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...
"You have got to be kidding me," Dimitri ate up the distance between us and grabbed both of my arms. His grip wasn't painful per se, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either, and I knew it was just a taste of his true capable strength. "Do you even hear yourself at times? The words that actually come out of your mouth?"
"You two seem very close, that's all I'm saying."
His grip tightened and I gritted my teeth. "Give me a break, Rose. Give me a fucking break." Suddenly, he released me and I stumbled backwards, landing straight on my bottom.
"Ouch." I said, then looked up at the towering building glaring down at me. "I guess I deserved that one."
"Get up."
"Listen, that was uncalled for okay? Fuck…" I dusted off my jeans and struggled to find the right words to say without digging myself into another hole again. "I…yeah, I don't know why I just said that about Viktoria. I act different around you. I think different around you. I don't want to disappoint you but for some reason I always end up saying some stupid shit, and then I think, 'Did you really just say that, Rose? Really? How damn stupid are you?' I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry. For disrespecting you and your sister. That wasn't cool."
One side of Dimitri's sensuous mouth turned into a heart stopping smile. Then he did something that shocked me to my bones. Those long, graceful fingers reached forward and traced the edge of my chin, down to my jaw where he tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. His hand lingered there. "I also must confess something…"
"What?"
"You are my favorite recruit."
"Really?" When he merely nodded, I laughed and asked, "Why? I cause you so much trouble and headache. I thought you hated my guts."
"I could never hate you, Rose."
"But your life would be so much easier without me."
"Perhaps that is true, however…" One finger twirled around a lock of mahogany hair and I was in heaven. "You are you, Rose. And I wouldn't change that for anything, even if it was in my power."
I stared at him, stunned. On impulse, I lunged forward and hugged him like I had never hugged anyone before. Judging by his stiff body posture, I had caught him off guard. But a moment later, he relaxed and wrapped his arms around me. If my heart would have stopped beating right then and there, I would have died a happy woman.
Of course, all good things must come to an end…
The doors to the cafeteria swung open and a group of laughing recruits exited, along with Lissa, Christian, and Viktoria, who I suddenly didn't have such homicidal urges for.
Dimitri and I sprang apart like our lives depended on the separation. I instantly felt the loss, but he didn't seem to be affected and was instantly in Detective mode. I was so angry at the interruption I could have kicked two holes in the wall, but since I had flip-flops on and the outside of the lunchroom was made of cement, it didn't seem like such a great idea.
I suppose we were lucky that nobody seemed to notice the tense air that surrounded Dimitri and I. The last thing we needed right now were rumors and suspicions being spread around the academy.
As my friends surrounded me, talking and laughing amongst each other, entirely oblivious, the last thing I felt was lucky. Something inside my chest twisted and stung when Dimitri gave me one last cold glance, turned around, and walked away like he regretted ever even touching me.
Spinning around, I kicked the wall with all my might and cursed deafeningly when I heard a loud snap. I seriously needed to work on my anger issues and impulsiveness.
RPOV:
I had just broken a toe. Pain shot all the way up to my knee. I released a string of curse words.
"Ohmigod, Rose!" Lissa shrieked, covering her mouth then rushing forward. "Are you okay?"
I nearly turned around and snapped at her. But instead, I gritted my teeth, forced a somewhat controlled expression, and nodded. "Yeah, all's good under the hood."
Adrian's eyebrows cocked.
"I don't know why I did that. I'm such an idiot." I reassured them. "I'm fine. I just need to go lay down."
"Rose, are you sure? You kicked it so hard you must have broken something. I'll go with you to the nurse—"
"I said I'm fine," I snapped, and instantly regretted it when I saw the hurt flash across Lissa's face. "I'm really tired. You know how cranky I get."
"Okay," she said, looking unconvinced. "I'll walk with you. And don't try to fight me on that, pipsqueak. It won't fly with me."
"Hey, now. Words cut like knives." I grinned halfheartedly. "You're the pipsqueak."
The shower sprayed down on me, scalding my tender, bruised, and broken skin. I had removed my shoes minutes ago, and was still shocked at the condition my toe was in a day after I'd snapped it.
Going to the doctor after breaking a bone was evidently a smart idea. It didn't always heal the correct way when you hid them under destroyed sneakers, pretended that the pain wasn't all you thought about during your grueling training sessions, and hoped for the best.
But I wasn't going to let Dimitri know, or anybody else for that matter. I was the idiot who was still hoping for the best because she didn't want to look like a fool. No wonder pride was one of the seven deadly sins.
"Four minutes, ladies!" Sydney bellowed. "Let's go!"
Groans erupted as everyone slammed off their faucets and scrambled to get dressed.
I ripped on a black tank top, gray yoga pants, and shoved my feet into my favorite red Nike's. The pain stole my breath away. I exhaled heavily and punched the wall. It made me feel good enough to stop being a sissy and join my fellow recruits out on the field.
"Oh. Hell. No." I stopped next to Lissa, and couldn't help but stare. "I thought we were done with obstacle courses!" I had just finally passed the last one. This was truly hell on earth.
"Far from done, Hathaway," Dimitri said. "We're just getting to the fun part."
I wanted to cry.
"Those pants make your ass look fantastic." Lissa whispered. "What ya gonna do with all that junk, all that junk inside your trunk?"
I grinned.
"You can do this!" she said encouragingly, quickly giving my hand a tight squeeze.
"Thanks. You too."
"This course is fourteen miles long. It will take you three to four hours to complete, depending on your strength and endurance, or lack thereof." Dimitri pointedly looked at me.
The old Rose bristled at that comment. But the new refined, mature 2.0 Rose brushed it off her shoulders, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing how much it pissed her off.
"This course moves quickly, switching you from one obstacle to another with very little or no rest." Dimitri glided back and forth, hands locked behind his back. "There is an instructor at each change that will guide you through what tasks are required of you. Best of luck. You'll need it."
I got paired with Adrian. Yeah, I know. Worst partner ever.
Pavel was at the first stop. "This is the Plank. You will walk across that board, jump into the lake, and swim to the other side where Sydney is waiting for you."
"That's all the motivation I need." Adrian went first, and failed several times.
"That water is so fucking ice-cold!" he jumped out and started over again.
That was true. The lake had turned my lips purple and limbs to icicles. I was still shaking violently twenty minutes after I had swum across it and hopped out.
Sydney was right there, but unfortunately I couldn't go on without my partner. Even Lissa and her partner had passed us up, and they were like the wimpiest team ever.
"Assholes need to stop shoving me in!" Adrian shouted after having fallen in again.
"Stop being such a pussy and just do it!" I cupped my hands over my mouth. "Don't ruin this for me, Adrian! I really want to get first!"
Sydney snickered, clearly doubting that would ever happen.
Four more tries, and Adrian finally got his balance in check enough to walk across the long, narrow board. He dove into the lake and crossed it in record time.
Soaked from head to toe, he climbed out onto the grass, threw his arms up, assumed a fierce expression, and roared victoriously. "Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"
"Ass!" I punched him in the arm. "Let's go!"
"Hey, beautiful," Adrian smiled at Sydney. "How are you doing this morning? I've missed seeing that pretty face."
Sydney rolled her eyes. "Save your energy for the course, Ivashkov." she jabbed a thumb behind her. "You have to run two miles to the next assignment."
"Two miles? That's it?" Adrian scoffed. "Please. Step back. I got this."
"You cocky bastard! Get up!" I screamed, slopping through the mud. "We're not even half way there. You totally jinxed us."
We were only forty-five minutes into the obstacle course, and I just wanted to give up. But I told my muscles to stop their bitching and continued on.
Adrian was in worse shape than I was.
"I'm going to die," he said, as we made our way through the trenches of thick mud. It was like quicksand. Your legs would sink all the way to the top of your thighs. Then you would have to use all your strength to dig yourself out, only to sink right back in again when you took your next step.
I wanted to weep from relief and joy when we reached Christian.
"You made it." he gave me a high five. "You want some water of PowerAde?"
"Anything." I gasped, crumbling to the ground. I needed to drink something or I really was going to die.
He handed me a blue PowerAde and I chugged the entire thing down. Adrian downed half a gallon of water.
"That's enough. You drink anymore and the cramps will slow you down." Christian said. "This is called the Kiss of Mud. That barbwire is seven inches from the ground. You have to crawl underneath it to the other side."
That was probably the easiest part of the entire course. When I'd finished, I only had a few nicks here and there. Adrian, on the other hand, had butchered his back and legs.
"Ew." I laughed. "You're all bloody. That's gross."
Adrian winked and gave a beyond exhausted smile. "You'll give me a sponge bath later and I'll feel much better."
"I don't think so."
Ivan was at the fourth part. Much like Dimitri, he was blunt and spoke only when necessary. "This is the Boa Constrictor. You will have to crawl through those."
Adrian tore off and disappeared inside a tiny black tube.
I stared, and didn't believe it was possible. "In those?" I gaped. "There's no way my ass is going to fit through there."
Ivan just looked at me.
I found it hard to breathe. "But I'm extremely claustrophobic."
"Then quit."
My anger spiked. I glared at him.
You needed not only physical strength to endure this test, but mental as well, is what Dimitri had told us before starting. He had never been so right.
I don't know how I did it. I don't know how I swallowed one of my most intense fears and went through with it. I don't know how I managed to navigate through that pitch black tunnel and squeeze out to meet my partner.
But I did, and that was all that mattered.
Our next task: You and your partner must grab one heavy ass, motherfucking log (not the exact words used by the instructor) and hike a mile up a ski slope.
That was the most brutal thirty minutes of my entire life, and I'd held my mother in my arms while she'd had a violent seizure and took the last breaths of her life.
The log dropped several times and rolled over my bad toe.
All I wanted to due was collapse from exhaustion. But I searched deep for that inner strength and kept going, no matter how bad I just wanted to fall flat on my face.
Adrian and I finally made it to the top.
We hugged each other hard, and I burst into tears.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm such a sissy."
"No. You're not." He kissed the top of my head and held me even tighter. "All right, little lady, let's keep going."
"There's the finish line!" I screamed victoriously, and then wished I hadn't been so happy-go-lucky.
"Welcome to the final phase," Viktoria smiled. "That field is filled with gasoline soaked straw. The flames are up to five feet high. You have to cross it in order to get to the finish line."
No duh.
I looked at Adrian. "You ready?"
He nodded and grabbed my hand. "All or nothing, baby."
I was lying earlier when I'd said carrying the log was the worst part of this entire thing. I was foolish when I'd thought that I had already gone through the worse and believed I could deal with whatever was to come. I was downright stupid when I'd said what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
This was purely hell.
Viktoria had decided to leave an important factor out—this damn field was laced with hidden wires that gave you a powerful shock. I was thrown to my knees several times, on the verge of tears.
Do you know what it's like to walk through raging fire and be tazed at random times? You never want to find out.
Adrian and I crawled across the finish line.
"Congratulations," Dimitri patted me hard on the back, and I swear if I hadn't been immobilized by agony and second-degree burns, I would have killed him with my bare hands.
"You made second place,"
Adrian slowly moved his head towards mine and smiled. "High-five." he said, too tired and in pain to do the actual thing.
"High-five." I croaked, throat feeling like sandpaper. "Who won first?"
Dimitri jerked his head to the left.
Slowly, painfully, I craned my head to see.
Lissa waved at me. She was collapsed on her back like us.
I managed a small smile and said, "I have the most bestest, bad ass best friend in the world."
TPOV:
Pavel terrified me, almost more so than Ambrose. I winced. God, I missed that man more than anyone could ever know. It was like half of me was missing and wouldn't return until I was back in his arms again.
The first time a woman is hit, she is the victim. The second time, she is an accomplice. I guess I was just like every other woman in the world involved in an abusive relationship. I simply couldn't seem to escape him, but a part of me didn't want to let go. And every time I was away, all I could think about was going back.
Maybe I was pathetic, but my mother had always told me: Don't judge someone until you've walked a mile in their shoes.
The door flew open, sucking me out of my thoughts. My jaw dropped when I saw what came in.
At least with Ambrose, I knew what to expect. He was predictable, and I'd grown familiar with our brutal routine, witch roughly consisted of round-the-clock beatings and sexual encounters.
I liked knowing what was coming next. It made enduring whatever it was just a tiny bit easier.
With Pavel, I was left in the dark. I wasn't able to get a read from him, and I was usually really good at getting a sense of the people around me. Pavel was just a stone cold, emotionless wall that stopped anyone who dared to try to gain access.
The instructor entered the room, a white towel wrapped around his hips. Water dripped down his mocha skin, and I swear I wanted to rush forward and drag my tongue down his naked, hard, tattooed torso just to know what he tasted like. He looked beyond edible. I had never seen such a magnificent man before, and Ambrose was something out of magazines and movies. He didn't even compare to what was before my eyes right now.
"Jesus Christ." Pavel swore when he saw me. "What the hell are you doing in here?"
He rushed to cover up. I had a feeling it was out of modesty and politeness for me, not because he was ashamed or self-conscious about his body. But then again, if you had one like that, who would bother with covering it up?
"Oh, my god. I'm so sorry." I quickly turned around, giving him privacy. My cheeks were on fire.
"Stop saying your sorry all the damn time," Pavel said. "You have nothing to apologize for, so save it for a time when you truly need forgiveness."
"Right. Sorry." I blurted habitually, and bit my tongue. "Ugh. Sorry. I meant…blah, never mind."
"You can turn around now. I'm decent."
I hesitantly shifted my body to face him. Slowly, I opened my squinted eyes. He wore Nike sweats and a white cotton t-shirt. I breathed a sigh of relief.
His eyebrows shot up. "Looking at me half naked was that difficult for you, huh?"
"What? Oh, no. Of course not." I responded immediately. "You're not just decent—you're fine. I mean…whoa, I didn't mean it like. That didn't sound right."
Pavel stared at me a moment, eyes glittering with amusement. Then outright laughed when he saw the extreme embarrassment on my face.
"Don't be so nervous around me," he said, setting his keys down on the nightstand before collapsing on the bed. "I'm not anything like your piece of shit boyfriend. I don't hit women. Only pussies do that."
I swallowed on a dry throat. "Rose told you everything?"
"She gave me a rough description, but only because I forced it out of her. She's gonna talk to Dimitri tonight about you."
"Do you think he'll let me stay?"
"Who knows with Belikov." Pavel put a heavy forearm over his eyes. He looked so exhausted. I couldn't imagine what walking a mile in his shoes would be like. "Guess we will see."
As the room grew quiet and he drifted off to sleep, I felt like an intruder. Quietly, I stood up and headed for the door, careful not to disturb him.
I wrapped my hand around the knob and twisted.
"Where are you going?" Pavel's arm was down, and he was staring at me intently with that stormy gaze. "Jesus. You have the most enormous blue eyes I have ever seen. I bet you bring grown men to their knees with those bad boys."
Immensely uncomfortable, I evaded that comment entirely. "I didn't want to be a bother."
"If you were bothering me, you wouldn't be here right now talking to me." he said. "Now sit your ass back down on that bed and get some sleep."
"Thank you." I smiled and listened.
RPOV:
The smell of gooey cheese, roasted meat and vegetables, and toasty bread drifted over, and I nearly moaned. Before the police academy, I'd had a hearty appetite. Now that I exercised constantly and kept my head in those books, my appetite was a roaring beast. I usually devoured anything edible in sight. I guess I was a growing girl.
"What are you making?" I asked with burning curiosity.
"French bread pizza,"
Yum! But I didn't want to appear too eager. "Boy you went all out, huh?"
"Would you rather make me dinner, Hathaway?"
"No." I responded immediately. Most likely, I would end up blowing the kitchen up.
"That's what I thought." Dimitri said, setting the pizza on plates. He handed one to me and headed for the couch. I joined him on the opposite side. With the electric energy passing between us, it still seemed too close. But I was far too hungry to even care or move.
"So," I said, sinking my teeth into the crusty flesh. "why'd you invite me over? I know it's not because you wanted me to paint your nails."
Dimitri asked me about Mason for the seemingly thousandth time. The same damn questions, over and over again. Here we go again, like one of those spinning teacup rides that never end. It was incredibly frustrating. It felt as if I was screaming and not being heard.
"I already told you everything I know." I set my plate down, suddenly nauseated. "I have to go. Thanks for dinner."
"Rose. Wait." He grabbed my arm, and I gave him a dangerous look.
"Please take your hands off me right now."
"I need your help."
"What could you frickin' need my help with?" I demanded. "You're the boss man. You're the detective. You're supposed to know everything. You don't need my help."
"I need you more than you could possibly imagine," Dimitri admitted.
I laughed bitterly and headed for the door. "Yeah, of course you do. So you can pin it on me. I see through you, crystal clear. I know what you're trying to do."
"You honestly think I'm twisted like that?"
"Yes."
"Then I misjudged you," he said. "I made you out to be so much more intelligent than that. Clearly, I was very wrong."
"Are you calling me stupid?"
"No." he said, all straight-faced. Smart-ass.
"Listen here, Pig, I know exactly what you're trying to do." I told him. "I don't believe in keeping your enemies closer than your friends. Fuck that. You don't trust me. I don't trust you. Good night."
"I can't stop you. You're only digging yourself into a bigger hole. Eventually everything will collapse in on you."
"Don't threaten me! I'm not fucking going to prison for the rest of my life for something I didn't do." I said exhaustedly.
"Then let me help you,"
I made a doubtful noise in the back of my throat. "Yeah, right. You help me? I don't think so."
"I believe you're innocent."
"Don't bullshit me."
"I give you my word." Dimitri said. "I want you to trust me."
"Why should I?"
"Because I haven't given you reason not to."
That much was true. "But you're still a cop."
"One of the good ones."
I locked eyes with him for the longest time, seeing if I could get anything out of him—a shred of deceit, untruthfulness, or any signs of uncertainty. I found nothing. But Dimitri was right. He hadn't given me a reason not to trust him.
"Fine," I said finally. "I want to solve Mason's murder as bad as you do. You can believe what you want, but I did love him with all my heart."
His bottomless eyes grew even darker. "I'm sure you did."
"So, partner," I went for the pizza again and stuffed nearly half of it in my mouth. "What's first on our agenda?"
"Tomorrow I want you to talk with Mason's friends," Dimitri told me, "the ones that won't have anything to do with me."
"Piece of cake," I said cockily. "This is what you do all day and get paid for it? Gee, I guess anyone can be a cop these days."
"I find that insulting."
"That's exactly why I said it, partner." I washed the food down with some Sprite.
"Don't call me that."
"It's part of the deal. Take it or leave it."
Dimitri didn't say anything.
I grinned triumphantly.
The questioning proved to be as fun as banging your head against a wall. Dimitri and I drove around for hours, going to certain restaurants and hot hangout spots in the ghetto. I saw a lot of my old friends, and temptation sang in my veins. I had to fight the urges the old Rose still possessed. The drug use was my biggest demon I had to battle. I'd had to be by myself a few times today, just to regain my cool and stay calm.
Mason's closest friends were MIA. The ones I did manage to speak with were as useful as, well, banging your head against a wall. They didn't know shit and only succeeded in wasting my damn time.
"I don't know how you do this everyday," I said, massaging my pounding temples. "It's so boring and frustrating."
"A big part of being a detective is possessing patience," Dimitri said. "You just have to wait, pay close attention, and be there when somebody slips up. That's when you get your break. The pieces will fall into place after that."
"It's my eighteenth birthday tomorrow."
"I had a feeling you weren't listening to me."
"And I have a feeling you're just trying to get out of buying me a present,"
"I'm not getting you one."
I put my hand over my heart, mocking hurt. "And here I thought we were getting so close to braiding each others hair and telling scary ghost stories in the dark."
"What do you want, Rose?"
"The day off," I smiled sweetly. "With Lissa."
He slid me a look and returned his focus back to the road. "You know I can't do that,"
"You mean you can, but you don't want to."
"Exactly."
"Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Dimitri," I pleaded desperately. "I only turn eighteen once. And we're only going to the mall, for like, a couple of hours! We won't even be gone the whole day! I'll be back in time for Law and Ethics, I promise!"
Dimitri—I swear—groaned in annoyance. "I don't have a good feeling about this,"
"Yaaaaaaaaay! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I squealed. "I'm so happy right now I could totally make out with you!"
His hands gripped the steeling wheel tighter. "Let's try to refrain from that."
"Got it."
The mall was packed.
Lissa and I headed into the first cute shop we saw. I nearly spent all of my money there. When we finally came out hours later, I had purchased several pairs of jeans, two pairs of boots, three thermal shirts, and one slutty top, just for the hell of it.
"I'm starving." I whined to Lissa. "Let's go to the food court."
She ordered a chicken salad with Vitamin water. I ordered a hamburger, fries, nachos, a coke, and a chocolate cone. I ate the ice cream first.
Lissa raised an eyebrow at my food choice as she popped an almond into her mouth. "That cannot be healthy,"
"It's my birthday," I defended. "Give me a break."
She slid a small white box across the table.
"What's this?"
My best friend shrugged, smiling shyly. "Happy birthday."
I eagerly tore it open. It was a pair of brilliant ocean-colored earrings. "Oh, my gosh!" I decked her in the arm.
"Ow! What the hell?"
"I cannot believe you got me these!" It was the best—and very likely the most expensive—gift I had ever received. I reached across the table and hugged her, surprising us both.
"They're aquamarine," she said, "your birthstone."
"Thank you so much," I said. "My hands are shaking. I don't want to drop them. Help me put them on?"
Lissa had just put the second gold stud in my ear when I spotted him.
Over her shoulder. A man wearing jeans and a green sweatshirt. His hood shadowed his face, but I knew he was looking right at me. He reached into his pocket.
My heart raced. I had only half a second to react.
Fear shot me out of my seat. Instinct had me lunging across the table and tackling Lissa to the ground.
The gun shot rang out.
I shielded her against danger. Pain exploded in my body.
The food court erupted in utter panic, people screaming and running in all directions, like an anthill that had just been kicked. I lay there, sprawled out, unmoving. Blood pooled around us.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the hooded man quickly and inconspicuously exit the mall.
Lissa screamed at the top of her lungs, "Somebody call 911!"
Dimitri, Pavel, and Christian were the first officers to arrive on the scene.
While Christian and Pavel were busy inside the mall, questioning witnesses on what they'd seen and the identity of the mystery gunman, I was out front, inside of an ambulance, being patched up and drilled by Dimitri.
"You scared me really, really bad, Rose." Lissa repeated, appearing distressed. "I thought you'd been shot in the head or something."
The paramedic snipped and tied a piece of gauze.
It turns out, the bullet had only grazed my arm. Just because the wound was less significant than a mortal one didn't make the son of a bitch sting any less.
"Why did you play dead like that?" Lissa asked.
"Because I wanted the gunman to think I was," I answered. "If I'd gotten up, he would have just kept shooting. Who knows how many lives would have been lost then."
Dimitri looked mildly impressed.
"All finished." The paramedic said.
"I need to talk with you," Dimitri gestured to his police vehicle. "Come with me."
My best friend was instantly in more distress at the thought of separating from me.
"But I can't leave Lissa alone."
"I'll take care of her," Christian called out, strolling down the mall stairs.
Though he was totally not my type, I could admit he was sort of hot, in a creepy kind of way. His cop uniform, pale skin, jet-black hair, and ice-blue eyes gave the instructor an exotic, cold look.
Christian put his arm around Lissa and pulled her into his side. She jumped, still on edge, but relaxed a moment later and settled against him.
"I'll make sure she gets back to camp, safe and sound." he said.
"You promise?" I questioned doubtfully.
"Swear."
I looked at my best friend. "You sure you're okay with this, Liss?"
She glanced at the man she was entirely in love with, then back at me and nodded. "Yeah, of course. Why are you worried about me, crazy? You're the one who was shot."
I smiled, gave her a quick hug, and got into the passenger side of Dimitri's squad car.
"Happy eighteenth birthday to me, huh?" I joked, chuckling halfheartedly. "That was one close call."
"I am sorry," Dimitri said, pulling onto the highway.
"Why?"
"Because I underestimated this full situation," he said. "It should have been handled more carefully."
"Why is someone trying to kill me?"
"It could have been random." He shrugged, clearly unbelieving what he'd just said.
"It wasn't random." I said, as we made our way through the eerie, pitch-black wilderness. "That guy had seen me before. He knew who I was. I even think he may have followed me there."
"How would you know that? You didn't get a good look at his face."
"Trust me on this one," I said. "I just know. Why else would he have only shot off one bullet? If he was some random psycho who just decided to open fire, he would have kept shooting."
"Good point." Dimitri's lips curved into a smile. "I can tell you've been paying attention in your classes."
"Damn right," I said, trying not to get overly happy at his praise. "I want to be the best cop in Montana."
"You will be," he said, "besides myself, of course."
"I think I'd give you a run for your money," I said cockily.
"Is that so, Ms. Hathaway?"
"Yes, sir."
Twenty minutes later, we switched to Dimitri's all terrain Hummer, and fifteen minutes after that, we arrived at his awesome cabin. I hadn't taken the time to appreciate it the first time I'd been invited in, since I had been completely distracted by food. He had a kick-ass fireplace, a hell of a plasma screen TV and surround system, black leather couches, and the hugest bed I had ever seen. Clearly, it was built for a king.
We talked more about the day, what the gunman had looked like, exactly what he'd been wearing, the kind of gun he'd used. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Going in circles again. Not having any answers made me want to yank my hair out.
I kicked the edge of the coffee table, fell forward, and gasped in such intense pain.
"What's the matter?" Dimitri demanded, kneeling beside me.
Alarmed, I sucked it up and got to my feet. "Nothing. Just stubbed my toe."
"Which foot was it?"
I pointed to my left.
He ripped off my sneaker.
Panic settled in. I didn't want to get kicked out of the academy for such a stupid injury. Not when I'd already worked so hard and come this far. "Wait, Dimitri!" I fought against him. He twisted my leg, sat on my thigh, trapping me in an awkward position. I squirmed, screaming and pleading with him to stop. "I'm okay! I only stubbed my toe!"
"I don't care how hard you stubbed it. No one reacts like that unless they're in horrible pain." he pressed my ankle against the hardwood floor. "You're hiding something from me."
Dimitri ripped off my sock, and I heard his sharp intake of breath.
I quit fighting. No use in it since he'd already seen what was there.
He curse in his native Siberian tongue. "What the hell did you do?"
"Kicked a wall."
"Why?"
"Cause I felt like it."
"You need to be treated immediately. Sit down on the table. Now."
Groaning, I obeyed his command.
"Sit still for me," Dimitri said. "I need to get a closer look."
"Okay."
Before I could react, he grabbed hold of my bad toe, and swiftly twisted.
Crack, pop, crack.
"Motherfucker!" I smacked him in the back of the head. Hard. My knee also caught him in the jaw when I jackknifed off the table and tumbled onto the ground.
"That hurt!"
"You don't say." He rubbed his jaw, giving a sharp smile. It wasn't really a smile; more just baring teeth. "I told you to sit still."
"You broke my toe again!"
"Back to its correct position," he said. "You're welcome."
"You could have warned me first. That way I was more prepared." I said reasonably, biting back the tears. Goddamn it. The pain was all I could focus on.
He grabbed an ice pack and handed it to me. "Would you have let me do it if you'd known my intentions?"
"Probably not," I admitted. "But still…you're an ass. Thanks though, I guess. For, you know, helping me."
Dimitri gave a small, sincere smile. "You are welcome. Stay here. I'll be right back."
When he returned, he was carrying a first aid kit. He instructed me to get back on the chair and elevate my leg on another one. After carefully cleansing my foot, he wrapped gauze around my broken and big toe, then stuck a wooden popsicle stick in to keep them straight.
"Who knew the big bad Russian could be so gentle and attentive?"
His lips twitched ever so slightly as he cut the last piece of tape. "It's my job."
"Well, you're good at your job."
"I have to be."
We didn't say much after that. The silence that surrounded us was the comforting kind. And I realized then that, though Dimitri could be the biggest, pushiest asshole sometimes, he wasn't half bad and I…sort of enjoyed his company.
This academy was making me lose my damn mind.
"I'm going to work on not being so mean to you," I told him. "And I won't call you Pig anymore, unless it's absolutely necessary."
Dimitri's eyes lightened. "Sounds good, Rose."
I grinned.
Then shocked the hell out of the both of us.
I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his.
Judging by his rigid posture, I'd seriously caught him off guard. But I really didn't care. All I knew was, in that very moment, I wanted this man so bad.
After working my mouth against his tight and unresponsive one for a few moments, I was about to give up and call it a day, figuring he simply wasn't attracted to me, when he responded.
He responded!
Dimitri kissed me like he owned me. He was rough and forceful just like I had imagined he would be. When he wanted something, he took control. And he was taking me like I belonged to him and absolutely no one else.
I barely had enough time to gulp down some oxygen before his tongue was down my throat again. I was just as eager as he was. My mouth pressed against his so forcefully I knew there would be bruises there tomorrow. I wrapped my arms around his thick neck as he made fistfuls of my hair and pulled me even closer to him. I was flush against his body and my skin felt on fire.
"Wait, wait..." I gasped, drawing back. I swear Dimitri growled.
"What is it?" he snapped, devouring my neck. It took everything I had not to give into that and forget about the world.
The words blurted from my mouth before I could stop them. I came clean about Tasha.
If it had been any other man, I would have said shock and maybe—just maybe—a tiny bit of hurt flashed across his face. But it wasn't any other man. It was Dimitri. And I wasn't sure he was capable of feeling anything but anger.
I had just seriously pissed him off.
"Is that the only reason you kissed me?" he demanded, squeezing my biceps. It wasn't painful, but it didn't feel good either.
I was stunned. I opened my mouth, only to close it.
"I see." Dimitri released me and pointed to the door. "Get out."
"Wait, what? Let me explain—"
"You've made it perfectly clear." A muscle in his jaw jumped. His eyes were like black ice. "I want you out. Now."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Get the fuck out."
I jumped from the volume and malevolence of his voice. The fear felt like lead was being poured into my veins.
I decided it was a good idea to listen to Dimitri and headed for the door. I opened it and turned around. "If Tasha is forced to leave, then I will be gone too. Just remember that."
I left and didn't look back.