Chapter Text
Rose POV
“Kiz, I thought you had class for another hour?”
“I need you to do me a favour,” I jumped straight to the point. I hadn’t remained in my seat in class, leaving a couple of minutes after Dimitri had and made it outside the building just in time to see the police put Dimitri into the back of their car and drive off.
I heard the shifting of paper, and the nonchalant tone of my father’s voice dropped, “What’s wrong?”
I took a breath and prayed that things weren’t about to become a shitstorm. “My soulmate just got arrested.”
Abe moved quickly, and it again made me wonder what exactly his business was. I always knew my father had some questionable contacts, but I never asked about them, and I very rarely utilised them—until now.
After I explained what I knew, Abe hung up with the promise of calling me back in ten minutes; when he did call back, he knew where Dimitri was taken and why.
Dimitri was brought in because of charges of assaulting Rolan, Viktoria’s boyfriend, and Abe gave me the address of the station along with the promise that he would take care of it. I had stepped out of the taxi I took at the same time Abe arrived, Pavel parking in front of the building, and they marched in like they owned the place.
Abe had given me a warm smile when I joined him at his side, “So, Dimitri is your soulmate, and you are accepting it. That’s great news,” he cheered, then pursed his lips, “Perhaps we don’t mention this little trip to your mother, though.”
I was used to Abe being flippant about situations, but I was taken aback by his current attitude. “You’re taking this well,” I commented, eyes sweeping the police station. I couldn’t believe that I was here, and even more upset that Dimitri was. A voice in my head told me he was going to be pissed that I used my father’s connections to get him out, but I didn’t want to think about that now.
“It’s not the first time,” Abe shrugged, continuing before I could ask, “besides, from what I’ve found out, this Rolan deserved what was coming to him. This isn’t the first time for him either.”
“What? He’s pressed charges against someone before?”
“Yes, and for a similar reason, I believe.”
I didn’t know the whole story, only that Dimitri was protecting his sisters, but based on the fire in Abe’s eyes, he was not impressed with Rolan. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I asked. Abe gave nothing away with how he planned to help Dimitri, simply stating that he could handle it.
My father paused, standing in the middle of the station like he owned the place. “That depends.” With that Abe marched to the reception desk, leaning over with a gleaming grin. “Hello, I’m here to speak to Officer Tanner.”
XxX
Dimitri POV
The metal table chilled my wrists which were thankfully still uncovered, small things to be grateful for.
That was all I had to be thankful for.
The sparse room that I was in gave no illusion of what was going to happen; I hadn’t been officially charged, but it was just a waiting game now. I had been questioned about the fight with Rolan; no matter how I defended myself, it seemed Rolan had already twisted the tale in his favour.
Not that he had to try hard. They had the bruises on his face from where I hit him, and the wounds on my knuckles.
I was offered the chance to call someone, but just the thought of calling home and explaining to mama what happened felt like a knife in my chest. It would hurt just as much as it had that Rose had witnessed the police taking me.
In the end, it didn’t matter what Rolan had done to Sonya, or what he had tried with Viktoria; the reasons wouldn’t matter.
The door opened and the redhead officer from earlier entered, he had introduced himself as Mikhail Tanner; he kept his expression neutral and didn’t give much away as he asked questions. The most I gained was a slight reaction when I explained why I had a dispute with Rolan; I couldn’t tell if it was good or bad.
“I’ve contacted your friend,” he explained, retaking his seat opposite me. He had two paper cups in hand, steam rising from the tops. “It’s not the best stuff,” he admitted and passed me the cup of coffee.
I had to admit, he was better to work with than the ones that arrested me as a teen. “Thanks,” I replied and took the cup, staring down at the liquid rather than drinking it.
“So, you mentioned Rolan is the father of your niece?”
The tension returned to my shoulders. “Yes.”
“Did you know this before he began dating your youngest sister?”
“No,” I frowned. Sonya would never tell us who the father was. In the beginning, she had hope, believing that the father would be involved more, but by the time she was giving birth, she had accepted that that wasn’t going to happen. I had tried to ask her about it, but each time resulted in a screaming match—the same as with Viktoria now.
Mikhail wrote on the pad in front of him. “Have you heard of a club called Moroi?”
I furrowed my brow, “No. Why?”
There was a sharp knock at the door, and it swung open before any response could be given. “Questioning my client without representation available, really Tanner? I expect better,” Abe Mazur announced as he strolled in.
I was confused.
What was Rose’s father doing here?
Mikhail tilted his head back, eyes on the ceiling as he cursed softly. “What are you doing here?”
“Mr Belikov is my client,” Abe declared, and I was thrown.
“Mr Belikov is just being questioned–”
“Are you charging him?”
Mikhail sighed, “As of right now–”
“Interesting that you would choose to go after my client rather than this Rolan character. I believe he is a much bigger target,” Abe challenged. He rounded the table to be stood behind me, a hand on my shoulder. “Three charges of assault and possession, all of which were brushed under the rug. And Dimitri is the one you choose to arrest.”
“I’m not charging him,” Mikhail argued before Abe could continue. “As you said, Rolan is a bigger target. I don’t need you coming in here and ruining something I have been building for months, Zmey.”
A satisfied laugh left Abe, “Why didn’t you just start with that, Tanner? So, Dimitri will be leaving now. All possible charges dropped?”
“Well, now that you’re here, I’m guessing that’s the only option.” Mikhail held Abe’s eyes for a moment before shaking his head. “You’re free to go, Mr Belikov. Thank you for your cooperation.”
The conversation was a whirlwind; I was in the middle of it and had no idea what had happened.
“I don’t understand,” I started, hesitant to stand from the chair in case it was a trick.
Abe nodded his head towards the door, “Everything is taken care of. Let’s go.”
I only stood when Mikhail had, following Abe out of the interrogation room still in a state of bewilderment. I wasn’t being charged? It sounded as if I wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.
Abe stopped at the end of the hallway; the sound of others talking drifted down to us. He clasped Mikhail’s hand and shook it, and spoke in a soft tone, “Always great to see you. Say hi to your lovely wife for me.”
Mikhail scowled, “Just get out of here before you cause any more trouble.”
We were waved forward, and I was again questioning what had just happened. “Mr Mazur, I don’t understand.”
“Call me Abe, please. You are my daughter’s soulmate after all,” he laughed. “I’ve been following some of the current cases here, when I heard the name of the man that was pressing charges, I knew it wouldn’t be difficult to get you out. But you can play it up to be more of a fight if you want, make Rose appreciate her old man a bit more.”
“Rose?” I paused. Suddenly it all made sense. “Rose called you?”
Abe’s brow raised, “She’s waiting out front with Pavel. I couldn’t trust her to not go storming through looking for you.”
“Sir,” I quickly defended, “I never intended to bring her into this mess, I–”
He waved me off, a knowing look in his eyes. “No one can ever bring Rose into something that she doesn’t already want to be part of. She was very distraught when she called. I take it that you both have worked through what happened at the ceremony?”
I dropped my eyes. “Not exactly.” I rubbed the back of my neck. Somehow Abe had managed to make the charges disappear, and I had no idea what I would owe him for it. “Sir, how much will this cost? I can’t afford a lot currently,” I winced. All of my savings would barely cover it, and my paycheque wouldn’t be enough.
Abe looked at me incredulously, “I’m not charging you.” His expression became fond, hand on my shoulder as he continued, “Rose asked me to help you, and that’s what I’m doing. It’s rare that she lets me help out with anything these days; she cares about you and wants to make sure you are okay.”
“I assaulted someone,” I told him. I wasn’t a good person, no matter what Rose believed. “I don’t deserve your kindness, or hers.”
“I’m not a good man. There are decisions I made before we had Rose that were… Well, they lacked honour. Your choices were to honour someone you cared about, whether that was your sisters, your mother, or Rose.” His eyes held mine, his tone sincere, “You are an honourable man, Dimitri.”
“But–”
“Rose is well aware of what she deserves,” he cut me off, “she isn’t going to just settle for anyone just because she feels obligated or because of a candle lighting. If Rose has decided she wants to be with you, then truly cares for you. Just remember that."
Abe didn't say anything else and left me standing in the hall. I stared at the doors that separated the front of the station from the rest, a feeling building in my chest with the knowledge that Rose was out there. I didn't know if it was excitement or appreciation…
She never turned me away, even going out of her way to help me. I couldn't deny that she was devoted. It filled me with so much hope.
My resolve had cracked and I knew I wouldn't be able to deny it any longer.
I pushed through the doors and instantly searched her out. Rose sat on the chairs by the wall, her knee bouncing anxiously. The moment our eyes met, she was out of her seat and across the room.
Rose's arms looped around my neck, mine went to her waist instinctively and held her close. "Fuck, the old man didn't even say anything before he left. Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," I promised, relishing in her touch. The realisation that I had nothing to worry about hit suddenly and I released a breath of relief. I pulled Rose closer and tightened my hold. "Thank you, Roza."
"Abe did all the work," she shrugged. I felt her nuzzle against my neck, leaning further into the hug. "He did get everything sorted right?"
"Yeah," I breathed, "at least I think so. I don't really know how."
"Probably best not to ask too much about it. You never know with my father what he has planned or what he knows."
"You didn't have to call him–"
"Yes, I did!" Rose asserted, she withdrew from the hug and punched me in the arm. "I'm not going to just do nothing! I don't care if you don't want to be with me or not, if I can help you, I will!"
I didn't overthink it and dipped my head down to press my lips to hers.
There was no point in denying myself— us. Roza was my soulmate and I wanted to be with her.
Her fingers threaded through my hair, deepening the kiss for a moment before we broke apart. There was a slight blush dusting her cheeks, but also a look of joy shining in her eyes.
"Does that mean…" she trailed off, hand gesturing between us. It made me laugh.
"If you'll still have me," I replied. I didn't doubt she did, but there was a sudden burst of apprehension that she would turn me down. After all, I had.
Rose's hand gripped the front of my shirt and dragged me back down into another heated kiss; one that really shouldn't have been in the reception area of a police station, but I was too lost in the sensation to care.
There was a bang of wood against wood behind us and we quickly broke apart. To my surprise, it was Ivan and Lucy. His eyes met mine and widened in surprise.
“What happened?” He asked breathlessly, a phone in hand and Lucy’s clutched tightly in the other. “They called and said you were being questioned.”
I had forgotten that I asked Officer Tanner to contact Ivan. “I was, but everything has been taken care of,” I explained, glancing at Rose. “Everything is fixed now.”
A smile graced her lips; her fingers threaded through mine and squeezed. “They sure are,” she grinned.
Rose moaned around the mouthful of burger, relaxing against the red leather seat of the booth. “This is so good,” she simpered, a playful look in her eyes when they met mine. A smirk pulled at the corners of her lips, “See something you like?”
I shook my head at her, picking at my fries. I still couldn’t wrap my mind around the whirlwind of a day that had ended with Rose and me at a burger place eating dinner together. After we calmed down Ivan and explained everything to the lawyer he was trying to hire, Rose and I decided we needed to work things out properly.
Rose’s foot nudged mine under the table, drawing my eyes back to hers. “What are you thinking about?” she asked, head cocked to the side. She put her burger down and rested a hand on the table, not quite reaching for me, but offering.
I placed my hand over hers, relishing the connection I felt when we touched. I loved the feeling. “I’m thinking about you,” I replied, earning a scoff.
“Sure.” Her lips pursed. “So, soulmates?”
I chuckled. Rose was good at jumping to the point. “Yes. Are you okay with that?”
Her eyes narrowed, “Are you really asking that?”
“Sorry. So, you’re okay with it, and so am I. What now?”
“Do we have to plan ahead?” she asked, “Can’t we just be together and see how we go? I mean, I’ve never felt this way for someone before, and that was before we ever lit that candle.”
Happiness filled my heart. “And I, you.”
“Good,” she nodded her head, “we agree. Discussion done. We are now together.”
“That sounds very final.”
“That’s the idea, Dimitri,” she winked, fingers threading through mine.
I smiled back at her, “Sounds like a perfect idea, Roza.”