Rose POV

I chewed on my pop tart as I watched the old man pace through the hallway, muttering to himself in Turkish. I wondered if he was related to Abe in some way. Abe was Turkish and tried to teach me a little when I was younger, but none of it stuck.

The ghost didn't seem too fond of Abe, but he never said anything to me. Sometimes, the ghost would look at me and huff, throwing his arms in the air in exasperation and then fade away.

"I know I don't need to sleep anymore, but watching him walk around is making me tired," Mason sighed, perched on the bar stool beside me, leaning his head on his palm.

I tipped my head towards the older man with a smirk. "Go talk to him; use your secret ghost language." Mason pulled a face and pushed away from the counter to level me with a glare. It only made me laugh.

"I don't have a secret ghost language."

"Sure you do," I drawled, picking up my second piece. "Don't you guys rattle your chains at each other? A couple of moans and groans."

"Fuck off, Hathaway."

I threw my head back and laughed, almost choking on my food. Mason could spend eternity pissing me off, but I was glad to know I could do the same to him.

Footsteps alerted me to someone about to join us; Ivan appearing from thin air told me who it was. I scowled as soon as Dimitri stood in the doorway, "You're still here."

He looked at me with a guarded expression; his jaw twitched, but otherwise didn't react to my greeting. He walked directly to the coffee machine and turned it on. "Good morning, Rose. Glad to see you're sober," he threw over his shoulder. His accent was thicker in the morning.

Mason noticed it too. "Hey Ivan, where is he from?"

Ivan glanced at us, and I took a moment to study him. He was older than me, maybe around Dimitri's age, close in height as well. His blond hair was brushed back, showing his bright green eyes. He was dressed in a suit, and I wondered what he was doing the day he died.

Even Mason still wore the rock band shirt and jeans he had on the night he died.

Ivan smiled at me, his expression friendly. Reminded me of how happy a golden retriever became around people. I suppose that made Dimitri like an angry rottweiler.

"You should ask him," Ivan replied in a cheery tone. "I'm sure Dimitri would love to tell you. Get to know each other more." The encouragement turned me off from wanting to know anything.

"Ask him," Mason pushed. When I raised my eyebrows incredulously and shook my head, he repeated the request. "Come on, Rose. I want to know."

I tried to ignore him, barely reacting to him whining in my ear. While I could hear all of it, no one else alive could. I didn't need to give Dimitri more reason to think I was as crazy as they said.

Granted, that would be one way to scare him off.

"Ask him, Rose."

"Shut up," I hissed in between bites.

"Rose. Rose. Rosemarie. Talk to the friendly giant, Rose." Mason continued to annoy me. When it didn't work, he placed his hand on my shoulder—the ice-cold shivers were my undoing.

"Fuck!" I yelled, "Fine!" I spun and locked eyes with the very confused man behind me, "Dimitri where are you from!"

Dimitri's lips parted, a look of confusion pulled at his features and he stared at me for a minute in silence. He licked his lips and replied, "I grew up in Siberia."

"There!" I shouted at Mason who was just grinning like a cat that got the cream, "Are you happy now?"

"Yes," he smirked and then disappeared.

"Asshole."

"Are you okay, Rose?" Dimitri asked tentatively. He was studying me when I spun on him again, concern and curiosity in his eyes but also a hint of fear. Or maybe it was judgment.

"Fucking peachy," I spat at him and then gathered my things together. I hated when people looked at me like that—I hated when my friends looked at me like that. It was easy enough to say I didn't care what others thought, but it was another to actually experience their reactions to it.

Maybe if I didn't have to keep going through the motions of therapy and play the part just to keep everyone off my back. If Janine had had her way, I would have been doped up and locked away in a straight jacket.

Hell, even if these were all delusions, I would feel better because then maybe I could rid myself of them. But I knew that I would be stuck seeing the dead for the rest of my life.

Dimitri cleared his throat, his empty cup placed on the counter with a soft thud. "Your appointment is soon," he reminded me gently, like talking to a scared child.

I frowned, "Let me guess, you're coming with me to that."

"Where you go, I go," he answered seriously. The man acted like following me around was like protecting the president; it made me realise he might be harder to crack than I thought. Dimitri wasn't the first bodyguard I'd been assigned. Abe took it upon himself to do so the first month I lived with him. That guy only lasted three days before he decided he didn't want to be around the crazy girl.

The mental health worker he hired after that stayed for a week before my bad mood sent her storming out the front door, never to return. There were a couple of others Abe had asked to make sure I was safe on my walk to my appointments. They never came back the next day.

But Dimitri radiated determination and a seriousness to stick around.

Fuck.

xXx

Dimitri POV

Rose made a show of her anger when I followed her out the door. She didn't hold back any snark when I insisted on being only a step away from her. I wasn't willing to allow her space to run off, and I suspected she would the moment she believed there was a chance.

I tried persuading her to take the car, but she was determined to walk to her therapist's office, though there was no excitement about going there.

The file provided by Abe gave me more details on her diagnosis and what to expect, but it was still bizarre to experience it first-hand. Her outburst in the car the night before and then in the kitchen earlier both came out of nowhere. She would be silent and then she would be yelling at nothing.

I had noticed the way her eyes moved around, focusing on things that weren't there, even reacting as if she was avoiding something. As we walked down the sidewalk, Rose would dodge as if there was a person and then continue on. Occasionally she would say something, either a greeting or an insult; the latter most often aimed at Mason.

I could understand the grief of losing a friend—the consuming pain and sorrow that hit each time you realised you could never see or talk to them again. I had battled through it and barely managed to make it to the other side, but it seemed Rose was still stuck in that fight.

I followed closely behind her, raising an eyebrow when she suddenly veered off and into a corner store. The bulky man behind the counter nodded at her but didn't speak; I felt his stare on me as I walked down the aisles as Rose beelined for snacks and then a drink.

Abe gave strict orders of no alcohol and I was sure to enforce it, eyeing her as she made her selection—an energy drink, her hand switching back and forth between the red and blue one.

At first glance, you wouldn't be able to tell Rose was dealing with mental health issues. An invisible illness, and all things considered, it was harmless. From the notes in the file, I had expected more outbursts, but Rose simply went about her day.

She didn't speak to me until we were back on the sidewalk; she opened her drink and laughed at me, "I don't think I've seen Frank glare like that. He did not like you."

"Frank?" I asked, happy to make some conversation. The money this job paid would help my family, so I needed to make it stick. If I could build enough of a rapport with Rose that she was less likely to try to make my job harder, the better it would be.

"He's the owner, never says anything, but his wife says a lot."

"His wife? I didn't see her."

She snorted, but it lacked humour. "Of course, you didn't."

The therapist's office was in the middle of the city, high up on the fifteenth floor. The receptionist was cold towards Rose but batted her eyelashes at me. I found a seat and waited.

I found myself wondering how I ended up in my situation. I had no idea when or how Ivan came to know Abe Mazur, never even mentioning it to me.

Ivan and I worked together to reach our goals, we trained and sparred, and improved our skills together. Both were in the military and planned some foolish dream that we would rise through the ranks until we were both too old to even be part of the fight.

Ivan left the military before me, he fell in love and decided it wasn't worth risking his life anymore. It was during that time he must have met Abe. I never reinstated after Ivan's death, I wasn't there when he died and part of me always wondered if I could have prevented it.

There was some humour that I had gone from working for the military to becoming a glorified babysitter. I could only guess why Ivan believed I would be a good choice for the job; something I could never ask him about.

I had so much I wished I could ask him now.

Rose was in a mood, somehow even worse than before. Whatever was said during her session upset her. I quickly learned that there were two kinds of moods for Rose—light-hearted and angry. There was little in between.

"Where to now?" I asked, studying her closely to try to learn how best to handle her bad mood. It reminded me of how Sonya acted during her pregnancy, easy to set off and hard to calm down.

Rose scuffed her shoes on the concrete, mumbling, "Off a bridge, preferable."

I inhaled sharply, praying that it was a joke; yet giving her history, it made me panic slightly.

How was I qualified to handle something like this?

"Rose–" I started, but she interrupted me.

"Shut up, Mase! And you too!" She glared beside us, eyes aimed just to the right of me. Out of habit, I looked, yet there was no one there. "I hate the new guy," Rose added with a huff and then she stalked away.

Part of me wanted to ask. A curiosity about what or who she saw, but I felt it rude. I had only met her the day before and none of our interactions had gone well. Rose kept throwing glances back at me, her scowl becoming deeper each time.

"What? Spit it out!"

I faltered at her anger. Part of me wanted to ask, but I knew it wasn't my place, so I kept my mouth shut.

Rose didn't like that. "Just say it!" she snapped, coming to a halt and planting her hands on her hips. "You want to know what I see, right? I see ghosts. Not figments of my imagination or things my brain made up to cope. I see ghosts."

Ghosts.

I grew up with stories of spirits that would remain, but never put much stock in them. I had experienced some things I couldn't quite explain, but ghosts were something I could never bring myself to believe. I didn't know how to reply in a way that wouldn't upset her, so I only nodded.

"I'm not crazy," she whispered, voice so raw that it made my heart clench in pity. Determination hardened her expression, and she looked to my side again. "Move something," Rose ordered; and with an eye-roll, complained, "You almost got me arrested before, but now you're having performance issues!"

"We should keep going," I encouraged gently. I needed to speak to Abe about what to do in these kinds of situations—if there was anything. I didn't want to pretend to believe her and play along, but I also didn't want to point out that she was talking to the air.

"Thanks for nothing," she growled and stormed off again. I was easily able to keep up with her, which I think irritated her more.

We had made it a few blocks when Rose suddenly turned into another store. "What are we doing?" I questioned, not trusting her not to be planning something.

"I have to pee," she replied, stalking to the bathroom and leaving me standing alone.

I checked my phone, responded to some messages and then checked in with Pavel; he'd asked for updates. He never spoke much, which was fine with me; I never enjoyed making small talk. I could tell he had a fondness for Rose; eyes lit up with enjoyment when he mentioned some of the previous ticks she had pulled on others.

My phone rang, and I answered quickly, "Belikov."

"Abe wants to know how the appointment went," Pavel began, his accent thicker than mine when he spoke. "He also wants to know if you'll be staying on or if she's managed to scare you off yet."

I grimaced but replied, "It's fine. She has been upset since the appointment. We just stopped for a moment."

There was a pause. "Did she say she needed to use a bathroom?"

Dread settled in my chest. "Yes."

"She ran. You better go find her."

Pavel hung up, and I cursed silently. I knocked on the door of the bathroom, and after trying the handle, it proved Pavel right. The room was empty with a word written on the mirror in Sharpie.

Sucker.

xXx

Rose POV

It was like a breath of fresh air getting away from Dimitri, no longer pinned under his eyes. I wanted to punch him, and because I couldn't hit Mason, I was even closer to throwing punches at Dimitri when he brushed me off.

It was all Deirdre's fault. She knew about the incident at the store, but thankfully, Abe hadn't mentioned the alcohol he found in my room. It seemed today she was set on making me agree I had a problem.

"You need to admit it to yourself, Rose. You keep allowing these figments of your imagination to draw you in."

I hated spending three hours a week being convinced that none of it was real when I knew it all was.

I snapped and told Dimitri the truth. I don't know why I thought he would react any differently to everyone else. To top it off, Mason was no help at all.

Slipping from Dimitri was easier than I thought it would be; it wouldn't be for long, but it was enough. I pulled my coat tighter around me to stop the chilled wind from freezing me. Christmas was less than two months away, and the city was heading towards another white Christmas—a scent in the air, and I knew the snow would be coming soon.

The walkway by the river was empty, and I hid behind some trees so I was concealed from view—couldn't make it too easy for Dimitri to find me. Settled on the ground, I pulled out one of the joints I bought.

"Does that get rid of us?"

My eyes flicked to Ivan's; he stood closer to the river edge, glancing down at the water and then back at me. I shrugged, "If I smoked a couple. Just one makes it fuzzy and easier to ignore. Same with painkillers and other medications. If I take enough that I'm high as a kite, I don't see or hear you guys."

My mind flashed back to being in the hospital. They had given me so many meds that I thought it had worked because Mason was gone. The moment I eased the amount, they all came back. As much as I hated seeing the dead, I hated being so doped up that I couldn't tell up from down.

Ivan stepped closer to me and lowered himself to the ground, a smile on his face. "I love the river when it snows. I used to come here a lot."

"It snows here more than I'm used to," I told him, looking out over the river and the city on the other side. "So, what's your deal with Dimitri?"

"He's my best friend," Ivan answered with a sad smile, a wistful look in his eyes.

"Why don't you want him to know you are here? Maybe that would make him a believer." I don't know why a part of me wanted to convince Dimitri. Maybe it was just because of what Deirdre had said. She hadn't held back during the session, and all of it rubbed me wrong.

"I doubt he would believe you if you brought me up; he's more likely to close up even more if you tried."

"Then why are you hanging around?" I pushed, the joint still in my hand as I considered lighting it. "If it's just to annoy me, you are doing a good job."

Ivan laughed, brushing his hair from his face even though the wind hadn't affected him. I wondered if it was just a habit that followed him from being alive. "No, that isn't my intention. I guess I want to help him, and I think you are the only one who can help me do that."

I frowned, "I don't really help people. I can't even help myself."

"You don't like Dimitri being around, do you?" he asked suddenly, and I pursed my lips in thought.

"I don't like that Abe thinks I need a babysitter. I like my space."

"What if helping me helped you?" Ivan suggested with a glint in his eyes. "See, I want Dimitri to move on and find someone to be with. I want him to settle down and finally give himself the things he's denied in the past. Dimitri has always given up everything for his family and me. Even with this job, he took it because he wants to help his family." Ivan sighed and looked out over the river, "I want him to be happy with someone, just like I was."

"You want him to hook up with someone?" I confirmed with a smirk. Ivan shot me a look.

"That's one way of putting it."

"But how does that help me exactly?"

That glint returned to his eyes. "If Dimitri finds someone and becomes serious about them, he will quit. And then you will be back to doing whatever it is you do without someone following you around."

I laughed. "You want me to play some weird matchmaker in hopes that Dimitri might quit? No thanks."

"Trust me, Rose, Dimitri won't just quit this job because you are being difficult. He's doing this for his family, and unless he has something more important to care about, he won't be going anywhere."

Dreaded settled in my stomach like lead. I knew Ivan was telling the truth.

He grinned. "Think about it."

Ivan faded, and then a hand landed on my shoulder, and I screamed.

"Nice try," Dimitri growled through clenched teeth; when I looked up at him, all I saw was anger.

It hit me then that Ivan was right—Dimitri won't give up. Twice now, he had tracked me down rather than just call it quits, and he stood there and watched me have what was basically a conversation with myself and didn't even bat an eye.

I guess I was going to play matchmaker with a ghost.