A/N:

Hey, guys!

Thank you all for the amazing reviews! Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy trying to wrap up my other stories so I could have more time to work on my new ones. My new focus is this fanfic, and I promise there's going to be quicker updates from now on! :-) Some of you, who have read "A Blessing in Disguise", will notice that there are a few similarities with this story. I got my inspiration from ABID, but this story is not going to be a copy, I promise! Hope you enjoy!

~Bree

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, profit from this story and all creative rights to the characters belong to Richelle Mead.

The original content, ideas and intellectual property of this story are owned by Ms. Belikov. Please do not copy, reproduce, or translate without express written permission.

~*Previously on Cop and Attitude*~

"I am also afraid that once you get released, you will disappear off the face of the planet and I'll never be able to find you again. My main point is, I want to keep an eye on you." Dimitri crossed his arms and his brows came together in concentration. "So I have only two options. I can pop you back into foster care, which you are likely to escape-"

"You got that right."

"-and then I will likely be doomed in the investigation and the case will run cold."

"Gotta be honest here, Pig, this deal isn't sounding too appetizing for me. It only seems like you're trying to trap me so that when you do have proof, or possibly staged proof against me, you can throw me in jail without breaking a sweat. Haven't you ever heard of someone being wrongfully accused and spending their whole life in prison for something they didn't do? I like to be a free bird, thank you very much."

Suddenly he got down on his knees in front of me and grabbed my hand. I gasped at the electric current that went through me at his warm, confident touch. "I want to make this clear, Rose. On the contrary to what you might think, I'm not the bad guy here. I only want to find the person who killed your boyfriend and fast. I promise that if you didn't do this, I will do everything in my power to prove you innocent and find the person who really did. I'm trying to help you."

Staring at Dimitri for the longest time, I found only truth in his dark brown eyes, and for some absurd reason, I trusted and believed him whole-heartedly. He may have been a hard-ass, but he wasn't crooked or evil. He only wanted to bring justice for Mason, and so did I. "Okay." I said. "I accept your deal."

The detective got to his feet, arching an eyebrow. "But you haven't even heard the rest of it."

"Don't need to. I trust you."

In spite of my protests, Dimitri decided to tell me everything about his deal, and by the time he was finished speaking, I felt my stomach knotting. Oh, gee. I had already agreed to it. No backing out now. We'd shook on it.

Dimitri had told me that he was going to do something completely unheard of and out-there: offer me to come live at a police academy called St. Vladimir's. Turns out, his father had owned the place before he'd died - something he hadn't gone into details about - and now Dimitri owned it. It was a private thousand acre resort- or at least, that's why I liked to call it - located in the Montana mountains and wilderness. To make a long story short, it was hell on earth. A place where Dimitri trained only the most badass cops. Okay, he hadn't used the term "badass", but it sounded cooler than all his bland and extra long words.

Lucky for me, he was taking new recruits.

"It's hell on earth," he repeated as we concluded.

"Good thing I like challenges than, huh."

"I'm not kidding you, Hathaway." Dimitri met my eyes. "It's a six week program. Once you're in, you're in. No getting out. The training is brutal. Absolutely no drugs. No alcohol. No smoking. No sex. And no stealing. You have to try your hardest and give it your all, or else I kick you out."

I thought of all the reasons I should do it. Number one, I was homeless. Number two, I had no job. Number three, I was broke. And number four...

"Do you want to change your life? Do you want a fresh start? Want to wipe the slate clean and clear that criminal record of yours? Well, here is your opportunity."

If I had felt any doubt earlier, this was all the encouragement I needed. I was going to do this, whether I liked it or not. I hadn't realized it until now, but my life was going down a dangerous path. I didn't know where I'd be ten years from now, or if I'd even make it to see my next birthday. Besides, I had nowhere else to go. Avery wasn't going to welcome me back. She didn't want or need the attention of the police. And now matter how good of friends we were, she wasn't going to risk her freedom for me. Adrian had rich parents and he adored me, but he was expecting me to pay him back for the bail money. That or...give my body up to him. Which was something I would never do.

I stared up at Dimitri and all his yummyness. That silky hair. Blazing dark eyes. Incredible physique. And pantie-dropping accent. "When do I start, Comrade?"

RPOV:

"Hathaway!" Dimitri barked, pounding his fists against the bathroom door. It annoyed the hell out of me.

"You've got five seconds to get your ass out here or I'm leaving without you!"

"One sec, Pig." I called back. "Just taking a piss."

"Such a lady," I heard him mutter.

"Hey, why don't you shut your big fat mouth?" I asked as I pumped my hands full of soap and turned on the faucet, streaming warm water poured into my awaiting palms. "Last time I checked, this was a police academy I'm going to. Not charm school. So I should be getting a few extra points for being more masculine than the average female."

"Five...four...three...two..."

"One!" I screamed, ripping open the public bathroom door.

"You look..." Detective Belikov's brown eyes traveled up and down my body long enough to threaten to trigger my blush. "Appropriate."

"Really? Because I thought I looked like a hobo. What the hell did you make this uniform out of anyways? Two Hefty trash bags?"

His lips twitched. "They're for fighting. Not fashion."

"Give me a Bedazzler," I said, tugging on the awful gray sweat suit with the pine-green bold words on the front: ST. VLADIMIR'S POLICE ACADEMY. "I'll bedazzle this bitch until it looks half decent."

"My mother would have cleaned my mouth out with a bar of soap if I would have spoken like you have," his tone was full of disapproval. "I ought to do that with you."

I made a show of dramatic winking. "You can do anything you want to with my mouth. It's all yours, baby."

"Let's go." Dimitri said tightly, making me giggle. "The bus is waiting."

I followed him outside. The weather was cloudy and raining, adding to my strange mood. Like he had said, there was an old, blaring yellow school bus. Inside, the air was stale and smelled of old urine and pizza crusts. I discovered a sea of cute boys. Their ages ranged from late teens to early twenties, and they all sported the same army hair cut and stoic expression.

I didn't know whether to be in awe, or go, 'Holy shit! I'm the only girl here!'

"Take your seat," Dimitri commanded, voice so deep.

"Are you sitting with me?" I asked, suddenly feeling panicked. I was used to being around guys, it was no BFD. But this many? At least twenty-five? It had me a little nervous.

"I'm driving." Detective Belikov went to the front, leaving me alone, just like that.

"Stupid Pig." I muttered. Anger and aggression always made me feel better.

"Hey, cutie, what's your name?"

That singsong voice had my head swiveling around. There was a guy with bronze hair and blue eyes.

"Damn," I hissed. He was hot. Nothing compared to that Russian cop, but still, the guy was fantasize-about-while-you're-in-the-tub worthy.

He arched an elegant brow. "Something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh." Realization settled in. "I said that out loud, didn't I?"

His smile was careless and beautiful. "Yeah, you did. But don't worry about it, baby girl. My name is Jessie Zeklos." he shook my hand.

"Rose Hathaway."

"You wanna come sit by us?"

I looked around and shrugged. "Why not?"

"Assigned seating." Dimitri barked. "You don't get to chose what seat you're in."

I growled. "Well, where the hell am I supposed to sit?"

"Over here!" A feminine voice chimed. A pale arm shot up and waved. Squinting, I realized that I wasn't the only girl on the bus. The female who was beckoning me over was beautiful. Long, platinum blond hair. Wide, bright eyes. Small, classic features. She looked like an angel.

For some reason, though I had yet to meet her, I decided in that moment, I really liked her.

Smiling, I walked over and took my seat. "Hey," I shook her hand. "I'm Rose."

"Lissa." Her happiness and energy was contagious. "It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too." There was this great aura to the girl sitting next to me. She was gentle, kind, relaxed, caring. But there was also some fire in that soul. Which was a fantastic combination.

"You look hungry," Lissa said, rummaging through her purse. "Here." She handed me a Snickers bar.

I gaped, amazed. She'd just seriously earned some brownie points with me. "Thanks! This is my favorite!" What can I say? Food always made me joyous. Tearing open the wrapper, I sunk my teeth into the chocolatey goodness like a starved animal.

Lissa's giggle was soft and melodic. "I always keep an emergency candy bar in my purse for, you know, emergencies."

"You are a genius." I mumbled around my mouthful.

Again with the captivating giggle. Sweet Jesus, that sound was wonderful. "So, why are you here?"

I licked my fingertips. "Excuse me?"

"The police academy." she explained. "What made you decide to join?"

"Oh." I swallowed, rubbing my sticky hands on my jeans. "Uh, um, to erase a criminal record."

Lissa's jade-green eyes widened. "You're a criminal? That's freeking awesome, dude."

"Not so much," I said. "At least not when you get hauled off to jail. Anyways, I kind of got blackmailed into joining this whole six week program."

"Blackmailed?"

I nodded at Dimitri driving in the front. "I'm the main suspect in a murder case. He lured me here with the promises of a fresh start, a new life. I had no other options, short of becoming a prostitute or selling crack, so I took the offer...and here I am."

"Wow." Lissa seemed so engrossed with my story. She hung on to every word and really listened to what I was saying. For what seemed like the first time in my life, I felt important, like someone truly cared for me. "Well, I believe you got a good deal. Belikov may be a dick, but he is a man of his words and he will do whatever is in his power to keep the promise he made to you."

"You know the pig?" I asked, interested in digging up more information on the detective.

Lissa burst out laughing, drawing the attention of everyone in the bus.

"Do you mind?" I yelled to the staring faces. "We're trying to have a conversation here! Turn your asses around!"

As one, they all shifted in their seats and faced the front of the bus.

"You're funny. I like you." Giggles bubbled out of Lissa's mouth. She put a pale, slender hand to her lips in an attempt to muffle them. "I'm sorry."

I grinned so widely my cheeks hurt. "Never, ever apologize for laughing." I said. "And the feeling is mutual, just so you know. So, uh, tell me more about Sex on Legs up there."

"I couldn't describe him better myself." she said. "But I can see that you have your eye set on him, so I'll back off that unwelcome territory. Someone else has my attention anyways..." Lissa bit her lip as her eyes went dazed and desire-filled.

"Oh, la la." I purred. "Who is he?"

"Christian Ozera. He's one of the instructors at the academy. I've only met him once during orientation, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about him since..." she shook her head and blushed, as if embarrassed. "Anywhoo, let's talk about Dimitri."

I scooted closer to her, intrigued. "What do you know about him?"

"Not much. But I respect the hell out of him." Lissa murmured. "He's twenty-four. Single. Anti-social. Head instructor. An asshole who always acts like he's got a stick up his ass. Oh, and, he's and absolute God."

Both of my brows shot up. "A God? Well, he certainly does look like a reincarnate, doesn't he? His body and his face are perfect—"

"I'm not talking about his looks, though I will agree with you on what you just said." she paused. "I'm referring to his fighting. You should see him out on the field. Once he gets into combat mode and you see that battle lust set in his eyes, it's utterly fascinating. You can't tear your eyes off him. The way he moves his body and how strong he is and how easily he takes out his opponents..." Lissa sighed dreamily and I felt a pang of unwelcome jealously. "Yeah," she said finally. "He's a God. That's the only way I can describe it."

Why the hell was I feeling so angry towards her simply because she admired the cop? I seriously needed to get a grip on my foreign feelings.

Two hours later, the bus came to a stop at a large field of dirt. St. Vladimir's Police Academy was located deep in the woods of the Montana wilderness. It was completely isolated from civilization, and I already felt like I was losing my mind from the lack of people. Sure, it was beautiful and green and even had wildlife, but it just...wasn't me.

"Better get used to it," Lissa must have sensed my train of thoughts. "You're going to be here for the next six weeks. Besides, it's not so bad. This is actually kind of fun."

My eyes bulged, like a frog. "Are you insane?"

Dimitri cleared his throat, bringing all of the students attention to the front. "We're getting out here. The bus is no longer built to go on the terrain. The camp is up about four miles north, so grab your bags and get ready to do some hiking."

I turned to Lissa, horrified. "What? We have to walk four miles! Are you kidding me?"

She only smiled knowingly. "It's not so bad, girl. It ain't so bad..."

"OH, MY GOD!" I whined, dragging my shoes. "My feet are killing me!"

Dimitri was at the front, studying a map. I'd discovered during the two and a half miles we'd already walked, that he had a stunning tolerance for my bitchiness. He took all the heat and attitude I gave him and...did absolutely nothing.

Which infuriated me more than anything in the world.

"Are we there yetttttttt?" I groaned.

Detective Belikov shot a look over his shoulder that silenced me, then he stared at the rest of the recruits. "Fifteen minute break here. Sit down. Relax. Drink some water."

There was a sound of relief as they all did what he'd ordered.

"Oh, thank God." I walked over to a tree, seeking shelter from the scolding sun, and leaned against the rough bark. "I need a cigarette." Pulling an ivory stick out of my secret pack, I brought it to my lips and lit it. The cherry flared orange as I inhaled.

Lissa glanced around, paranoid. "What are you doing?"

"Giving my lungs a good workout. How about you?" I closed my eyes, letting the familiar scent of smoke calm every bone and muscle in my body.

"Give me a puff!"

My lids snapped open. "You smoke?"

She snorted. "Don't look so surprised. I'm not always the Good Girl. There's other sides to me."

I gave her the lit cigarette. "You know what, Liss? You're pretty cool. You're pretty cool."

I was laughing my ass of watching Lissa feed a squirrel a cracker as I smoked, when all of a sudden, the ivory stick was ripped out of my mouth.

"What the fuck?" I yelled at Dimitri.

His face was set in stone, dark eyes blazing with anger. "Smoking is prohibited on the camp." He dropped the cigarette to the dirt and shred it with his leather boots.

"This isn't your camp!"

"This is my camp!"

I made a sweeping motion with my hand, gesturing to the lush green forest around us. "This is the wilderness! This is earth. God owns this. Not you!"

Dimitri rolled his eyes. "Let's go. You too, Lissa."

She shuffled off, pausing behind Dimitri and dry humping the air.

I laughed.

The cop turned around, face puzzled.

Lissa's face dropped with guilt, she scurried off, disappearing into the crowd of students.

Dimitri turned back to me, lips twitching. "Give me your cigarettes." he demanded, holding out his palm.

"You just stomped on it." I said innocently.

"Don't play me as a fool, Hathaway." he said. "I know you have more. We have to get going. The sun is setting. This is when the animals come out to hunt."

Sexual thoughts raced to my brain. I pictured Dimitri in a Tarzan garb, sweaty and dirty as he swung from vines, roaring barbarically, hunting wild animals with a spear. I giggled inwardly at the sexy as hell vision. My friends had always told me I had an active imagination.

"Fine," I said, feigning shame. "Here you go..." Leaning down, I scooped up the dirt and rocks and remains of the brutally murdered cigarette. I dropped the contents in his hands and grinned up at him.

Dimitri arched an eyebrow. His eyes were dangerous and playful. "You really should have just given me what I wanted."

I screamed when he lunged forward and snapped his large arms around me. He pulled me to his body and crushed me against his chest. I cursed nastily when his fingers shoved into my pocket and ripped out my secret pack of Marlboro 100's and lighter.

The cop shoved me back, flashing what was in his hand victoriously, smiling darkly. "Let's make this simple. No smoking while you're enrolled in this program. Understand?"

If looks could kill, he'd be dead right now. "Yeah, I got it."

Lissa and I walked out of orientation, staring at the wavers we'd just signed.

I read from the alarming paragraph. "...by printing your signature below, you agree that if anything should happen to your being during this six week course, including serious injury and/or death, that Charleston Falls Police Department and the state of Montana are not liable or responsible for the cause—Jesus Christ! Are you serious?"

"You didn't read the whole thing," Lissa smiled and rolled her eyes. "It's rare for anything to happen. They just have us sign this as a precaution."

"RARE, Lissa! Rare! Not impossible!" I slapped the paper on my hand for dramatic affect. "You know what this thing says? It's gives permission to Dimitri and all of his fellow instructors to kill us. Yep, you heard right. As long as it's on the grounds of St. Vladimir's Police Academy, they can do what ever the hell they want with us and they won't get blamed. I'm scared now...let's get out while we can. We can move to Thailand, change our identities and names—"

"Rose," Lissa said sternly. "Relax. That's not the case. Nothing is going to happen here, okay? Everything is going to be fine..."

A week later, I screamed until my lungs gave out. "DIMITRI! STOP!" I ran from my pursuer, sweating and bleeding. "PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING! Just...STOP THE MADNESS!"

"You have to pass this in order to graduate." The cop said. "I'm not doing this for fun."

"Rose!" Lissa, my new best friend, gave me a thumbs up. Her face was blaring red, eyes kind and full of understanding. "If I did this, then you can do it. I believe in you. I know you can do this. It's just one lousy test. Come on, girl..." She gave me an encouraging nod. It was clear she was in pain, but she refused to leave the room without me, even though all of the other students had already run to the showers, screaming and coughing, some even vomiting.

Taking strength and courage from her, I nodded, took a deep breath, and planted my feet onto the carpet. "Okay...hit me."

Dimitri didn't hesitate for a second. There was a loud hiss, then the blast of pepper spray met my eyes. It was instant agony, the burning uncontrollable. It literally felt like my eyes were on fire.

I fell to the floor, groaning and rubbing the stinging skin of my face.

I heard Dimitri write something on his clipboard. "You passed, Hathaway." was all he said before leaving the training room.

Lissa keeled down and thrust a towel in my face. "Here. Wipe what you can off. I'll help you to the showers. That'll make us feel better."

"Adrian! What are you doing here?" I ran and jumped into his awaiting arms. We gave each other a bone crushing hug before he placed me back down on the ground again. I stared at his uniform in bafflement.

"Damn, female. I like the way you greet me." Adrian gave his signature smirk. "Miss me?"

I punched him in the arm.

"Ow!" he clutched the sore spot. "What the hell?"

"Tell me why you're here!"

"I'm training to become a police officer, just like you." he explained. "Simple as that."

I narrowed my eyes, not believing him.

"Okay...okay. I lied. There's something about a woman being strong and in charge and dominant...it turns me on like there's no tomorrow. To be truthfully honest, I only came here to see the lady cops." Adrian gazed around the campground. "So, where are they?"

I gestured to myself. "You're staring at her."

His face paled with horror. "What? You're the only chick here? That can't be possible."

That got him a death glare. "Excuse me? What's wrong with me?"

"Oh, what? Oh. No. No. No. No. Nothing at all, you're mouthwatering. It's just, I've seen you many times before, and I need some fresh meat. Know what I'm sayin'?"

Abruptly, I smiled and socked him again. "I'm just jerking your chain. There's a few chicks here. They're rare. But they do exist."

Just then, as if summoned by the angels, Sydney, one of only two female instructors at the academy, hurried by, heading for the showers.

"Hey, Sydd!" I waved her over. "Come here! Come here!"

The woman glared at me.

"Oops. Sorry. My bad." I cleared my throat. "Officer Sage, will you please grace us with your lovely presence?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled a little as she joined us.

Adrian unashamedly eyed her body up and down. Her golden hair was in a severe bun at the top of her head and she was in her usual black sweat pants and wife beater. Sweat dripped down her skin, explaining her reason for going to wash up.

"Lunch starts in fifteen." she glanced at her wrist watch. "What are you two doing out here?"

"Adrian Ivashkov." My childhood friend grabbed her unwilling hand and placed a kiss to it.

"Instructor Sage." Sydney said tightly, looking like she was fighting the urge to kick him in the balls. Yeah, Adrian could come on a little strong some times. His velvety, all sexual voice was nearly obscene.

"Such a beautiful name," he said. "And such a tasty spice. I just love to sprinkle some on my lamb and chicken. I'd also love to put some of your body on me, Ms. Sage. How does that sound?"

Sydney was understandably and completely offended.

I choked on my own saliva as I burst out laughing. "Well, I'll be damned if that's not how you sweep a lady off her feet."

"I kid. I kid." Adrian smiled charmingly, but it didn't fool Sydney or make her any less mad. "How about a fresh start, Instructor?"

"I think that would be best." She reluctantly gave him her hand again.

He shook it. "It's very nice to meet you." Leaning forward, he pressed his nose to her collarbone and inhaled deeply. "You smell wonderful, like jasmine and honey. My favorite scents."

Sydney gave him a not so gentle shove. "Personal space, buddy. You ever heard of it?"

"Space is so overrated, and so are clothes. So please, if at anytime you feel the urge to get rid of that shirt or your pants, go right ahead. Also, if you need any help getting rid of your under garments, I've got a Masters in bra removing."

"You are repulsive." was all she said.

"I like you, too." Adrian said.

Dimitri came out of his cabin, looking gorgeous as ever in his black top and pants. Yeah, the asshole cop had a cabin all to himself. So did all of the other instructors. That was just plain cruel, considering the recruits had to sleep in one big cramped cabin.

That wasn't even the worst part.

There were bunk beds...

Yeah, that's right. We had to sleep on bunk beds. Metal bunk beds with thin, dirty, itchy mattresses.

I didn't even want to get into the part about the cockroaches.

"Belikov!" Sydney yelled, grabbing the detective's attention.

"What can I help you with, Sage?"

"Please tell me I don't have this punk in my class."

Dimitri traced the paper with his finger and smiled when he spotted Adrian's name. "I am deeply sorry."

"Oh, no." Sydney fingered the cross at her neck and—I swear—began to pray.

"You okay?" Adrian asked when she gagged and swallowed.

"Yes." she said, pointing to her throat. "I just threw up in my mouth a little."

"Pssst."

I wrote notes down about the Miranda rights. The teacher, Stan Alto, who always looked like he was pissed off, was ruthless in his lectures. Always barking out all kinds of information and expecting you to learn it quickly. He also had this cruel habit of calling on random students and drilling them with questions. And if they didn't have the answer? They were completely humiliated to the point where he nearly called them stupid.

"Pssst."

Stan had done that to me a couple of times, and on the third time, I'd made him so angry that he'd gotten up in my face and turned all red. I had promptly told him to go fuck himself. I gave him credit for not backing down. But once he'd realized I wasn't someone you pushed around and treated like dirt, he'd kind of left me alone, which I was grateful for.

"Pssst."

I rubbed my ear, getting annoyed with that little bug noise that most likely came from a cricket in the classroom.

"Pssst. Rose!"

Annoyed, I glanced over at the small crack in the window to find Lissa's wide jade-green eyes. "Bathroom." My best friend mouthed. She grinned mischievously and flashed a bottle of vodka before disappearing.

Excitement spiked in me. I cracked my knuckles. Time for a little acting, I thought.

Just to add dramatic affect, I shoved all of my books off the desk and fell to the floor, groaning loudly.

Everyone turned around and stared at me.

Alto's thick brows crashed down. "You okay, Hathaway?"

"PMSing!" I roared, clutching my stomach. "The cramps are so bad...Oh, God. IT HURTS, STAN, IT HURTS SOOOO BAD!"

His eyes widened, and like any normal man, he was afraid of the subject of a woman's menstrual cycle. "Um, okay, go see the nurse, Hathaway. Immediately. I'll excuse you from today's class."

I stood up and walked to the door at a slow and seemingly painful pace.

"Jim, go with her! She needs someone to help her get to the nurses office." The teacher hollered.

I spun around just as the student jumped to his feet. "No! No! I'm fine. I want to go alone."

"Are you sure, Hathaway?" Stan asked. "You look in pretty rough shape."

"I am. But...I have to do this on my own, Mr. Alto." In a lowered voice, I said, "I have to do this on my own."

"Oh, of course." Respect flooded his face, and it took everything I had not to laugh.

I found Lissa inside the girls bathroom, sitting on the floor, chugging back the Vodka.

"Damn, girl." I said. "Did you leave me any?"

Two hours and a bottle and a half of liquor later, Lissa and I were in an intense debate, what we were talking about, I wasn't exactly sure. I just knew that I was passionate about it and had to express my opinion.

"You seriously need to get the scissors and cut the shit out," I slurred. "You...you can't let a guy treat you like that!"

"Shhh." she put a finger to my mouth. "You're too loud. They're going to hear us."

"Who?"

"I don't know!" Lissa glanced around at the empty bathroom suspiciously. "But they're listening to us! I know it!"

We giggled like crazy, something we'd been doing to whole time on our skip-class-and-get-drunk-off-your-ass adventure.

Abruptly she sighed and took a swig of the Vodka. "I'm depressed."

My forehead scrunched in confusion. "Why? What's wrong?"

"I wanna have sex with Christian Ozera..." Lissa confessed.

"Oh, yeah. That hottie. He's...hot." The picture of the instructor came to mind. Messy, jet-black hair. Ice-blue eyes. Regal features. Lean, tall, muscular body. Pale skin. He was beautiful, in a very dark way. He was remorseless with his students and also had a total self-deprecating, sarcastic, smartass personality.

I still couldn't get how someone like Lissa could be into him. But hey, the heart wanted what the heart wanted.

"Hey!" She punched me in the leg, surprising me with her strength. The girl knew how to throw! "He's mine, remember? Off limits. I agreed to stay away from Dimitri and you said you'd do the same for Christian."

"I was just saying Christian's cute, that's all. Don't worry. He's not my cup of tea."

Lissa exhaled, relieved. Did she honestly think I was going to steal her man? That amused me.

"Why won't he even look at me?" A tear formed in her eye. "He's so mean to me! All I am is nice to him!"

"Take it down a notch," I flinched at her loud voice.

"Oops. Sorry." Lissa giggled.

"You just need to be yourself," I shrugged. "I've seen the way you act around Christian. It's all fake and plastic-ee. Just be Lissa and he'll love it."

"You think?"

"Yeah. And if he doesn't like you? Then it's not meant to be. Simple as that."

"Thanks." My best friend gave me a big hug. "You're great. I love you, you know that right?"

I smiled, feeling so blessed to have someone like her in my life. "Yes, I do."

The door rattled, causing Lissa and I to jump. A booming voice came from the other side, "Open up!"

Dimitri.

"Shit!" We said in unison.

As the door went crazy and the cop began to kick it down, Lissa and I went frantic, putting out our cigarettes and throwing the bottle of liquor out the window. What a waste.

"What do we do? There's no way out!" My best friend said, panicking.

I looked around, searching for an escape route. "Oh! There!" I pointed to the window. "We'll squeeze through there!"

Lissa went pale. "Are you kidding? That's way too small! We won't fit!"

"Suck it in like you've never sucked in before!"

Kneeling down, I braced my fists together and instructed her to hoist herself up. She was light as a feather, and I managed to get her to the seal in two pushes.

The wood of the chair we'd used to barricade the door snapped.

"Fuck!" I screamed, laughing. "Hurry up! Hurry up!"

Lissa slid through the tiny window effortlessly. She then used the bench outside of the bathroom as leverage to stick her arm through and help me climb up as best she could.

Using all of my upper body strength, I squeezed passed my arms, over my chest, and...

Got stuck on my hips.

"Are you serious? You're jammed on that huge ass of yours?" My best friend leaned over, braced her hands against her thighs, and laughed so hard.

"Shut up!" I growled. "We're all not as petite as you are!"

"You need to lay off on the cornbread."

"Help me! Help me! He's coming."

We yanked, pulled, pushed, wiggled, and even tried to put some lotion on my hips to get me to give a little, but no matter what, my bottom stayed jammed in the window.

I heard the door fly open.

"Go!" I screamed. "Save yourself."

"I'm not going without you." Lissa folded arms.

"Don't be a fool. Go."

"No. We're going down together. We're both in trouble."

"If you don't leave right now, I swear to God, I will go to Christian's cabin buck naked, seduce him, and fuck his brains out."

With a growl, she ran off, disappearing into the pine trees.

I sensed Dimitri behind me. His anger filled the air around us and seemingly kicked the temperature up about twenty degrees.

"Hey, Comrade." I said, even though I was unable to see him.

Can you say busted?

The rich, wonderful, and thick laughter that escaped his lips was music to my ears. I closed my eyes, absorbing the mesmerizing sound. God, I loved his laugh.

Without warning, he left.

"Hello?" I hollered. "I can't get out. Help me!"

"Looks like you've gotten yourself in a quite a predicament." The cop appeared before me. He crossed his arms, smiled, and walked off, heading for his cabin.

"Hey!" I hollered at his retreating form. "Where are you going?"

"Enjoy your punishment." he said. The door to his cabin slammed shut.

"Ow..." I groaned weakly. I had been jammed in the window for hours, way past the time the sky had gone dark. Every bone in my body ached and the metal in the window sill dug into my skin, causing painful cuts. I was freezing and starving, and to put the cherry on top of the chocolate sundae, I really had to go pee.

"Ugh." I grunted with effort, unavailingly trying for the billionth time to squeeze past my bottom. Still too big to fit. Lissa was right. I needed to lay off the cornbread for a while.

My prayers were answered when I heard feet crunching against the gravel.

"Help!" I cried. The sound grew louder, closer to me. "Someone help!"

Jesse, the hottie I'd met on the bus, stared at me strangely, squinting. "Rose?" he ran over and hopped up on the bench. "What are you doing up there?"

Okay, so he was shockingly good looking, but he wasn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box. That's okay. I could deal with that.

"Just hanging out," I laughed awkwardly. "Um, mind giving me a hand here?"

"You're stuck?"

I wanted to slap him so hard. "Yes," I bit out. "I'm stuck. That's why I called for help. Now help me!"

Jesse grabbed my arms and yanked. Hard.

"Ow! Son of a bitch! What is wrong with you?"

His blue eyes bulged with innocence. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I said softly, as if comforting a child. "Just, um, I don't think this whole push-and-pull thing is going to work. Can you run to the kitchen and grab some butter or cooking oil? We need something that will slide me right out."

"Oh! I almost forgot." Jesse yelled triumphantly, reaching into his pocket. "I got some lube. That oughtta' help."

I screamed in horror when he got the stuff near me.

"Don't worry," he assured me with a slow and smoldering smile. "It's a new bottle. It hasn't been used...yet. We can changed that later, though."

Now I knew how Sydney had felt dealing with Adrian. I threw up in my mouth a little.

He rubbed the—ew!—lube all over my skin and hips in generous amounts. It was messy business, but I felt a wash of utter relief when Jesse pulled on my arms and I slid on out of the window like a newborn baby.

I stretched and cracked my sensitive muscles and painful bones. "Thank you." I threw my arms around him in gratitude. "You're a life saver."

Jesse shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned back coolly, giving a flirty and suggestive grin. "So, uh, you want to come hang out with me for a bit? I'm just going to the Mess Hall to grab a soda—"

"I would love to. But..." I said. "I'm not feeling so good. Maybe tomorrow okay?"

He looked disappointed but gave a careless shrug anyways. "All right. Whatever. See ya later."

After taking a much needed bathroom back, I ran back to the cramped cabin all of the recruits housed in.

"Lissa!" I whispered yelled, poking her in the shoulder. "Wake up!"

She stirred in her sleep and her lids fluttered open. "Christian?"

"Are you crazy? No! It's me. Rose." I literally shoved her off the bunk bed.

Lissa yelped.

"That's for not coming back and checking on me. Now, come with me. I need your help with something."

"Are you sure this is enough?" I asked as Lissa handed me the second pink box.

"Rose," she yawned and crossed her arms, fighting off the blistering, three-AM cold. "You have enough donuts in there to feed an army of police officers."

"Good," I smiled evilly, thinking of the prank I was going to pull on Dimitri. What he'd done earlier was completely uncalled for, and he needed to learn that I was someone you didn't want to mess with. Okay, maybe I was just extremely pissed off and wanted to get a little revenge on my newly established mortal enemy.

Yeah, that was it.

"Can I go to bed now?" My best friend yawned again.

"Yeah! Yeah! Go." I shooed her away like a fly. "You big baby!"

Lissa ran off, her fluffy pink slippers a glow in the night. "Night, girl! Love you!"

Unfortunately, Dimitri's all terrain black hummer was parked right next to his cabin, so I had to tip toe over, careful not to make any noise.

I cringed when a twig snapped under my shoe and stared at the cabin, waiting for lights to flicker on and a very pissed off Russian to storm out. Maybe he slept in the nude and I'd catch a good glimpse of all his bare glory.

If that was the case, then I definitely wanted to wake him up.

What? No! Was I crazy? I hated the cop. I had to keep reminding myself of that fact.

Fortunately, the lights didn't flicker on and the night remained silent except for the rustling of the wind, crickets, and occasional hoots from the owls in the trees.

Once I neared the detective's vehicle, I opened the box of donuts and grabbed a single sprinkle one out of the bunch. Then I promptly set the thing down on the hood, pressed my palm against it, and smeared the dessert all the way across. I laughed at the colorful streak it made. Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Just what I was going for.

Feeling a little more daring, I grabbed a jelly donut and squirted the purple sticky stuff all over the front window.

This continued on for the next fifteen minutes. I'd throw, smash, and smear the donuts all over the Hummer until it nearly covered the giant thing.

Halfway through the second box, my heart dropped when I heard a door creak open.

Dimitri stepped out of the shadows and stared right at me.

Busted.

I froze briefly, then dropped the pink box of donuts, and made a run for it, dashing into the trees.

I heard the pounding of boots of my pursuer right behind me, and pushed my legs to go even harder. I refused to look back, in fear of tripping and falling flat on my face.

I stopped at the edge of the creek, panicking over what I should do next.

Apparently, the detective decided for me.

Dimitri's hands slammed into my back and my body went soaring through the sky.

Splash.

I landed in the freezing, ice cold water. Bursting from the water, I gasped, shocked. "Dimitri!"

"What the hell is your problem?" he growled, gracefully hopping off the edge and landing in the creek. The water came up to his waist.

"You shouldn't have just left me there!"

The cop came after me like a predator, sliding through the water like he owned the world. His power was sexy, but absolutely terrifying at the same time. "You were intoxicated on campgrounds. I should kick you out of the program for it."

"Then go ahead! I don't give a fuck what you do." I said. "Everyone always gives up on me anyways. I'm used to it."

"No. I'm not going to do that. That would be too easy, and you'd like that, because you always take the simple way out. I won't let you this time." Dimitri captured my wrists and looked me dead in the eye. "I want you to head back to camp, grab a bucket of water and a towel, and get off all that shit you got on my car."

"Screw that." I laughed harshly, humorlessly. "Besides, why would you want that, Pig? You cops love donuts. Why don't you go clean it off with your tongue?"

Dimitri stared over my shoulder and his eyes flashed black. The instant his body went rigid and he shoved me behind him in order to shield me from whatever danger that currently posed a threat to us, fear ran up my spine, sending chills throughout my body.

"Bear." was all he said.

I glanced around him. My eyes bulged out of my head.

Standing not a hundred yards away, was a humongous, fluffy grizzly bear. He rubbed his back against a tree, scratching it.

That wasn't what scared me, though.

It was the fact that the animal was staring right at us with hungry eyes.

"Don't move," Dimitri whispered tightly. "You can't outrun a bear."

"You're right..." Suddenly, chaos erupted as I made loud splashes and climbed out of the creek as fast as I could. "I just have to outrun you!"

I ran for my life.