Betrayal is a shattered trust, a piercing rupture in the most delicate part of the soul.
On the asphalt road, the scent of rain mingled with the metallic tang of blood, filling my senses with the unmistakable essence of earth and iron. Despite the weariness settling deep within my bones, I trudged forward, tasting the salty residue of sweat on my lips. Each steps echoed an unspoken desire to continue.
The groans of the bodies on the ground were barely heard in the middle of chaos. I cursed inwardly, the pain crawling like fiery tendrils throughout my body, threatening to send me crashing to the ground. However, there was no exemption. I couldn't afford to give up now.
Slumping over a muddy puddle, he writhed as I pressed my foot against his abdomen with unsettling ease. "Toying with me was your biggest mistake. Never delude yourself into thinking you're capable of such foolishness," I sneered.
With a deliberate thrust, I drove my heels into his wound, eliciting a gut-wrenching scream. As his movements ceased, a chilling grin crept onto my lips.
"I'm not yet done, Rem." I murmured pulling out a metal bat I found just right next to a corpse and let it rest on my shoulders. "Why need to abduct an innocent kid, hmm?"
Exhaustion clawed at me, urging surrender, but a flicker of resolve burned within. Despite the fatigue and the desperate need for reprieve, I steeled myself to confront him. "Answer me, fucktard!"
"Ruby please?!" he pleaded and I almost want to stab his mouth with my stilettos.
Terror had already imprinted itself on his features, but I hadn't made a move, at least not yet. I'm simply beautifying his gloomy heart—by stabbing my heels onto the organ.
"Do I need to repeat myself, Rem?"
I clenched my teeth as I drove my heels deeper into Rem's wound, relishing the raw agony that tore through him, each scream a twisted melody of his torment.
"Confess, Rem! Who ordered the abduction of the child?" I demanded again, my voice taut with controlled fury.
Tears finally streaked his contorted face, mingling with the blood and mud. "It was... it was a higher-up from the Syndicate," he whimpered, his words punctuated by sharp gasps for air.
"I was just following orders, I swear!"
"Who? Give me a name!"
Rem winced, his resolve crumbling. "It was... it was Adofo," he confessed, his breaths shallow and desperate. "It was Adofo who ordered the abduction, I had no choice!"
He screamed after and began to crack a harsh, mocking laugh and I was struck with deafening astonishment. My pulse was pounding frantically, like if a single motion might destroy me.
There's no way Adofo is involved in this! He's just messing with me—
"Guess I'm not the only fool here, Ruby! Adofo, your superior made me do this."
Rem seized the opportunity before I could respond, his voice dripping with a sadistic triumph.
"You're a pawn, Ruby. Adofo set you up, ordered me to frame you by abducting the child," he hissed, loving the havoc he created.
***
An intense, searing pain clawed its way from the surface of my head, dragging unwanted memories from the depths of my forgotten past. The sudden break loose of crimson neon lights flooded the room, enveloping everything in a haunting scarlet hue.
The overwhelming sensation threatened to engulf me, nearly causing me to faint as I battled against the agony with all my strength. My body arched involuntarily, prompting a pained groan from the old man as he clutched my hips tightly.
The agony surged, overwhelming my senses and causing my eyes to roll upwards. In that posture, the old man's palm slapped my face with a searing smack. I recoiled, my gaze pulled to the far corner of the room, unable to turn my head.
The searing pain from his hands persisted, while I still had to endure the unsettling sensation of my body brushing against his aroused shaft.
He was forcing it to get into my flesh but I snapped back to reality. Despite the lingering pain, his forceful grip on my jaw compelled me to meet his gaze.
"Clean it," he said angrily, shoving me to the floor and pushing my head to his groin.
And the mere thought of what was ahead made me want to vomit!
My insides retreated in terror at the thought of having it in my mouth, a visceral reaction warning me against this violation. My inner self screamed in protest, warning that allowing his ancient pet to enter me would be an irreparable betrayal of my own dignity.
I'm uncertain how I summoned the strength to resist the old man's demands, but a surge of anguish seemed to jolt me into action. The pain had reached such unbearable heights that it clouded my senses, numbing me to the point where the agony ceased to register.
Just moments before, the torment had threatened to shatter my skull, but now, a strange detachment enveloped me, granting a brief respite from the overwhelming suffering.
Despite my discomfort, I couldn't help but smile, an unusual sense of happiness sneaking in.
It then occurred to me that this tiny grin indicated a loss of my own sanity, a revelation that triggered conflicting emotions within me. Even as a part of my mind struggled with a torrent of confused memories, I weirdly found some kind of satisfaction in the old man's reaction—a startling insight in the midst of my distress.
And the picture of the old man's saliva landing on my face broke any remaining sense of sanity. My rationality faded, and a hideous smile appeared once again on my lips.
"It's time for seven minutes in heaven, dirty cow," I said quietly as I moved swiftly to grab the blade hidden beneath my black stockings.
My stare hardened as I regarded his ravenous look, a desire to rip his lecherous intents from their eye sockets burning inside me. I snarled angrily as I went in front of him, launching a hard kick that knocked him and the sofa to the floor.
Leaning in close, I hissed into his ear, "One wrong move, and you're dead."
His futile attempt to grasp my neck, aiming to silence me, only sealed his fate. With swift and decisive action, I ensured there was no escape from the impending end. A brief, intense groan filled the air as warm blood spilled from his throat.
"I'll haunt you!" he stuttered, blood trickling from the wound I inflicted, mixing with his words.
"Told you," I retorted, aggravating his pain.
"What a charming sight. Blood tastes more delightful than your vile, repugnant semen. I can't believe I almost mouth fucked an ancient dick! I swear, I'd buy hundreds of mouthwash—"
I snapped, "Or should I gargle chlorine?"
However, my macabre spectacle was abruptly halted by a loud bang at the door. "You're quite the rudest, Ruby..." a familiar voice intoned, evidently stunned by the sight before him.
"Yeah, and you owe me for this mess," I retorted, my gaze still fixed on the man struggling to breathe.
"How could you put me through this? I never signed up for a seventy-year-old's sick fantasy. My bucket list said 'striptease,' not fuck, Adofo," I explained, my words tinged with both anger and disbelief as I reluctantly turned towards the man who'd become an unexpected target for my rage.
He set me up, like in my dreams...
I rose to my feet, attempting to tame my disheveled hair. The residual stickiness on my face and arms drew me to Adofo, where I purposely smeared the nasty residue onto his body. His face furrowed with disgust as he hurriedly tossed his jacket to the floor.
"I'm not a garbage collector, just the one tossing out the trash," I remarked, leaving him in the room. Sensing his pursuit, I hastened my pace, swiftly walking until I exited the building.
"Ruby, Ruby, Ruby..." Adofo chanted, his laughter echoing through the air.
His amusement seemed tied to the state of my attire, a chaotic mix of blood and dirt. Yet, somehow, I found a twisted sense of satisfaction in wearing it.
"Pervert," I muttered, casting a curse in his direction under my breath.
His boisterous laughter persisted, an irritant that never failed to get under my skin. "Am I rude?"
"An idiot, yes!" I shot back.
"You might want to express genuine gratitude for fulfilling your bucket list," he remarked with a hint of smugness.
"I sincerely cursed you back to hell, Adofo. " I replied with a decisive nod, watching as his smile swiftly vanished. Adofo had a habit of sulking whenever he lost an argument with me, a fact that hardly concerned me.
A while later, he escorted me to his car, presenting me with fresh clothes and the keys to a new unit where I would be staying. Our silence lingered for a few moments before he finally broke it.
"He's your final target. John Gotti, a high-profile syndicate leader and the mastermind behind your father's death," he informed that slightly caught me off guard.
"I want his bloodline, Adofo. He did not just massacre my home he wrecked my soul to the depths of hell. I am not yet done, I will decide who's gonna be my last target, Adofo."
I was intently studying his face and my eyebrow lifted as he avoided my query by meeting my stare with exceptional intensity.
"I cease to be your superior the moment his death appears on every radar. Here's the least I can offer," he mumbled, his gaze fixed on the items he just handed.
WTH?
Is he fucking us, Ruby?
"You have three days, Ruby. Get out of this country."
What?!
I tried to respond, but the air felt stifled in my mouth. A lump formed in my throat, choking me as I grappled with the overwhelming weight of Adofo's words, struggling to comprehend their gravity.
"Now," he urged, his voice brooking no delay.
"Fuck, you're not abandoning me like this, Adofo! Where I am supposed to go in situations like this?!" a muffled curse escaped my lips as a tugged my hair when I didn't get an answer.
Tears flowed down my cheeks throughout the drive, unbeknownst to me, until we arrived at the Continent, an upscale hotel intended just for agents like me. I stayed dazed until a woman's face appeared in front of me.
I got out of Adofo's car and found myself entering the hotel without thinking. The woman at the front desk captured me with her looks, causing my motions to come to a standstill. Her hair strangely resembled mine.
Long, lustrous black strands, the distinctive feature that marked us as operatives for the puppeteers. She was clever, definitely aware of my intentions, yet she masterfully maintained her charade, displaying no emotion on her face.
"Good evening Ms., how can I help you?" she greeted, smiling as if it were ordinary to see me covered in blood and dirt.
I slowly placed the black card on the counter, finally catching a flicker of change in her expression. Though a hint of panic flashed in her eyes, she managed to maintain her composure. She stared blankly at the card for a moment before handing me a luggage.
We exchanged glances for the last time, almost as if it were our final encounter. Her direct gaze seemed to convey an understanding of the situation. That intense look made it evident that this was the end for me, yet I had no time to dwell on it further, as every sensation felt like needles and thorns.
Even stepping into my suite felt burdensome, but I persisted in searching for hidden bugs and wires, yet failed to uncover any. It brought a fleeting moment of relief, but it hardly alleviated the weight of the current situation.
Is Adofo truly abandoning me?
As I pondered, tears streamed down my cheeks once more. I dragged myself to the wash room, barely able to stand, to clean up. I jumped in, desperate to fill the tub, letting my body to fall to the bottom.
"You betrayed me when you said you won't, you son of a bitch." I mumbled, the words barely audible in the water.