The Story of Blood and Roses

"She gets it from her pretty mother..." said Anthony. His hands were shoved down the pocket of his dress pants. The tie I had helped him knot was sitting perfectly around his neck. Of course, he had to look perfect while I was sitting in a bloodied uniform, gagged and tied.

"Anthony," I greeted. He met my eyes with a levelled stare. For a moment, doubt crept through my mind.

Did he sell me out to Luke Darcy? He promised...

"She\'s bleeding out. You\'ll want to wrap that wound up before she passes out again," he advised.

He cares. See?

Luke nodded in acknowledgement, but a wicked grin came over his lips.

"We love to play doctor, you know?" he snickered as he waved his hand. He looked away from me for a few seconds. "Bring the family doctor, yeah?" His hands inched towards my face. He brushed a strand of my hair out of my face. He pulled me by my hair until my head was tilted back and the sensation burned my scalp. I controlled my reflexes and refrained from flinching. "We\'ll bring you the best doctor, okay darling?" He released my hair and then moved closer to Anthony.

"We had a deal, Murray!" he hissed in a low voice, but I could hear him. "You said that you would keep the Vincent bitch in line and get the information about Cain."

"And I\'ve kept my side of the bargain, don\'t you think?" What?

"Do you think she\'ll break that easily? She looks like a tough cookie."

"She\'ll speak when you ask her the right questions. She\'s a passionate little thing." His eyes turned to me. A wolfish grin graced his lips as he sauntered to my side. He kissed my lips, suddenly. His lips lingered above mine for a moment.

"Get me out of here," I ground out.

"No," he breathed and then burst out into laughter. "I won\'t."

"Mi-"

"Shut up. Your work is over. Now be a good little girl and tell him what he wants to know." His eyes bore into mine.

Has he gone out of his mind? Is he acting? Did he-did he betray me?

"Don\'t look so surprised, my kitten." I gulped the lump in my throat and listened intently. There must be some clue in something he will say. "You were merely acting as bait. We killed Cain, and we have no work left for you."

"Explain."

"Remember when you asked me how important Scott was?" I didn\'t answer. "I told you that no one was important, Mia. Everyone can be replaced." He looked so smug.

Don\'t trust his words. Look at his eyes. He can\'t lie. You know him.

Hard.

Cold.

Indifferent.

"The doctor is here," someone announced. I didn\'t budge. My eyes were glued to him. I knew him. He wouldn\'t betray me. I\'d misunderstood him and was led to believe the worst about him all my life, but not today. I would only believe the truth.

There was pain. Lots of it.

I could feel that whoever was trying to get the bullet lodged in my body out was not doing a good job, but I didn\'t care. I kept my eyes on him. He was staring at the man fixing me up. The stitches were jagged, I could tell. They would scar, I knew. I would worry about them later.

"You okay there, Mia?" I could hear Luke ask. He sounded far away... like a figment of my imagination.

"Perfect."

I heard low murmurs. I felt more pain.

The seeds of doubt spread like wildfire in my helpless brain.

"You need to stop playing that game with them, you know..." I heard him say. It was not Anthony, his lips didn\'t move. "Making them think that you love them? That\'s cruel," he said. "I mean, you did it with Cienna. The poor girl warned Vincent, but she didn\'t listen. And now this girl. Murray, tell me your secret. What magic do you use on these girls?"

Laughter.

I could see his lips part and his head thrown back as he contemplated the words.

"It\'s very easy, really."

Oh, the secrets.

I think I am losing my mind.

"You make them think that they get under your skin. You make them think you are good together. You fight with them. You push them over the edge over and over again. You tell them lies. They are women, they trust. You can tell them not to, but they never listen." More laughter. This time, it\'s not him.

"What do you think of this plan, Mia?" Darcy asks me.

"Tell them how you fell for it, love," he snickered.

"The perfect crime," I whispered. "It was a brilliant plan," I smiled.

"She\'s lost her mind," I heard Darcy say. He sounded awed.