The Cherry Signature

Chapter one: Amelia

The first thing people notice is the lipstick.

Not the body.
Not the blood.
Not the fact that someone powerful enough to believe they were untouchable is now lying lifeless on their own floor.

The lipstick.

Cherry red.

My signature.

I stare at the small piece of paper between my fingers, carefully dragging the tube across the edge before pressing my lips against it. A perfect imprint. A warning. A reminder.

Everyone deserves to know who ended their game.

Even if they'll never know my name.

I place the paper against the man's chest, securing it with a small piece of tape. My eyes scan the message one last time.

Still can't find me?

A small smile threatens to appear beneath my mask.

They never do.

For years, detectives, criminals, and men who think they own the world have tried to uncover the identity of the person leaving behind a trail of cherry kisses and unanswered questions.

They've searched for a monster.

They've searched for a man.

They never thought to look for me.

A twenty-year-old woman who learned how to disappear long before she learned how to live.

I step away from the body, adjusting the sleeves of my black jacket as I look around the room one final time. Everything is exactly how I found it.

Except for him.

He deserved this.

They all do.

That's what I tell myself every time.

Because revenge is the only thing that kept me breathing after they took everything from me.

The Rosario name used to mean power. Respect. Fear.

My family had everything.

Until someone decided we didn't deserve it.

Now, the only thing left of the Rosario legacy is me.

And I'm not the daughter they remember.

I'm the consequence they created.

I leave without a sound, disappearing into the city that never sleeps.

New York has no idea what just arrived.

But it will.