A/N: It looks like I made a terrible mistake last chapter, regarding Tasha. I hadn't touched this story in months and I decided to write the last chapter "Until I Collapse" without refreshing my memory by rereading the story.

I changed and deleted a few parts of the last two chapters to make things less confusing, so you may have to reread them to make sense of things. If not, I'm sure you'll still be able to follow along just fine. It was just some silly confusion on my part.

Anyways, I hope you like this chapter! Enjoy! =)

~Ms. Belikov

Previously on Cop and Attitude...

"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.

RPOV:

"Hathaway, may I speak with you for a moment?"

I glanced up to find Dimitri standing in the doorway of the recruit's cabin. The room was empty except for Tasha and I.

I stuffed a sweatshirt into my backpack. "Sure. Why not." I replied.

"Alone."

I looked over at Tasha, who glanced around briefly and stood up before heading outside to give us privacy.

"What can I do for you?" I threw my hairbrush, toothbrush, and deodorant in before zipping my bag shut.

"You're packing."

"Nice noticing, captain obvious."

"Why?"

"Because I'm no longer welcome here."

"What gave you that impression."

I laughed harshly. "You are impossible."

"I was only curious."

"I don't know," I said sarcastically, "Maybe last night after you tongue fucked me then told me to get the fuck out."

"I only wanted you out of my home." Dimitri said. "No one ever said anything about the academy."

I stopped, slung my backpack over my left shoulder. "I just need to get far away from this shitty place."

"So you're quitting."

"Yeah, Dimitri, I'm quitting. And don't give me that damn look. There's only so much one person can take."

"Quit bitching. Nobody likes a whiner."

If looks could kill, he'd be dead. "Get out of my way."

He blocked my path. "I'm not done talking to you."

I huffed and crossed my arms. "What else is there to say?"

"You're staying in this academy."

"After everything I've done?" When he nodded, I asked, "Why?"

"You honestly think I would let you go that easily?" A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "I don't believe in abandoning or giving up on someone…that doesn't solve anything, just makes the situation worst. Maybe it was the way I was raised, but for some absurd reason, I believe in you and have confidence that you will make it through this and come out something bigger and better on the other side."

"You're only saying that 'cause you want to get in my pants."

"Rose."

Awkward silence. I coughed.

"So...Tasha gets to stay?"

"I'll see what I can do," Dimitri said tightly, clearly displeased.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Bouncing with excitement, I ran to give him a hug.

Dimitri held up his arms and stopped me dead in my tracks with the look he gave.

Yikes. "Sorry." I mumbled, looking down.

"It's fine." He said, words sharp like a knife. "Both of you follow me to the training room."

"I will allow Tasha to stay under one condition." Dimitri said. "An instructor must put in extra training sessions with her, working with her extensively to make sure she's up to par with the other recruits. And it won't be me."

My heart sunk into the pit of my stomach. I had just lost the game.

In unison, all of the instructors groaned.

Ivan shook his head no.

Victoria gave me a sad, apologetic smile, but shook her head.

"Sorry, Rose." Sydney said. "But I can't."

"I'm out." Christian said.

"What if I worked with her, Dimitri?" I pleaded. "I know all the routines. I can show her how to do them. I'll make sure she's ready."

He automatically shook his head. "It wouldn't be enough. She needs someone who is trained."

"I am trained, damn it!"

"Professionally trained." he shot back crisply.

Was I on the verge of crying? Goddamn it. Suck it up, sissy.

In a way, I felt this academy was our last hope. A way for us to turn our lives around and make something good out of what had been bad. Who knows what life would be like without St. Vladimir's help. I didn't want to leave and find out, but there was no way I'd let Tasha go and return to Ambrose.

"So, this is it?" I yelled. "All of you are too fucking lazy to put in a couple extra hours to help out another human being in need? Well, guess what, fuck every single one of you! Come on Tasha…let's get out of here since we're no longer welcome." I grabbed her hand and headed for the training rooms front doors. The crisp, cool forest air whipped my hair back. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the violet sky.

"Wait, hold up Hathaway," I turned around.

Pavel was in the far back. Slowly, very reluctantly, he put his arm up, volunteering. "I'll work with her."

Shock filled me. I was ecstatic.

He was our second chance.

TPOV:

Pavel opened the doors to an empty gymnasium. There were regular things you'd see in any typical gymnasium—rows of bleachers, basketball hoops, shiny wooden floors.

Pavel turned around, crossed his arms, and assessed me from head to toe.

My face turned chili-pepper red. I suddenly became aware and self-conscious of what I was wearing, which happened to be a pair of black yoga pants, an oversized St. Vladimir's t-shirt, and a raggedy pair of sneakers I'd borrowed from Rose.

I tugged my sloppy ponytail tighter in a lame attempt to appear more presentable.

It was nothing matched up to his level, or at least it felt that way.

At barely five-three and a hundred and ten pounds, I was tiny, weak, and entirely out of shape compared to him.

Pavel was well over six feel tall, had to be a good two-fifteen to two-twenty, and was the epitome of peak physical condition.

I just knew my first training session was going to be an embarrassing one. He was going to be paying close attention to how hard I was working, how heavily I was breathing, how much I was sweating.

Oh, god.

What about my big butt? Was he going to be watching that too?

Suddenly, the instructors face broke out in a brilliant smile. "I like the way you do that with your cheeks," Pavel said, Georgia drawl thick.

"Huh? What thing?" I said, touching my face.

"You ready to work your ass off?" Friendliness gone. All business now. Good. That was much easier to deal with.

"As ready as I'll ever be, sir."

"Good." Pavel dropped down on the front bleacher and held up a stop watch around his neck. "'Cause you're going to be running today."

Hmmm. Didn't sound so difficult. Just put one foot in front of the other and go fast. Running was one thing I was capable of.

"Four laps is the equivalent of one mile. I want you to run sixteen rounds." he stated. "Ready, set,-"

"Wait." I interrupted, holding up my hand.

Pavel raised his eyes, cocked his brows questionably, clearly not pleased.

"I just want to say thank you," I told him. "For doing this for me. I still don't know why. But I very much appreciate it—"

"Thank me when you're done." He cut me off. "I don't like wasting my time. Now get running."

I was thrown off by the clipped tone, but decided it wasn't rude of him to talk to me in such a way. He was a police officer, after all. It was his job to do his job, not be friends with me.

I nodded my head and did as I was told.

Nearly four laps into it, I was ready to puke and collapse.

I panted like a dog and forced my legs to keep going, and decided I really didn't give a damn how crazy and unattractive I looked, because this whole thing was just too damn hard.

"I can't do this!"

"You've only been running for fifteen minutes," Pavel said in a bored tone. "And you haven't even reached a mile yet. Don't be pathetic."

"I really can't do this!"

"Can't isn't an option in this academy, baby girl."

Sweat poured down my face and dripped into my eyes, stinging my vision. "I'm going to die if I don't stop!"

"If you stop, the doors are right there. Don't look back 'cause I don't train quitters."

That got me mad. I finished the fifth lap. I was so tired of people seeing me as weak.

"You're kind of an asshole," I declared, shocking myself with my boldness at the fact that I had just seriously insulted him. Except I really didn't care at the moment.

Pavel threw his head back and laughed, tossing a football in the air and catching it. "So I've been told."

"Bet you have." I muttered.

We didn't talk after that because I was too out of breath to puff any words out.

My lungs burned. My legs felt on fire. This was my own personal hell.

I finished.

Then fell to the floor, sprawled out eagle style.

Pavel appeared above me, a giant, menacing tower. But he kind of looked like an angel. An angel of death.

I smiled and mumbled exhaustedly, "I didn't think I could do it."

"But you did, and that's all that matters. Here." He handed me an ice-cold bottle of Dasani. "Don't get too comfy now, doll. You're not done yet."

I could barely lift myself up enough to be able to drink the water. I chugged the entire thing down. "There's more?"

"Yes."

I removed the bottle from my lips and squinted up at him, studying that flawless caramel skin, thick dark hair, pale grey eyes. "What's your ethnicity?" I asked curiously.

"My father is black, and my mother Puerto Rican."

"That's one hell of a combination," Damn, he was fine.

The edges of his full mouth curved slightly. "Apparently so."

"Pavel is an unusual name, though." I noted.

He took a seat beside me on the ground. "Why is it you think that?"

"Doesn't suit you."

"I have strong Russian ancestry."

"Still doesn't fit."

"Pavel is my last name." The instructor said, "My actual name is Dante."

"Dante?" That rolled of the tongue smoothly. "That's much better. Why don't you go by that?"

"I do to certain people. Some—not most."

"To your family?"

Pavel nodded.

"To your close friends?"

"Yeah."

"I bet to your hot girlfriend too, huh." I blurted, and instantly regretted it.

Except Pavel didn't seem to care. He threw his head back again and laughed loudly.

I found myself grinning from ear to ear.

"Now why would you assume that?"

"Because, well, just look at you…" I gestured with my hands.

God, what was I saying? Just digging myself into a bigger hole.

Those massive shoulders shook. "And that just explains everything?"

"Yup. Pretty much."

"Looks ain't everything, baby girl." Pavel stood, threw out his hand. I grabbed it and he hoisted me up. "Let's get back to work."

RPOV:

Someone—or something—was watching me.

I could feel their eyes on the back of my neck, my body, my face…all over me.

Except when I turned in the direction of intense scrutiny and observation, I found nothing.

Why was I so paranoid? Probably the cop techniques being hardwired into my brain. Gotta always be on high alert. You never knew what or when something was going to happen.

But then I saw it. Right outside the window, hidden in the trees. A black shadow.

I squinted just as it moved.

"Dimitri!" I exclaimed, tearing his attention away from the case papers we'd been studying over the past few hours.

"What is it?" he demanded, instantly alert. His gun was out and pointed.

Huh. I hadn't even seen him move. Sometimes it was unnerving how fast Dimitri was.

"There's something out there."

I expected him to take it as a joke. To dismiss me by saying, "Oh, it's probably just a bird or squirrel. Nothing to worry about. Get back to work."

Dimitri took me entirely seriously.

"Where?"

I pointed in the direction.

He headed outside with a stern command, "Stay here."

"To hell with that." I stood right on his heels.

Dimitri slid me an exasperated look over his shoulder. "You never listen."

"Partners don't split up!" I whispered fiercely.

"Unless one of them gets themselves killed due to their own stupidity and stubbornness."

I glared holes into the back of his skull.

A tree rustled.

It all happened so fast that it didn't even register in my brain until it was all over with.

Dimitri ran to the targeted area, threw his body up and held onto a thick branch like some kind of spider monkey, and jerked his arm back.

A man fell out of the tree and landed hard on the ground. I heard the wind rush out of him. Dimitri pounced right on top of him, instantly restraining the man.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. Bobby, what the hell are you doing here?" I demanded.

Bobby was a skinny little thing. Probably only a third the size of the cop smashing his face into the dirt.

"Hey, Rose. What's up?"

Dimitri's head snapped up. "You know this man."

I nodded. "Yeah, it's one of Mason's old friends. Again, what in the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know," Bobby shrugged awkwardly, spitting some rocks from his teeth. "Just checking out the scenery. The dirt here looks and tastes particularly wonderful around this time of year."

"You're working for Ambrose again, aren't you?"

"Another day another dollar."

I cursed. "Damn it, Bobby."

"It's nothing against you, girl. I have to do what I have to do. Can you tell this bully to let up a bit? I can't get any air into my lungs."

"Dimitri," I said, "Let him go."

He eyed me as if I was crazy. It wasn't the first time I'd gotten that look from him, and it certainly wasn't going to be the last.

"I'm serious," I said. "This kid is harmless."

"Hey."

"Shut up, Bobby." I shot icily. "And what's the worst he could do? He's gotta weigh only a hundred to a hundred and ten pounds."

"One-hundred and seventeen pounds."

"Your call, Hathaway." Dimitri ripped him up roughly and quickly searched him for anything dangerous. He found a school ID card, some lose change, and a Fruit Roll Ups wrapper.

"Man, the serious damage he could have done with that…" I said sarcastically.

Dimitri rolled his eyes, but remained tense.

I talked to Bobby for awhile. Dimitri stood right by my side the entire time, ready to defend me and protect me. In a world where people were always looking out for themselves, it was nice. The mysterious bond that Dimitri and I had developed over the last few weeks felt good. It was comforting. I hadn't had anyone look out for me since Mason had been murdered, and even he sometimes would turn the knife on me and stick it in my back. Dimitri hadn't betrayed my trust yet.

At first, Bobby was extremely reluctant to give any information up. He claimed he would be a dead man walking if he did. It was a useless and tiring situation, and I was ready to give up. But then Dimitri convinced me to allow him time to talk to Bobby alone. He promised not to harm him in any way, and when the two joined me back in the cabin ten minutes later, Bobby was still in one piece. He just appeared a little more than shaken up, like he'd just watched someone close to him walk in front of a bus.

It was truly a horrible, haunting look. But he wasn't hurt physically.

Whatever Dimitri had said to him had worked, because Bobby immediately spilled his guts.

Ambrose had hired Bobby to keep an eye on Tasha. And on me. He wanted to know what we were doing, who we were hanging out with, and where we slept. Things of that nature.

Seemed harmless, right? Not when you were dealing with a snake like Ambrose.

Not only was my life in danger, but Tasha's was too. Especially now that Ambrose knew exactly where we were. That man was forming some serious plans for us as we spoke.

Unfortunately, Bobby said he didn't know anything about the hooded man that had shot me, and I knew he was being honest.

I encouraged Dimitri to let him go. He did, but not before saying, "If I ever see or hear of you again, know that Ambrose will be the last name on your list of people to worry about."

Bobby nodded and took off as fast as his feet would take him.

"You are such a badass." I looked at Dimitri and grinned. "Good work, partner. High-five!"

Dimitri rolled his eyes and reluctantly clapped hands with me. He pretended to be annoyed, but wasn't careful enough to hide the smile on his face as he turned around. I think I was starting to grow on him.