Blood and Roses

13 | Little Thief

~Camila

As I laid in bed late at night, desperately trying to fall asleep, I couldn’t help but feel annoyed. Angelo’s absence gnawed at me. Suddenly, a jarring sound of shattering glass shattered the quietude nearby, causing my eyes to shoot open. Sleep had eluded me because I grew accustomed to sleeping at Angelo’s apartment. So, whether that crash woke me up or not hardly mattered, I was already wide awake.

I swiftly sat up in bed, my heart untouched by fear as I searched for the noise. It wasn’t coming from inside the house, or at least that’s what I tried to convince myself. With a yawn, I brushed my hair behind my ears and crawled out of bed. Annoyance settled in as I made mental notes of what I needed to do. First, more melatonin. Second, a trip to the bathroom. Third, figuring out what the hell that sound was.

I didn’t have a clue where it came from, but I didn’t really care. Mr. Ryuu, the all-knowing busybody that he is, would probably have some idea. He always thinks he knows everything, and it’s not surprising that he’s still awake; the man loves sitting on the porch, puffing on his cigar, and sipping his beer while watching the cars drive past. I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s been watching me sleep every night like a creep, but, oh well, that’s just how he is.

I fumbled around with the melatonin pills, not bothering to count how many I took before clumsily swallowing them. My lack of care for my own well-being was evident as I stumbled towards the front door. There was Mr. Ryuu, like always, lounging on the porch with his vices in hand: a cigar and a bottle of beer.

I closed the door behind me without making a sound. Settling down next to him, he offered me a cigarette, and I took it without any gratitude. He lit it up for me, and as I held it between my fingers, I couldn’t care less about the damage I was doing to myself, and I blew the smoke out of my nose. With an air of impatience, I waited for Mr. Ryuu to give me some information about the source of the crash.

Mr. Ryuu and I resided in the notorious Diamond District, a criminal playground akin to The Docks, except this one was nestled within a neighborhood rather than along the Hudson River. This place was a hub for all sorts of illicit activities, with banks, jewelry stores, and other establishments that held mysterious significance, none of which I bothered to comprehend. In this den of vice, robberies occurred as frequently as finding graffiti in Los Angeles, California.

That earlier crash I heard was undoubtedly from one of those high-end stores. Someone was stealing, and in a neighborhood like this, no one gave a damn, especially not the cops. The only ones who cared were the likes of Mr. Ryuu and me, his assassin, always on the prowl for catching such thieves. In this twisted realm, I had gained a kind of notoriety for catching this miscreants red-handed. Sure, my fame extended far beyond, credited with the deaths of 823 people, but that reputation meant little in this small sphere. Here, my worth was defined by how efficiently I could apprehend those who dared to pilfer from our shops, nothing more.

“Look, that noise you probably heard from that damn jewelry shop, Sal’s Jewels, two blocks away, yeah, that’s the one. I want you to deal with it, got it? Catch the thief, haul their sorry ass back, and put that stolen crap right back where it belongs. Then, report back to me when you’re done. Consider this your punishment for screwing up that assassination mission. It’s not rocket science, so spare me the whining. Oh, and before you rush out, do me a favor and change your damn clothes. You ain’t stepping out in public with that bra and sweatpants getup. I don’t need people gripping about your lack of professionalism and how distracting you are.”

“Understood, sir. I’ll deal with the issue promptly.”

I rose from the porch, still holding the cigarette between my lips, and headed back inside. The need to gather my belongings and change clothes was an annoyance I could do without. Mr. Ryuu seemed to have a ridiculous notion that wearing a bra in public was unacceptable, despite letting me roam around in a bikini at the damn pool. Whatever his twisted logic was, I had no intention of delving into it. I never bothered with understanding his reasoning.