Zmey's willingness to reveal his name was an evidence of his intentions. He wanted me to be afraid of his reputation as a ruthless mobster, but I knew better than to show my recognition and kept my act together, my face expressionless after his introduction.

He was well-known around here, visiting Baia all the time to take care of his multiple businesses – some rumored to be illegal –, but I had never associated the man with the face until now. He had spoken in fluent Russian, but the cadence of the words was off. He had an accent I had never heard before.

I realized he had been the person standing by Janine's side at the funeral. I had guessed right, he was Rose's father. For an amusing second, I wondered how she would react after knowing her dad's reputation and meeting the flashy Moroi. The thought almost made me smile, but as I studied Abe's face, every trace of humor died; his pale complexion would be the same shade of light brown as hers if he could walk freely under the sun. Their hair and eyes had the same color.

He carried himself with confidence that could be read as cockiness, just as she had. A careless person would shrug him off as a harmless conceited man in an instant. I was bigger than him and could take him in a fight – not to brag, but I was pretty sure I could take his guardians too. There was a dangerous undertone to his demeanor, though, that made my self-preservation instincts flare. Underestimating Abe Mazur would be a very dangerous choice.

"Are you serious, Abe?" My mother hissed behind me, taking me by surprise. "You came to my house to threaten my son?"

His gaze bored into her, his expression softening. She didn't acknowledge it, still looking at him with disapproval.

"Hey there, Olena," he greeted her with a huge grin. "Long time no see."

Before I had the chance to wonder how on Earth my mother got to a first name basis with him, the door to our house opened, revealing Yeva's annoyed face.

"Are you going to stand there in the cold," she grumbled "or will you come inside so we can discuss things like the civilized people we are?"

I was rendered speechless for a few moments. The day had begun with an emotional breakdown and was now taking a bizarre turn, as my mother, grandmother, and a mob boss in a fedora hat – who also turned out to be Rose's father – looked in my direction, waiting for my response.

"Come on in, I'm old," Yeva ranted. "I'll die soon, there's no such a thing as time to waste."

Abe was the first to move, motioning for his guards to stay put. Mama followed him, and I had no choice but to go inside as well. Babushka sat down on a chair around our dining table, pouring four shots of vodka. Zmey sat by her side – he had taken off his hat, revealing that his hair was indeed "wicked cool", just as Rose had guessed some time ago. My mother and I took the seats on the opposite side of the table.

"I guess I should apologize for my sudden, unannounced appearance," said Abe, looking anything but sorry, and drinking his vodka quickly without as much as a grimace. "I hope you understand my need to check on your son when I heard that he was torturing Strigoi all over Russia, asking about someone who was buried and mourned almost a month ago."

I snorted at his exaggeration.

"She wasn't buried," I answered, calmly. "There wasn't a body to mourn."

"Are you trying to produce one, or is this your idea of a fun pastime?" His voice was harsh. I didn't answer but kept my gaze locked with his, refusing to back down.

I felt my mother stiffening by my side. From the corner of my eye, I could see that Yeva looked slightly amused. I was aware of Zmey's every movement, watching the door in case his guardians came inside.

After a while, he gave me a crooked smile. "You know, kid, you could at least have been more careful. One of the Alchemists assigned to St. Petersburg had to clean up after you almost every night you spent there. If the tale of your heroic antics gets to Court, you're screwed. So tell me, why should I keep this knowledge to myself?"

Fuck. I had been careless, that much was true. If there was an Alchemist involved, the Guardian Council could already be aware of my position. Abe made it sound like he had this person wrapped around his finger, though. He could be bluffing, but I didn't believe that was the case. How would he know about my days in St. Petersburg without an informant? My mind went back to the day in the alley and the golden gleam I saw after finishing that Strigoi. Had it been the Alchemist he was talking about, following me around? Also, he had no reason for lying to me: between the two of us, he was the one with the power.

"What exactly do you want to know?" I asked, cautiously. He shrugged.

"Let's start with the basics. I already know all about your life; I did my research. What I don't know is the nature of your relationship with Rose, your student, and why you risked losing your job to hunt her down without as much as a confirmation of her whereabouts."

Janine hadn't told him about my relationship with their daughter, I realized. Had she been afraid of his reaction? This situation was getting worse every second.

"When was Rose born?" Yeva questioned abruptly. She and my mother had been very quiet through the whole conversation and I wasn't expecting their interference anytime soon.

"March, the 21st, 1992," Abe replied as if the question wasn't weird at all.

"Sun in Aries, uh? Oh, this is unexpected," She chuckled and eyed me in a way that made me feel self-conscious. "I wish I could meet her. Do you know anything else about her natal chart?" Her choice of words made me shiver. She was speaking as if Rose was still alive even though I was pretty sure she had been able to tell that something had happened from the conversation she heard.

"Moon in Scorpio, Aquarius rising, I believe. I can't know for sure. Her mother didn't tell me her accurate time of birth; you know how skeptical she is about this sort of things."

Yeva rolled her eyes, "Typical. I'll go get the cards. You two should listen to each other and try not to fight. Come with me, Olena."

My mother gave me a kiss on the cheek and left the room. I downed my shot of vodka and started playing with the glass, gathering my thoughts.

"Where do you know them from?" I was curious about Abe's relationship with my family.

"Your grandmother is a dear and old friend. I came to her my whole life, looking for advice. I saw you here more than once when you were a little boy. I guess you wouldn't remember every client she had, though, and soon enough you were off to St. Basil's. That was how I met Olena as well." I nodded, wondering how I could have forgotten a man like this.

"I was Rose's mentor," I blurted out. I could tell he was being honest with me so far, even if he wasn't telling me the whole truth. I would repay him with sincerity, whatever the consequences were.

He looked at me in silence as I told him an edited version of the story my mother had heard earlier, leaving out the gruesome details, such as the lust charm and the cabin. Reliving those memories twice on the same day was tiring and painful, but I managed to get to the end of my tale. Abe had kept his face impassive as I spoke, but when I finished his brows were furrowed. I tensed, waiting for him to react further.

"I don't know if I should consider you a fool or a really brave man," he told me, "but I can tell you there are not many people who would have the nerve to sit in front of me and tell me that they 'fell in love' with my underaged daughter."

I didn't react to his statement; it seemed like an accusation. My mother and grandmother walked back into the room, then. Yeva brought with her an old battered deck of tarot cards she immediately started to shuffle as they took their previous seats.

"You know, Dimka is a Sagittarius," she said, causing Abe to snort. Great, apparently the position of the stars in the moment I was born was another reason for him to hate me. "Oh, don't be foolish, let me finish. I did the calculations myself. He has Moon in Taurus, Aries rising. Do you really believe they could have kept away from each other being so alike?"

"They should have," was his only response, but his face grew softer, making me relax a little. Babushka laughed and arranged the cards, turning some of them up, muttering things to herself. Grabbing the bottle of vodka from the table and pouring himself another drink, Abe sighed.

"That being said," He continued, after a while, "I think you should go on with whatever you're doing and find her."

Saying that I was surprised by his declaration was an understatement. "You want me to go after Rose?"

He dismissed my words with a shake of his head.

"Rose is dead. I want you to go after the bastard that killed her. I want her to be in peace. If you need money, I can provide you; I have plenty. If you need a cover-up at Court, I can take care of that too. Just say the word and I'll help you."

I was hesitant to make a deal with him. I had heard the stories. Compared to him, the Devil was a merciful helper.

"What's the catch?"

"There's no catch, Belikov," his accent got thicker. "I do plenty of things for my own benefit, but the ones I love will always come first. I know I wasn't the best of fathers. I guess Rose told you we never met. I can hear your judgment even when you are in silence."

Despite his elusive nature, Abe Mazur wasn't a very difficult man to read; at least not once you had met his daughter. They had the same way of hiding themselves behind a tough face, the same sarcastic approach to every situation. When there was need, though, they would be very straightforward. I could see that he meant every word he said.

"We are having a funeral for her," I said before I could change my mind. My mother held my hand under the table, and I was glad for the support. "You should come. That is, if you'd like."

He smiled tentatively. "I do prefer Russian funerals. Plenty of alcohol involved."

I nodded, not sure of what to say. Yeva was still grumbling under her breath. She shuffled the cards again and after organizing them she asked me to flip up three. I did what she told and waited for her answer.

There were two cards upside down. The first one was the Knight of Swords; the second was the Queen of Swords. The third card was Death.

"Well, that doesn't look so good." It really didn't. Most of the time, if the cards came upside down it meant that their attributes were twisted in a bad way. "You'll cross paths with an unpredictable energy, cruel and clever. This encounter will lead to a closure for both of you."

I respected my grandmother's arts. Her predictions came true more often than not, but I was a little annoyed at the cards for telling me something I could guess for myself. "What kind of closure?"

"That is for you to discover in due time." I exhaled and she glared at me, her piercing brown eyes making me feel very uncomfortable.

Was it so obvious, though? I had no idea if I would find Rose, and the cards confirmed our encounter. Suddenly, my mind went back to the day after Victor Dashkov's trial. She and Lissa had disappeared inside Court, and I found them talking to Rhonda. Back then, Rose had mocked the accuracy of the woman's predictions, but I could see that she was a little scared of her fortune.

You will lose what you value the most, so treasure it while you can.

Rhonda had been right.

"The future is always frightening," said Yeva, noticing my expression, "and I know you are hurting, Dimka." This was rare. My grandmother wasn't the most supportive person, even if she wasn't heartless. To her, we had to accept our lot in life and live with it without complaining. I respected that; it was her way of coping with the bad things she had been through. "Things will come back, even if it's to where they don't belong. They always do."

I had no idea what she was talking about, but nodded anyway. She got up from her seat, taking the cards with her and leaving for the kitchen to start organizing the funeral. My mother followed.

A/N.: Olá :)

So, Abe's here! *Sympathy for the Devil starts playing* Kudos to KaralettVAddict and everyone who guessed it was Sydney in the alley (I guess I suck at being mysterious). I actually wrote their encounter, but decided against it since she would be terrified of Dimitri. I know she's pretty brave, but seeing a 6'7 dhampir torturing a Strigoi would make almost everyone back off.

What do you think of the characters so far?

I love astrology and tarot, but my knowledge on both is pretty basic. Do you agree with my assessment? Also, I think Abe is a Gemini, Yeva is a Leo and Olena is a Pisces (I have no idea if Mead revealed their birthdays, so I hope I'm guessing right).

This chapter's song is Sign of the Zodiac, by Rasputina.

Also, make sure to check my series of one-shots, Decades, if you'd like. They are drafts I make sometimes, more similar what I usually write in my mother tongue. I hope you like them, but if you don't, tell me anyway.