A while back ....
...When Rose went into the forest. Theo thought there was nothing to do but write down some important messages and send them to Lion via email. 15 minutes of time left. He didn't try to force himself to be free from the reality he had to accept. Aren't life and death two things that cannot be predetermined by humans. Why should he involve himself in distress, while sitting quietly in the driver's seat was not something that had much effect on skeptical minds. For a second or two Theo waited for the call to come in. His guess was never wrong that Verasco would call his cell phone again. Theo slid the green button and immediately positioned the flat object next to his face. No need for earphones when he wasn't traveling. "Times countdown, right?" Theo spoke without waiting for a greeting from the other person. Instead of sweet words, a loud curse from the other side boomed out. [Stupid!]."What are you-" Lewis' sentence was cut short. Theo grabbed him by the collar. Bringing the man closer, he plunged the knife into the neck, right at the vein, and then sliced horizontally until Lewis's blood splashed out. Lewis died in agony before his body fell to the ground with minutes to spare. Theo took advantage of the time available by removing all the cloths on his body. Intending to swap the formal attire for the casual look Fredy was currently wearing. Unfortunately, the man acted first, grabbing the pocketknife Theo had laid down - and then deftly resisting, applying deep, far-reaching pressure that Theo dodged and resulted in a long scratch on the surface of his bare chest. "Damn it!" cursed Theo softly as the attack continued to be brutal. The knife in Fredy's hand changed hands again. The eight minutes of time Theo had left was used to stab Fredy in the chest. There was a pause during which the man was still conscious
A chill touched her skin as Rose let the water flow over her legs. She was still wearing a dress, while her tuxedo suit was placed carelessly on a bed of rocks. Rose's teeth chattered together. It was unbearably cold, with fresh, unpolluted air filling her lungs. Rose was half bent over staring at her own reflection on the surface that was being tossed about by the current. Theo was left alone when she said yes to the man's invitation to bathe together. The man was too good at flirting. Rose should have started by washing her face, but the warm embrace behind her back stopped her in her tracks. She touched the perfectly coiled arm, then changed the gesture to lean a little straighter in front of Theo's broad chest-forgetting that Theo was still injured. "Take off your dress if you want to shower." The whisper tickled Rose's ears. One thing required her to give Theo a warning... they were out in the
"You like fishing. But if your target is already hooked, you'll get a headache." Those were the words after Theo broke away. It was true, Rose wouldn't interrupt... deliberately rubbing Theo's rough jaw, to recall some details of the incident before the car explosion incident separated them. Rose forgot to say something. It was her turn to pull Theo's face and give him a light peck on the lips. "Maybe that day has passed. But happy birthday," Rose whispered followed by a small smile. She had just fixed Theo with an unfocused stare. "How did you know?" A skeptical question Theo shouldn't have asked. "I saw the birthday cake on the table before we split up and you went to see your dad. It had Zever's name on it with the number 33 candles. Your birthday too, right?" The hesitant and faint nod confirmed Rose's words. "Where's my present?" Two words that managed to turn the atmosphere a lit
"No need to bandage it, Sugar. Just leave it like this." Theo tried to prevent the tugging of the thin fabric on Rose's body. The backless dress was no longer as perfect as the first time Rose wore it. Theo was too late. The sound of tearing indicated that the dress had partially become long strips, similar to what Rose had done to tie the firearm to her leg. The wound on Theo's body had to be covered, at least until the t-shirt dried in the sun. Rose didn't object and wouldn't have heeded Theo's statement until she pulled the big shoulders back. "Don't move," Rose ordered as she moved closer. She grabbed Theo from behind. Positioning the scratches to be covered by the cloth that had been joined end to end, so as to wrap her husband's upper body crosswise. "I told you not to. Now your clothes are short of material." "I've been short of material from the start," Rose said indiffe
"Why don't you ask yourself that when you see me kill." Theo shrugged indifferently. "I'm not condoning your actions, but sometimes doing something bad for the sake of good doesn't hurt." After all, he had been involved in such acts more often than not, and countless lives had been lost at his hands. "You seem to be getting wiser the older you get," Rose said. Did she just make a compliment? "No, I didn't. It's just that I feel-" "You're very skillful and cunning?" "Not really." Rose noticed the slight twitch of narrowed eyes amidst the small snickers. "You're always sneaky about everything." She said when the voice stopped. "If that's what you think... I won't argue. Now we're here." The grip on her body weakened. Rose spontaneously broke away and stood on the ground, watching
Two hours of waiting at the edge of the rushing stream. Rose sat with her legs bent, one arm supporting her head on its side. The rest of her body stretched out to touch the seepage of water from upstream to downstream. She had insisted on accompanying Theo to look for firewood, but he had flatly refused - citing the classic excuse of energy and safety. Rose thought letting her wait alone, really, wasn't the same as bringing her along on a safe line. Theo was clearly wrong in that interpretation. They could come ambushing Rose at any moment, though she hoped it never happened. Rose's sense of vigilance was still strong. Sometimes turning back just to make sure that no one was there, apart from Theo who was approaching from the other side. Rose stood at attention waiting for Theo to stand in front of her. Rose's attention was drawn to a sizable gilled creature wrapped in a white plastic bag. A drop of water kept falling down, draining
For Rose it was an ambiguous sentence. She didn't understand the meaning of Theo's statement. "Why can't I ask questions? Why should I get an answer later?" "Why don't we go home? Why do we have to wait until one night?" Protests and a barrage of questions began to come out of her head in sharp tones. A thousand times Theo silenced her. Rose would never stop. "I didn't ask for your credit card pin. Why is it so hard to answer?" "It's just easier to tell you a number. We have no right, Sugar. I know my father, he won't let us go easily." Theo's words unconsciously made Rose take a step back. "It turns out that everything that happened was because of your father? The person who called was also... your father?" At the time of the incident Rose thought Verasco was the mastermind of the painful times she had to go through. But she dismissed any bad thoughts-that a father wouldn't be so willing to put his chil
The firearm was already in Rose's grasp. Running away from her previous position had been a constant activity ever since she decided to leave Theo there. Rose was getting further and further away from the corner of the towering tree. Her steps continued to carry her through several branching paths. She desperately hoped Theo was still asleep so he wouldn't have a chance to smell her leaving. Slight chance... Rose smiled as she realized she was nearing the border of the vehicle traffic. She continued to paw at her feet before a strong and rough blow to the back of her neck stopped her ability to move. The instant, all-encompassing pain nearly froze Rose. She forced herself to turn around, to find a horde of strange men standing proudly... rippling with cruel smiles and a deep mysterious edge. "Where are you going again, beautiful?" Rose's gaze was unfocused. She wanted to dodge but the blow she
Bang! The sound of a gunshot rang out after Rose caught up with Theo in the training room. The first time she set foot she found a navy blue coat lying on its side, almost slumped over the foot of the sofa. Rose clucked as she tidied it up and positioned it in a better spot. Theo's broad shoulders never escaped her gaze. The remaining white shirt wrapped around his sexy body. Rose leaned back with her arms folded across her chest. Bang! Another shot hit its mark. Theo was too skilled for anything related to the current activity. Shooting was the most common habit, or actually Theo's life would never be free from such things. Like some of the events that had ended. Rose recalled Theo's statement to the line a while ago, 'killing for pay.' She both needed Theo and worried. Theo is important to help her get revenge. However, Rose was well aware that being a contract killer was not easy. At any time Theo could be harmed, including enemies—enemies who would n
"Oracle. He was afraid, didn't even want to see me." Silence to understand. Rose tried to piece together the tangled threads, which were tangled without end. The main objects started from the octopus doll to other toys, which Rose slowly understood. "You went to see Oracle, is that it?" asked Rose carefully keeping her tone. Theo's faint nod provoked the next sentence to hang on the edge of her throat. "So you bought all these toys for Oracle?" Rose confirmed once more. "Yes. And this is for the little cuties. But they all refused. Wouldn't accept my gifts." Octopus doll for Acampeliaz .... No wonder it's so special, Rose wondered. "Leave it to me. I will give these toys and dolls to Oracle and Campel." Rose had her hands up, perhaps Theo would immediately hand over all the small objects. However, what happened instead was that Theo arranged a set of robots from the 'marvel' series, including a s
"Let go, Dad, I'm going home." "The people here are sickening! I don't like it." The attachment continued for Mr. Alejandro. He had to accept the fate of the mess he himself had created. It's all affecting his daughter. The poor woman who must endure the pain of revenge and mutual destruction. Mr. Alejandro was looking for the wrong opponent, not understanding the things he was ignoring. He should have started the war when Bouldog died. But the desire to possess Theo overcame everything. He never thought that Theo would be the most difficult to conquer. One time he acted, multiple times he was attacked in silence. That ingenuity was what he had dreamed of. Unluckily, Mr. Alejandro was unlikely to be ambitious again. While his daughter had been destroyed. Mr. Alejandro waited for the right time, at least until Elsesa—Elsa could compensate for the woman's mental and physical state after being hit simultaneously. "Calm your
Rose had to admit that Theo was quite different by remaining silent when their position was intact. The last sentence from her was ignored, the man was busy sniffing Rose's body scent. Deeply nuzzling the surface of her flat stomach. "Take a shower." Rose played with the black hair warmly. She smiled as Theo looked up at her. "Take a bath with me?" The ash bead drowned Rose deep in the warm ocean. She pursed her lips as she pulled Theo's facial skin wide to the side. "I'm old enough to bathe by myself. Hurry up...." A faint shake of Rose's head brought her to fall on her back on the bed. Theo's thirsty face and the man's large fingers began to dig into a t-shirt depicting a black bear, just like Theo who was currently resting on top of her. "I told you to take a shower, Theo. Not—" Rose was silenced by the tongue thrusting into her mouth. The sound of a wet sniffle trails off—a greeting of desire igni
Slowly Rose's eyelids slipped from their valves. The same Theo stared, silhouetted against each other in the mirror—Rose was lost in the seduction of the locking gray bead. "I was thinking of Oracle. He knows I don't like wearing earrings. Deliberately gifted me earrings so I'd wear them," Rose replied, successfully drawing one of Theo's eyebrows up high. "He's here, isn't he? Why don't you go straight to him." Theo's baritone voice whispered softly. Comparable to the smile on Rose's lips that curved again-this time briefly and too faintly. "He's back home ...." "Home?" Rose's body was slightly freed as Theo moved his face away from the crook of her neck. "Yes. Axe came to pick him up earlier." One step away she found Theo moving backwards. "Strange. Oracle came home because he was afraid of me, right? Did I hurt him too much?"Theo's quiet tone disturbed Rose's mind. She scrutinized the few times Theo's expre
Rose didn't care how the swaying bed jerked like a violent swinging shock. She maximized each powerful gallop like a giant crashing into the earth. Theo's body was a soft target for her feet. The man moaned in a submerged voice. Yet, also with pleasure... sometimes asking Rose to move from one spot to another. "Up again, Sugar. Up to the shoulders." Rose chuckled, still doing everything Theo wanted. One foot stomped even harder on her husband's hot, sexy shoulders. "That's it," Rose said. One leap ended the earthquake on the surface of Theo's body. She flung herself down beside the sleeping man. "You said you will give me back my gift box!" "I need to know. Who gave you the gift?" "Oracle. Here, give it back quickly." Rose's arms extended to pull the red velvet box in Theo's grasp. Their positions were in sync, both using their arms as a fulcrum to lift their chests. "Let me open it." Theo's large fingers separa
"No, you don't. You had your fill of acting like a baby last night." Rose ruffled the remaining strands of hair that still dangled over half of Theo's face. She looked down, searching for the most comfortable spot to strike. "Ouh, Sugar ...." A contrived hiss. Rose knew that no matter how much she clenched her teeth, it wouldn't give Theo much leverage. "Let go. I have to meet, Axe." "You son of bitch. I hope you don't leave before I get back." The chances of escape were slim in the conditions Rose had to face. She wasn't going to waste it, deliberately hunting her nimble footsteps leaving Theo alone lost on the bed. Rose reached for the doorframe. The hinges clicked after she positioned herself facing the man who had been calling impatiently. "You're taking so long." The stifled protest from the owner of the deep, raspy voice uploaded a barely perceptible smile on Rose's lips. "Sorry, Axe. I h
"Open your eyes, Theo." The throbbing was still as loud as it had been the first time Theo had spoken. Rose's heart and head were fighting each other. Each fighting for the space that overlapped the boundaries she had created for herself. In between came a strange feeling, which Rose could not organize into a symphony. She was a jumbled mess of randomness. Should have reconsidered Xelle's sentence a moment ago, was it true that Rose was trying to stay with someone who made her get lost in her own feelings? .... No, she wasn't. Rose didn't want to be confused by all that reality. As far as possible, she separated the things that shouldn't be lodged in the deepest corner of her heart. Towards a kind of choice which is the most appropriate to win Rose's sanity. She didn't want to be conquered. "Wake up. Get up, Theo!" Rose squeezed the clay muscles in her husband's arm. Turning the curled up body to face the ceiling of the main room. "T
"What conclusion?" A look of unequal color narrowed sarcastically. Rose's face was lifted a little roughly until she looked up and stared at each other. "It's so bad that even saying his name scares Oracle. And you say he didn't mean it?" Xelle's whisper was like a spark of fire. Quite disturbing if Rose had to admit it. She brushed off the lingering link of fingers, though Xelle's actions were not hurtful. "Theo didn't mean to. I was the one who misplaced the Oracle in our midst," Rose argued, not realizing how the blind finally blinked. "You're defending him, Rose?" Rose swallowed harshly. The glint in her eyes flickered quickly. "I'm not. It's just that you don't understand. I told you, that Theo did that out of his control. He had a nightmare last night." Rose held back the lump in the back of her throat. "You know I love Oracle, Axe, he's my son too. But please don't make a mess here. I've seen my husband hurt enough times. Not anymore. P