A/N:

Hey, guys!

I miss you all so much! I've felt lost being away from the computer and not being able to write at all. But I'm back! :D And I want to thank you all for the get well wishes for me and my family. My hand healed right up! Also, my family member is out of the hospital and on his way to a full recovery! I finally feel back into my game and I can't wait to start posting chapters frequently again!

Again, thank you all so much! I sincerely hope you enjoy this chapter!

~Bree

Previously on Saving Me...

"I told you!" I coughed up more blood. Dimitri wiped my mouth with a Kleenex. "H-h-h-h...he laid on top of me. I fought him. Tried to get him off of me. But he was too heavy, and too strong. I felt his hands go around my throat and squeeze so hard. Then I felt the excruciating pain. And, yeah. That's all I remember. Everything else is black." I kept my hallucinations about my mother and Lissa to myself. I didn't want them throwing me on a one-way plane to Crazyville.

The doctor cleared his throat. "The wounds on your neck, Ms. Hathaway...from what I've observed and the police have observed, are self-inflicted."

I stared at him, shocked. "You...you think I did this to myself?"

"Ms. Hathaway, I'm going to be blunt and honest here, because that's how I am." The doctor paused, face solidly solemn. "All of the evidence is there. The way the bruises are shaped, the way they wrap around your neck, the blood on your hands and underneath your finger nails. There's no way someone else could have caused these injuries."

"That's just not possible!" I said. My body shook from head to toe and I worked to control myself. "I told you. The man was in my room. He's the one who hurt me-"

"It was a nightmare," Dimitri interrupted. "A terrible, vivid nightmare."

The doctor nodded in agreement. "You must have acted out the events in your dream yourself. It's extremely rare, but it has occurred before in patients with traumatic pasts. That's the only possible explanation." he said. "Mr. Belikov rushed you here in a paralyzed state. Your eyes were rolled back into your head. You weren't breathing. Your heart started to fail. You're lucky he was there. He saved your life."

I stared around, feeling like I was on a different planet. Why wasn't anyone believing me? I was telling the truth! "You guys make me sound crazy. You...never mind. I'm wasting my breath. When can I get out of here?"

An hour later, I'd finished filling out the AMA form and was on the way home in the backseat of my parents SUV.

Dimitri reached over and grabbed my hand. Numbly, I ripped it away. "Please...don't touch me." I whispered hoarsely. "Why are you even here?"

I felt betrayed by everyone I knew and cared for. No one believed me. They all stared at me with haunted, cautious eyes, like I was a wild animal that might freak out and start tearing out throats unexpectedly. They were strangers to me. I'd lost all faith that I'd ever get better and over my ordeal. If I didn't have the support and trust of what little family and friends I had left, then what did I have? Nothing.

What hurt the most was Dimitri believing I'd lied. For some incredibly absurd reason, I always felt like no matter what, I could go to him, and he'd understand me. He'd have my back. Evidently, that wasn't the case here.

The bodyguard stared at me, eyes for full of sorrow.

"I want you gone." I told him. "Now."

RPOV:

"You don't mean that," Dimitri said, dark eyes burning with intensity.

I refused to give him the satisfaction of looking at him.

"You can hate me all you want," he said, "but I'm still your bodyguard and I will protect you until my job is finished."

"Your job is finished," I stared out the SUV's window, watching the passing cars and buildings in a numb state.

"It is not finished until I found the man who did this to you and lock him up for life."

"Stop trying to be a hero," I felt hot tears sting my eyes and the painful lump form in my throat. "I can't be saved."

"You keep telling yourself that, and you won't be able to."

"I'm done, Dimitri." I murmured, mentally and physically exhausted. "I'm done."

"With what?"

"With my life, my friends, my family. You. I'm done with everything." I rubbed my raw throat and the sore bruises on it. "I'm my own person, and I'm so done with letting people treat me like crap. They underestimate me. Feel bad for me. Think I can't handle anything on my own because of what I've been through. Fuck that. I'm going to prove the world wrong. And the first thing I'm going to do right, is let you go."

The SUV came to a stop in front of my parents house. Abe and Janine exited the vehicle, and I jumped out immediately, heading for my Honda.

"Rosemarie," My father said chidingly. "You're not in the proper condition to be driving."

I promptly flipped him off. "Fuck you, dad. From now on out, I'm going to do what I want to do, and no one is going to stop me."

Abe ushered Janine inside the house and came at me, eyes annoyingly concerned. His whole demeanor was cautious, as if I was some wild animal he was about to tame.

Rage fueled me to the maximum. "How dare you!" I screamed. My fist swung through the air and connected with his cheek. The unexpected blow knocked him to the ground, and bewilderment flooded his face. "I'm your daughter, goddamn it! Not a stranger! So stop treating me like one!"

I went for a second hit, but was tackled to the ground by Dimitri. He flipped me around and covered my body with his own. "Stop it, Rose! Get a hold of yourself. This isn't you."

"Get the fuck off me," I grunted, then brought my knee up and slammed it against his groin. The bodyguard, completely unprepared for the impact and the sheer power and rage I packed behind it, groaned in pain and rolled over, clutching the area.

Climbing to my feet, I tasted blood on my tongue and realized my throat injuries had gotten messed up in the struggle, the stitches ripped open. Funny, I hadn't even felt a thing. Anger overshadowed every emotion in my body, including pain.

"You're the only one who believed in me when everyone doubted me!" I screamed at my father, kicking him while he was down. "When will you realize that the man was in my room! I swear! I would never lie about something like that..."

"Rose," Abe coughed viciously. It hurt me to see him struggle, but I wasn't going to help. Why should I? He didn't help me when I needed it most—right now. "You're not well right now, sweetie. You can get better, though. You just need a doctor, someone who's trained in dealing—"

"You honestly think I'm crazy, don't you?" I laughed harshly, humorlessly.

I grabbed the keys and ran to my car. Inside, I shoved the key into the ignition and locked all of the doors. The engine roared to life, and I shot a glance over my shoulder to discover Abe and Dimitri on their feet, sprinting towards the vehicle.

My foot slammed down on the gas petal. I sped off before they could catch me.

The cars tires screeched as it came to an abrupt stop. I threw the door open and ran towards the lake, not bothering to lock up the Honda.

The sand felt wonderful and warm under my toes, and I laughed with satisfaction. The water was completely still, as if sleeping. It was dark outside, making the the color of it a wonderful, dangerous black color.

I sensed him there before I heard or saw him.

"Why'd you follow me here?" I asked without turning around.

"You're a maniacal driver," Mason said. "It was hard not to spot you racing down my driveway."

I chuckled. "This is my favorite spot. What can I say?"

"This is our spot," he murmured sadly. "Don't you remember? We used to come here all the time. When we were happy."

I smiled sadly, feeling my eyes gloss over with tears. "You'd pack a big lunch, with milk and peanut butter cookies."

"Your favorite," Mason said, drawing closer. "I'd lay you down on the sand, kiss you until you told me to stop."

I giggled, wiggling my toes. "Rub my feet,"

"And rub your perfect feet," he said.

I turned around and my heart warmed instantly. With his fire-red hair, hazel eyes, dust of freckles, casual torn jeans, and sandals, Mason was beautiful and heartbreakingly familiar to me. He was a man that made me happy, no matter the circumstances. One that always stood by me. If we were fighting an army, he'd put me behind his back, shielding me from the danger.

And that was the reason he was the first man I'd fallen in love with. That seemed like forever ago, in our freshman year, before I'd been kidnapped and changed for the rest of my life.

"Hi," I said shyly.

"Hi." his smiled lit up the whole night.

"Want to go for a dip?"

"Last one with their head dunked loses!"

It was a race as we stripped off our clothes and laughed. Once naked, we ran for the lake, playfully pushing the other to get ahead.

"Damn, boy!" I yelled. "You need a tan! Look at that white ass. It's blinding me!"

"If you can see my ass, then that means I'm winning!" Mason sang. "So kiss it!"

We crashed in the water, making large waves, and tons of noise. As one, we both dove in and emerged form the black water, smiling like crazy.

"Tie!"

"Tie!"

Our laughter spilled through the silent night.

Mason and I floated in the lake, water up to the base of our necks.

I stared into his eyes and blushed."You're naked."

"Just being the way God made me," Mason said. "Ain't ashamed of anything I got at all."

My eyes snapped closed. "Ashford! Warn me next time you go flashing your danger zone!"

"I'm sawree," he sounded anything but. "The temperature is wonderful, isn't it?"

"With how small your junk is, I was praying it was caused by the freezing water so you had an excuse."

Mason dipped down, sucked some water into his mouth, and spit the stuff at my face in a thin, streaming line.

"Mase!" I scolded, then laughed and tackled him down into the lake, ducking him under for a couple of seconds.

With a dramatic, playful roar, he emerged and wrapped his arms around me, immobilizing me.

"Let me go," I grunted.

"Not until you say uncle," he grinned brilliantly.

"I'd rather die than say uncle!"

"Fine." he said. "I'll just have to kiss it out of you..."

Mason's lips captured mine, and I didn't bother putting up a pretense of fighting. Instead, I relaxed and enjoyed the feeling of his soft, wet, fleshy body against mine. It was shockingly intimate, almost like having sex, though none of our body parts did the whole meet-and-greet thing.

Once he realized I'd relaxed, Mason slid his broad hands to my hips and gripped. His kiss drove me crazy—not with desire, but with energy. I felt like the most beautiful woman in the world with the way he treated me.

Mason pulled back, chest heaving. "Why don't you want me?"

"I do want you." I said, confused by his random question. The water sloshed as I wiped my hands over the skin of my face.

"Not the way I want you," his hazel eyes suddenly grew sad. "I could love you so good, Rose. I could make you the most satisfied woman. I could give you whatever you wanted. But, I won't. Want to know why?"

My gut twisted with unease. Something was wrong. Really wrong. I found my head nodding anyways.

"Because you'll never love me!" Mason said in a bone-chilling, distorted face. He lunged forward, wrapped his hands around my throat, and began to choke the life out of me.

"No! Please!" My mouth moved, making no sounds. "Why? I thought you loved me!"

Mason wore the lime-green and purple masquerade mask. "I do love you!" he screamed to the heavens and back, then shoved me under the oblivion of the lake. Everything went black. "That's why I have to kill you..."

I awoke with a start, shooting straight up and banging my head against the roof of my Honda. An obnoxious, loud horn coming from a diesel truck on the nearby highway made me groan.

Fumbling for the handle, I opened the door and all but fell on my ass. Recovering quickly, I leaned in the car and searched for my cellphone. Once I did, I speed dialed the one person in the world that would understand me, believe me.

"Rose!"

"Lissa? Hey, how's it hanging?" I mumbled incoherently. I had spent the whole night at a local dive and I had just woken up with a mad hangover. That combination was a disaster on Rose Hathaway.

"ROSE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN! I'VE BEEN TRYING TO CALL YOU ALL NIGHT-"

With a cry of annoyance, I slammed the device shut and rubbed my pounding temples. I looked up to the sky and had to immediately glance down from the nausea that shot through me.

The phone rung non-stop, and I had the urge to throw the thing down and stomp on it. Instead, I took a deep breath and flipped it open.

"EVERYONE IS LOOKING FOR YOU! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"LISSA!" I boomed, capturing the attention of the people around me.

"What're you looking at?" I snapped at a teenage girl that continued to stare, then gave her the bird. "Be on your way!"

She looked down to the ground and scurried off. Man, scaring the shit out of people was fun.

"Rose? Rose? Rose? Are you okay, Rose?"

"I'm fine, but if you don't lower your voice, I'm hanging up. " I said. "I'm coming home right now."

I could just imagine the small frown in her forehead and her jade-green eyes bulging in shock. "You are?"

"Yep," I glanced at my non-existent watch, then growled in frustration. "Hey, you're not going to believe this. I know who my captor is."

I heard Lissa's sharp intake of breath. "What?" She sounded as if she'd been sucker punched. "Who is it?"

I hopped in my car and downed the rest of the bottle of Jack. Sadly, there was only a few drops left. Nonetheless, the burn still felt euphoric in my belly.

"Rose? Goddamn it! Talk to me!"

I started the car, and grinned like the free woman I was. "It's Mason."

I whipped my Honda into a space at the apartment complex, then promptly jumped out and slammed the door shut.

Just at that moment, Lissa came barreling out of her and Christian's apartment. It was a relief and a comfort to see my best friends face.

"ROSE!" Lissa screamed to the heavens and back as she came running straight at me. I laughed as I did the same thing. It reminded me of a dramatic movie, where two people on the beach see each other for the first time in years and the world goes by in slow motion as they run to meet each other at middle point.

My best friend—I swear—tackled me to the ground.

"Man," I grunted as she crushed me in a fierce hug. "I didn't know you packed that kind of strength in you, Liss. You ever think about trying out for NFL?"

"I'm so glad you're okay," Lissa kissed both of my cheeks before immobilizing me in an embrace again. "God, I was so worried about you. I couldn't even eat. Neither could Christian. Or Oscar, for that matter."

"Wow, that demonic cat's worried for me? I'm shocked, and a bit flattered." Truly, I was. If that Hell Spawn of a cat cared for me, then I had hope that one day the world would live as one, where people indeed made love instead of war.

Just at that moment, Christian exited the house and behind him, stood a menacing—and very pissed off—Dimitri. He was like a hard pat on a very fresh, blaring red sunburn, awakening the pain and making it ten times worse. Like my father and my mother, he hadn't believed a word I'd said about that night. He'd looked at me with the same distance he would a stranger walking down the street. Actually, no. I wasn't lucky enough to get that blank look. Instead, the bodyguard had given me the you've-clearly-lost-your-mind-and-you-need-professinal-help look.

I met his blazing glare with my own unwavering one. Oh, he could so kiss me ass. I was done backing down.

As far as I was concerned, that little trip to the hospital—and my supposed self-inflicted injuries and my hallucination of my captor breaking into my bedroom in the middle of my night—had been a wake up call. A bucket of ice-cold water being dumped on my head. A stinging slap to the face.

A reality check.

Life was short, and I was wasting what tiny amount of time I had on this earth by constantly looking over my shoulder. Ever since the escape from my captors cabin in the woods six months ago, I'd been so scared of everything, of everyone. I missed my old fiery self, the one that was fearless and swore like there was no tomorrow. I was ready to get that true Rose back, and it was time I took life by the balls and regained control of my life again. And in order to do that, I had to deal with Dimitri.

But first, Lissa. I could sense she was dying to know about Mason and I had every intention of explaining it to her.

I followed my best friend into her and Christian's apartment, not even bothering to spare Dimitri a glance, and plopped down on her comfy beige couch. Maybe it was rude of me to be ignoring the bodyguard like that, since he had been willing to put his life on the line multiple times to ensure my safety. But to be bluntly honest, I really didn't give a fuck.

"You mind if we have some privacy?" I said to Christian and Dimitri, glancing up for the very first time.

Christian's eyes flashed with surprise, then understanding. Dimitri's eyes flashed with barely concealed rage. Heat radiated off him in waves.

"Ugh, yeah, of course." Christian said, heading for the front door. "You two take your time. We'll be outside."

That's what I secretly loved about Christian. He was a smart-ass most of the time, but he knew when to take things seriously.

"What's your problem?" I narrowed my eyes at Dimitri, who simply stood there, staring at me. "Are you hard of hearing? I said get out."

"The stitches on your neck have ripped open," the bodyguard eyed my throat. I tried to ignore the chills that ran up my body from hearing his gravelly, accented voice. "I should really take you to the doctors."

Hell, no. No way I was getting any where near a vehicle with him. There was a pretty good chance he'd throw me in the back of his trunk and drive me to an asylum.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine." I said, working hard to be as mature and cool as possible. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to speak to Lissa. Privately."

Dimitri stared at me for a moment longer before he turned on his heel and exited the apartment.

I turned back to Lissa, giving her my full attention. She was certainly going to need all that I could provide her with.

"Liss," I cut her off sharply, sensing she was about to hyperventilate from her burning curiosity. I loved my best friend more than life itself, but at times like these, she could be like one of those wind-up toys that just keeps going and going and going.

"I will explain everything to you and answer all of your questions, but I need you to keep an open mind here, okay? 'Cause a lot of what I tell you will be extremely difficult to accept." I informed her.

Lissa's jade-green eyes bulged, like a paranoid frogs. Then she swallowed hard, audibly, as if she suddenly had a parched throat that was aching for water.

"Of course I will," she said, breathless. "Of course I will, Rose. You know me."

Yeah, I did. And that was the problem. She was too nice and caring and trusting of people. That's why I feared this would put her on overload, make her unable to handle it.

But I was too far in to stop now. I promised her answers, and I would give them to her. Besides, she was my best friend. I never held anything back from her.

I took a deep breath, then began to give her what she wanted—a serious explanation. I told her about Mason and how I believed—no, knew—he was the person who knocked me out cold with his fist while I was jogging in the park that one fall evening. Aside from Lissa, he was the only person on earth who knew my workout routine, what time I arrived at the park, where I ran, how long I exercised, what my favorite routes were.

That was only one of many reasons I proved him to be my captor.

Mason had always been madly in love with me, but I'd considered him to be nothing more than a good buddy, even when I'd given our relationship a try in high-school. I'd been in love with him as a person, but it had never been anything even remotely romantic. At least not for me. It had always been one-sided.

What I had done to him back in high school had been selfish and down right cold and heartless. I'd known he had serious feelings for me, and boy, did I use them to my advantage. Whether it be need for cash or extra attention or someone to stroke my ego, Mason had always given me what I wanted. I hadn't been able to stop back then, and looking back now, I realized how sickeningly wrong it was for me to do what I had done.

Because of me, Mason had lost his innocence and definitely a pretty big chunk of his beautiful heart.

It was natural for him to develop a burning hatred towards me. One that built and grew worse over the years I continued to play him for a fool. Mason had loved me more than anything, I had been his life, his sole purpose. But once that hatred joined his group of feelings, it was a terrible and potentially lethal combination.

Goddamn it. I should have known. I should have seen the signs. But I'd been blind back in high school, too infatuated with my own self to pay Mason any attention.

Man, I was a bitch.

As I continued to explain everything to Lissa, being careful not to leave any dirty detail out, I became choked up and openly sobbed. My best friend joined me on the couch, pulled me into her warm embrace, and ran her fingers through my hair as I kept talking. I breathed in her vanilla and lavender scent, taking strength and comfort in the familiarity of the aroma.

One ordinary day after school, Jessie, the jock that I'd practically do jumping jacks to gain his attention, invited me to a party at his house. I never turned down a chance to have a good time, and it was the same with strawberry wine.

Jesus. Jessie had so much of it in his parents cellar. With an endless supply of my favorite alcohol like that, things went from tipsy to completely smashed in a second. My memory was a blur, but I still recall being all over Jessie as he carried me to his bedroom.

I'd been so excited, giddy even, that I had my dress and panties off before he even opened his door. Slutty, some might say. But I was a virgin—still am—and I was blinded by Jessie's smoking hot looks, and well, the idea of being with the jock. Every girl wanted to be with him. And finally, after years of fantasying, I was getting my chance. It didn't even matter if I technically already had a boyfriend and I was about to cheat on him. In that moment, drunk off my ass or not, I wanted Jessie more than anything in the world.

Yeah, not only had I been a bitch back then, but I'd been entirely shallow too.

Some time during the sloppy make out session and the hasty cloth removal, Mason had walked into the bedroom, calling my name.

Apparently, he'd lost me during the party and had spent forever looking for me. Boy, did he find me.

I blacked out after that, but I had to imagine what happened during those blank moments wasn't anything pretty. Jessie had ended up in the hospital with a busted nose, shattered jaw, and nasty bruises. Mason had disappeared from the party, running when the police came searching for him.

I'd torn Mason's heart right out of his chest that night, and wouldn't realize until years later, that something in him had changed and would never be the same.

Long after graduation, I ran into him at a fast food joint down town. I'd been cautious at first, having not talked to or heard from him in so long, but after awhile, I found myself chatting away and getting into that level of comfort and happiness only Mason could bring out of me.

Hours of catching up and laughing and eating later, the night came to an abrupt stop as I caught onto something casual Mason had sad.

He still believed we were in a relationship.

I decided to cut the cord right there. Just pull the plug and get it over with. I wasn't able to take the past back, but at least I could do what was right now.

"We'll still be friends," I'd said.

Mason wasn't satisfied with that.

He stared at me for the longest time, hazel eyes full with a kind of cruelty and malice that stole my breath away. Then stormed out of the restaurant, leaving me behind wondering what had gone so wrong.

The next evening, I was kidnapped.

"I can't believe I didn't see it earlier," I mumbled, back in the present. "Why was I so stupid not to see it?"

"Mason had us all fooled," Lissa said gravely, vengeance swirling in her gaze. "I never thought in a million years…but it all makes sense now."

"Yeah, it does." I sniffled. "You know, he was the one who helped me escape."

I heard her sharp intake of breath.

"I told everyone that I'd done it alone, because Mason didn't want to have any ties with me or the police. I think I now know why." I laughed harshly, bitterly. "Anyways, yeah, he was the one who helped me out of the cabin. He grabbed the axe from the table and cut off the chains that bound me to the bed. I remembered thinking at the time, 'How the hell did he find me? How did he know where I was? How did he know where this cabin is? It's in the middle of nowhere. This isn't possible. Why isn't that man with the masquerade mask hearing these incredibly loud noises and running in here to check to see what it was?' But then he scooped me up and ran out of the cabin and I forgot all about my doubts and was so relieved to be away from the cabin, to smell the trees of the forest, to see the sky again, and feel the warmth of the sun on my skin."

"It's little things like that that people take for granted. That's why I sun bathe as much as I can. What I went through really makes me appreciate life because it's so easy lose everything. Anyways…"

I then went on to explain the months afterwards, when I'd been recovering from the whole ordeal.

Masons abrupt, unexpected death, hadn't been a tragic accident like everyone had believed. It had been a suicide.

My gut twisted and churned with nausea. I swallowed hard to keep what little Jack Daniels remained in my body down.

Just a month after helping me escape from my captor's cabin, Mason fell down the flight of stairs in his best friend, Eddie's home. The tumble down had been so vicious, it caused him to break his neck and sever his spine. Had he not died on impact, Mason would have been paralyzed.

The reason I believed it was a suicide, is because Mason simply couldn't live with his guilt. He was unable to come to terms with what he'd done to me, and more importantly, he didn't want to spend the rest of his life in jail. So he ended his own life.

Lissa hugged me tighter. "It's okay now. Everything is finally okay..." she whispered.

Wasn't that the truth. My captor could no longer hurt me. There was no reason to be afraid any more. And I was finally done running.

It was all I ever wanted. I was free again.

Two hours later, I walked outside to find Christian asleep on the bench, and Dimitri leaning against the apartment wall, staring at the ground. Well, glaring was more like it. Jeez. Why was he so pissed off?

"Hey," I whispered.

His head snapped over. He came at me immediately. "Are you okay?"

The sincere concern tore at my heart a little, but I had to keep strong. "Mind if we talk for a minute? Away from him?" I asked.

Dimitri's dark eyes flashed. Oh, God. He knew what was coming. Somehow, that made me feel even worse.

"Sure." The bodyguard gained control of his emotions by slipping on that neutral mask, then led me over to a picnic table a few apartment buildings down.

"You gonna sit?" I asked, taking my own seat.

Dimitri just gave a slight shake of his head. Clearly, he wasn't going to be a conversationalist today.

"All right," I cleared my throat harshly, searching for the right words to say. "Um, well, there's no easy way to put this, so I'm just gonna go out there and say it. I release you from your duty and all obligations to me."

"You cannot be serious." The bodyguard leaned forward, braced his fists against the table, getting up in my face. The natural warm scent of his skin was intoxicating, and I fought for control. Adding insult to injury, I sneaked a glance at his impressive biceps. They were flexed, thanks to his position. The cords of muscle were graceful and powerful, like steel. I briefly—and inappropriately—wondered what it would be like to have them wrapped around my naked body.

I shook my head to clear the naughty thoughts. "Yes, I am very serious. Didn't we already have this talk in my parents car? I want you out of my life. Now."

"The man who did this to you—"

"Is dead. Fell down a flight of stairs and broke his neck four months ago." I said unwaveringly. "Your job is done here. Now, please pack up your belongings and get out of my home."

"Roza." Don't do this. Please, don't do this. You can't prove that he was your captor. It's still not safe for you to be without me. Is what that one word really meant.

I dug my nails into the skin of my palm, creating tiny red crescent moons. The pain helped me keep control over myself, my actions. It took everything I had not to give into the impulse, to tell him to forget everything I'd said and come inside. Truth was, I didn't want him to leave. Over the past month, through the many downs and ups, Dimitri and I had become best friends in a strange sense. I felt as if I'd know him my whole life. I felt like he knew me better than I knew myself.

But I was a grown woman, and I needed to stop relying on Dimitri to hold my hand and be my strength. I was a strong person, and I was going to prove that to everyone. The first—and most crucial—step I needed to take was to let go of Dimitri. He was my backbone, and the separation was going to hurt like hell, but I needed to get my independence back.

I just stared into his eyes, portraying my emotions, my feelings, and all of my thoughts into one look. It gave him all the answers he needed.

"You're done." Dimitri said incredulously. "With everything."

I grinned to myself. "Yeah, I'm done. Wow. That sounds really good saying it aloud."

"If you are completely certain the man who did this to you is dead," Dimitri crossed his arms over his huge chest, and smiled like a man who had the world at his fingertips. "Then you have to admit that these injuries around your throat are self-inflicted and what you saw in your room was in fact a hallucination."

Man, I had never wanted to punch some in the face so hard in my life before. I breathed deeply through my nose, trying to bite back my rage and urge to cause him serious bodily harm. "Fine." I lied, gritting my teeth. "I did this to myself and everything that I saw—including my captor—wasn't real. Happy now?"

That was bull crap. I wasn't sure what was going on with that whole situation. It was like a puzzle I didn't have the pieces to. A tiny part of me believed I was losing my mind, because I simply didn't know. I just didn't know. And that was absolutely horrible—to not have the answers to something you needed so bad.

I felt a profound sense of loss—no matter how selfish it might be—when Dimitri simply nodded, shook my hand, and thanked me for the opportunity of allowing him to work with me. He went into the apartment and came back out five minutes later with his duffel bag hanging off his shoulder.

"It's been a pleasure working for you." Those brown eyes never strayed from mine for the longest time, and it was like my own little slice of heaven. But then he turned on his heel and walked toward his black SUV. I was positive I wasn't ever going to see him again.

"Wait!" I called out. The—er, my ex—bodyguard turned around, arched a brow in question.

"Your check..." I explained, rummaging through my purse for the check book. "I haven't paid you yet."

"I don't want your money." Dimitri said. "Just forget about it. Okay?"

"To hell with that." I said, scribbling with my pen. "I'm paying you. And don't even try to argue with me, Mr. Belikov. You're only going to be running in circles. Believe me, I can go all night long."

I blushed when his eyebrows shot up and I realized what I'd just said.

"I don't doubt that for a second, Ms. Hathaway." he gave the smallest smile, just the barest twist of his lips, but it was enough to make my whole body flush with heat and need.

"Um," I handed him the check, feeling my cheeks grow hotter. "So, take care."

Dimitri glanced at the check in his hand, then at me. "You too, Roza. You too." he turned around and walked away. Just like that.

"Wait!"

He stopped, looked over his shoulder. "Yes?"

"Where will you go now?"I asked, clutching the pen to my chest.

Dimitri gave a slight shrug. "I have a new job lined up. Protecting the Ambassador to Russia. He's got a hit out on him."

I gulped, feeling pure, icy dread and fear consume my body. "That sounds dangerous."

"It's my duty," he shrugged halfheartedly again. "It's what I have to do."

"Have is a strong word." What are you doing, Rose? Goddamn it! Let him go! You're the one who pulled the plug on this whole thing, stop making a fool out of yourself!

"I have to go, Rose." Dimitri said. "My plane leaves in two hours." Man, he didn't waste any time, did he? He'd probably gone into the apartment and packed up his stuff while he called the ambassador himself and confirmed he'd take the job he offered. The ambassador then probably scheduled for a private plane to pick him up and take him to Russia. I shouldn't have been surprised that Dimitri would organize his life after me so quickly. After all, he was the best and most sought after bodyguard in the business.

Numbly, I nodded, feeling tears sear my eyes and a burning lump form in my throat. "Okay, bye, comrade." Keep it together, Rose. Keep it together. Don't let him see how weak you are.

"Goodbye."

Dimitri was all the way to the SUV, reaching for the handle, when I called out again, "Wait!"

He wheeled around. "Yes?" he hissed.

I took off at a dead run and jumped into his arms. Dimitri, unexpected and unprepared, stumbled back from the force and momentum I packed behind it, but caught himself a nanosecond later.

"What are you doing?" Dimitri asked.

"Giving you a hug," I said, then wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders so tightly it had to bend the bones in his body. "I'm sorry...I just had to."

"Thank you." The words were so low I wasn't sure if I imagined them or not. Evidently, I'd been doing that a lot lately.

A moment later, I sensed his smile as he wrapped his arms around me and held me solidly.

The embrace felt so good, so genuine, that for the first time in a long time, I felt wholly complete, like I was at home where I belonged.

But all good things must come to an end.

My heart shattered into a million pieces as Dimitri set me back down on the ground, hopped in the SUV, and drove off without looking back.

Later that night, I decided to take a shower in an attempt to get my mind off of Dimitri. It didn't work. As I tugged the tie out of my pony tail and let my deep, rich brown hair fall down my shoulders and back, I imagined Dimitri running his long graceful fingers through the soft tresses, admiring and appreciating them with eyes that spoke a thousand words. As I slipped my white sweater over my head, I imagined the fabric sliding over my skin to be Dimitri's rough, warm palms caressing my body and all its curves. As I unhooked my bra and slid the straps down my arms, I remembered that one time Dimitri and I had got hot and heavy, when he'd cupped my breasts in his hands and given a gentle, yet demanding squeeze.

Goosebumps bloomed over my skin and a twinge of guilt twisted in my chest for fantasizing over the bodyguard, but I was too far gone to stop now.

Slowly, I unbuttoned my jeans and slid them down my thighs—

Something fell out of my back pocket, catching my attention. I leaned down, picked up the piece of paper, and opened it.

"That bastard." I muttered with a bemused smile. It was the check. Dimitri must have slid it into my pocket when I'd hugged him.

I sighed in frustration. Why hadn't he just taken it? Not only did I feel guilty for giving him the boot like I'd had, but now I felt terrible about not paying him for all that he'd done. I thought of a way to send the money to him, but there was no way I could find an address. All I knew was that he was on a plane heading for Russia, and that he was going to be guarding the Ambassador because someone wanted him assassinated.

After another long sigh, I ripped the remaining clothes off my body, turned on the shower, and hopped in before the water had time to heat up. The ice-cold water was extremely unpleasant, but it helped to get Dimitri off my mind for a couple of moments.

Twenty minutes later, I stepped out of the steaming shower, feeling like a new woman. I was doing everything in my power to keep my mind off Dimitri, and in order to be successful, I needed to keep myself as busy as possible. I had plans with Lissa tonight. A beauty night, my best friend had sad. Filled with strange green facial masks, nail polish, and waxing strips. Yikes. Though I had to admit, a tiny part of me was really excited.

Wrapping the towel around my dripping body, I headed for the sink and readied my toothbrush. As I began to scrub my mouth away, I lifted my head and swiped the steam away from the mirror to see my foggy reflection.

I gasped, feeling my heart jump into my throat. Then swiveled my head around to look behind me. Absolutely no one was there. But when I looked back at the mirror, my pulse and hands fluttered like the wings of a butterfly.

A beautiful woman stared back at me. She had smoldering, ice-blue eyes and long, raven black hair that cascaded down her back in glossy waves. A string in my heart pulled when I discovered blood covered her hands and face and abdomen.

"Oh, my God..." I slapped a palm over my mouth in astonishment.

The woman was wearing a camouflage uniform. An army uniform.

Something clicked in my head.

It was Tasha. Dimitri's dead friend.

Great, now I was seeing ghosts.