2. Flirtatious Rose

Rose looked at her blood-stained hands. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, but then rolled her eyes in boredom.

"Always such a hassle," she muttered irritably. "I told you I hate seeing blood. Why is he so annoying and stubborn?"

She stepped over Albert’s battered body, wearing a look of disgust with one eyebrow raised. “I hate seeing all this.”

She washed her hands at the sink in a hurry, not wanting to linger there. Her eyes met her reflection in the mirror. She clicked her tongue in annoyance. “I really hate this blonde hair. It makes my pretty face look like a bitch.”

She splashed some water to wash away the blood on her forehead and cheeks while continuing to grumble. She’d have to fix her makeup after this. Once everything was clean, she hurried out of the restroom. That scene had completely ruined her mood.

Her footsteps echoed in the narrow hallway leading to the club’s back door. There wasn’t a single person there; everyone was still engrossed in the action on the dance floor. No one knew about the “activity” she’d just engaged in in the restroom. The ear-splitting music drowned out all the commotion they’d caused.

As soon as she opened the club’s back door, the music suddenly stopped and police sirens blared loudly. Rose took off her wig and tossed it into the trash. Just a few steps from the club, the back door slammed open roughly again.

“He’s almost dead, Rose.”

Rose stopped in her tracks and turned around. A handsome, rugged man dressed in navy jeans and a black T-shirt approached her. Rose raised an eyebrow, folding her arms in indifference.

“So?”

“This is the fifth time. Eventually, they’ll get suspicious,” the man replied irritably. “Luckily, there’s ‘stuff’ in the front pocket of his pants and his gun is illegal. So Brad can easily convince them that Albert just dealt with a dealer.”

“You know ‘he’ is getting stronger, right? I’m starting to feel overwhelmed,” Rose replied casually, flicking her natural brunette hair.

The man ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. “You have to control everything, Rose. Only you can control ‘him’.”

Rose giggled. “Find me a new place then.”

The man shook his head firmly. “No. You have to stay here. Stay in my apartment. Please.”

Rose approached the man with a seductive smile. Her right hand traced the man’s chiseled jawline as she bit her lower lip. Any other man would have immediately pulled her close and attacked her, but not this man of Pakistani descent.

“Then find me a handsome guy. You know I wouldn’t be here if I were busy, right?” she murmured with a mischievous wink.

The man let out a long sigh. He wasn’t the least bit surprised by Rose’s flirtatious behavior.

“Oh, I just remembered. Your friend is really handsome and alluring. Every time I see that cold gaze, I always want to pounce on him. What’s his name? I forgot.”

“Not him, Rose.”

“Oh, his name is Arsen, right? The cold guy that so many women are crazy about.” Rose bit her lower lip and smiled, picturing the man who always intrigued her.

“Please, stay away from Arsen. He’s not a jerk,” the man pleaded, but she completely ignored him.

“I wonder if he’ll go crazy over me?”

“Rose, please.”

“Shut up and just watch, Leonard. Will that man fall for me, or will he resist my charm?” Rose stood on tiptoe and brought her lips close to Leonard’s ear. “Wouldn’t it be fun if he could keep me busy? You’d benefit too. There wouldn’t be any more Albert types.”

Leonard could only remain silent. Rose was right. He couldn’t keep cleaning up the mess she made when he had so much on his plate.

“You can keep an eye on me this time. Don’t worry. He won’t get hurt,” She said, patting Leonard on the chest twice before walking away.

Leonard ran his right hand through his hair. Should he trust her? The last time Rose was with a man, that man ended up in the hospital. Albert was the umpteenth time, and it was far worse. And that was because the man had nearly assaulted her.

“I’m sorry, Arsen. I promise I won’t let you end up like them,” He muttered, then turned and went back inside the club to finish his business.

He had to go somewhere else right after this. He couldn’t let Rose get there first, or everything would fall apart.

***

“So, did you finally agree to my suggestion earlier?” Rose asked, observing the situation in front of Leonard’s car. She leaned back casually in the car seat with her arms crossed. Her legs were crossed, as if she were relaxing on a living room sofa.

“I love Claire very much,” Leonard replied, after ending his phone call with Arsen.

Rose snorted, then chuckled. “You think your friend would be interested in her? I’m way more attractive and alluring.”

“You care about Claire too. Just admit it. You’re the only one who’s always there when she’s in danger.”

“Hmm,” Rose muttered lazily. “At least this time, I’ll be the one to approach that handsome guy first.”

"Now that I think about it, Claire needs someone to look out for her. I don’t want her to keep going through that suffering. By the way, what did Albert do to end up so beaten up like that?"

"He almost raped Claire."

Leonard cursed as he slammed his fist against the steering wheel. "She always invites trouble wherever she goes. Even though he always dresses modestly. Not like you."

Rose snorted again. "She can’t take care of herself and is too naive. Whereas I can intimidate anyone. No one dares to approach me even if I’m just wearing a bikini in public."

Leonard let out a long sigh. He felt overwhelmed by what the girl he loved so dearly was going through. He should be able to protect her, but lately his responsibilities had been piling up. Someone needed to look out for Claire.

Nearly half an hour later, a luxury German car drove past them and parked not far from Leonard’s car. Rose immediately whistled flirtatiously when she saw a man with black hair step out of the car. Her head even tilted slightly as the man, Arsen, walked in front of Leo’s car.

“I thought I’d get used to this behavior of yours, Rose. God, why do you look like a slut?” Leo complained as Rose didn’t take her eyes off Arsen’s backside.

“So sexy. And handsome. Very masculine and arousing…”

“Rose, stop it!”

“Suddenly, I feel like he’s my soulmate. I’ll never let this one go,” Rose continued, gripping the door handle, ready to get out and chase after the man.

Leo quickly grabbed her arm, causing Rose to glare at him. “What?”

“At least change your jacket. There are a lot of bloodstains on it,” Leo suggested, handing her a woman’s jacket he always carried with him because she would definitely need it.

She accepted it with an annoyed sigh. She quickly changed out of her blood-stained jacket.

“Let me meet him first, okay. And pretend you don’t know me. I don’t want to drag him into my problems.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Rose replied irritably. She was forced to wait in the car and let him enter the restaurant and bar first.

After waiting for several minutes with a sense of irritation, she finally stepped out of the car, adjusting her jacket. Her wavy hair fell perfectly, framing her beautiful face. A crooked smile played on her lips.

“Let’s flirt with that handsome guy. I can’t wait to spend the night with him,” Rose murmured as she walked with her head slightly tilted back. “It’s going to be so much fun.”