Without A Trace

Fifty-Five.

I take the glass of caramel colored liquid off the table and bring it to my lips. I burn my gaze into Annas, "I was hoping for a better reunion than this," I say, my voice strained to a whisper as I push it to its limit, sick of taking breaks as to not strain my vocal cords. "Not a very fuckin good one, bringing an Irish man to my home without speaking with me first," I say taking a sip out of the glass and setting it down, resting it on my thigh.

"Sometimes you have to bend the rules," Anna says nonchalantly before taking a breif pause. "You should know Cora. Rules don't apply to you apparently, because you bend a fuckin lot of em," Anna snaps back before lighting a cigarette and leaning back in her chair tilting her head to the side slightly as her gaze falls back onto mine.

I sit there and can't help but for a small smile to spread across my lips. I clench my jaw slightly and raise the glass back up to my lips, "Got me there eh?"

Ivy presses her lips together as she glances between Anna and I as the air grows thicker with tension. She lights a cigarette and takes a sharp drag off of it before exhaling and biting the inside of her cheek.

Anna crosses one of her legs over the other and takes a puff off of her cigarette, "Do you even know who you are outside of this?," she asks motioning to the manor behind us. "Outside of Thomas?"

Ivy about spits out her drink as she pulls it away from her lips and quickly sets it down, "Anna thats a bit harsh don't you think? Come on now.."

I can't help the grin on my face as anger swells in my chest, I can hear my heartbeat in my ears. I lick my lips slightly before speaking, "I know damn well who the fuck I am with or without all this and Thomas. If anything, it helped solidify who I am."

"Aye," Anna breathes out with her eyebrows raised slightly, "Hes got you very fuckin suffocated in this and brainwashed more than I thought," Anna blurts out before taking a sip out of her glass.

"Anna," Ivy cuts in coldly. Burning her eyes into Annas. "What are you talking about? Theres no reason for this or for you to be acting that way."

"Its fine Ivy," I say adjusting in my seat and taking a sip out of my glass, "Shes just upset I didnt have to move out and have an identity crisis to figure out who I am and have a spouse who actually helped me with that. At least Thomas never put his hands on me, so I never had that issue of figuring out who exactly I am, because it'd be on his dying fuckin breath. " I say narrowing my eyes back over to Anna as I raise a cigarette to my lips and take a drag off of it.

Ivy sits there with her mouth gaped open staring at me before looking back over to Anna. Who truthfully looks like shes about to put a bullet between my eyes at any minute.

"It's one thing to be independent, its another to blame my husband for your crisis. I'm sorry you're just now growing into the person you're supposed to be. Thats not my fuckin issue it took your husband beating you and having to move back out on your own for you to get there. That doesn't have anything to do with Thomas," I say taking another drag off my cigarette, flicking the ashes into the lush green grass below. "Thomas is suffocating, so can I see and agree with your feelings on that."

Anna taps her glass with her first finger slightly. Anger pools her firey gaze, "At least those beatings made me value strength and learn to hide my weaknesses. You on the other hand wear your weaknesses on your fuckin sleeve. Makes you quite an easy target. Can't say the same about me though," She says flicking her ashes into the grass before bringing her cigarette to her lips, "That, Cora, makes me stronger than you."

"Did you come here to visit or did you come here to start a problem Anna?" I ask before taking a drag off my cigarette.

"Thats quite the question aint it?" Anna says before taking a drink out of her glass. "Since finally growing into who I am meant to be, I came with a proposition for you. Seems how you like that fucked up hierarchy of power that goes on in this bloody family, I want to be equals with you position in this family." She says setting her glass down and leaning back in her chair. "I want the same power you hold in this family."

Ivy drags her gaze from Annas to mine, absolutely speechless. She turns her attention back to Anna, "I don't mean any offense Anna in this squabble you guys are having, but respectfully, you're not the bosses wife."

"What do you want to do with my position of power in this family?" I ask coldly, my guard automatically flying up and being on the defensive.

"To be treated as your equal and not your fuckin dog," Anna snaps at me. My chest pings slightly at the thought of someone thinking of her in that sort of way. "I bring just as much strength to this fuckin family as you do."

"We'll talk about it after your task is over. Speaking of that, I want to know what it was and what it is regarding," I say as I lean over the table to refill my glass.

"That's classified," Anna responds as she folds her hands into her lap. "When I left Thomas gave me a mission if you want to call it that. He asked me to not speak about it until its done. But, speaking of positions of power, I need your position to complete it. Temporary until our meeting, of course."

I chuckle, "You're like a sister to me, but handing you my position for a temporary amount of time on a silver platter without knowledge of why is not happening. You've got to be off your fuckin rocker if you think thats happening."

Anna sits there quietly for a few moments before leaning forward in her seat, "Theres a very important gala coming up in the next week. One that Thomas has not told you about. Nobody there has ever met the Shelbys. Its all hearsay. But I will attend that gala alongside Thomas in your position. And you will sit in the background and do as you're fuckin told with your mouth shut and do as I fuckin tell you."

I take another drag off my cigarette, "Already trying to fit into my spot I see. So you expect me to basically switch rolls with you without knowing anything about whats going on? Doesn't seem very safe to me," I say before putting my cigarette out and leaning back in my seat.

"Anna you have to give her something or you wont get what you need. Bend the fuckin rules," Ivy chimes in growing annoyed with the bickering.

Anna sighs and clenches her jaw slightly before looking back towards the house making shre the coast is clear and turning her attention back over to me, "Stellan Fridov will be there."

Ivys chest grows hot. She digs her nails into the arm of the couch shes on. I look over at her with a confused look on my face. She meets my gaze with a burning rage in her eyes, "Stellan is Jacob Kippens European informant."

"He doesn't know what we look like. He just knows Thomas's wife is the one the Edens are after. But I need you to give me your position. When we go down and interrogate May, it will completely throw her off. In tern throwing Jacob off. Stellan is set to attend the gala in hopes of gathering intel. I can't say more than this but you need to just fuckin trust me," Anna says demandingly.

I sit there silent for a few moments, "Fine. But if you even try to harm my husband out of fuckin spite-" I start before Anna cuts me off.

"That is why you need to give me your position. You're too prone to your weakness. You'll learn to hide your weaknesses from others after I'm done. Now give me your ring," she says sliding off her wedding and pinky ring, holding it out.

Shes right. I do wear my weaknesses on my sleeve and it puts my family in an all too vulerable position. One we definitely do not want to be in considering our family's quick growing power status. The only way people would know me at the gala would be my pinky ring with the family crest as well as my wedding ring since the family crest is traditionally worn by the leaders spouse and my wedding ring is worth a fortune. Word definitely gets out about that among smugglers, both poor and rich ones.

I slide them off and place them in the palm of her hand. I take her rings from her and slip them onto my own fingers before adjusting in my seat.

"Now," Anna says sliding the rings onto her fingers, "Lets go interrogate our prisoner shall we?"