sure I had my stake at my hip as I jumped out. I potentially had no idea what I was walking into, for all I knew there could be more of the terminator Strigoi's here looming around and waiting.

I crept away from the SUV, doing my best to hide in the passing shadows of each building I passed, crate of goods, or other parked vehicles to conceal the fact that I was there.

As I got closer, I counted at least fifteen men towards the end of the dock, unloading crates into waiting vehicles. Some crates looked as big as the kind that shipped weapons and what I figured drugs, and others were larger. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach that made me hope that none of the crates concealed humans or my kind.

I looked at each of the faces of the men I could see, some of them I recognized as the security details from Zachary's club. I bit my lip, trying to scan the entire area, growing more and more frustrated that none of them matched Dimitri.

Was he even here, or did Jack send me on a wild goose chase as a distraction while they took him to some other place where who knew what was happening to him? I tried to push down the panic, knowing that Dimitri was the best. If anyone would be able to survive and fight his way out of a sticky situation, it would be him.

I reached behind my waist, the comfort of my stake in my palm, as I contemplated my next move in getting closer. I had to make sure that Dimitri wasn't here.

I took a step forward.

"Hello, Rose!"

I Froze.

I turned back, and came face-to-face with Ryan Tarus.