Cold Hands ✔️

twenty nine

chapter 29; you have bewitched me, body and soul

"My my. The years have been generous on you. What do you use for skin care?" Belladonna asked, her gun lazily pointing at me. Her grip was weak, but I don't doubt that within a second she could fix her posture and fire. She stood near the edge, the city skyline glittering in the background.

"Belladonna, put the gun down. It's over." I told her, motioning with my gun for her to lower it.

"Let's talk first. You and me. Tell your team you're checking the rest of the building, then take out your earpiece." Her grip tightened. I showed her my hand and slowly reached up to talk. It was better to earn her trust than to die alone up on this building.

"I'm checking the rest of the building, and then I will join you all." I complied and took out my earpiece, resting it on my vests collar. A cool breeze nipped at my neck, reminding me of how high up we were.

"Alright Belladonna, just tell me what you want. I don't want any blood to be spilt." 

"Put down your gun. I don't like it when I don't have the upper hand." I stood there for a second, not moving. She cocked her gun in warning. My jaw tensed in defiance, hating how vulnerable I was becoming.

I showed her both my open hands, bending down to place my gun on the floor. I kicked it away from the both of us, the last thing I needed was for her to have two guns.

"Good. That lowers the tension, don't you think? Now, let's talk about me." She smiled and went back to holding her gun loosely. 

I kept my hands where she could see them. I looked over her person, not seeing any other weapon besides the one in her hand. She certainly came dressed for the occasion. She wore a dark blue suit that exposed her chest, her ginger hair flowing slightly in the wind. Her ears and neck bore jewels, and she had a fur coat on. It took everything in me not to roll my eyes. The outfit reminded me of when people used to dress up to rob banks.

"Do you like it? I chose it just for our meeting. Bummer you didn't dress up, but that FBI vest looks good for you." She pouted before slowly looking me over, a smile creeping onto her face. I resisted the shiver that ran up my spine.

"I apologize for not jumping up and down at the sight of you. You did get me kidnapped, branded and stabbed."

She rolled her eyes and moved forward. I stayed in my place, trying not to show the fear I felt.

"I just wanted information, that was all. I wanted to know how close you were. I was hoping to get to Jack The Ripper's finale, but I had fun doing what I could." She stopped moving once she came nearly toe to toe. 

Belladonna's eyes bore into mine, challenging me to look away. She raised her head slightly so she looked down her nose at me, a malicious glint in her eyes. The gun came up and rested beneath my chin. In one shot I'd be finished. With one shot she could run away and never be found.

"Look at all this trouble caused, we should cause more. Tell me, what did you feel when you realized it was me?" She whispered, her hot breath fanning against my face. I tried to think of what to say to diffuse the situation. My mind was blank. Belladonna reached towards my ear piece and tore it from me, severing my communication with my team. Her nails slightly dug into my neck, making me grimace.

"Elated? Giddy? Lovesick?" The words came out punctuated, each word feeling like a hit in the gut.

"Why didn't you just come to me? You didn't have to kill those women." I asked her. I hoped that she didn't hear the waver in my voice because I certainly felt it.

"But I did." she answered simply. She took the gun from beneath my chin and dug it into my side. I groaned at the feeling. She looked down her nose at me, her mouth agape.