The Story of Blood and Roses

We had found the ideal place for the shipments to be kept in. This was our chance. Anthony shuffled down the stairs after a few minutes after my discovery, looking as fresh as a daisy and his wet hair dripped on the floor. If I had been the doting homemaker that the men were trying to imagine me as I would have handed him his ass on a platter from ruining the carpeted floor. He plopped down beside me with a curious look, possibly gauging from my excited expression that I must have found something worth the time. He cleared his throat as he leaned into me and stared at the screen of the computer where I had all the information needed.

A smirk plastered on his face as I explained the situation to him, "I found that Nolan is, indeed, working for Darcy. The other important news is that this warehouse was bought by Nolan, and the account used for the payment was used jointly by Nolan and Luke. It's clear as day that this could possibly be the place where the shipments are or at least a considerable portion of it."

"It could also be a decoy. We could be set up, as well," he said, but he was still smiling. It was a possibility, but not one that would be considered to be evident. Darcy would never just push in a contact or spy in to reveal them so callously in the period of a couple of weeks.

"You think so?" I asked him, lightly. He probably didn't, but this was another thing that I didn't want to assume. Everyone knows what they say about assuming.

"No, I don't. I'm just surprised that Darcy could be reckless enough to let this one slip. I don't know what he's trying to do, but this is definitely not his style."

"I know. But could he make such a stupid mistake?"

"No mistake is stupid, Mia. There is something we need to do before we actually go down and take back the cargo."

"But Boss, I thought that you were in a hurry to get it all back!" I was perplexed.

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"Slow and steady, Mia. I was in a hurry until I found out that the connection was left in the open. We have signed Nolan already and if we raid the place before we take care of Darcy, he will get suspicious and pull Nolan back before we can even understand what happened. I need to think about this and figure out how to approach the situation without losing out on Nolan or the shipment."

"I suppose I understand, but waiting would make you lose out on the shipments. Luke Darcy might not leave it lying around and spending valuable capital on it for very long. We would want to keep changing locations and we will have to do this all over again. He won't make the same mistakes twice." I reasoned. He nodded, looking impressed that I had tried my hardest not to sound offensive. I think he appreciated the effort immensely.

"We wait. I'll start a rumor in the organized crime community about the danger of the shipment and how a defective batch of products had been stolen, mysteriously and might be circulating in the market. It might affect the black market, but it will give us time to get closer to Nolan and wipe him out."

"Do organized criminals gossip like old ladies, as well?" I asked, humorously. Anthony seemed to appreciate that, too. Or so I gathered when he threw his head back and laughed out loud. "What I don't understand is how someone would know that Luke was the one selling the goods."

"It's a trick, really. When you're in the business, you know who you shouldn't mess with. Very few people will mess with me, and small-timers will stay away from the people who have the power to pull off something of this magnitude. The opposition will narrow it down to a limited few and try not to buy that product from them so that they don't displease me. It's as simple as that." I stared at him for a moment.

"That is fucking brilliant... beautiful," I murmured, awed by the genius of his plan. It was simple and exquisite. "And why would he not try to move it to a different location?"

"Two reasons: firstly, it would cost him a lot of money that he would not be able to earn back even if he sells out the goods, which he won't be able to do. And secondly, the opposition will be keeping an eye out for the shipment. They will want to become my ally as much as they don't want to engage in battle with me."

"How do you know all of this?" I asked, my tone colored with wonder.

"All of this comes with experience, my kitten. You'll learn in a few years' time. It's not as difficult as you are making it out to be. It gets simpler with time. It is as simple as figuring out a Caesar's Box when you get used to it and you know your opponents like the back of your hand. They aren't that different from me and you. They have the same insecurity and strengths that you and I have. They have the same strategies as I can figure out; some, though, go further because they can use their instincts and play on their strengths and strategies. It's also a good thing to keep your calm at all times."

"I'll keep these things in mind, Boss." I tilted my head to a side and smirked at him, which he seemed to return. Something flashes in his eyes and he started scrutinizing me.

"You should. They are important matters. These things should let you know how important it is to keep your calm in the hardest of times. One should never try to reveal frustration by taking it out on someone else. Remember that, Mia," he said sternly before he shoved his hands into his pocket and walked out of the room. I guessed that it was as close as he would go to providing me with an apology for his appalling behavior the past few days.

I was glad that the tension seemed to vanish from the house as soon as Anthony informed others of the plans and information that I had found. People started packing up their things, relieved that they would get a few days of rest after the gruesome few days of Anthony constantly pushing people to their limits. I was glad, too.

I was going back to my apartment.

I had some major planning to do, so as to proceed with my mission and not get diverted by Anthony and his organization's problem, despite them being extremely informative in nature. I needed some time to process what I had to do next and tread carefully so that I could kill two birds with one stone. Darcy could be destroyed by Anthony and he, in turn, could only be destroyed if Darcy inflicted damage that even Anthony could not replace. My plan would be invincible when I figured out how it would play out.

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