The Story of Blood and Roses

He spoke about Anthony and me and surprisingly about us trying to find out where the shipment was. My eyes widened when I heard the news, but Anthony seemed like the portrait of calmness and his smile widened.

"Aren't you worried?" I asked him.

"No. They're giving me all the excuses that I need to do whatever I want. Everyone who gets into the business knows that someone else is going to try and steal from them, finish off the competition, and no one really thinks much about it until you get caught. Stealing is bad enough, but getting caught is the worst. Having proof that they've made this colossal mistake makes me have an upper hand in this whole situation."

"You're a control freak," I chuckled as I listened in on Joe saying goodbye to Nolan.

"You're one as well, Mia." I shrugged, accepting the statement and then waited for Nolan to come out. We saw the door open and Nolan emerged from behind it. He had his cell phone clutched in his hand and he was dialing a number on it. He pulled the phone to his ears and waited for the other person to pick up. I kept close eyes on his lips, ready to lip read if I needed to. Suddenly his lips moved and I made out the words as clear as day.

"I have it," I repeated in hushed tones. Anthony nodded in agreement with my correct lip reading and then sighed.

"I'll be going off to sleep now," he mumbled, and just as he did his head snapped up again. This time it was Jacob who walked past the car in the confident gait of his. I took in his gear and smiled. He had a long black coat on and his head sported a beanie. On his shoulder was a strap that held a guitar case. One would presume that he was a musician, and that worked for him. He hid his equipment in the case and it made it inconspicuous.

I stared at Anthony as I watched his eyes follow Jake's form until he was out of sight. Anthony then sighed and slumped back on the seat.

We waited for another hour after which we saw Joe stumbling out of the bar. He was intoxicated, yet had none of his girls to escort him. He seemed happy enough as he sang and stumbled across the road. Suddenly, the wind changed and his body jerked. As if coughing, his shoulder slouched. I looked on, horrified by the admission that it had taken just one clean shot. The body now lurched forward and hit the pavement with a thud.

I heard Anthony swear under his breath, but I remained rooted to the memory of the small hole at the back of Joe's head, right between where his hair ended and the collar of his round necked t-shirt. It was a clean shot meant to kill and it had been done artfully.

No doubt, Jacob was a good shot, and this time he didn't even miss a single one.

"Let's get out of here before Luke can pin this on us." And as the engine came alive, I felt a small smile forming on my lips.

"We didn't really need to do much," I snickered.

"I need a drink," I heard Anthony grumble. I couldn't have agreed more.

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