Oh, damn. I'd spoken without thinking. I didn't want Sydney to get in trouble. If Abe really was some kind of Moroi Godfather type-what had she called him? Zmey? The snake?-I didn't doubt he could talk to other Alchemists to make her life even more miserable.
"I forced it out of her," I lied. "I... I threatened her on the train. It wasn't hard. She's already scared to death of me."
"I don't doubt she is. They're all scared of us, bound by centuries of tradition and hiding behind their crosses to protect them-despite the gifts they get from their tattoos. In a lot of ways, they get the same traits as you dhampirs-just no reproductive issues." He gazed up at the stars as he spoke, like some sort of philosopher musing on the mysteries of the universe. Somehow, that made me angrier. He was treating this like a joke, when clearly he had some agenda regarding me. I didn't like being part of anyone's plans-particularly when I didn't know what those plans were.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure we could talk about the Alchemists and how you control them all night," I snapped. "But I still want to know what you want with me."
"Nothing," he said simply.
"Nothing? You've gone to a lot of trouble to set me up with Sydney and follow me here for nothing."
He looked back down from the sky, and there was a dangerous glint in his eyes. "You're of no interest to me. I have my own business to run. I come on behalf of others who are interested in you."
I stiffened, and at last, true fear ran through me. Shit. There was a manhunt out for me. But who? Lissa? Adrian? Tatiana? Again, that last one made me nervous. The others would seek me out because they cared. But Tatiana... Tatiana feared I'd run off with Adrian. Once more I thought that if she wanted me found, it might be because she wanted to ensure I didn't come back. Abe struck me as the kind of person who could make people disappear.
"And what do the others want? Do they want me home?" I asked, trying to appear unafraid. "Did you think you could just come here and drag me back to the U.S.?"
That secretive smile of Abe's returned. "Do you think I could just drag you back?"
"Well," I scoffed, again without thinking, "you couldn't. Your guys here could. Well, maybe. I might be able to take them."
Abe laughed out loud for the first time, a rich, deep sound filled with sincere amusement. "You live up to your brash reputation. Delightful." Great.
Abe probably had a whole file on me somewhere. He probably knew what I liked for breakfast. "I'll make a trade with you. Tell me why you're here, and I'll tell you why I'm here."
"I already told you."
In a flash, the laughter was gone. He took a step closer to where I sat, and I saw his guardians tense. "And I told you not to lie to me. You've got a reason for being here. I need to know what it is."
"Rose? Can you come in here?"
Back toward the Belikov house, Viktoria's clear voice rang out in the night. Glancing behind me, I saw her standing in the doorway. Suddenly, I wanted to get away from Abe. There was something lethal underneath that gaudy, jovial facade, and I didn't want to spend another minute with him. Leaping up, I began backing toward the house, half-expecting his guardians to come kidnap me, despite his words. The two guys stayed where they were, but their eyes watched me carefully. Abe's quirky smile returned to his face.
"Sorry I can't stay and chat," I said.
"That's all right," he said grandly. "We'll find time later."
"Not likely," I said. He laughed, and I hastily followed Viktoria into the house, not feeling safe until I shut the door. "I do not like that guy."
"Abe?" she asked. "I thought he was your friend."
"Hardly. He's some kind of mobster, right?"
"I suppose," she said, like it was no big deal. "But he's the reason you're here."
"Yeah, I know about him coming to get us."
Viktoria shook her head. "No, I mean here. I guess while you were in the car, you kept saying, 'Belikov, Belikov.' Abe figured you knew us. That's why he took you to our house."
That was startling. I'd been dreaming of Dimitri, so of course I would have said his last name. But I'd had no idea that was how I'd ended up here.
I'd figured it was because Olena had medical training.
Then Viktoria added the most astonishing thing of all. "When he realized we didn't know you, he was going to take you somewhere else-but grandmother said we had to keep you. I guess she'd had some dream that you'd come to us."
"What?" Crazy, creepy Yeva who hated me? "Yeva dreamed about me?"
Viktoria nodded. "It's this gift she has. Are you sure you don't know Abe? He's too big-time to be here without a reason."
Olena hurried over to us before I could respond. She caught hold of my arm. "We've been looking for you. What took so long?" This question was directed to Viktoria.
"Abe was-"
Olena shook her head. "Never mind. Come on. Everyone's waiting."
"For what?" I asked, letting her drag me through the house to the backyard.
"I was supposed to tell you," explained Viktoria, scurrying along. "This is the part where everyone sits and remembers Dimitri by telling stories."
"Nobody's seen him in so long; we don't know what's happened to him recently," said Olena. "We need you to tell us."