ROSE.
I stared into my reflection in the large mirror. It took about half of the wall towards the sink. For some reason, the words of that sparky lady earlier remained imprinted in my memory.
Luca had married me to have me killed if I was to interpret her rude words.
Why that made me feel bad was a mystery to me. After all, I had also married him to bring him down. So we were both looking out for the worst for each other.
I wiped my brows of the tiny trickle of sweat that threatened to ruin my makeup. Luca had just abandoned me at the table to talk to the man I recalled to be his uncle.
For some reason, I felt uncomfortable around him. He had these sharp eyes that seemed to read me on a deeper level.
"Are you done in there, ma'am?" Hugo's deep voice drew me back to the present. I had forgotten he was outside the bathroom, waiting for me. He had been as close tomem as my shadow since Luca left, and it made me so uncomfortable. What was the point when Luca had married me so his enemies could kill me instead?
"Can you give a lady time?" I snapped. I hadnimtended for it to come out lighter than it did. It turned out I was super frustrated as it was.
"I have strict instructions to not be far away from you for as much as ten minutes."
My eyes rolled on their own accord. Typical Luca. How I even got ten minutes was a miracle.
"I'll be out soon. Just give me a moment," I stated, grabbing my phone, which had just buzzed with a message.
It was from Trevor, and all it contained was two simple sentences. 'Be alert. Get clued from Ivanov.'
A groan threatened to escape my lips, but I suppressed it. Who was Ivanov?
"Ivanov will pay you the rest when the job is completed, man. Screw it up, and your life is screwed. Got it?"
"I don't screw up, man. Give me the money!" A sharp voice snapped. "This is a dangerous task. My boss will have my head if he figures out anything is wrong. You have to increase my balance."
I stared around anxiously, wondering where the voices were coming from. It seemed to be coming from somewhere behind the walls of the female bathroom.
There was an over the wall, which could grant me a view of the people speaking. Curiosity got the better of me and against my better judgment, I pulled off my shoes and began to climb the sinks. Gladly, they were sturdy enough to bear my weight.
"Don't be a greedy bastard. Get the job done and my boss will know how to compensate you duly."
My calves ached by the time I was able to see into the space outside the bathroom through the hole. Sadly, the man who spoke last was disappearing out a door while the other man's face was hidden in the shadows. A muffled groan escaped my lips. I had missed them. How was I supposed to find Ivanov now?
I stretched my legs to move downwards when the man who had gotten the money looked up, almost staring in my direction. I ducked just in time after seeing the scare on his brows and the ugly scowl on his face. He looked oddly familiar.
Looking back again, I saw him haul a sack and head out. A tattoo on his wrist caught my eye. A small drawing of a cobra. I had no clue what that meant, but it was worth noting.
The door to the bathroom flew open, making me stumble and lose my balance. I crashed into the ground in an embarrassing manner, and my heart raced like that of a deer caught in the headlights. Had the mad at the tattoo caught me?
"I told you I was going to come in if you spent more than ten minutes," Hugo's voice was stern as he stared down at me. I had never been more relieved to see him in my life.
I cleared my throat, distorting my face in exaggerated pain. " I slipped and fell."
He did not look convinced, though. He stared around the bathroom for a moment as though looking for a clue.
"Aren't you supposed to help me up, Mr. Bodyguard? I'm in pains here," I snapped, hoping to douse his suspicions.
Without another word, he bent to lift me but stumbled when the sounds of gunshot rang loudly. My heart stopped. What was going on?
"We need to get out of here!" Hugo snapped, pulling me to my feet and pulling out a gun from God-knows-where.
The commotion from the hall sounded even louder as Hugo led me out of the bathroom. My eyes widened as bodies fell left and right. His gun kept firing without ceasing as some masked individuals appeared in front of us and tried to attack us.
As he engaged in combat with three masked gusyw hi tried to injure him, a guy came out of the shadows and lounged at me, pulling me by the arms. He gripped a knife tightly.
My eyes widened. I was in a fix. I could either risk him slitting my throat or fight him off and rouse Hugo's suspicions.
When he swung his knife towards me, I rammed my knees between his legs, decapitating him for just six seconds before he arose again, even more furious.
Hugo was too busy taking out the goons in front of him, so I took advantage of the opportunity to deploy my skills.
The look of shock on my assailant face as I skillfully collected his knife and stabbed him with it made a smirk appear on my lips.
Another masked man rushed in my direction like a crazy bull, but I kicked him in the chest. Spinning in the air by th impact, I landed safely on my tiptoes and fingers.
A smirk played on my lips as I stabbed him and two other guys who tried to grab me with his knife.
I caught sight of another masked man approaching me with a linger dagger, and my breathing slowed. I readied my stance to fight back when a familiar voice drew closer.
"Get away from her!" Bullet shots fired at his words, and the assailant dropped down dead.
It was Luca. I instantly slumped to the ground, bawling in tears and appearing defenceless.
"Thank you," I mumbled in a pitiful tone, avoiding his eyes.
I could only hope he hadn't seen me fight off those men...