My feet were abruptly ripped out from under me and I hit the floor hard. My dagger clattered across the floor, I was dragged through the room and flung into the air upside down strung up like a hunter's kill.
I looked down, rather up, to see a thick rope knotted around my ankle, rigged to capture anyone who stepped inside the loop at its end. It had been placed directly in front of where Bellerose was currently standing. That meant he did in fact know that someone was coming after him.
And he executed the lure impeccably. I had been standing too close when I first arrived to kill him, but he drove me back when he stood up. He was repositioning me ... placing me, like a pawn on a chessboard.
"Shit, Val!" Bear began relaying emergency alerts to nearby allies who might be in the vicinity and available to help.
"No, not yet." I breathed out, only for Bear to hear. The last thing we need is more hands in this already boiling pot.
I made a scene to cover my words by swatting violently through the air, swinging myself towards his wardrobe which was only a few feet away but still out of reach. Bellerose laughed at my attempts and slowly walked towards me, one hand in his pocket and the other carrying my dagger from where he had stooped to pick it up. He twirled it between his fingers like a professional, with more talent and control than me even after a lifetime of practice.
Who is this guy?
"Let me down, asshole." I barked at him.
"So you break into my home, sneak into my room, attempt to murder me ... then start making demands when I defend myself?" He pouted playfully, "That hardly seems fair."
It wasn't what he said that irked me. It was the cocky smile that accompanied it, "You cheating son of a bitch-"
"First of all, keep your voice down. My mother is asleep down the hall," He tipped the knife towards the door, "And she would not be pleased to hear you speak of her first born son like that, she is ridiculously defensive of her children. Second of all, how in the world did I cheat?"
"It would have been fair to fight back." I wiggled again, "Traps like this are cowardly."
"So now I am an asshole, a cheat, and a coward?" He bounced my dagger against his leg, "How very judgmental of you, you have only just met me."
The situation was embarrassing enough but it was his provocation, and my upside down positioning, that made blood flood into my cheeks, "I would have killed you in an honest fight!"
"And I most certainly would have lost in an honest fight. I am better at long distance, psychological warfare." He confessed cheekily, "So is it not honest because I exploited my strengths?"
I felt as though I were lecturing a child, "It is not honest because you know you would have lost without your cheats and traps."
"You want to know what I think?"
"Oddly enough, I actually cannot express how much I don't want to know what you think."
He barreled on and mocked arrogantly, "I think you are just upset because you were not clever enough to evade my little cheat. You are meant to be a great Wolfe offspring, and you cannot even kill an untrained pretty boy? How shameful." That is the second time he has mentioned my family ... how does he know us? He tsked at my obvious failure, "It is alright, you win some and you lose some. Well, except for me." He bowed bodaciously, "I win them all."
"Oh really?" My equally arrogant grin must look quite devilish being viewed upside down, "Burying that old man this morning was a win for you, huh?"
His lighthearted manner vanished, "Do not talk about him. You did not know him and you do not have the right to speak about him." He quickly changed the subject by pointing the knife at me, "Now, what shall I do with my catch? Skin you? No, that's much too humane for someone of your filth. Perhaps I will instead enjoy sending your organs back to the hellhole you crawled out of." He was close now, "Yes, I think gutting you like a pig is adequate."
I snatched at my weapon but he pulled it away too fast. I huffed in frustration, "Considering I am not a pig, that will do you no good."
Bear's voice was even but laced with his fear, "Stay calm, Val. Don't let him bait you."
"Indeed you are no pig. You are the big bad Wolfe, come to slay Little Red Riding Hood. I will applaud your triumph in getting this far, it is no easy feat to break into my family's estate. Our lights and alarms failed, our guards were useless." He was enjoying this, "Yes, you certainly deserve acknowledgement. I would expect nothing less from a mercenary family generations in the making."
I leaned towards him as best I could while being so unsteady, and met his even stare with my wrathful one, "It was easy. Your fortress is not as impenetrable as you seem to think."
It did not anger him like I had hoped. In fact, it only excited him further.
In one quick swipe, he slashed my knife through the rope holding me up and I was hurled against the ground with a sickening thud. I felt every bone connect against that hard marble and it was even colder than I previously assumed. But I was on my feet before the pain registered and lunged for my weapon simultaneously, hoping to catch him off guard.
But he evaded my reach once again and admired my dagger closely, then stared at me sideways, "You sure want this back an awful lot ... family heirloom?"
I need to work on my cliché transparency.
He laughed at my reaction. It was a nice laugh that was abnormally ... normal. Not maniacal or wicked in any way, and not at all villainous. It was light and genuinely amused.
"I think it is safe to say that you are way out of your league." He twirled the knife a time or two more, then flipped it so he was holding the blade and he handed it back to me with the hilt outward for my taking.
This time, I did not hesitate. I grabbed the handle and jerked it back, slicing the blade cleanly through the palm of his hand.
He didn't even flinch.
"A god who can bleed is a god who can be killed." I threatened.
"Oh I am quite killable, I assure you. I am only human after all, despite what the tabloids might proclaim." He waved his hand in front of me where bright scarlet leaked down his fingers and dribbled onto the otherwise spotless marble at our feet, to prove that his statement was true, "But you already knew that, otherwise why accept a contract to kill me?"
His surpassing knowledge of my arrival still baffled me, "If you knew someone was coming to kill you, why put yourself at risk by staying here? You must have known the guards would not be enough to stop us, so why did you think a simple rope would be enough to protect you?"
I was caught because I let my consciousness take over. He was lucky I came instead of my brother. Bear would not have hesitated.
Then again, Bear probably would not have made it this far either.
"You do not look at all how I imagined a mercenary to look." He commented without answering my questions. I was dressed in stereotypical black with a scarf tied around my face, leather straps around my legs to hold my weapons and tools in place, and my hair locked back in a tight braid to keep it from getting in my way. How else did he expect a mercenary to look? He smiled again after taking in my appearance, "Don't hate me for saying this ... but at least you look more comfortable in this attire than that dress."
Bear audibly gasped.
My heart skipped, "You ... you saw me?"
"At the funeral parlor? Of course I saw you, how could I not? You followed me around like a lost puppy." He laughed boisterously. His steps were softer than mine considering he wore no shoes, and he circled around me while inspecting me closely, "But honestly, that dress looked good on you. You have legs that most models would be jealous of, trust me. One of my sisters is a model and I hear all about it-"
I swung the dagger at him again but not with intent to kill, just to scare him away from me. I aimed too far to the left and harmlessly caught air, "Sorry, dresses aren't my thing."
"But killing is, eh?" This topic caught his interest, "Let me guess, Abbot hired you."
Bear had a hard time keeping up, "Is it just me, or does this guy know way too much?"
"I presume he told you it was my fault his brother died, that I was a danger to him? Well I hate to tell you this but you have been conned, little con artist." Bellerose declared, "I am not the bad guy. In fact, I am the one trying to prove that Abbot killed his own brother."
I laughed out loud, "You actually think that round old nut has the stomach to kill his own brother? He could hardly look my mother in the eye."
"He puts up a good act. Abbot has despised his brother since they were children. Mr. Sutcliffe was the pride of their family and Abbot was never able to accept that, or live up to it." Bellerose took in my full figure and crossed his arms in thought, "How much did he pay you for my death?"
I gave him my most insulting grin, "Two whole pennies."
He scoffed, "Now you are just being mean, I know I'm worth more than that."
"Val, seriously, abort the mission. We'll regroup and finish it later." Bear ordered, "I don't like this. He knows too much. It's too risky for you to stay there."
Bellerose seemed to sense my intent to run and he moved to stand in front of the door, blocking the exit I had originally come through, "I have a proposition for you, Wolfe."
Thankfully, a wall of windows lay behind me, offering additional escape. I backed towards them, "I don't make deals with corpses."
"Good thing I'm not yet dead then, seeing as how this new offer is in your best interest. And mine." He folded both hands into his pockets now, adorning a formal expression one might wear to a meeting amongst colleagues at an office. In an instant, this attempt at murder turned into a conference of negotiation, "Let me buy you out."
"Excuse me?"
"Whatever Abbot is paying you, I will double it. Triple it. Whatever your price, just say it and it's yours."
Bear was cautious, "Don't fall for it."
As if I would, "Sorry. My contract is to kill Bellerose Percival Luxton, not make a deal with him."
"It's Bel." He reiterated stronger than before. Then rolled his head over stiff shoulders and loosened the grit in his clenched jaw, "My offer is legitimate, I am sure it is painfully obvious that money is no object. Not to me. And, as a mercenary, you go where the money takes you, isn't that right?"
How dare he think so lowly of us, "What kind of reputation would we have if we double crossed our clients whenever a better offer comes along?"
"Not a very good one, I imagine." Bellerose admitted.
From below the floor, I heard shouts of sudden recognition and a voice calling about an intruder.
Bellerose whirled towards the door then scurried towards me in a sudden panic, "Listen closely, Wolfe. You have approximately thirty seconds before our guards arrive here. I cannot explain appropriately in that time but I promise, if you agree to hear me out, I can make you one of the richest assassins in the world."
"We prefer to be called mercenaries-"
"The point is," He continued in vexation, "There is a greater opportunity for you. All I need is ten minutes of your time."
He then did something that I have never seen before.
The prosecuted helped his prosecutor. He ran past me to his window and threw it open, "Meet me tomorrow night in the city park. I will be by the fountain at nine o'clock sharp."
After I just tried to kill him, he is going to let me go? Not only that, he is helping me escape? And on top of it all, he wants to meet again?
Seriously, who the hell is this guy?!
Footsteps hammered down the hallway and Bellerose waved me forward, "Come on, hurry."
"Why are you doing this?" I asked him.
He looked towards the door twice before he answered, "Because in the past five minutes, I have come to realize that you might be exactly the person I need to finish Mr. Sutcliffe's final project. If, after our meeting tomorrow, you still want to kill me then I will gladly put my head on the chopping block and let you hack away. Do we have a deal?"
Furious knocks slammed against the door, "Mr. Bellerose, are you alright? The alarms have been disabled, you may be in danger!"
"One moment!" Bellerose yelled back. This time he grabbed my arm and shoved me towards the window, "Remember, nine o'clock at the fountain."
I ripped myself away from him, "I will not meet you there, Bellerose-"
"It's Bel!" He emphasized again, "And I do not believe you. You will come, I know you will. Now go, I will see you tomorrow."
"No you won't-"
But he had already slammed the window shut and I found myself crouched on a small rooftop awning just outside his window.
Bear was shouting again, "Worry about this later Val, you need to get out of there!"
I looked down and saw a flower bed below a tree. It would probably soften my fall, right?
Yeah ... no. Not at all.
The jump was hard and gravity throttled me against the ground with vengeance. Nothing broke but there was a distinct tear in my leg from something coming undone. But with all the focus on the top floor, there were no guards remaining in the yard and I had to take advantage of their absence. I hobbled out of the flowerbed and dove into the bordering shrubs, then shimmied through the fence and disappeared into the night.
Bear did not speak again until I was a mile out from the house, "That was close, Val. That was way too close."
"I know." I fumed, angrily.
"Get back to base and we'll patch you up."
"Don't tell mom or dad what happened."
"You're kidding right? You think I want to die?!" Bear exclaimed, "I'm not saying a damn thing. Just get home."
I splinted my leg and began the long walk back to our base. If nothing else, it will give me time to think and consider Bellerose's offer. I have no intention of accepting his contract but meeting him at the fountain would give me a second chance to clean up this mess before anyone found out I had failed so miserably.
I suppose he was right after all, he will see me tomorrow night at the fountain.
*Back at the Luxton House.*
Bel dismissed the guards as soon as they arrived and assured them quite completely that there was no intruder nor any signs that suggested he was in any danger. Although they were skeptical and raised concerns, they were in no position to question the young master and so they slowly wandered off with fleeting looks around the darkened room they were not permitted to enter.
Once they were gone, Bel returned to his window in just enough time to see a dark haired ghost disappear into the darkness.
"My, my. She was something, was she not?" Bel asked.
From the doorway, his mother rolled her eyes and clicked her nails against the doorframe, "I believe the word you are looking for is savage. You best take care, Bellerose. Your father will not stand for his own son befriending a Wolfe, even if it is strictly professional."
"I am well aware, you have told me many times before."
Yet her story was still incomplete in Bel's mind, especially now that he has actually met a member of the infamous Wolfe family; world class mercenaries, trained by the best to kill the best. But the cautions Bel's parents have forced upon him and his siblings over the years have always been fostered behind the walls of their castle and under the protection of their armies. It all felt incredibly fabricated.
That girl was not at all how Bel expected. From the rumors he has heard of the Wolfe family, his family's profound rivals, Bel lay in wait expecting a monster to come in the night to take his life. But she was not the rabid animal Bel has always been warned of.
If she were, she would have stabbed him while he slept, ruthless and in cold blood. That was a risk Bel had taken when he decided to set the trap, he knew there were no guarantees that he would be able to fend off his executioner. However, while standing over him, Bel saw the same confusion in her stare that he now held in my heart.
Was it possible she was a wolf without a pack, as much as he was a prince without a crown?
"My dear, naive son. You are at the age where you can decide for yourself, which fairytales to believe and which animals to pet. Just remember," His mother's heels tapped against the floor with her approach, silk nightgown flowing behind her and hair pulled into a tight topknot that highlighted the youth of her never aging face. She looked as young as her son, quite possibly even more. She lifted her hand to Bel's cheek and said quietly, "Some animals bite. And that one, she came to kill you."
"I know." Bel gently pulled away from her to stare out the window, marvelously smitten by the very woman his mother belittled.
His mother shook her petite head, "I pray the poor girl stays far from here, if only to be spared from that hormonal look in your eye."
But Bel knew there was nothing poor about that girl.
She was strong and defined in cords of trained muscle that cut her body into a weapon. She had the eyes of a hawk and a stare twice as sharp as any blade Bel has has ever handled, swaddled in something darkly passionate and determined and ... well, feral. As a Wolfe should be, fittingly enough. Her glare had burned Bel under the sweetest of embers and her voice, even while shooting insults and vulgarities, left a longing whistle in his ears. Her hair, so beautifully black, and her eyes, so mournfully grey, and those unforgettably rosy lips ...
"Unforgettable, indeed." Bel said to himself.
"Mind me not, I will just talk to myself." His mother sighed from somewhere behind him. She stalked back towards the hallway and added just before she left, "She is going to destroy you."
Bel sighed blissfully, "I hope so."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well that was fun ;) maybe not for Val but definitely for the rest of us!
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xoxo