"Yes, I could... if that's the kind of reason you want."
Rose wanted to say something like that. But the only action she could take was to give Theo a deep lick in lieu of words, which could not be spoken. Until Theo left, only the touch of lips became a gesture and burned in silence. Rose could not possibly express everything she felt, especially since she was still immersed in a big dilemma. Rose's breath came in ragged gasps, then put the listening device in her ear. Sitting back on the bed was Rose's main goal. Two monitors were in view. One indicated the presence of several guards in each of the recorded rooms—passing by, among them never separated from their firearms. The second monitor had a black display, which meant Theo was traveling towards the outdated warehouse. Rose had to be patient with the camera lens that was not yet open for her. [Test. Rose, do you copy?] Rose gasped. Theo's questio"Can't you just go straight to where Sean's being kept without passing through there?" Rose pursed her lips in anxious expectation. She had to fight the pause Theo gave before the man answered. [I can't. The victims were already scattered when I was at the front gate. They won't stay silent."] [Where should I go right now?] [Hurry, Rose! Before they disperse.] "Right." Theo's insistence almost made Rose unable to think. Her one word was something that came out spontaneously. Rose closed her eyes, not daring to witness or even stare at Theo's displacement as he explored every dimly lit hallway. The clomping of feet and ragged breathing pitted each other. The faint tones of strangers talking blended with the sound of a door opening. [Come toward me, mother fucker.] Theo's baritone voice was clearly just challenging. Ne
"Please hold on, sir." Lion repeatedly turned his face away amidst the onslaught of driving focus, or simply gazed from the rearview mirror to make sure Theo's consciousness was still within reach of the master. Theo's face was pale, sometimes his throat moved up and down, or his lips more often closed and then opened silently. At first glance... those who didn't look closely would think the man was fine. The reality was far different. No matter how many wounds Theo had, all were covered almost perfectly by the black cloth wrapped around the body-the lower half was torn with holes. There were wet spots, and ones that had hardened after the blood had dried. "Hang in there, Mr. ...." Lion's tone was the first time the man was unable to condition. Theo's response was too little, barely any movement. Forcing Lion to stop the car and turn completely backwards. "Sir?" The skin of Theo's hands was cold. The closed eyes further ad
Not yet fully recovered from the aftermath of the reaction that almost destroyed the defense. Theo had to face the attacks of the previous two men. Successfully... as well as getting one shot lodged in the shoulder. Theo got up as his opponent lay unconscious. He leaned on anything that could support his body—struggling through any life—threatening situation. In front of the closed door. Theo slowly stepped into the place where Sean was trapped. The sound of screeching clashed with the grunts of a man in the corner of the room. "A murderer, is a murderer. That will never change." The silhouette of Vladimir's body refracted outside. Theo gave him a sharp, piercing stare. "What do you want?" he asked. However, a burst of thunderous laughter was all he got. At the same time, Vladimir quickly stood in front of Theo. "It's simple. Stop being a slave to the government and cooperate with me." Theo chuckled. "I
A small remote control was already in Theo's grasp. That being said, if Vladimir wanted to play, he should get to know Theo better. Coming unarmed... that would never happen. Theo had everything ready. From the next building, he had positioned the blaster rifle directly facing the open window of their current location. "You won't be able to fight me. Your only choice is to agree or-" "Never ...." Theo hissed. Lasers flashed from the remote in his hand aimed at each of the gunmen. Bang! Bang! Bang! He hides behind a large pillar as bullets begin to scorch almost all of them. Vladimir manages to read Theo's actions, and is no less quick to shield himself from the surprise attack. "You bastard!" cursed Vladimir once he felt safe. The man's rage exploded as he watched his subordinate fall to the ground. "Yeah, and you picked the wrong guy." "B
"Theo." Rose continued to mumble a little, occasionally rubbing her face uneasily. Rose's footsteps moved back and forth in a straight line. Hoping Travis would return from his business soon. "Here we go, Miss." It just so happened that the man appeared as soon as Rose noticed the door leaf. "Whose blood are you holding, Travis?" The frown on Rose's forehead interlocked. Two bags of blood made her feel strange. Why would Travis stock the thick red liquid in the mansion. "Mr. T. I just picked it up yesterday." Travis focused on attaching the hose that connected between the needle piercing Sean's vein and the end of the bag whose purpose was a big question mark in Rose's head. "Why did you keep Theo's blood?" Rose thought it was a good time to find out. Travis might be able to answer a few loose ends. "Because I had to, Miss." Travis' brief smile played on his lips. "Rh-null. The type of group Mr. T have. It's very rare, and therefore he can't
"You shit, Travis!" he swore repeatedly. Lion's jaw clenched. "Just give it to me, what the hell! You can find a regular blood type at the Red Cross Society or somewhere else." "As for me? One thing you should know. The one who fought so hard, risking his life for the man you treated, is dying in the hospital. I need this blood for Mr. T!" Lion's voice boomed. "Now I ask you. Where else can you get this blood, huh?" Furious. Lion tugged at Travis's collar. Couldn't resist dropping a punch in the face. Travis was completely speechless. "What do you mean by talking like that, Lion?" From start to finish Lion's statement jolted Rose. Her eyes reddened, unable to keep the reminiscing water at bay. Rose's vision was blurry and glassy. She tried hard to deny it. However, Lion's anger really conveyed the root of the error. "Tell me what you mean, Lion!" Rose pulled
Travis's reaction wasn't much more than an exasperated sigh. "Why, Miss? I shouldn't keep a picture of my own fiancée? I mean, someone I once had an engagement to." Rose was speechless. Never really knowing who Travis' feelings were bound up with all this time. That expression and that look in his eyes were filled with pain. Rose didn't mean to hurt him. "I made a promise to my fiancée to always give my best. At least not get Mr. T or Mr. Zever in big trouble. But now... that promise is broken. The blood that was wasted, can't be replaced with anything." Travis pressed a deep face. His statement made Rose realize... a great gulf lay before them. There was no telling what the doctor would say once he got out of the place that Rose found so threatening. She tried to recall some of the facts Travis had revealed moments ago. About the blood and its rarity. The longer Rose dug into what she'd forgotten, the more options and
"There is good news, sir. The dark world is in mourning. Polensius Vladimir... was reported dead last night. And his body will be buried soon." The corners of the old man's lips tugged upwards. He had been expecting this news for weeks. Exactly today, instant victory was increasingly in his favor. He was completely satisfied with Vladimir's death. Since learning Theo had reopened the syndicate his son had. Verasco's chance to avenge Dara's departure is wide open. Verasco was never happy with Theo's decision a few years ago. Putting Vladimir behind bars, then choosing to live a peaceful life like most normal people. It really didn't make up for his loss back then. The sound of the gavel was a painful one for Verasco. But he had no choice, other than not wanting to get his hands dirty and feeling that Theo had full responsibility for the life of his beloved daughter. Verasco's patience paid off. He did not misread the d
Zever's sudden departure made quite an impression on Rose. At that moment she and Travis silently watched the backs of two people who were moving away. Rose didn't dare say anything as she herself realized Travis was leaving her behind—Travis looked down and Rose hoped he was okay, then followed with careful steps carrying her triplet into the mansion building. Two hours after the incident in the back garden, and after putting the children to bed, Rose soon caught up with Zever's whereabouts. Through the messages given to Lion, Rose certainly monitored whatever was happening outside. This included asking how Travis was doing. The man was behaving as before, but there was one problem. Zever in the living room with a ripple face so cold and gray eyes that stared half-empty arranged miniature joints on the table. Rose repeatedly took a breath just to steady herself sitting next to her husband. "Zever," Rose called out, wanting to make sure he would respond or not. Z
"I'm done, Theo. Now it's your turn—" Rose thought, after stepping out of the bathroom and changing there. She would find Theo keeping all three of their babies in their proper positions, but that big body—in his sideways sleep—seemed to be deeper than the three babies who were snoozing peacefully. Exhausted. That's how Rose interpreted it, because these days Theo was often busy in the middle of the night—looking after their babies, while Rose was forced to rest. Rose smiled slightly as she rubbed the top of Theo's head. It was only for a moment that she turned to her triplets to transfer them to the trolley. Rose would take them for a walk in the back garden. Finished with the transfer she returned to Theo simply covering her husband's body with a thick blanket. "We're leaving first." Rose briefly kissed the corner of Theo's face. She pushed the trolley carefully towards the elevator. Rose already knew where the elevator was, it was quite hidden—and Theo had no
"I got a lot of grandchildren." O'Douglas laughed like a pirate captain who had just discovered a historic treasure. Each of the middle-aged man's arms flanked two tiny babies, while the other was in the arms of Verasco, who continued to hold them, occasionally bringing them closer with a lighthearted joke. There was no telling what Rose would say as she watched her children being swarmed as soon as Verasco and O'Douglas walked into the ward. She had just finished breastfeeding, so the satiated babies would just sleep through the day, and not trouble their two grandfathers. "You never stopped looking at me," Rose said quietly. Most of the time Theo had a glare on his face, but right now the gray bead was shining something different. It was so loving and some of it Rose couldn't interpret correctly. How could Rose stand being shot at so closely. Theo had to, just once, look away from her. "Thank you, Sugar." A gentle touch on the skin of Rose's face made her
Rose didn't expect Theo to take her to the island of Ortogia, the historical center of the Sicilian city of Sirakusa, to enjoy the beauty of the Mediterranean sea. The scents by the sea were soothingly beautiful. Rose had not forgotten that Theo had not once let go of her body on the man's broad shoulders after walking along the old buildings on the islands of Ortogia. "Whose house is this?" asked Rose looking at a sturdy building that looked like it was meant for two people to live in. "Our house." There wasn't much Rose could say, except to bury her face deep in the hollow of Theo's neck. The masculine scent was still very much present, even after they had spent the whole day entertaining the guests, as if the perfume was very much at home on Theo's clay skin. "Want to go straight to bed or shower first, Sugar?" In front of a door Theo stopped and let Rose get on the floor. Between hesitation and the need for something fresh she finally looked up at Theo.
"Ready?" Rose nodded as Theo spoke over the top of her head. She was indeed standing with her back to Theo, holding the handle of a long cookie-cutter knife, while Theo's large fingers grasped each of her knuckles warmly. The multi-tiered cake, or not much different from a fragile tower, was being split open. The blade slowly descended downward to symbolize sharpness. Rose smiled almost melting into laughter when Theo whispered something funny to her, funny but Rose wouldn't tell anyone. Let her keep it to herself and make it an important fun moment. After the first slice of cake Rose and Theo should have been feeding each other. Instead Theo scooped out the cream and immediately applied it to Rose's lower lip. Rose's face was a mess, but that was exactly what Theo wanted. He took Rose's lips like he was taking a delicious cake. The sweetness of the sugar and butter mixture seemed to make Theo insatiable. He licks Rose so intimately—there's no end to it—that Rose
"It's enough. I'm full." Again Rose had to restrain herself as Theo's big fingers tried to push away the bowl of white porridge in her hand. "Just a little more, Theo. You have to finish your porridge." "Come on." Rose brought another spoonful of porridge closer, but that face refused. "Don't make me eat bad porridge, Sugar. It's tasteless." "That's why if you eat while looking at me, you'll get some flavor." "One more bite. I promise after this is over." "I don't believe it. You said that earlier, don't you remember?" Rose's wide grin completely fooled Theo. The man was exactly a child who had lost his appetite. It was very difficult to persuade him to open his mouth. "This time I'm serious about the last one. Ahk... open wide." Rose thought Theo would immediately accept her bribe. Instead, the man moved the elbow of Rose's hand, moving the bow of the spoon to Rose's own lips. "You should eat too." "I ate earlier," Ro
One day after Theo regained consciousness, Rose finally decided to return to her home, the place where she once lived alone next to her small restaurant. At the moment there wasn't much for Rose to do other than prepare to meet Theo at the hospital. Rose immediately drove her father's borrowed car. On the back passenger seat she placed a medium-sized box with several holes in it that was wrapped very beautifully. While beside her sat a cute little dog with curly hair and white color like cotton. Yesterday Rose had just bought the poodle breed at the pet shop. Intrigued. That was all that drew Rose's desire to bring home the poodle named Cocomelo. "We've arrived." Rose prepared a special backpack to carry Cocomelo on her shoulders, so that when she first entered the infirmary Theo would not immediately meet her Cocomelo but Rose would show him. And in her hand, she carried the medium-sized box and walked into the hospital. Not just daring, but Rose had already ob
Coming back from the bathroom, Rose thought she would be faced with the same situation. She had warned against it by waiting longer in the humid room until some of the noises from outside faded away. But everything Rose had expected was not true. The blood seepage on the floor when she opened the door was gone. Verasco's subordinates... even Verasco himself was nowhere to be seen, in his husband's infirmary. All that was left was Lion waiting very quietly, arms folded across his chest as he watched Theo silently. "Are you still here, Lion? Where are the others?" asked Rose as her steps brushed the side of the blanket. "Mr. Verasco asked me to wait here, Miss." Lion's attention was finally diverted. Rose suspected that he had just returned from the police station and helped Verasco and Elijah to execute George. As for George's betrayal, perhaps it was a wake-up call for Verasco to be more intolerant of hidden intentions and whatever else might happen. "Where is my
"On the way home. Their story has a happy ending. Finished." Rose closed the 400 pages book and placed it on the nightstand. Reading sweet stories had become her routine in the past few days. Rose smiled slightly at her husband's face who was lying so quietly. This morning the breathing apparatus had just been removed indicating Theo's condition was getting better after the bloody spear incident. Luckily, they immediately brought Theo to get the right treatment. Theo had to undergo surgery three times. He had lost a lot of blood and needed transfusions as soon as possible. Rose remembered that some arguments happened between them regarding Theo who had very step blood, even Verasco was helpless about it. Just a Wench .... That's what Verasco said at that time with a trembling tone of voice. Like he was so regretful. Really regretful, until finally Travis suggested the few people who were still left in Italy to bring some bags of Theo's blood that were taken two