The Story of Blood and Roses

I read the note again and again. I wasn't sure if I should feel threatened. Though the note seemed to be a bit smug in tone, it didn't seem like the person who wrote it would do any harm… yet.

Maybe I could let it go. I had enough on my plate to worry about and I was putting a lot of pressure on Daisy Green, too. She wouldn't appreciate me throwing another assignment at her.

'No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive our bosom interest. Go pronounce his present death and with his title greet Macbeth.

What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won.'

I read it again and sighed. This mystery man didn't exist until a day ago and now he's sending me notes?

I twirled the rose in my hand and flinched as it pricked my thumb. A drop of blood surfaced, and I pulled my finger to my mouth and sucked on it.

That was it. This black rose was a sign. Jasper was either very dangerous or very helpful. He was a huge risk in the case, and if he turned out to be on Anthony's side… I shuddered at the thought.

What if he was? Anthony called me his 'kitten' that day… I was so preoccupied with trying to convince myself that he didn't recognize me that I forgot to actually find out if he did recognize me.

I was pretty sure that I would have to put Daisy on my speed dial. I had been calling her way more times than I had ever called Jacob in a span of a week's time.

'Love, Jasper'

I dialed her number.

"Daisy Green," she said in a cold voice.

"Daisy, I need to ask you something." I was a bit hesitant to ask her, sure that she would ask me why I was asking such stupid questions.

"Yes?" she was paying full attention, now.

"How easy is it to dig up information on someone related to our organization?" I heard her breath catch. She already guessed.

"It depends on the level of secrecy the organization wants to keep for that particular person. Why do you ask?"

I laughed a little, knowing full well that she was panicking.

"So Agent Jasper is high priority?"

"Yes. It seems so. All information I could get was that he was on his first official mission with your mom and dad, but then his records are clean. It's as if he just went missing from the face of the earth. He was either killed or he left the organization. I couldn't get anything on him. He's a secret. I wanted to set up a meeting with the chief, but it seems hardly fair. He isn't involved in this case, and it would be wrong to divert our attention from our goal. We are going to take out Anthony Murray. We should forget about Jasper. It will only waste our time."

I could hear the shuffling of paper in the background.

"I received a package half an hour ago. Believe me, Jasper is very much alive. I don't know how he's involved in the case, but I have a very bad feeling that ignoring him is going to come back to bite us in the ass."

"I'm telling you, you're wasting your time. I know we were told that we should work as a team, but we need to steer off of the whole thing. Jasper isn't an issue. If he sends you something, throw it out. If you feel threatened, then leave it be."

"That's not very wise." I snapped at her.

"Well, I've got a lot on my mind. I need to clean up your records, make you look like you're a civilian gone wrong." Her voice became angrier as she spoke.

"What about Anthony? Can he access my files?" I ground my teeth together as I tried not to scream at her.

"I'm working on it. There has been no breach in the system yet; no one has hacked into the system and checked for your details." I pinched the bridge of my nose as I thanked God.

"Sean is good. Watch out."

With that, I hung up. Daisy was going to be pissed, but I needed to be sure. There were too many people involved, and with Daisy onboard, it felt as if one wrong step could mess everything up. That was always the case, but this—this uncanny feeling that the worst would happen—made my nerves buzz. I was being edgy and jumpy. I could snap with all the tension flowing through my body.

Jasper.

Anthony.

Mom.

Dad.

So many mysteries—so many questions I had no answers to. I had read the files; I had been in the presence of Anthony. He was a ruthless man, but somehow I felt that he didn't kill my mother. He was arrogant and reckless—shit!

I couldn't take anymore, and I had already begun to come in contact with the bitter truth of my life. This mission would alter me. It would bare me to the world of evil I had known very little despite my years in the organization.

At that moment, I wasn't sure I could trust anyone. Hell, I wasn't sure I could trust myself.

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