A/N:
Hi Guys!
I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who follows, favorites and reviews! You guys are the best. I'm sorry I didn't answer all the reviewers, my kids were still home on break and my time was limited. I even noticed (and not for the first time) that some reviews make it to the site without me receiving a notification, and vice versa, so I missed some stuff. But hopefully, I managed to make it up to everyone.
Anyways, last chapters quote was in deed from "Dodgeball", because at Globogym we're better than you and we know it!
As for the quote challenge, Lea0014 challenged me (in the a review from the chapter before last, sorry, hun) with: "That's why her hair is so big, it's full of secrets!"; "I want my pink shirt back!"; "It's like I have ESPN or something"; All from Mean Girls! (which was, by the way, directed by the same guy who directed the VA movie - Mark Waters). Lea0014, thank you! Loved the quote and loved the movie!
Enjoy the next chapter!
K
When Rose was in XS nightclub, she was truly happy. She was celebrating her twentieth birthday. She'd just had the best meal other life, was surrounded by friends, family and her loving boyfriend. She'd even managed to push aside the perpetual dull ache of the loss of her mother and fully enjoy the night.
Rose danced and danced, swaying to the rhythm, grinding to the beat. She had the sexiest man in the club (and probably the hemisphere) draped around her. She loved the feel of Dimitri's arms securing her to him, the way his hands roamed her body, but never disrespecting her on the crowded dance floor. The way their bodies gyrated perfectly together made Rose honestly, and maybe naively, believe that they were made for each other.
Since they'd gotten together, Dimitri had filled all Rose's sense, fulfilled her every desire, pleasured her, loved her, cherished her, took care of her. She wanted to tell him how she felt on a number of occasions. The words "I love you" were on the tip of her tongue so many times that she'd wondered how and why she hadn't just blurted it out yet. Oddly, those 3 little words scared her and she wasn't brave enough to share them with Dimitri just yet, despite him having professed his love time and time again. But out on the dance floor, staring adoringly into those big chocolate brown orbs, Rose wanted more than anything to tell Dimitri she was in love with him. Knowing the effect speaking those words out loud would no doubt have on both of them, she decided she'd tell him as soon as they were alone in their hotel suite.
After the fire alarms went off in the club, worrying about Adrian and Sydney and finally trekking back to the hotel suite, Rose was so exhausted that she had forgotten all about her intended confession of love.
When she got up later that night to relieve her bladder, she was grateful she didn't tell Dimitri how she felt about him, because Dimitri Belikov was not the man she thought he was.
When Rose stepped quietly out of the bedroom towards the living room in her and Dimitri's hotel suite she was horrified at the conversation she overheard.
"The chariot progressive special", Rose heard Dimitri say. It took Rose a few seconds before she realized he was on the phone with someone in the dimly lit living room. Originally she wanted to catch him off guard and surprise him, so she was extra stealthy. Sadly, she was the one who was eventually surprised.
"Yes", she heard Dimitri continue the conversation, still wondering whether or not to make her presence known.
"This is Agent Dimitri Belikov, badge number 4943083", that was when Rose felt her entire world too a sharp downward shift. It was the feeling you get on a rollercoaster, the second your car goes down the long drop, your body travels with it but your heart doesn't quite catch up to the fall yet. She didn't know by what grace she was able to remain silent to hear the rest of the conversation. It may have been the shock factor.
"We may have a situation". Rose listened as Dimitri relayed information to an unknown entity on the line. She listen to how he saw a suspicious man eyeing him and herself while they hurried out to safety. She listened to his theory about the fire alarm being set off by a hacker. She listened to him treat his time with her like a job and nothing more.
"He's safe and was not involved in the incident". He answered.
"She's secure but I fear for her safety". Dimitri replied. It was then Rose concluded that she herself was in fact the she Dimitri was referring to, meaning the previous reference to he was her father. And her blood boiled. "This may have been a ploy to flush her out into the open or test the weaknesses in Mazur's security team".
Rose watched Dimitri rubbed the tension in his neck. "No, Mr. Mazur has not been informed yet. I'm waiting till morning to bring him up to speed. I don't want to disturb his sleep on something that isn't concrete, especially in his condition". So thoughtful, Rose thought bitterly.
"The operation has not been compromised, nor my cover. I believe we should proceed as planned. We're too close to ending this to give up now".
"However," Dimitri took a breath before continuing, "I do feel that the vacation Mazur has taken his daughter on should be cut short. I'm afraid we're putting Rose in danger". It was the first time in the conversation Rose heard the Dimitri's voice soften.
"But sir…"
"Yes sir".
Rose watched Dimitri stare at his phone in frustration. His hands clenched the device so hard, Rose thought it might break. That's when he heaved off the couch and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him.
Rose was crying silently. She probably didn't even realize tears were streaming down her face. Other than the tears, her expression was completely blank. Underneath that blank facade, though, there was a storm of emotions brewing in Rose.
Dimitri took in her appearance. She was wearing the same shirt she'd fallen asleep in, one of his old tee shirts which she'd cut the collar off of. It hung loosely on her frame ending mid-thigh, the large hole where the collar used to be falling off one of her shoulders. Her hair was a mess though she'd only been asleep a short while. She hadn't removed her make up properly and the remnants of her eye liner ran down her cheeks with her tears. She looked a mess.
Dimitri tried to approach her. As he stepped towards her, she stepped back.
"Please, stop", Rose begged in a broken voice. She wrapped her arms around herself to keep from falling apart.
Dimitri was horrified at the way Rose was looking at him. She was afraid. Afraid of him. So he stopped.
"Roza-"
"Don't", Rose cut him off, "just don't". Rose didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to feel. All she knew was she needed to get away from Dimitri. She started sidestepping to the door.
"What are you doing?" Dimitri asked.
"I have to leave. I need to be away from you".
"I can't let you leave on your own. It's not safe".
Rose started at him incredulously before she began laughing maniacally. "What makes you think I would ever feel safe with you again?! Agent Belikov?" She added the last part for good measure.
Outwardly, Dimitri wasn't phased. "I've been charged with your safety not only by the government but by your father as well. And whether you believe it or not, your safety means everything to me".
Rose nodded once. "I don't believe you. At all".
Dimitri moved to try and stop Rose. "If you don't get out of my way, I will fight you until my knuckles are bloody and I will scream until my voice is raw", Rose told him deadpan.
"I'm not going to stop you but I can't let you go on your own. I'm sorry". Dimitri would have tried to explain himself, tried to defend that he really did love her even though he technically wasn't allowed to, that her safety meant more to him that his own life, not because it was his job.
"I want you to leave me alone". When Dimitri didn't respond, Rose said, "I'm going to go talk to my father. You probably have about 10 minutes before some one is sent here to kill you. I suggest you leave by then". Rose hated Dimitri for his lies, she felt like the past 2 months of her life were fake, but she didn't want his blood on her hands. She had enough blood on her hands.
"I still can't let you leave by yourself", Dimitri said solemnly. "Even if Abe kills me for it".
Even though Rose knew by the determination in Dimitri's voice that there was nothing she could do or say to save his life, she had to try. "I'm begging you to take your stuff and run". She was crying harder now.
Dimitri was touched that despite everything, Rose was still trying to save his neck. "No".
Rose didn't say anymore. She walked out of the suite just as she was, in a ratty tee shirt and barefoot. Dimitri followed. Knowing she'd never wait for him to get dressed he just grabbed his duster from the front closet and tugged it on. He didn't care how ridiculous he looked walking around a luxury hotel in cotton pajama bottoms, no shirt and his duster. At least he and Rose matched, both of them barefoot.
They made their way to Abe's suite, two floors up. The term "silent as the grave" coming to mind. The hallways and the elevator were empty even Vegas in the middle of the night.
Rose knocked on the door to Abe's suite and was greeted by a bleary eyed Pavel, who immediately moved to let Rose and Dimitri in. Rose didn't stop to greet anyone. She turned to Dimitri and asked him one last time to leave. She was safe with Pavel and Abe's other guardians. Again he declined.
When Rose marched into her fathers room Dimitri started pacing back and forth. He wasn't afraid for his life. He knew better than anyone that Abe wouldn't kill him over this. Maybe over breaking his daughters heart, but not over this. He was afraid he'd lost Rose forever. He'd lost her trust. There was no way back from this. And he knew it.
After several minutes of Dimitri pacing, Pavel took pity on him and handed him a tee shirt. Just as Dimitri took off his duster, Abe opened the door to invite him in.
"And for fucks sake, put on a shirt, Belikov", Abe instructed. "This isn't an Abercrombie and Fitch".
Pavel couldn't stop his rumbling laughter.
When Dimitri entered the master bedroom he saw Rose had cleaned up and put on pants. She pulled her hair into a messy bun and her face was clean, but her eyes still red and puffy. She was seated in a large armchair in the corner of the room, her legs pulled up to her chest. Abe took a seat on the bed, leaving the ornament for Dimitri. When Dimitri sat, Rose cringed.
Once they were all seated Abe was the one that began. "Rosemary tells me she over heard a very interesting phone call you made", Abe said to Dimitri before turning to Rose. "What would you like me to do with him, darling?"
Rose gaped incredulously at her father. "Nn- Nothing. I don't want you to do anything with him. Or to him. I want him somewhere else, away from me. Unharmed, dad", Rose pleaded.
"I am so proud of you, little girl", Abe said warmly. "There is more of your mother in you than there is of me". He continued just above a whisper. "I would have killed him. Painfully". Then he turned back to Dimitri, "She must really love you, Belikov".
At that Rose scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Well, let's get to it then", Abe carried on. "Rose, I know Belikov is with the government. I've had ties with a certain agency for years. I requested Dimitri specifically be sent to work with me. He's my handler".
"So you knew the whole time?!" Rose jumped out of her seat. "The both of you lied to me?! Dad, you brought this man into my life, I trusted him, I fucked him, and you knew the entire time that he was a government agent?!" Rose was beyond furious. She felt betrayed not only by the man she loved but her father as well. Aren't fathers supposed to protect their daughters from men who lie? Rose looked between her father and her lover. "And what does that even mean? Handler"
"Pleas sit", Abe asked gently, "and I'll tell you everything". Rose was still fuming but sat anyway, crossing her arms over her chest. "Dimitri is my handler. All the information I divulge to him, he reports back to the agency".
"What information? Abe, what the fuck is going on?" Rose raised her voice.
"Rose", Abe took a deep breath, "I wasn't always the big bad wolf of the story. A long time ago, way before I was Zmey, I was a little fish in a big sea of mobsters and gangster. I started out as an errand boy for one of the top mafia families back in the day. I worked my way up".
"Abe", Rose huffed impatiently, "I already know this story. You did a lot of shit jobs and waited for opportunities to take advantage of".
"Be quiet, little girl and listen", Abe said in a stern voice he hardly ever used with Rose. "You didn't hear the whole story". Through all this Dimitri remained quiet. "In those days, I did everything that was asked of me. I had no morals. I would steal, cheat, bribe, shake down, maim, blow up. Nothing was off limits to me. Until I was asked to do something I couldn't do. A lowlife was late paying some money he owed. Now, the family I worked for knew dead men don't return debts, but scared men do. So I was sent to scare him. The scare tactic involved me killing his 3 year old son". Rose stared at her father mouth dropped open. "I knew I couldn't do it. Everyone has a line they don't cross and this was mine. I also knew if I didn't do it, some else would. So I did the only thing I could think of. I ratted out my boss and made sure the kid was sent into witness protection".
Rose was stunned silent. There were so many questions still not answered, but she trusted her father to continue with his tale.
"Did you mother ever tell you how she and I met?" Abe suddenly asked Rose.
Rose shook her head. "She just mentioned that you two bumped into each other at a mall".
Abe smiled. "Rose, your mother was an agent as well. She worked at the same agency as Dimitri".
Rose wasn't sure that there would ever be a time when the world would stop feeling foreign to her after these relations. Her lover was an undercover agent. Her mother was an agent. Her father was an informant. Everything she thought she knew wasn't real. She felt her sense of self being ripped away from her.
Sensing she was too shocked to reply, Abe continued. "We didn't bump into each other. I sought her out. I knew from intel my boss had that there was agent in town. I never thought she'd be so beautiful". He smiled at the memory of her fiery red curls bouncing around her head when she turned towards someone calling her name. "Anyway, I told her everything. She and the agency along with my help took down my boss and they protected the child. The agency also help put me in a position of power so when my boss was gone, leadership of the family fell to me. We weren't planning on falling in love. I asked your mother to leave her line of work and marry me. She never would admit it, but I think my lifestyle excited her. She agreed. Quit her job, left the intelligence community and moved in with me. We married and had you shortly after".
Abe took a pause to let Rose digest everything he told her. She already knew the worst. The big lies were now out in the open. Everything else was just to explain the circumstances that brought them all to this point.
Rose swallowed hard. "You always told me that it was someone from your past who put the bomb in mom's car. Is that true?"
"No. I'm sorry, I had to lie to you about that. It was someone your mother put away before she and I met. This woman escaped from prison and bombed your mothers car. I thank god everyday that you weren't in the car with her".
Rose nodded numbly. The reasons Rose pushed her father away, surrounding the death of her mother, were all lies. Lies that cost her and her father 2 yeas. She couldn't bare to think of that now, though. "Okay. So why is he here?" Rose pointed at Dimitri.
"A while ago I was approached by another family to participate in something so deviant that even I could not partake in. That's were Dimitri came in".
Rose stared at a silent Dimitri with obvious distaste.
Abe continued. "About three years ago, the Dashkovs asked me to join them in new dealings they were making. They needed my facilities and my connections with the harbors and ports in the states and abroad. It seemed promising. The cargo was supposed to yield a high revenue. I was all for it until I found out the cargo was people. More specifically young woman and girls". Abe shook his head. Rose was mortified. This was far bigger than she ever anticipated. "I have my hands in money laundering, I'm involved with the drug cartels, I run guns for a living. But I will not aid in human trafficking".
Abe looked pensive for a while. That's when Pavel entered the room with refreshments. Abe took a swig from the water bottle Pavel handed him, as did Rose. Once he was gone, Abe could carry on. "Your mother and I still had friends in the agency that we reached out to. Your mother and the Director were best friends once upon a time. And Jeanine's former partner always had a thing for her, he'd do anything she asked".
"Who are these people? How I could I not know all this?" Rose asked.
"You know them. The director is Ellen Kirov and your mom's former partner is Stan Alto".
"Wait, back up! Aunt Ellen is the director of some secret government agency and Stan is an agent?!" Abe nodded. "Stany-boy?! My karate instructor from first grade?" Rose asked incredulously.
"One in the same", Abe answered. "Your mom and I wanted you to be prepared for anything when you were older. Stan did the best he could but your heart wasn't in it."
Rose started going through every friend of her parents she'd ever met wondering if there were any other agents.
"Stan and Ellen had Dimitri infiltrate the Dashkov family", Abe said. "It only took a year, but they were brought down. Dimitri collected most of the intel from the inside. If his work wasn't considered black ops, he would have been awarded publicly for his contribution to the mission. But Dimitri is part of a branch in law enforcement the government does not acknowledge". Abe beamed at Dimitri as if he couldn't be prouder. Dimitri wasn't one for praise. He just stared at Rose, wondering what it would take for her opinion of him to change back to what it was mere hours ago.
"But the take down of the Dashkovs wasn't the end of it", Abe said. "We found out some time later that there was another family involved. The Lazars. They're very tight and don't let anyone new in. So the director couldn't utilize Dimitri to work the Lazars from the inside. But they let me in, under the pretense that I was on board with them. I insisted that if I was doing this, I needed protection for you. The Lazars are ruthless and unscrupulous. If they got wind of something fishy, they wouldn't hesitate to torture and kill you". Knowing exactly what the Lazars could and would do to Rose a shiver ran down Abe's spine as well as Dimitri's. "I followed Dimitri's career for years. I knew he wasn't on assignment and asked Ellen to assign him to be my handler and to protect you. Guarantying your protection was the only reason I agreed to go through with this instead of just retiring and moving to Boca Raton".
Rose was quite for what seemed like a very long time. As they sat in silence the sun started rising over Las Vegas Valley.
"I'm really tired", Rose said abruptly. "I'd like to go to sleep now".
Abe nodded. "Of course. Dimitri will take you back to your suite".
"He most certainly will not. I still don't want him anywhere near me", Rose said vehemently.
Dimitri bowed his head in shame.
"Rosemary, he is here to keep you safe. There's no one I trust more with that task than him".
Rose narrowed her eyes at her father. "I don't care that you trust him. I don't trust him. He lied his way into my pants and my heart and I don't want him walking me back to my suite". She grit her teeth.
"Rose, you don't understand", Dimitri spoke for the first time. "The Lazars know that I'm your bodyguard and that we're together. We're expected to be seen together. Until this is finished, until the Lazars are stopped, we need to appear to be together".
"What?!" Rose looked to her father. "I have to pretend to still be with him? After everything he's done to me?"
Abe nodded.
"I want to go home", Rose stomped her foot.
"We can't", Dimitri said. "We have to stay for as long as we originally planned otherwise the Lazars will get suspicious".
Rose laughed without humor. "Great! Just great!" Rose yelled and stormed out of the room. "Don't think I'm done with you yet, old man!" she called back a threat to her father.
Dimitri scurried after Rose. "Rose-"
"Don't talk to me!" Rose spat back.
When she got back to their bedroom, Rose slammed the door in Dimitri's face.
"We're not even going to talk about this?" Dimitri yelled at the door.
"Go to hell!", Rose answered.
A/N:
Well that was a rollercoaster! Now, tell me how do you like them apples?
Reviews please!
Quote of the week:
"Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?"
Good luck!
Kooki