Roses Are Red

With her hood over her head she walked through the forest, easily maneuvering through the thick brush. She knew the forest like the back of her hand, if not better. When she finally reached the clearing, she leaned against a tree, waiting.

It wasn’t long before her patience was rewarded. A hooded man walked into the clearing from the opposite end and she took a step towards him but maintained a distance.

“You summoned me?” The man smirked mockingly.

She ignored his tone. She had more important matters to discuss. “I want verification first.”

“Do you have the package?” he asked, ignoring her.

She pulled out the ring from her pocket and through it at him, he easily caught it in his fist. “Does that answer your question?” She growled.

He examined it before placing it in his pocket. “Just take it to Grandmother’s house. We’ll worry about it later.”

“No, I want to know now, before I deliver the package.” She slowly began to approach him, her left hand inches away from her gun. She wasn’t taking any chances. The man, on the other hand, waited calmly. Finally she pulled out the paper from her pocket and handed it to him. “I want to make sure of it before I do this.”

“You sure this has nothing to do with the boy?” He smiled darkly.

“What?”

“You know what. We have eyes everywhere Rose . Would you like to know what we’ve heard?”

She swallowed, trying to prevent any emotions from surfacing. She should have expected this, but she had not. Maybe she really was losing her touch. Maybe it really was his fault. “Lukas has nothing to do with this. It’s just a job.”

“Your job wasn’t to save his life.” The man spat. “You’re getting too close, Rose. Any closer and you’re going to get burned.”

“Just deliver the message like a good dog.” She hissed back. His face turned red with anger, but he didn’t dare touch her. He knew as well as she did that he wouldn’t survive.

“We’re watching you, Rose. Don’t you ever forget that. Oh, and I was told to warn you about the ‘Wolf’.”

“Wolf?” Rose asked, confused.

“Apparently he’s the Prince’s right hand man. He’s killed several of our men in the past couple weeks. You’re probably high up on his list, Rose. It would be best for you if you just made your delivery and ran back into your hole.”

The thought of someone killing her made her smile. Let him try…

“Meet me here in four days. I hope for your sake you do not come empty handed.” She replied as she turned away and began walking back into the cover of the trees.