The Story of Blood and Roses

"Sir, I did explicitly mention that I was noting the competence of the help you keep, sir. Your own indiscretions are being ignored for this part of the conversation." There was no sense of nervousness coming from the other side of the call. I hoped that it was the calm before the storm where Luke Darcy would lose his composure. "The person that seems to be carrying out these plans of yours is Nolan, and to be quite honest, we want our hands on him. He has made our lives difficult as is." I felt like snickering as I said the words. What an immature brat, I was acting like.

"And you think I will agree to this preposterous demand because..." he trailed off, the statement packed with a challenge and a mocking question.

"All is fair in a little competitiveness in mobs, sir; airing people's dirty laundry is never out of limits." The chill in my voice sounded uncannily like the times I had heard Anthony speak. Luke voiced the very same thoughts that passed my head.

"So, you're the new girl who Anthony has with him at all times. He is teaching you well. I hope you remember all that he teaches you and not become a weakling like the last one. It's a pity that she would become a pawn to our games. She was, indeed, a very talented and bright lady," I could hear the snort that followed the mockery of a sympathetic statement. A sense of foreboding hit me, but I shunned it away and deemed it a ploy he constructed to put me out of my game.

"Thank you for your concern, sir, it is highly appreciated." I then turned to Anthony for the sign. "Coming back to the subject of airing dirty laundry. We do have evidence that it was you that stole the shipment from Mr. Murray and planned to sell off the products with your own name. We also have a detailed record of your poor techniques to get back at Boss."

"And what harm would that do me, girl?"

"Anthony was your highest paying customer. If you could turn on him, you could turn on any of them. The economy is fragile, and despite knowing that you are the monopoly in most parts of the world in the armament industry, it is a known fact that Anthony has been recently venturing into the field as well. I will be sorry to inform you that in all possibility, you will be portrayed as the bad man who tried to usurp the commodities of a customer. The demand for your goods will fall, and you will face a bit of a fix, then. Do you think you will be able to manage the loss that your decision could incur?"

"And what of Nolan? What do you want to do with him?"

"We just want to let you know that the man has been too nosey and the Boss doesn't like it. He will be punished for his wrong-doings and not you simply because we don't have the concrete proof as to if he was acting on command or not."

"Where does he fit into all of his?"

"He will be murdered, Darcy," Anthony interrupted. "Now be the good old fella and admit your mistake." The message was loud and clear.

"Sir, we are just trying to renegotiate the drug deal," I assured in a sickeningly sweet voice. "In exchange of enjoying the benefits of trade with Anthony, you will have to give up on Nolan."

"I still do not understand your fascination with this man. He is just a kid."

"Then the boy must be precious to you, Darcy. You really don't want to give him up?" Anthony acted as if he was disappointed, but a wicked smile dominated his features. "Then I have another deal for you."

"Mr. Darcy, do you think that this could be a renegotiation of the terms of trade between the two of you among a few other issues?" I voiced, taking the reins in my hand again. "You must choose one of the options."

"I need to hear what I am going to be offering in both cases before I can make a decision on the matter... miss..." he trailed off, trying to goad me into telling him my name.

"I'm sure Nolan has been kind enough to mention my name in passing conversations, sir. I don't think that my name is something we should waste time on." I kept the impatience as bay. He would not find even a single slip in my demeanour.

"Ah," he exclaimed before letting out a chortle. Yes, a chortle. He definitely sounded like a horse at that moment. "Tell me about my options."

"You either handover Nolan to us or you renegotiate your terms of business with Mr. Murray." The other side of the line went silent. Obviously, to make a choice without knowing the bargain was a reckless deed. But all of us knew that Nolan was precious enough to take any risk. As far as we had collected, the boy was Darcy's relative of sorts. He would never jeopardize the life of someone who shared the same blood as he did.

"I'll say that I am interested in negotiating," he replied rather predictably after a few minutes. Anthony nodded at me and then asked me to hand him the cell phone.

"Thank you for cooperating, sir. Mr. Murray will shortly confer with you." The cell phone was now placed in front of Anthony whose face was harder than stone as he explained the terms he was putting forward, in front of Luke Darcy.

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