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.
RPOV:
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!
I was having a really good dream. It had something to do with sunbathing and a sandy beach and Dimitri rubbing coconut oil on my back.
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!
The infuriating noise continued to shriek at me, demanding my attention.
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!
Dimitri gave me one of his rare smiles that turned me to goo on the inside, made me feel ridiculously happy, stupid. He hooked two of his long fingers in each side of my sparkling red bikini bottom and began to tug them down my thighs at a slow, taunting, playful pace. My toes curled in anticipation at the raw, hungry look he gave me—
Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!
Goddamn it! I slammed through the layers of sleep when my cell rang a fourth time, shooting straight up in my bed and tumbling off the side, landing on the cold, hard cement ground.
My cell was doing a little dance next to my grass-stained jeans, spinning in circles, having crawled its way out of the pocket.
Recruits stirred in the cabin, moaning and rolling around in their beds at the interruption of their much needed sleep. I guess I wasn't the only one who was bloody, bruised, and unfathomably sore from the past weeks rigorous training. If you could even call it training—it was more like torture.
Not wanting to get caught and kicked out of the academy for having a cell phone, I grabbed the device, flipped it open and held it to my ear, and slipped out of the cabin into the crisp, cool summer night.
The city didn't do justice to the night. When unblocked from the buildings, lights, and cars, the violet satin sky was beautiful, a million stars hanging like diamonds. The moon seemed huge, like you could reach out and grab it, casting an eerie silver glow over the acres of surrounding forest and Montana Mountains.
I shivered when I felt eyes on me, but came to the conclusion a few seconds later that Yogi was just checking in to make sure I was okay. Dimitri had told me there had been multiple bear sightings at St. Vladimir's Police Academy recently, forcing the camp to lock up food and close the kitchen even earlier than usual. Bummer.
The cop had told me that human food attracted bears, then had the nerve to give me an accusing, It's-all-your-damn-fault glare, to which I responded with an all-too sweet smile that was better than telling him to fuck off to his face, and he knew it.
I mean, hello! Dimitri had been the one to throw the donuts out in the forest. Who could honestly blame Yogi? I would have mauled a few humans to get just one of those jelly filled ones. They were preposterously delicious!
"This better be important," I said into my cell, gritting my teeth to keep from screaming. "You just woke me up from a really good dream—"
"Rose! Rose! Rose! Rose!" Tasha's hysterical voice slammed into me, and my blood ran cold, but not from the frosty weather. Her tone then dropped to a low, frightened whisper. "You have to help me!"
It was hard to distinguish what she said next—she was sobbing and crying so badly into the phone—but I did make out three words that changed everything: Ambrose, hurt, hospital.
"Tasha! Get a grip!" I was already on the go, sprinting across the dirt length of the campground and into the pitch black shadows of the forest. "I need you to be strong for yourself, for both of us. Or else I won't be able to help you. Tell me exactly where you are."
There was a sniffle, and then a long pause, like she was working hard to collect herself and put a cap on her emotions. Though I couldn't see it, I knew she nodded her head wildly and wiped her nose with the back of her sleeve when she said, "Okay. Sorry." I was surprised that her voice only cracked slightly. "I'm at a park. The one next to Ambrose's, just three blocks down the road. Oh, God, Rose. When he finds me, he's going to kill me, I swear. I should have never ran away—"
"Shhhh. You can't afford to think like that. And nothing's going to happen to you, I swear of it." I said gently, sliding down a small dirt hill on my bottom, jumping to my feet, and heading for the huge yellow school bus.
Crickets chirped in the darkness. Owls hooted from high in the trees. There was a rustling in the bushes near me, a low, inhuman snarl. The sounds of nature were equally calming and absolutely petrifying, kicking my adrenaline level up to the brilliant shining stars. Once I reached the vehicle, I hopped up the stairs, grabbed the keys out of the glove box, dropped down in the seat, and slammed the key into the ignition.
"Really? Do you mean that—" Suddenly she gasped and whispered, "Oh, Rose. Oh, no. No. No. No. No!"
My whole body tensed, my heart freezing a beat. "What is it?"
"There he is! On the corner!" she whispered fiercely. "He's looking for me, Rose. He's going to find me. What do I do? I'm going to go out there and tell him I'm so sorry—"
"Don't you dare," I growled. "Get low to the ground, don't move, and if he sees you, scream as loud as you can. I'll find you, baby girl. Do you understand me?"
There was a long heavy pause, a shuffling in the background. Tasha breathed, "I understand."
I tossed the phone aside and started the engine. It roared like a beast in the quiet night. I tensed, knowing I had just woken up the entire camp and a soon-to-be pissed off Russian.
I was about to slam my foot down on the pedal when a knock made me turn my head to look out the glass door.
I screamed in horror.
Lissa screamed.
Then I screamed again.
Lissa screamed.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed, opening the folding doors. She climbed in and took the seat closest to the driver's seat, leaning forward anxiously.
"I could ask you the same thing," Lissa said. Her hair was disheveled, jade-green eyes wide, mouth swollen from sleep. Pink bunny slippers adorned her feet.
"Go back to the cabin!"
"Hell no. Just go!"
"Lissa…" I warned.
"Rose…" she mimicked. "I'm your best friend. Whatever deep shit you're getting yourself into right now, I want to be a part of. Besides…there's no way I'm going back out there alone. I could have sworn Yogi was chasing me!"
I cursed nastily, banged my hand against the steering wheel, and navigated through the gloomy forest. My only hope was that I didn't slam into a tree or drive us off a cliff. Not that it mattered—if by some miracle I managed to make it out of this situation alive and get back to camp, Dimitri was going to kill me with his bare hands.
Tasha was exactly where I expected her to be—at Charleston Falls Park, located just two blocks away from Ambrose's parent's multimillion dollar estate.
The second I cut off the school bus engine that had no doubt awoken the entire rich, snobby surburban neighborhood—not like I cared, making a grand entrance was my thing—the night stilled and carried an ominous silence among the summer storm.
Maybe I was just paranoid, but everything seemed too quiet. Probably the pounding of my heartbeat in my ears. Instinctively, I knew this little rescue mission wasn't going to go as smoothly as I had hoped. In the distance a cat growled at an unknown threat. The sound of the wind seemed almost sinister. Lissa and I crossed the street, holding hands (She was absolutely terrified and refused to be separated from me.)
I didn't even register the bitter cold or roaring lightening and heavy rain falling from above, which was a first—I absolutely loved to dance in the rain. It was free, wild, refreshing. Everything I wanted to be but couldn't because of the hellish situation I was currently in and the deal I had made with Dimitri.
There were only three reasons I kept going and didn't run away from St. Vladimir's: One, Lissa. Two, a chance for a clear record and a second chance at life. And three, Dimitri was my only hope for finding Mason's killer and bringing that bastard to justice.
"Come on, baby girl." Grabbing Tasha's arm, I hauled her to her feet and wasted no time in heading back to the blaring-yellow vehicle. I made sure to be extra cautious of my surroundings and anything that might be lurking in the silent shadows.
Regrettably, I was so stupid as to not pay attention to what was on the other side of the street, hiding behind the bus. That is exactly where Ambrose stepped away from, revealing himself.
Ambrose was gorgeous. Nowhere near Dimitri's level of scorching hotness, (Did I really just think that about the Pig?), but gorgeous nonetheless. He wore a white muscle shirt that glowed in the obsidian sky and showed off his insanely masculine body. Loose black track pants and a pair of navy-blue Nike's completed his ensemble.
His stride was rigid and purposeful, like a starving wolf on the hunt. And he'd found his prey. Eyes like black ice fixed on Tasha, his lamb, and his face was pinched with fury, the skin drawn tight over his stark, ruthless features.
Tasha whimpered.
Lissa growled.
I snarled, "Back the fuck up!"
Ambrose ignored us, his full mouth lifting in a gesture that was more baring teeth than smile. "Hi, baby. Where've you been? I've been lookin' all over the place for you." His tone couldn't have been more hostile and vindictive. "Where are you going, baby? Come back to bed. I want you in my bed. Now."
"She's going with me, Ambrose." I interjected, stepping in front of Tasha protectively. Lissa went behind Tasha, sandwiching her between our bodies.
"She's coming with us," My best friend said challengingly, playing with fire. I stifled my smile. She put on a brave front, but she was scared shitless right now.
"And there isn't a damn thing you can do about it." I said. "So suck on that!"
"Let her speak for herself," Ambrose snarled, his icy gaze briefly leaving what he believed to be his possession, something he owned, something he could do whatever he damn well pleased with.
Fuck that.
"Where are you going, baby?" he repeated, voice taunting now. "You're not thinking about leaving me, are you? You wouldn't hurt me like that, would you? You know I need you, baby. You're my girl."
Tasha's whole character changed. She went from being a strong woman willing to fight for her freedom, to a submissive little child terrified of the wrath she would have to face if she didn't listen. I stared deep into her enormous ice-blue eyes and was shocked at what I found: Paralyzing fear mixed with a sick love, fascination, and cold obsession.
This woman was wholly in love with her abuser, the man who had repeatedly raped and beat her since the very first day she was sold to his family at the tender age of thirteen.
If there is one thing I learned in life it's that wolves and lambs should never interact, much less fall in love.
"Come home with me, baby." Ambrose said, pulling at invisible strings, controlling Tasha like a puppet. Oh, he knew how to work her. Knew exactly what to say to get her right where he wanted her. The lies rolled off his tongue so naturally it was sickening. "I am so sorry about what happened tonight. I..I just lost control. That wasn't me back there, you know I couldn't help it. Don't you believe me, baby? I swear on my life it will never happen again. I'll cut off both of my arms before I ever even think about putting a hand on you. Come on, baby. Come home…"
Ambrose stepped forward, went to grab for Tasha.
Lissa lunged forward and decked him. He dropped to the ground, knocked out cold.
I looked at her with wide eyes.
"What? I'm sorry! I panicked!" she shrieked, cradling her throbbing fist and hopping around on one foot. "Holy mother of flapjacks! That hurt way more than I thought it would!"
Admiration, respect, and amazement consumed me, taking over every fiber of my being. "Lissa," I breathed. "I think I'm in love."
Then I grabbed a thrashing Tasha and dragged her to the bus. Lissa hauled ass out of the town before the police could show while I worked hard to restrain Tasha.
"If any of you even think about breathing a word about this to the instructors…" I whispered yelled as Lissa and I helped Tasha into the recruit's cabin. "I will neuter you with my bare hands. And as for the ladies that make up 2% of this camp, let's just say that I keep a kitchen knife under my bed and I'm not afraid to use it…to adjust the size of your tits until I am wholly satisfied."
Okay, I only used the last part for dramatic affect. And it worked. Because everyone was looking at me like I was a patient that had escaped from a mental hospital. Which was good, because it meant that they would listen to me. One never not listened to a crazy person, because that crazy person never joked when it came to threats. They merely made good on their promises.
It was just before Five AM and time for training. The instructors would be coming in soon to make sure we were awake and ready to go.
Just as I heard a set of heavy footsteps, I screamed at Tasha to climb underneath the bed and remain there until I told her otherwise.
"Don't make a sound!" I hissed, and all of the recruits tensed and waited.
Christian, Pavel, and Ivan entered the cabin first, followed by Sydney and that chick I had found giggling with the cop in his cabin, and finally, Dimitri himself.
They all resumed identical positions against the wall—bodies straight and rigid, faces set in stone, and arms crossed behind their backs. They looked like badass soldier ninjas. It was totally one of the most awesome things I had ever seen.
Dimitri stepped forward, and his obsidian gaze landed on me. The expression on his face was discerning—that was the only way I could describe it. The taunting twist of his full lips. His brows drawn down in mockery. The violent sparkle in his eyes.
I was absolutely terrified, and had an instinctual feeling that, though Dimitri was a cop, he wasn't necessarily the good guy. Quite the opposite, in fact, I thought as his psychotically angry demeanor scorched my skin when he stepped closer.
"Got a problem, Cop?" I asked, swallowing hard on a suddenly dry throat. "Why are you all up in my grill?"
He began to circle around me, eyes trailing up and down my disheveled form, sizing me up, like a hungry shark inspecting its next meal.
"You look awfully dirty," Dimitri stopped right in front of me, apparently done with his meticulous examination.
"Yeah," I said, desperately trying to keep my cool and the guilt off my face. "Like all of the other recruits, I was at training for several grueling hours in the forest. Things are bound to get sweaty and dirty when you're army crawling in the mud under barbwire. I won't even get started on the rope training."
"Hmmm," he hummed, eyes briefly leaving mine to scan the small sea of students who were tidy before returning to mine. The heat of him intensified until I felt like I was drowning in it. "That's strange to me, because if I recall correctly, St. Vladimir's follows a strict shower after class then go straight to bed routine."
"And thank God for that," I overly laughed. "I hate to be that person, but some of ya'll can clear out a room once you get sweating. Jesus. Oh, and that's one more thing I want to thank him for—outdoor training. Without it, the stench would singe off my eyebrows. Know what I'm saying?"
See, this is what I do when I get nervous. I blabber on about nonsense for what seems like forever, and even I don't understand a word I'm saying. But you didn't need to understand in order to know that I was guilty, and more importantly, lying. It was written all over my face.
Dimitri defiantly knew something was up, he was a detective trained to study peoples behavior, their actions, the way they talked and see who was responsible. But for some reason—maybe he just wanted to scare the living shit out of me—he didn't call me out. He simply gave me that knowing look that made me jump out of my own skin.
"My point is, Ms. Hathaway," Dimitri murmured so low only I could hear. "You were freshly showered when you went to sleep last night."
"Are you spying on me, Cop?" I was breathless now, but it had nothing to do with fear.
"Of course," he said immediately. "As head instructor, it is my job to keep an eye on all of my students and know what they are doing at all times."
I sucked in a ragged breath. He knew! He totally knew about the school bus!
But for some unfathomable reason that struck me stupid, he didn't open his mouth about it to the others and get me kicked out of the police academy.
"Besides, you are the number one suspect in the case of Mason Ashford. Without you, it would go cold. And I can't afford to let that happen. And I especially can't afford to let you get away from me."
Motherfucker. Bingo! That was the answer to the unfathomable reason mystery. He was unable to let me go because he was still trying to pin me to that goddamn murder. But without any evidence or proof to tie me to the scene, he was SOL.
I could easily runaway. That was the smart decision. Go before I was wrongly accused of a crime I didn't commit because I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. But I wasn't about to do that. Fleeing would show guilt, appear as if I was hiding something, and I sure as hell wasn't about to give the cops or people of Charleston Falls, Montana anymore than they had already taken from me.
"Answer my question, Ms. Hathaway." The cop said, a razor-sharp edge to his velvety voice.
"What question?"
"Why are you so dirty?"
"Oh, believe me, if I was dirty, you would know it." I winked. "Trust me."
The look he gave me sucked all of the sarcasm out of my body.
"I was out…" I scratched my head, frantically searching for an excuse. "Picking berries! Yeah! That's it! I was out…picking berries."
Dark brows shot up. "Picking berries?"
"Yep," I said seriously. "The kitchens were closed and I was starving…so I picked some berries and ate them."
Dimitri stared at me a long moment, amusement making the edges of his immaculate mouth twitch. Then he turned around and clapped his hands roughly. "All right, everybody. I want to give you the honor of meeting someone truly beautiful, both on the inside and out, who I hold dear to my heart and respect the hell out of…" he went over and draped an arm over the insanely gorgeous woman's slender shoulders.
There was something oddly familiar about her, but I was far too angry and jealous to even try to put a finger on it.
"This is Viktoria. Your new instructor. She is new to America and you will treat her with every ounce of respect in which you treat all of your instructors." Dimitri introduced, not bothering to conceal the utter happiness and peace on his face. "Don't let the pretty face fool you. She is an excellent sharp-shooter, has a third-degree black belt in Tae-kwon Do, and can easily—"
"Kick your ass," Viktoria finished, waving shyly. "Hi, everyone. Please call me Vika."
"Right." Dimitri chuckled richly, and a stab of such hatred shot through me. Why couldn't I make him happy like that?
More importantly: Why the fuck did I even care? I hated his guts! Hated everything about the cop.
LPOV:
"This is totally cool," I said, twisting my hands anxiously on the steering wheel. The track ahead of me lined with cones looked so thrilling, I couldn't wait to slam my foot down on the gas pedal and beat the best time so far, which belonged to Rose.
My best friend had scored and passed part 1 of the driving course today, shocking everyone with the speed she used and the time she scored—10.5 seconds.
Sure it had taken several attempts, an inflamed car, and a close heart attack for Dimitri when she'd nearly rolled it—but she passed and that's what counts. Her words. Not mine. Bitch was crazy. That's all I had to say.
"It won't be if we both die." Christian muttered dryly. "Jesus Christ. I fucking hate teenagers."
Ouch. I shot him a look as we waited our turn in line. "How old are you again?"
"Twenty-three."
"And you hate teenagers? You're practically one yourself. Oh, the irony."
"Hey. Hey. Hey. Watch the road, Princess!" Christian put his hands over mine, jerking it to the side. "You almost clipped Ivan's ankles."
"Sorry." I said automatically. Looking over, I noticed a fresh layer of sweat had bloomed over his skin. "Are you okay?"
"Fine, Princess. Keep your eyes on the track please."
"We haven't started yet," I pointed out. "You're terrified of cars, aren't you?"
His shocked face filled with raw emotion, telling me I'd hit the nail on the head. He quickly regained control. "My parents got trapped inside a burning car and it exploded before ambulances arrived, obviously killing them both. So yeah, I've never really been a big fan of automobiles, if that answers your question."
"It certainly does," I said heavily. "I'm not sure if this makes things better or worse, but I just want you to know that I understand how you feel."
Christian scoffed. "Thanks for the pity, Princess. But I highly doubt you do have any clue of my feelings."
"My entire family was killed in a car crash. I was the only one who survived." I told him. "The car smashed into a tree, caught in flames, and I just managed to climb out in time. The paramedics called me a miracle. I had broken nearly every bone in my body, severely punctured major organs when a huge piece of metal went through my stomach, and had lost so much blood. I was only six at the time."
His face lost all its dark amusement and became very solemn and utterly stunned, his eyes trained on my face, intent on studying my every feature to see if I was telling the truth. When he found what he was looking for, his gaze widened a fraction and he was about to say something, but it was our turn. I slammed my foot down on the gas pedal and hit the course full force.
RPOV:
"How'd it go?" I asked Adrian on our walk back to the recruit's cabin, not really giving a damn about his answer. I was beyond exhausted, and it hurt to do everything, including talking. It just seemed to suck the nonexistent energy right out of my body.
Adrian's lips curved and he remained silent.
"You smug bastard!" I socked him in the arm. "Talk!"
"Ouch! What the hell?" His smile became more prominent, exposing a set of perfect, slightly pointy teeth that gleamed under the moonlight.
"Talk, please. Now I'm really dying to hear." I begged.
"You are going to wish you didn't say that," In one fluid motion, Adrian went over in front of me, grabbed the back of my thighs, and hauled me up, giving me a piggy back ride. I might have been grateful for the lift had it not made every single one of my enflamed muscles scream in protest.
"I slept with her." Adrian confessed, not bothering to hide the male pride in his voice. The victorious expression on his face, more specifically the devilish grin, was one of a man with a new toy. A new toy that he wanted to play with over and over and over again. One he didn't want to share with anyone else.
Oh, lord. Adrian Ivashkov was in love. I never thought I'd live to see the day.
"Shit! No way! You shagged the instructor." I hopped off his back, stunned. Then promptly shoved him. "You did? Tell me all about it! No, wait! Do the carpets match the drapes?
Adrian turned around to face me. "Hardwood floors, if you know what I mean. Smooth and shiny. Exquisite as hell, too."
A deep, hearty laughter filled the air around us. Eddie ran up and the two exchanged a hyped, manly greeting with tons of fierce half-hugs, hard pats on the back, and clapping of palms.
"I didn't believe you could do it," Eddie shook his head in bewilderment as he fished through his blue Nike pants for his wallet, then he pulled out three hundreds and four twenties and handed them to his buddy. "I owe you twenty."
"You better keep good on that," Adrian grinned boldly, stuffing the bills into his pocket.
"Congrats, man! You did it! You nailed the instructor!" Eddie exclaimed, and the excited masculine exchanges began again. "I cannot believe it!"
I began to laugh, but choked on it and made a strangled sound in the back of my throat when I noticed who was standing behind Adrian not ten feet away. Sydney.
The instructor was wearing her usual white top, camo pants, and brown boots. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and her head was tilted back, head resting against the wood of the recruit's cabin, blazing eyes trained on Adrian.
Adrian saw my expression and his eyes flashed. "She right behind me?"
"You're in deep shit." was all I said.
"Ivashkov." Sydney bellowed, stepping forward, boots crunching against the gravel.
Eddie bolted, which is probably what I should have done. But it wasn't as if I was guilty. I had no part whatsoever in their deal.
I ended up staying in hopes of Sydney pulling out a can of Whoop Ass and laying a beating hard on Adrian.
Adrian spun around with a charming smile twisting his immaculate mouth. "Well, hello, Instructor Sage. Beautiful night out tonight, isn't it? You look even more breathtaking, just for an FYI."
"What is that in your pocket, Ivashkov?" Sydney stepped nose-to-nose with him, cocking her head to the side, eyes challenging him.
Of course that only drove the Horndog even wilder for her.
"It's not a gun," he told her. "So I must be happy to see you. Which I am. Very, very happy."
Sydney reached forward, shoved her fingers into his pocket, and pulled out the cash.
"Do that again," Adrian said. "Just move your fingers a little farther to the left."
"I should kick you out of the academy for this," she held it up, and he shrank back.
"Oh, come on, Syd. It's no big deal—"
"Are you kidding?" the instructor scoffed. "It is a big deal. You nearly cheated me out of the deal." With a wicked grin, she shoved the money into her bra, turned around, and began to walk away, leaving Adrian gaping.
"Oh, and Ivashkov?" Sydney paused. "Make sure I get that extra twenty."
"That is completely unfair!" Adrian cried, throwing his hands skyward. "We should split it."
"Now why would I do that?" she asked. "I did most of the work, after all. I earned this."
"Don't force me to go to the police station and file a report. I'm younger than you, a student. And you're the instructor. Clearly, you took advantage of me on that bathroom floor. I feel violated right now. Like a dirty boy. Perhaps we should go back to that bathroom and you can help clean me up. I could go for a sponge bath right now."
"First of all: you are three years older than I. And second: You were more than willing. No one held against their will fist pumps that much." With that being said, Sydney disappeared into her cabin.
Adrian stared at the shut door with amazement sparkling in his gem-green eyes. "God, that woman makes me crazed."
"You fist pump during sex?" I giggled, which soon turned into an obnoxious fit of uncontrollable giggles.
I reached my bed, fell back against the thin mattress, and groaned in relief. "This is heaven," I hummed, closing my eyes and relishing in the stillness. The brutal hours of training, attending class, and studying, had been doing a little more than taking their toll on my body and mind. But now, strangely, I felt smarter and stronger than I ever had in my life, like I had the world at my very fingertips.
Plus, my body looked amazing. I was a killer with a full chest, sharp, womanly curves, smooth skin, and muscled limbs packed with plenty of power.
Something cold and fleshy wrapped around my ankle, making me shoot out of bed and face the source of the threat with my feet planted on the ground and my fists raised.
Tasha's head poked out from underneath the bunk bed a second later. "Rose…you're back." she moaned, squinting at the overhead light.
"Jesus Christ!" I hissed, running over and dragging her out by her hands.
Tasha stood up slowly. Then took a few moments to stretch out her sore, tight limbs, crack her neck and shoulders, and dust off her pants and shirt. "God, that feels good."
I stared at her, eyes wide. "Have you been there all day?"
"Fourteen hours and twenty-six minutes." Tasha said. "Sorry…it's just that the clock on the wall...I've been staring at it all day."
"Why in the hell would you do that?"
"You told me to stay there until you told me to move."
"Oh, my God," I breathed, unable to believe that I had completely forgotten about the runaway. "I am so sorry—"
I stopped when I felt the air shift around and turn icy around us, sensing his menacing presence in the doorway. Tasha stared over my shoulder, sapphire eyes enormous on her classic boned face.
I turned around, wincing. Can you say busted? Pavel stood there, looking cold as ever, hip cocked against the doorframe. A chilly breeze carried through the room, tousling the instructor's thick mass of dark hair. His blazing gray eyes landed on me for a micro-second, then shifted over to thoroughly search Tasha's face, flashing and calculating.
"You want to tell me who the hell this is, Hathaway?"