The Story of Blood and Roses

"He trusts you," said Sean as he peeked up from behind the laptop screen. I looked upward from my phone and stared at him, startled. "He's a tough cookie, but you cracked the code. You did what he couldn't do. You've earned his respect and inadvertently, his trust." He continued as I stared at him for a moment longer and said, "You sure know how to get the news across." He smiled and rubbed his eyes- after he had left his laptop on one of the many tables- and cracked his knuckles. His smile widened as he leaned back in his chair and took a sigh of relief.

"You're pretty cool when you don't intimidate. That trick with the Morse and stuff was pretty neat." I rolled my eyes at the boy. "Before I forget, Anthony just pinged me to let you know that he wants to meet you after you're finished with your work here." I raised a brow at him, earning a nonchalant shrug. "Don't know. You're not doing much anyway..." he eyed me suspiciously and asked, "What are you doing here, exactly?"

"Making sure you're done here and taking you home," I responded as I looked back at my cell phone, making sure that I had not received anything from Daisy. She was yet to reply.

"Uh…" His nervous fidgeting was evident. "I'll manage on my own." I looked up at him, not really in a mood for the whole modesty scene. His place was in the way anyways. It's not like I had to rush home and take notes. There was only field work to do, for now, nothing more.

"Let's leave if you're done," I stated with a pointed look. And that was all it took to shut him up.

"Okay," he squeaked.

Nodding, I got up, placed my cell in the back pocket of my jeans and left the room.

The door to Anthony's office was slightly open. I peeked in, hoping to catch him unaware.

"Come in," I heard him say. His voice was low and rough. I pushed the door open and walked in, wondering what he wanted to talk about.

His face was scrunched up, his teeth grinding and his fingers gliding over the keyboard. He cursed every so often, leaving me standing in silence across the table from him. "Sit," he ground out and tilted his head. His tongue appeared from between his lips as he licked them and then his teeth clamped down as he concentrated. Being a good employee that I was, I sat down. As soon as my back hit the chair, his body jerked and he threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Fuck," he swore over and over again.

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Concerned, I leaned forward, trying to make out what had got him so winded. To say I was shocked was a bit of an understatement.

"I'll have to play it again!" he whined. What? Is he out of his mind?

"What?" he snapped at me, noticing my incredulous look. I just shook my head, still a bit awestruck, amusement taking over my thoughts. And as it set in, a smile crept into my face and a chuckle bubbled at my lips. Judging from the look he was giving, it wasn't a good idea to laugh at that moment. So I suppressed the uncontrollable urge to laugh and looked at anything but his face.

He looked irritable and- I hated to admit it, cute.

To think that Anthony Murray would react like that because he lost a game… it was expected. He was a competitive asshole who didn't know where to draw the line, but his whining over a video game… Hah! Fantastic!

I tried to stay serious as his temper subsided. His hands tapped impatiently on the fine desk in front of him and the ticking of his jaw followed every beat. As soon as he seemed calm enough, I gave him an expectant look. He closed his eyes for a moment, murmuring something too low for me to hear and then opened them again.

"I'm sending you for some work the day after tomorrow." I nodded. I had expected that much. "It's a new dealer. He's new in the business and his supplies are good and cheap and the estimated profits will be higher. I've got a file ready for you, go through it." I nodded again. "You'll meet the boys who run errands. I need you to interview them. Make sure nothing slips past you." I didn't speak. It took me some time to process. A new dealer… and then it seeped in.

"You're cutting down on Darcy?" I asked. I hoped not. If that was the case, the issue would get much more complicated than I had anticipated.

He looked up at me sharply.

"Yes," he hissed.

I had it all played out in my mind. The cutting down. Darcy's reaction, and the gradual instigation towards an enmity between the two mobs. The result was inevitable. What I couldn't understand was why Anthony was taking such a risky step. Did he want a war on his hands? It might either destroy him or bring both of them down in one fall!

"Sir…" I didn't know what to say. I didn't want to come across as arrogant in my concern. His cold stare was judgmental. He was waiting for me to say the wrong words. "Do you think that is a good decision?" No other words could have been more correct. He just needed a reason to be unpleasant to me. I knew he liked to have a reason to be unpleasant.

"Are you challenging my judgment, Mia?" He raised his brow, a cruel smirk on his face.

"No, sir."

"Then don't voice your opinion," He replied cruelly. My jaw clenched at his reply. Obviously, he liked the fact that I wasn't going to answer. "But just for laughs, Mia, why do you think that it's a bad idea?" My eyes drifted to his lips where menacing words were on the tip of it. I'd have to hear anyway.

"Because Darcy is a man who should not be fucked with." was my simple reply. It was true. We all knew that.

"But he seems to forget that I'm just as dangerous as him." He wanted me to say otherwise, I didn't.

"Cutting down on his supplies will only result in him cutting down on yours." Was the second reason that his decision was dangerous; especially looking at it from a business perspective. He was a businessman after all.

"I give him the best deals. He'd be running at a loss if he lets me go." That wasn't good enough. Knowing Darcy, he'd rather make a loss than bow down to Anthony's ideas. I shook my head, not voicing my reasoning.

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